The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-26
THE WORLDS GRANARY

Back in the dead centuries Egypt was the worlds granary,
or SO much Of the world as was then known. The valley Of the
Nile was the great cereal section.
The war has shown us that America is looked upon as the
worlds eranary, and in the years to come the lower Mississippi
valley will be to the world what the valley of the Nile used to
be. It is lying fallow and .uncultivated, awaiting occupancy and
use. Land is the one great permanent asset that continually
enhances in value. Between Cairo and the gull, if the strip is
b~roadened sufficiently, there are $1,000 square miles of land that
compares in fertility to the valley Of the Nile, which has only anil
area of 1900 square miles, 1t is the tendency of all lands to be
submerged by the desert. Even the land of Canaan, once flowing
with milk and honey, is now pretty much a sandy waste that
cannot supply food enough to feed a colony Of cockroaches.
There are a good many square miles of sandy desert in this
country already, and the area is increasing in spite of irrigation
and reclamation projects Anyone who wishes an estate that
will last indefinitely should invest in lower Mississippi valley
lands. They can be had for say $500 the acre at the present
time, and any acre that contains a couple of good oak trees will
pay for itself. A good oak tree will produce 1000 feet Of linn
bel, which at present is worth $lN. Red gum, that was only al
nuisance until a few years ago, Is now ranked in price with
mahogany, and when these trees are cut others will grow.
When William the Norman invaded England and defeated
the E~nghsh-mosty Danes in those days-at the battle OF Hast
ings, IN 1000, he divided the island among n OF his leading fol-
lowers, as appears in the Doomsday book, and many of these
great estates remain intact until the present day. With the
exception of Kent, the Roman law of primogeniture prevails,
where the eldest son inherits everything. Younger sons go into
the army to fight and plumber, or into the church to pray and
preach The females are given a dowry. In Kent, which was so
poor and worthless that the Romans did not think it worth while
to take it over and tsubjugate it, the law of gavelkind obtains,
which divides the estate equally between the children. male and
female. In this way the vast estates have been divided up.
elsewhere they have remained in asbody for nearly ten centuries.
An estate OF five, ten or twenty thousand acres or Of one
thousand acres in the Mississippi valley will be a paying invest
WSh tldI VIII last lnIOuRH succeeding generations. 1anQ1
owners have been the rulers al. ah times and in all countries.
Land is the basis OF all wealth, and II gives value to our stocks
and bonds, our government notes and all other representatives Of
value. Moneyed men realize this, and hence the great demand
for Southern lands, and the great tracts that are being purchased
by wealthy people. Timber lands are the most attractive,
because they pay for themselves in %stumpage; but even cutover
lands are in demand, They are a safe investment, and will be
here and more valuable when railroads and banks are scrapped
The great valley is the land Of promise, All that is necessary
rs to getirid of the water, and this can be done by drainage
which will send the surplus waters into the great reservoir, .'the.
gulf of Mexico, that cannpt be2ppeflowed and which will con-
tain every gallon Of watersp6ured into it until it evaporates
IN mist and clouds to fall again in rain on the watersheds of the
upper reaches. WhatsEgypt was to the world in the past thisl
valley will be in the future. The world today is much larger
and more populous, but the Mississippi valley is more than
three times as large as the Nile valley, and quite as fertile.
development has begun and there is a scramble for these lands.
Nowhere in the world isisuch an opportunity presented. 1&ese
lands were worth as much thirty years ago as they are today,
nut people did not &pw it. They have gone up in price every
year, but not in valuc, and they will continue to, do the same
thing. hF s~ V A @
Eventually they will be divided into farms, where the owner
will till the soil, This will mean good roads, schools and
churches and flocks of automobiles and motor trucks. So rich
a county. cannot be long overlooked. 1t must be developed,
and as there can be SO safer or surer investment than in a farm
of4100 or 200 acres, the great valley will soon fill up with indus
trious and intelligent agrcultuists, who will enjoy prosperity
and happiness in this favored land.
Anyone who reads the newspapers up and down the valley
cannot fail to see the activity in the transfer of these lands. The
country. -