Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-09-28
BY JOHN r. N'MAHON
I'm "The Country Gentleman")

state east of the Mississippi, hard
ly more than one-third of Georgia'S
100000 tillable acres are being
cultivated. A European nation could
be installed on the vacant land. Talk
about room for expansion! Most of
the surplus acreage is cut-over land
that is adaptable both for pasture
and for crops. 1t sells for $40 or
SIS an acre. while the developed
land is worth ten times as much, or
better. There is no other southern
state that has such range of CHI
mate and soil There is the sandy
coastal plain in the. sub-tropical
belt south and east, and there is
mont plateau that rises into the
temperate zone up north. The latter
soil is naturally richer than any 9TH
er southern variety except the al
luvial.
You can take your pick Of climate,
bors. There are dark and light coun-
ties, the latter chiefly toward the
north. The inhabitants of the white
belt have become noted for doing
their own work. The colored broth
ers have learned to put in ticks of
industry and to start bank accounts.
Despite an increase in the number
past year, the race problem has not
been so acutely troublous here as
in other states, south and north.
The Cattle Ticks Impending Doom
In cotton Georgia is distanced
only by Texas. In peaches the an
counties is round 5000 carloads a
year. Apples are following the lead
of the Elberta land There are near
ly 100000 bushels of sweet pota
toes produced yearly now compared
with half the amount a dozen years
ago. Where, theweevil spread desc
lation in the southern section a
short while back and tobacco was
unknown, there were $1,000 acres
last year in bright-leaf tobacco. Fig
ure out the value of this new crop
at 5000 an acre and up.
Georgia is just beginning to hit
her stride in live stock with beef
cattle population of more than $780,
900 and with a milk herd numbering
100000. The, all-year climate ar
gu@s that this is just the beginning
and so does the approach of the
day when the last cattle tick will
be denied and chased into the
An important part of live stock de-
velopment is the rapid increase in
peanut and velvet bean acreage. The
state produced more than 100000
tons of velvet bean hay last year
and more than 100000 bushels of
peanuts in 1918, and is expected to
go ahead Of these figures the pres
ent season.
Figures are all right in way,
but they do not tell enough. For
example, it is important to know
that Atlanta, Ca, admits that she
is capital and queen city of the
south. 1t is also worth while to
ic
burg and leading seaport. These
things mean markets, railroads, IA
cilities, civilization and what not.
Roy Neal editor Of the Savannah
Morning News HaorI gave ,ne me ID a s5 gGoo
.'Our greatest change in the last
five years is psychological. The
farmer in that time has been con-
verified from a strong individuality
to a co-operator. He used to stand
pat, while now he is progressive
and willing to take up new ideas. He
once considered tick dipping an IN
vasion of his personal rights. He
was pleased when parties unknown
dynamited concrete dipping tanks.
His conversion from this state OF
mind was not due to the preaching
of reformers. An economic Jolt VIA
Mr.. Boil Weevil did the trick. The
and of habit from under the farm
er and left him at first dazed and
then mighty teachahle. The decline
of cotton made cattle important;
cattle would bring no proht II t!ck
laden, so the yepitaph of the TICK
of the state. The refugees who
swarmed out of the weevil-desolated
region in south Georgia were
chastened and teachable lot. They
took advice, went back and found
new prosperity in hogs, peanuts and
tobacco. - H.,
s'Of course, the war also with its
was educative in team work, general
and progress. The
people are now looking ahead, not
back You can go out now and sen
It is not merely that they. have
money to buy, but new spirit TO
try out new things-the receptive
American idea which has developed
here a little late" ~
Mills B. Lane, president Of the
biggest bank in Savannah, told me
that white farmers were making
good Roadway in paying out of the
credit system and in lifting mort
cages. One farmer was so anxious
to be clear of a mortgage, said Mr.
Lane, that he paid local shylock
two or three years advance interest,
along with the principal, so as to get
out Of debt. A Valdosta bank, which
is in the region lately devastated by
the weevil, doubled it's deposits last
wear, and had to send about 100000
to Savannah for investment because
the local farmers did not need the
calling for general securities to in
vest in, whereas they used to be shy
of most everything financial. AS for
the colored man, he is much the same
as ever, in the opinion of this
banker. The colored tenant keeps
moving round and he declines to live
in a model tenant house with run
ming water, fee rent and fuel. in
order to live n his own mean shack
and walk thu se miles to work; which
sounds to me like a good tribute
to the character of the ebony-tinted
citizen. Mr.. Coleman. who is per
haps the largest plantation owner in
the state, says 100 negro tenants left
him last fall, but he expects to have
no trouble in getting as many new
ones.
Against the theory that the negro
is naturally shiftless stands the
well-attested fact that once he has
farm, he will hang on to the land
like grim death. He will go with
out shoes, corn bread and bacon
rather than lose his home place.
When prosperity began to kiss the
south four years ago. the Negroes
share made him sort of light-headed.
Now he is SOLDERING down and max
ing better use of his money. Say
ings banks in Savannah operated by
coiored people have more than
doubled in the number of depositors
and amount deposited in the last
three years. Colored labor on the
farm now gets 50 to SO a day COM
late war. And day laborers are
scarce, since share cropping pays bet
ter-and satisfies the instinct for in
deDendence.
Thanks to labor shortage and the
new spirit of progress, the tractor is
making considerable Roadway in this
state. The chief obstacles to the