The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-05-07
one OF THE BEST m THE SOUTH.

a speech made by Capt. J. F. Merry
general immigration agent for tn
Illinois Central railroad, in regar,
to farming in the South. OF tn
Delta section Of Mississippi MI
Merry says:
Mississippi is unquestionabl.
one OF our best agricultural states
1t has a great variety Of soils as will
be seen from the soil exhibits from
that state. Different types Of sol
produce a variety Of products, ant
in that Mississippi excells, TIL,
section Of Mississippi known as thu
Delta, or the Yazoo Mississippi Val
ley extending from Memphis OF
the north to Vicksburg on the south
a distance Of POO miles, and from
the Mississippi river on the west Il
the Yazoo river on the east, a dis.
lance Of 65 miles, embracing a ter.
ritory Of 5000 600 acres, a valley
designated by VIM. <. Curtis, the
noted newspaper correspondent, as
the richest valley IN this hemis,
phere, was at one time an arm OF
the gulf, but for some cause the
water receded, and for centuries this
bed Of the once inland sea received
deposits from the black alluyial
lands of Illinois, Wisconsin, Min
nesota, Ohio and Missouri, carried
down by the tributaries Of the Mis-
sissippi. Then sprang up great
forests Of hardwood timber such as
only find root in the richest soil.
Its topography being flat and low
made it subject to overflow and the
annual foundations kept it from
settlement for several years, The
American people know a good thing
when they see it, and know how TO
overcome obstacles. They dug into
the ~alluvial deposits and found that
they contained from three to twenty
feet of black soil that for fertility
was unsurpassed. A railroad with
becoming enterprise saw the pro-
sDective traffic in this great hard
wood forest and recognized the az
ricultural possibilities of its won
derful soil. 1t constructed a line Of
railroad the entire length of the
valley. Lands Immediately ada
cent to the railroad were sold at that
for one dollar per acre. The
government and the state author
saw the necessity of keeping
the Mississippi river from overflow
ing these lands. They built dykes
and levees strengthening them from
year to year until now there is little
fear Of overflow. Saw mills we're
established everywhere. Deadenings
were TO be seen on either side of the
railroad track on which cotton was
planted, often producing a half bale
TO the acre, even under these new
conditions. Development continued
from year to year, until now at least
three million of he>fve and a half
million acres are in cultivation; and
the lands Of the Delta that twenty
five years ago were a drag on the
market at one dollar an acre are
now selling at prices ranging from
$lS to $50 per acre, and will go to
500 per acre in the near future.
Do you question this statement? Let
me refer you to the fact that cotton,
The almost exclusive product of that
country at present, is a staple ar
.icle that is as much in demand as
your corn, and at prices far more re-
nunerative. It's b%y-products, such
AS cotton seed, cotton seed meal,
,otton seed oil, bulls and oil cake
equal in value per acre that
IF corn grown in Illinois or Iowa.
But gentlemen, the crops Of the
.azoo-M Mississippi valley are not con-
ined to cotton for any other reason
han hal at recent prices it paid
better than any other crop. The
of the Delta will grow success
'ully as great a variety of products
IS can be grown in Illinois. The
ALLEY is now being divided into
lrainage districts, and engineers
rom Illinois are taking contracts to
Train it in the latest and most i'm
proved manner. Throughout the
alley artesian wells are being sunk
o a depth Of from 200 to 1900 feet.
highways are occupying the