The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-22
Nil ions OF IDLE ACRES
IN BEAUTIFUL SOUTHLAND
Pessimsm Regns Where Energy. Push and Optimistic Move
ments Would Do Such Good to Those
VINO Are the Sufferers.

! advertising campaign apparently on
the hit or miss basis. but finally
through sheer ability and the assist
anca OF his advertising representative
pulls himself together and finally wins
cut. He reminds me of the Irishman
who came to America and got his first
Job in a railroad yard working on n
yard section. A day or two after
wards the yardmaster saw Pat watch
ing the engines standing on the yard
near the roundhouse. Pat" said he,
did you ever run an engfne? Be
cory says Pat, III there Is any
ere thing kfi4-t dc IT is sssa Ia
master, lets see you run her into
the roundhouse. He had never seen
inside OF an engine, hue~he climbed
up into the cab, spit on his hands.
grabbed the levers and pulled her wide
open. In she went like shot out OF
a gun. Pat saw the bumpers ahead
and found something had to be done,
30 he reversed the levers. and out the
engine came. Then in again. out
again. three or four times, when the
yardmaster. reahzing the situation.
caught the engine on the fly and jump
ed up and shut her off. Then. turn
ing to Pat he cried: You wild Irish
man. thought you said you could run
an engine," "Begory.' says Pat,
Snhre an hdu HeT III tHoEo III CO
times. Why in the divil didn't you
shut the door9'
Last OF all there Is the man who
does not advertise at all. But ! am
here at the invitation of lot of
| live wire Richmond business men and
not to hold post-mortem, so we will
ignore the non advertiser for the pres
ent.
Pleasantly aside. ! want to say to
you business men of Richmond that
there is mighty field in the South
of one of the most attractive bust
ness enterprises that group OF men
can engage In, and that field has
scarcely been touched. l refer to the
building up OF our agricultural ter
ritory through the subdivision of large
land areas into smaller farms and the
successful settlement OF these farms
by efficient colonization.
Do you know. gentlemen. that the
States south of the Ohio river and
east of the Mississippi contain more
than two hundred million acres of
idle, non reproductive farming lands
that are just crying for cultivation.
want to say to 70 uthat on practi-
cally all of the railroad lines radiat-
! Ing out from Richmond within = So
mile radius Of your city can be found
thousands OF acres readily susceptible
to development of this character and
at prices that seem almost ridiculous
when compared with their real intrin-
sic productive value. To be more ex-
p1icN. know of q section on promi-
nent railroad, within thirty miles of
Richmond and twenty miles of Peters,
burg, where at least Ave thousand
acres OF high-class farm lands. COM
posed Of large old plantations. with
| good improvements, Can be obtained
today for an average price OF not to
exceed $12 or SIS an acre. and prac-
ticaliy every acre Hes within Ave or
six miles OF railroad station. Gentle
men. this land. most Of It, IL intrinsi-
caIly worth from 500 to SIS an acre
when put under efficient cultivation.
! and It would be q bargain at $45 or
/ $50 to the ultimate purchaser when
cut up into small fArmS and Improved
onasa com munitv hssiA
Tho Whola secEet ~ ~ snarxsloue