The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-10
Western Railroads
Trying To
Injure Florida

roads. land agents, real estate men
and Cities, in united effort to stem
the tide of the farmers movement
into the South, are broad-casting
the statement that the only thing
the South has to sell worth any con-
sideration is it's climate. They are
using tons of printers ink to pub
lish miles of statistics designed TO
prove that a southern farmer can
not make profit becaue, they de-
clare. he must spend all he gets for
his crops in the fertilizers to raise
those crops.
w. II. Manss, vice-president and
general manager of the Southern
Settlement and Development Organ
ization, has taken up the cudgel to
refute these aspersions and has
come back at the prairie boosters
with a compilation of statistics from
the last United States Census Re-
ports. which proves that the South
is the best money making section
for farmers in the United States.
Thousands of copies of the Manss'
compilation have been sent out by
his or anization and it's allied asso-
Citations.
The tabulated statement, every
figure of which is taken from the
census reports, show the total land
area in acres, the number of acres
cultivated, the percentage of the to-
| tai land area which is cultivated,
the cropsvalue, the amount spent for
labor and fertilizers, the net returns
from crops, the net returns per acre,
and the percentage of net per acre
to value per acre of every state in
the Union. The statistics are so ar
| ranged that comparison is easy
In the net returns per acre, as
! compared with the average land val
ne of farm land per acre-which in
dicates the value of farm land as an
linvestment-the twelve states east
of the Mississippi river and south OF
Mason and Dixon's line rank among
the first twenty-six of the forty.
eight states Some of western and
northern states with high priced
land rank below the lowest of the
Southern States.
What is considered as one of the
most significant showini?s made by
Mr.. Manss is that the average PER
centage of revenue per acre, as com
pared with the average land value
per acre, in the states of Maryland
West Virginia, Virginia, North Gar
DINA, South Carolina. Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi
Tennessee and Kentucky is 1904 PEI
cent. This show that farming. whel
conducted along right lines, i
highly profitable in the South, a
the net returns equal each year tn
average value of the land.
Backed by Uncle Sans figure
Mr.. Manss affirms that only TIL
South has extensive tracts of low
priced land in the humid belt suit
able for agriculture which is nea
large markets; which is within TIL
zone of civilizations activities
which has the finest agriculture
climate in the country fifth abund
to the growing of such crops a
northern and western farmers ar
accustomed to raise. lie points I
the fact that as only 1879 pc
cent of the total land area in til
South is being cultivated there re
mains for settlement and develop
ment 255,6S4,9S0 acres. He furtho
shows that soil improvement pay
large dividends, as is indicated b
the strong agricultural position {
the states which expend large sun
for fertilizer and that soil improve
HlSHL III u
South because its soils readily r.
: spond to intelligent treatment.
The compiled statistics show tn;
the average value of the farm lant
in the Southern States is $1S.47 a
! acre as against $53.34 in Obi
< $44.1s in Washington, $95.O2
S Illinois, s4163 in Idaho, $62.26
e Indiana, sS25s in Iowa, $35.23
e Oregon, si3.3O in Wisconsi
s36.s2 in Minnesota, $32.4S
II Michigan, s41.SO in Nebrask
r s47.16 in California, etc.
d But the average percentage of n
profit to the farmer per acre,
compared with average value
farm land per acre, in the South
1904 per cent as against 29.S p
cent in Ohio, 36.5 per cent in Was
ington, 1863 per cent in nlino
81 per cent in Idaho, 34.6 per Gel
= in Indiana, 1876 per cent in low
. ass per cent in Michigan, 3S.7 r
= cent in Oregon, 31.2 per cent in w
| NJ nor nanf IN Minnacn