The Neshoba Democrat., 1921-10-20
VALUABLE FARM LANDS
need DEVELOPING
Millions of Acres Along the G.
Nj. and N. Railroad.

of the Forest Register, has the fol-
lowing to say of interest to people
along the G. M. and N. railroad:
Laid section by section there is
enough surplus land adjacent to the
Gulf, Mobile and Northern railroad
between Jackson, Tenn, and Mobile,
Alabama, to reach two-thirds Of the
way around the world. Piled section
on section in the same manner it
would tower 1874 miles into the air.
There are only 100000 acres Of
this land-think of it twelve mil
lion acres. 1t is surplus land, land
that we do not use because we do
not need it. A good part of it is
what we call cut-over, and these
twelve million acres are only a part
of the vast surplus in the South.
We often hear the argument that
this land is worthless-it is in it's
present state. The great problem
that faces the South is the develop
ment of this land-making it worth
something, if the you please.
And that is the problem wish to
discuss. Last week l enjoyed a trip
from Jackson to Mobile over the
lines of the above railroad, as a guest
of the president. We left Jackson
Wednesday morning at 9:30 aboard
special train. We spent that night
in Laurel, Miss, and went into Mo-
bile the next morning. The trip was
an opportunity for me to see some
new-old country.
AS the train passed south and mile
after mile of territory rolled away
behind us l noted the quantity of
land standing idle, some of it waste,
the bulk of it surplus. You will
note that | draw line between the
two words. The great majority of
our idle land in the South is sur
plus-not waste. We have wasted a
good deal by planting it year after
year to one crop, but the surplus is
land that has never been planted.
That brings us to the problem.
How can the South develop her sur
plus lands? 1t is q foregone con-
clusion that the Southern farmer
cannet develop our surplus lands.
He is already farming more land
than he can do justice by. The
banks and the merchants cannot de-
velop it because they are carrying
mortgage on most of the land that
is already in cultivation. The rail-
roads cannot develop it because they
are handicapped with expenses now
which are larger than their income.
The state cannot develop it because
it is handicapped with politics.
Politics and surplus land develop
ment-like gasoline and corn whis-
key-won't mix.
So how will we develop it? It is
long, hard fight and one that will
meet with many discouraging OBJ
stacles but it can be done-by every
one joining hands and working.
The state of Iowa is given to agri-
culture. Farms there average 80
acres. Land is worth from $3.50 TO
$400 an acre. Given as collateral on
loans farm lands there will secure
from $3.50 to $3.50 an acre-and the
loan is always paid. The average
corn yield in Iowa is 38 bushels to
the acre. The champion corn raiser
Of the state averages GA bushels.
The state of Mississippi is given to
agriculture also. Land similar to
Iowa land is worth from SIS to $50
an acre. Given as security on loan
it will secure q possible $40 an acre
and the crop it makes has to be
thrown in to guarantee collection of
the loan. One corn club boy in Mis-
sissippi raised 204 bushels of corn
to the acre. Six thousand corn club
boys in the state averaged 55 bushels
TO the acre.
If Mississippi-and Mississippi is
no better than any other Southern
state-can out produce Iowa like
that it is quite evident there is
something the matter with Missis-
sippi when her lands are worth
practically nothing and the farmer
can't use it as collateral for loans.
The reason is largely due to the
fact that so much land in Mississippi
is laying idle. The producing land
must not only pay taxes to support
itself but must carry that part of the
burden of overhead governmental
expenses which the idle acres should
be carrying.
The same holds true in other
Southern states. Our idle lands are
a burden. Think of the taxes that
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