The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-22


that is, that the fullest development
Of a community's agricultural re-
sources on a prosperous. high grade
basis, fs the only assurance for the
continued prosperity OF the commun-
ity as a whole.
We in the East have to a large
extent. subordtnated everything to the
development Of our industries and our
commercial facilities. / believe I am
safe In saying that we have to a GER
tain extent allowed industrialtsm and
commercialism to run riot at the ex-
pense Of the greatest industry or all
the only industry that has survived on
down through the ages and one on
which all others are dependent and
that is agriculture. I find that 1t Is
almost impossible to get Southern
business men to put money and time
into colonization work. To be perfect
ly frank with you, the agricultural
districts In the South are more pro-
vincial. badly farmed, down at the
heel and generally unattractive than
any other section in the United States
and these results have been brought
about through the lack of co-opera-
ton by the business men OF the South
with the farmer, TO whom the bust
ness men owe their prosperity.
nave pEtn ADtS tO fIitttcSt a 1iiCfid
or two in personal investments Of this
character, simply because ] cannot
others TO take hold OF 1t. We have
put on two or three of these settle
ment or colonization enterprises. all
of them with success and profit to the
promoters, as we'll as to the settlers
who purchase the land. The great
handicap that the railroad industrial
departments OF the South are labor
Ing under Is their inability to secure
small farms for which the bulk OF
their inquiries require,
NJ ( tk,sYCfFffia
The successful farmer to-day is the
one that farms a small acreage and
farms intensively, along modern and
scientific lines. have here some
photographs of two large communi-
ties In California, each consisting OF
! several hundred acres. each farm DC
cupied by high-class. cultured people
and the biggest farm on either al
these settlements is only two and one
| half acres in extent. The average
farm Is less than two acres. These
people have every convenience. COM
fort and most OF the reasonable lux
uries that can be enjoyed in any city;
a beautiful club house and civic CEN
ter, with an attractiveiy laid out park.
contributes to their recreation ana in
tellectuai development. They have
their own automobile trucks and their
own market house in San Diego. In
q number of instances interviewed
the people living on these small farms
and found they were commanding
good returns--from $500 to $1-66o
and more per acre annually on flow-
ers, garan. truck, poultry, squads and
growing seeds for the seedsmen.
FNmt =
capitalists have been foremost in the
| development OF these farming and
fruit growing colonies that insure not
only a successful production and mar
keting OF supplies, but an attractive
social environment, with all that II
| means in the way Of facilities for re-
/ taxation and recreation and other
| healthy pleasures that go to make
up a normal, well rounded life.
| The average Southern capitalist
cares little or nothing about the situa'
| ton in the country, according to my
experience. / had one my best mer
| interview one Of the largest manu-.
! facturers in the South with a yeiw oil
trying to interest him as a matter Of
public spirit. II for no other reason. tr
the development OF some large idle
land areas In the vicinity of his town
This man has accumulated a fortune
l Oh not less IMAM SGFefA IuljiCn Qot-
| lars and the. farmers nf-iha- South
have been the vehicle through which
this fortune was accumulated. The
men he buys the product from tc
manufacture are. most them
living in log huts or weather.
| beaten houses today. and thi.
I gentleman sneerfng1y laughed at tht
| proposition / submitted as one of al.
| truistic fooiishess and absolutely with.
-{aI av,,. Ia has will
| lions OF dollars. and SO far as / have
been able to learn. practically moth
/ ing else--utterly devoid of the leas
drop of milk Of human kindness and
calculating anything and everything
on a strictly commercial basis, withou'
culture or cultivation OF any kind. He
/ Is crude and without public spirit oil
the ability TO recognize merit in any,
thing that will possibly contribute Z
t little comfort, convenience and decent
living environment TO those who arr
now largely under his dominion. HI
| Is not the average type. but neverthe
| less, this antagonism to farm lane
| development seems to prevail gen
orally throughout this section.
| What is the result OF these condi
tons? Our boys and girls are leav,
| ing the South by the thousands every
year to seek location In the newer anc
moro aggressive Western States, where
| opportunity and encouragement avail
them. Ii you don't believe this. takt
/ a trip out to Texas and on to Los An,
lgeles and up to the Pacific coast and
you cannot fail to find hundreds o!
people from your own State that have
emigrated are are urging others Il
come.
| Someone must be responsible fol
the decadence OF SSouthern agri
culture ana the fact remain,
that there Is less land under
cultivation today than there was ter
years ago. and very much less thar
there was fifty years ago.
| The South Is advancing rapid,
I commercially. industrially and to M
little extent agriculturally. but / will
say to you gentlemen OF Richmond
that this advance has been made II
spite OF the general apathetic indif
ference OF the Southern business mer
to the farmers welfare.
| There is not a good business man IL
this room who cannot go out under
ordinary circumstances and borrow
from 40 to SO per cent on his unen
Numbered business enterprise or rea
estate when he needs the money Il
meet his business obligations. TIL,
farmer in the South cannot possihly
under ordinary circumstances. Dor
row more than 20 or IS per cent OIL
the valuation Of his unencumbered in
vestment. When he gets that he hal
to sweat blood to do and then onll
on short time thirty-day note tina.
/ Ia IN ha repnwod unnnfhlv With N,