The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1915-04-30
Friday. April 30, 1915
A FINE BEGINNING IN A GREAT
WORK.

At last we seem to have made
a definite start in the lOng-pro-
jected work of developing the
agricultural resources of South
ern Maryland. We have been
talking about the possibilities of
that section for many years, but
it is only within the last two or
three years that we have brought
to bear on the problem an organiz-
ed and intelligent force. The
new agriculture colony which is
to settle in Charles county is
directly the result of the efforts
of Mr.. R. M. Pindell and Mr..
Clement S. Ucker, officials of
the Southern Settlement and De-
velopment Organization, of
which Mr.. S. Davies Warfield is
president, the formation of which
Mr.. Warfield took up at the sug-
gestion of THE Sun, and which
he shaped and perfected with
great patience and executive
ability. All the Southern States
come within the scope of the
purpose for which this associa-
ton was organized, and it has
already helped not only to stimu-
late interest in the general sub
ject of Southern agricultural de-
velopment, but to systematic
the various movements to secure
desirable immigrants for the
great territory for whose i'm
provement it is working; and in
the last few months it has been
instrumental in securing Belgian
settlers for several localities in
the South though the recent visit
of its vice-president, Mr.. William
H. Halves, to England and Bel
GUM.
But up to this time, largely
owing to community inertia, it
had not been able to find a Way
to start Maryland on the road on
which we have all been trying to
put her. The Charles county
colony. however, marks the be-
ginning of real achievement, and
is valuable not only in and for it
self, but for whatit means as to
others projects of a similar char
acter. The sixty families which
will compose this colony are
American, they have some CAPT.
tai Of their own and they are not
raw recruits to farming, but
know something about the bus
mess in which they will engage.
Thanks to the Farms Company
of Maryland, which has been
formed through the efforts of the
Southern Development Organic
alton, and to the guidance of the
experts connected with the latter
the scheme will be inaugurated
on a systematic and cooperative
basis that has thoroughly consid-
cred every practical point involv-
ed in the undertaking. There
seems every prospect, therefore
that the colony to be established
in Charles county will be model
one and will prove a valuable ad
dition to Southern Maryland as
a standing advertisement which
will bring other desirable settlers
to the State.
What gives special significance
to this new settlement is that
Southern Maryland was chosen
in preference to other localities
in the South, after careful in
vestigation and because of its
obvious advantages. Several
considerations brought the COM
mittee intrusted by the colonists
with the selection of a home
to verdict in favor of
Maryland. They found a soil
easily improved and easily cult
waited, and adapted to the pro-
duction of many different crops,
including fruit and vegetables;
they found a mild climate with a
railroad and a splendid State
road running through the tract
that was offered; they found it
near two great cities whose
markets were aasily accessible,
and, above all the rest, they
found the people among whom
they would live kindly, law-abid-
ing, good citizens. 1t is likely
that the sight Of the State road
connecting the section with the
capital of the United States,
which is only Fl miles distant
and with Baltimore some 60 miles
distant, had much to do with the
decision that was made. The
division of the tract into small
farms will bring about thorough
cultivation. The colonists are
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