The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-06
NEW PAMPHLET ON ALFALFA GROWING Southern Railway Is Send
 ing Out Information CROPS IN ALABAMA
Estimated That Fully 25,000 Acres Are Under Cultivation in What Is Known as the Al
 falfa Belt'
By WALTER HARPER


 washinpton. September 5.-(Specia1)- The land and industrial department of the Southern railway has just issued an at tractive and valuable series of pamphlets dealing with the industrial and agrlcui- tural advantages of the southern states
 One of the most interesting of these IS "Alfalfa in the Southeast Considerable space is devoted to what is known as the black belt of Alabama and Missis- sippi. one of the finest and most promising alfalfa growing sections in the United States. This belt, extending from north east Mississippi in crescent shape around into Alabama, a distance of about 12O miles, with the average width or rom 30 to 90 miles, has had most wonder ful development in the culture of this magic plant during the past 10 years.
 The national census of 1900 showed that in all Mississippi there were but 9s acres of alfalfa, and in all Alabama but PIP acres. Today it is estimated that there are 25,OOO acres under alfalfa culti- vation in this strip of favored soil.
 While the most rapid development of 
 sissippi, the past two or three years has shown wonderful increase of interest and practical development in Alabama
 But alfalfa growing is not confined to the black belt in Alabama. It is being grown successfully in the Tennessee and the Coosa valleys. Clarendon Davis, liv- ing nine miles west of Huntsville, in Madison county, has a field of 100 acres which is giving him the best of results.
 J. Ennis Thornton of Greene county is reputed to be one of the most extensive and successful alfalfa growers in the south. He has had experience in the great alfalfa growing regions of the west and is thoroughly familiar with the industry from every viewpoint.
 In discussing the advantages of Ala bama with officials of the Southern rail- way at Washington a few weeks ago, MT, Thornton said:
 'It is interesting to note a comparison between the advantages of the black belt of Alabama and the lands of the west. In the west alfalfa is popularly called mortgage liter The lands in that sec ton, as everyone knows. are very high, say from $100 to $15O an acre. The serious side of the question is that these lands must be irrigated in order to make a crop, at a cost of $25 to $100 an acre. The
  tons to the acre, which brings $4 to S6 a ton. Such lands are not for sale even at $50 an acre. These facts are given from actual experience in the San Joa- qun valley, California. brief summary of the advantages of this section shows the superiority of the black belt of Ala bama over these high priced lands. We have a genial climate where the farmer can work out of doors 300 days in the year, exclusive of Sundays, and generally we have a regular and abundant rainfall. Our soil is fertile and responds at once to the blow. We have an abundance of fine lime lands. especially adapted to all falfa that five years ago could have been bought at SS to S10 an acre. These lands may now be had at from $15 to $25 per acre, and buyers are not hard to find. Now, in view of these advantages a genial climate, fertile soil, cheap lands adapted to all crops of the temperate zone, with abundant irrigation which costs us nothing, with good and growing markets at our very doors. we can see no ominous portend to cast even shadow over our agricultural prosperity,