The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-17
SOUTH CAROLINA
BANKER PRAISES
ALABAMA LANDS
Party of Palmetto State
Farmers Look Over
Black Belt
NEED OF STATE is
THE SMALL FARMER
FretwelI Expects Alabama to Be the
Greatest Agricultural State of
Union-Says Many From His
State Will Come Here

A new movement to bring white farm
ers to Alabama was inaugurated last
week by Joseph o. Thompson. one of the
large farmers of the state, when he
brought a party of South Carolina farmers
to Alabama to see the character of the
black belt lands, the amount of crops that
can be raised on these lands, the number
of crops per year and to demonstrate TO
them the advantages of this state over
theirs.
In the party was ]. ]. Fretwell presi-
dent of the Peoples bank of Anderson,
S. c., which is the county seat of the
largest cotton growing county east of
the Mississippi. Mr.. Fretwell is one of
the best known business men of South
Carolina, and has been largely instru-
mental in making Anderson county the
largest cotton producing county of the
south, with more than 5000 bales of cot
ton yearly. Mr.. Fretwell had IA of his
neighbors, all practical farmers, and many
of them large landholders in Anderson
county, with him, and he expects to turn
a healthy and constantly growing num-
ber of these scientific farmers to Ala
bama.
In discussing the matter yesterday Mr..
Fretwell said: I'm South Carolina, at
Anderson, farm lands are worth from
500 to $400 per acre, and sell readily at
those figures. We have small farmers
there, men who farm only 100, 200 and up
to 500 and 600 acres, but they are thor
ough farmers, and every inch of their
soil is in high state or cultivation. Just
last week $4,000 was refused for a 100
acre farm two miles from Anderson city
limits, so that what 1 say about values
there isn't exaggerated.
Needs Small Farmer
What Alabama needs is the small
white farmer who tills 40, 80, 100 or not
more than 500 acres of land. This class
of farmer will cultivate more crops and
better crops on 100 acres than are now
raised on 300 and 400 acres in Alabama.
In my party there are IA such farmers.
and they are worth upward of 100000, all
Of which was made farming.
I'VE are appreciating the fact that In
Alabama richer lands, such as the black
belt lands l have seen this week, can
be bought for $15 to $50 per acre, and
our people are turning their eyes toward
Alabama. l anticipate that within the
next few years many hundred families
will come to this state from my section
We can sell our 500 an acre farms and
purchase a farm four times as large in
Alabama. The lands here are richer than
ours, and will raise a bale to bale and
half of cotton to the acre, whereas
ours will not do that. You get more
crops season than we do on the same
lands You can get as many as three
crops year, whereas we can get but
two.
For the past few years our farmers
have been selling their high priced lands
and going to Georgia and purchasing
cheaper lands. But the Georgia lands
are not nearly so rich nor productive as
yours in Alabama, and this movement to
Georgia we are going to try and divert
to Alabama.
Visited Thompson Farm
why 1 saw the most wonderful sight
have ever seen on a farm this week
when I visited the plantation of w. w.
Thompson in Macon county. l saw cotton
that will run as high as two bales to
the acre. OF course there Is only a
small amount of this acreage, but II
shows what the lands will do when prop
erly titled, cultivated and worked. l saw
corn that will go high as 100 bushels
to the acre, and Mr. Thompson tells me
that these lands were considered worn
out four years ago when he bought them
One farmer like Mr.. Thompson is worth
no telling how much to the people of the
state, and IL they will go to his place
and study his methods, the annual pro-
duction of cotton. corn, oats, meats, stock
and hogs in Alabama will be doubled
in the next four years. Mr.. Thompson
tells me that he has Increased his yield
on this farm more than 1900 per cent In
the past four years, and when I COM
pare his crops with those of many OF
his neighbors | can believe his state
ments.
"Alabam is destined to be the great
est agricultural state in the union, and
will be as soon as the farmer of the
state learns the lesson of intensive
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