Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-13
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. w. II. FELTON,

There were nearly three thousand acres.
A good deal was known to be rich in minerals
but the most attractive farms, were known
to be fine for corn and cotton-well watered
good red land.
There are a good many rich men in the
limits of the county, and there was pretty
FUN attendance on sale day. I expected a
rush and big figures. I went along to see
not to buy-because my own farm lands are
more OF liability than an asset, with scarcity
of labor, boil Weevil and other well-known
hindrances since World war time.
When the boom was on some years ago
not single acre would have failed to bring
| a desirable price. These farms did not ex-
coed four hundred and fifty acres each and
some had but little over seventy acres. Any
body Wanting a country home, or a big farm
or little one could be gratified-in size and
quality.
The Louisville and Nashville railroad went
along in easy reaching distance for all; some
Of the best highway roads were in evidence.
Some had small clearings and much timber
some had little timber and had been partly
cleared when the Cherokee Indians inhabi-
ted the soil ninety years ago. The auctioneer
did his full duty. When the sale closed those
high-taXed lands did not average over fifteen
dollars per acre!
Some of us were bewildered because the
land sold SO low-and we all understood they
had been taxed too high What's the matter?
am still beWllde&ed-but a CLEAN of day
light is coming, through the fog. Here's the
final conclusion. People are not crazy about
farming any more The labor is scarce and
not interested in owning land for themselves
Those who desire to educate their children
must either move to town or send their big
children to distant schools. Day wages in
towns and in mines are so much more at
! tractive than waiting for the stuff to grow
| that the laborer prefers to rent house or a
shack somewhere and get their pay on Sat-
urday nights and take no risk on growing
| crop.
| If this property could have waited for
single buyers, doubtless the price would have
repaid the heirs in good money. But they
were in a hurry. They preferred not to wait.
now have clearer vision as to what forced
sales can Go to big estate-when the heirs
are in haste to see what the money looks like
and are not bound to the land by any ties
of tender sympathy or family tradition worth
mention.
There is solid values dormant in those lots
! of land With skilled labor and progressive
energy they will repay their new owners
but the fault lies in the unwillingness of we'll
TODD people to live in the country and the
apathy among those who have no other choice
for their life work and their lack of energy.
People do not plant orchards as they used
to do. They do not spend money on drains
and bitches There is no especial community
| interest in such rural sections. Every year
the soil is half-worked and only for what they
can make pay in ready cash. I knew the de-
ceased owner of this large landed estate. He
took great pride in his farms until age en-
teebled him. He made it his real life work
| to gain what everybody decided was the road
/ to solid prosperity-good land and we'll
worked
But he died and left no will The
auctioneer had to beg for bids--and with the
tax gatherers leaping along after the bulk
of this years profits we may we'll say with
the Prophet: vanity. All is vanity"