The Tupelo journal., 1908-05-01
By H. 4. ~BLAKEsLEE. Jackson.

the opinion of those interested in the
movement that this fall will witness q
display Of products in that delta center
that will cause the bosoms of all the
good people of that section to swell
with pride. 1t al be done and should
be by all means. The writer recently
spent a couple of days with the pro-
motors of the enterprise, and is very
much impressed with the advantages
possessed by Greenville and the SUR
rounding country as the location of a
great Delta Fair. The good that such
an institution would do cannot be emu
merates in an ordinary space. Its in
tiuence would be felt throughout the
entire delta section of the State and
there can oe no doubt but that it would
eventually be worth millions of dollars
to the people in general.
There is some feeling among the peo-
pie up there that the planters would
not take the interest necessary to make
1t the success that it should be. There
need be no serious fear along that line.
The Delta Experiment Station can
make an exhibit in itself that would be
worth going miles to see and learn how
it was produced. While one of the mer-
chants was making this objection to the
writer, a planter from near Greenville
walked in and stated that his two sons
were anxious to know if there would be
a fair or not so that they could COM
mence preparing to grow an exhibit.
Ii only one planter in a hundred brought
something for show, the success of the
project would be assured. Then, too,
1t has been demonstrated time and
again that if the number of exhibits
were not so large and numerous the
first year, they increased in both size
and numbers as the years went by.
There is also another i'm
preston anent the delta country. It Is
often commended that the people there
care nothing for any crop except cot
tor. This may have been true in the
past but there is a change coming over
the people OF that section of our great
State. In another column will be found
an article on the writer's visit to the
plantation of Douglass Robinson in Lee
fore county. Mr.. Robinson raises all
the meat consumed on his farm, every
bushel OF corn necessary to make a
crop. cures large quantities of hay and
has the very best stock of every de-
scription. Another large planter, Mr..
Aleck Henderson Of Runnymeade, Le-
fore county, has bred a corn that is at
tracing attention throughout the State
for its excellence. Truckers near
Greenville are demonstrating the fact
that the delta will successfully grow
vegetables of almost every description
and, to tell the truth, with proper man
agement, Greenville and the delta can
make an exhibit that will open the eyes
Of the world as to what that section of
Mississippi can do and does.
The movement has made a favorable
start and with a little careful work the
Delta Fair will take its place alongside
the most successful institutions of it's
kind in the State. The buildings pro-
posed for use for the fair have no equal
in the State, and with these filled to
ov%ertiowing with products of the delta's
rich a~lluvial soil, the thousands who
will visit Greenville during the event
cannot help but be impressed with the
possibilities of that muchly favored
section of Mississippi.
The value of alfalfa as a land builder
is emphasized by the following state
ment from the West Point Leader:
"Stacey Hibbler made a purchase of
forty acres of the former James Cole
son place which was seeded in alfalfa.
A number Of years ago, SO the Leader
is informed, this place was sold for $40
per acre; several years later it brought
S35 per acre, while Mr.. Hibbler paid
S75 per acre for it. Don't you forget it,
the time is rapidly coming when the
prairie lands will double themselves in
value" 1t might not be right to claim
that the alfalfa was responsible for all
of the increase in price here recorded,
but it had a great deal to do with it.
Land that will successfully grow alfalfa
will soon be the most valuable in Mis-
sissippi. Three to five tons of a hay
that readily sells for 500 per ton should
make the land that produces it worth
more than 800 per acre. Land in Hi
nois that produces forty bushels of CORE
is worth $3.50 per acre and the corn can
not be counted as worth over 500 at the
outside. Then it is reasonable to sup
pose that Mississippi land that pro-
duced a hay crop worth from $50 to 800
per acre would be worth fully as much
or more. W. have the greatest coun-
try in the world and the radiance of a
few chronic kickers and knockers
would realize the worth of the heritage
that is ours.
Laurel is considering the proposition
of a commission form of government
as authorized by the legislature at it's
last session. This plan of municipal
government has been found very sue
cessful in almost every instance where
tried and is worthy of careful investi-
cation at least. A census of the city
has been authorized by the council
and work on that is also progressing,
It is likely that the result will show a
remarkable increase over that of 1900.