George Washington Flowers Memorial Collection DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ESTABLISHED BY THE FAMILY OF COLONEL FLOWERS Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/mississippiasiti01trac cJASKSQH, MISS MESScHfiES Pl'SLISHIMq £?. --7i395l— 3 00,000 The Delta & Offers For Sale Heavily timbered oak, ash, cypress and other woodland lying in YAZOO DELTA, Mississippi. Wm. Watson, - Jackson, Miss. F. C. YKLSO> T , GENERAL AGENT FOR . . . , r, Vazoo-fvlississippS Della and Hill Tirnbef Farm Lands. Gray & fOcWilUe BliildinS, JiTCi-tson, miss. Real Estate and Gen- eral Agent. City Property and Farm Lands for sale. 315 E. Capitoi Street, JACKSON, MISS. With lines of it's o\\ n from the Mississippi riv er at Sioux City and Sioux Falls to the Great Likes at Chicago, and from Chicago South to the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans, is the its through fast trains from the west to Chicago, connect with its Fast train, which makes the distance between the two cities men- tioned with but one night on the road. This, and other trains of the “Central route,” and satisfactorily from the North, either via Jackson, Term, or Mem phis. Tenn., 3 Referred to in this book, to all such districts and points lying on and adjacent to the lines of the Illinois Central and the Yaxoo & Missis- sippi Valley railroads. Tickets, excursion or regular rates, train time and other matters pertaining to a trip to the South, can be obtained of Illinois- Centra! R. R. ticket agents, and those of lines connecting who the Central Route. J- T HARAHAN Mi. C MARKHAM, 2d vice-Presidenf. Assistant Tronic Manager. T J. HUDSON, A. rt. HANSON, Traffic Manager General Passenger Agent. OVER., < THOSE SEEKING N mu HOMSS IM _ AT POINTS LOCATED ON, OR ADJACENT TO THE LINE OF THE mi Mississippi, can reach such points from the North quickly and Jr- s'-tiy by taking tlu- ILONOlS GEN 1 R.AL R. R, through trains from S."i: City. Siou;: Fails, Chicago arJ ether points west and north ‘ : v its mail !i ,-n i a ranches: the trains- of the “Central' ■'m a • and conneeO'M m x c v :. eclinn at Memphis with those of tire Y. & M. .Vi- Re R. This Should be borne in mind, as the Yazoo and ATs- * ;ippi Valiev I Tail road Company has HMDS FOR 'SALE TO DIE EXIT NT Of 600.000 ACRES. IN THE Which are offered at: iow price and an easy tennis. Special induce^ n'.ents ;:k 1 facilities offered chose ini rested to go an <•. -mine TIV--se hands, for particulars of which, .address or call upon E. P. Skene. Land Commissioner, \ \ t. P rk Row Chicago, ill;:; orG. W. McGiiniK, As. i: mat • and Commissioner, .wetnpLL Tern. ad like nfonnation if regard to. iVu iiities f r reaching prints on \ he V; : M. V. P. '■< from points m the North, call on -my, ticket agent cf the Illinois Centra! Railroad or connecting lines. J. T. HARAHAN, 2nd Vice-President. t. j. Hudson, T rathe Manager. M. C Markham. Assistant TradO Manager. A. H Hanson, General Passenger Agent. Wm. P. Curtis, S. P. Walmsley. CURTIS & WALMSLEY, -^5) REM ESTRTE, (new n^ x carowdelet st. jjgyj Orleans, La, ’< 7 p" ' Special attention given to handling of Timber and Agricultural Lands in Mississippi, Louisiana, and adjoining States, We have for sale several large tracts of tim- bered lands, in virgin forest, also several hun- dred thousand acres of agricultural lands now under cultivation. •m* CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED. YAZOO FARM. AND TIMBER LANDS »- Howest fPiices S. anb Best tkrms. Jfor JSaje bg w CMITXJ Leal Estate Agent and Civil Oflllfij Engineer, YAZOO CITY, fcSNCorre'Spondence solicited. MISS. SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI LINDS. 60,000 ACRES Farming and Timbered Lands in large and small tracts. Price from $8.do to $10.00 per acre. Water, climate, and health unsurpassed, GEO. L. DONALD, Jr., Meridian, Miss. 365634 TTT o f> C FOR SALE away from the IlUHpD extremes of heat and cold, close by city of Memphis, Tenn. fJi)y Sized. Yattr}. Panola & Tate Counties Mississippi Land Company, West Tenn. Laud Company, Southern Homeseeker Land Company. We are Pioneers in the business. We sell more land and introduce more buyers, than all the land Companies in North Mississippi and West Tennessee combined. J6QP WRITE FOR LITERATURE, “©ft R | erenCe Mer C antil e Bank and the leading F^k Trimble, PF6S., commercial men of Memphis, Tenn. 42 Madison St-, MEMPHIS, TENN, M’. A EVERMAN, A. H. STO E, W. W. STONE, Pres. Delta Grocery Co., Attorney at Law, Auditor State of Miss., Greenville, Miss. Greenville, Miss. Jackson, Miss. EVERMAN & STONE, Real Estate Agents, Washington County, Miss. Improved Plantations for sale in lots to suit purchasers. Timber L aids. Will Sell, Lease or Purchase. Correspondence Solicited with Parties wishing to purchase or locate in the Great Yazoo Mississippi Delta. Special attention given to Immigrants inspecting the country. Will Cixt&y^ Indigestion, Nervous And all Dyspepsia, Affections. Bowel and Kidney, Headache, Stomach River and Constipation, Troubles. flNPLYSIS By L, G. *>fJTTE«SOH, State Chemist. • Grns. to U. S. Gal. Carb. Magnesium 22.37 Potash, Sulp., 1.78 Iron Carb Trace Sodium Chloride, 13-49 Sodium Snip., 5-7® Calcium Sulp., 34.32 Magnesium Sulp., - 1 7-t5 Silica, 2.20 Total, 87.09 Df'lnlt f tom Eight to Tuielve Glasses Daily. Try this watei especially for Bright’s Disease and diabetis. A trial shipment free. Correspondence solicited from “physicians;” information freely furnished any one that will take the trouble to post a one cent card. W. E. GtilHJHIflS, Proprietor, Yazoo City, JHiss. THE ROUTE The Great Trunk Line TO AND PROM FROM Vicksburg, Jackson, and Meridian, TO New Orleans, Binning Irani, Chattanooga, Lexing- ton, Cincinnati. Superb Vestibules Trains NORTH. THROUGH SLEEPERS TO WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK. Direct line between the Southeast and Southwest. For routes, rates, schedules, printed matter, etc., call on or address any Q. & C- agent, or R. H. GARRATT, Ass’t Gen. Passenger Agt., New Orleans, La. I. HARDY, ,, ,, ,, ,, Vicksburg, Miss, or W- C. RINEARSON, GEN. PASSENGER AGT., Cincinnati, Ohio. are in effect to land points the year round , and once per month a rate of one fare for the round trip is made to all points in Kentucky south of Danville; all points in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina; Also to certain points in Georgia and to New Orleans, La. Ask any agent for full particulars. Send to us for printed matter. We have a little book con- taining letters from people who have gone South. We’d like to send you one. W, Gen- Passen^en Cincinnati? Of?io. EdmaPds, fiinds County., Mississippi. Eighteen miles west of Vicksburg on Queen & Crescent Route, has 70c people, ships 10.000 bales cotton, immense quantities of tomatoes and all kinds vegetables, fruit, etc., to Northern markets. Has public school, six churches, saw mill, cotton gin and wagon factory, and no saloons. Taxation low. The long staple cotton grown near Edwards sells at highest market price. Inducements offered for the building of furniture factory and cotton mill. 4,0 00 Meres Fine Land Adjoining the town of Edwards will be sold in a body or in Tracts to suit on Easy" Terms. Also choice town lots for sale. Address . . K. S. Withers, Morgan City, La. or w. A. Montgomery, Attorney at Law, Edwards, Miss. TIMBER uil IMPROVED LANDS lot Sill in the YAZOO DELTA, We offer for sale, large tracts of- valuable timberlands, situated on and near the Main Eine of the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad, in Bolivar County Mississippi. These lands have a fine growth of white oak, ash, hickory, and several valuable cypress breaks. Being very fertile, most of them can be converted into valuable plantations, after the valuable timber is removed. We will sell in tracts of from forty acres to 20,000 acres. We also have some choice improved plantations for sale; price and terms reasonable. CHAS. & A. ■¥. SCOTT, Attorneys at Law), l^o^ed&Ie, hBoliVar ©o., IV]i55- References. — B ank of Rosedale, of which, Chas. Scott, is President. Hanover National Bank, New York City. German Bank, Memphis, Tenn, QUEEN AND CRESCENT ROUTE OVER A 1^11,1,10^ pc IRES OE GOOD FARMING, TIBER ill MINERAL LANDS TE^Q F5. s. A. TUtn . In the Mney \v ooas, on tue 3.00 to $5.00 per acre, and on easy terms. These lands' are some of the cheap- est and most profitable in the State of Mississippi. Handsome profits are to be made in early vegetables and fruits. Excellent land for truck farming. Ilf QUEEN II CRESCENT 10 Wants you to come and see the South. Come and see if the crops are good and the people are happy and well-to-do. See if you can make it pay to come South and live. W. C. R 1 NEARSON, G. P. A., ' FRANK Y. ANDERSON, Cincinnati, O. Land Commissioner, Birmingham, Ala. 304 E. Capitol St. R. K. JAYNE Jackson, Miss. j&eal Estate f[gei)t. FARMS, CITY PROPERTY A$D TIMBER LANDS FOR SALE. Trompt attention given Correspondence. W- C- H- ROBINSON. of Robinson & Underwood. J WALKER COLEMAN. Late As’t Geu. Pas. Agt ILLINOIS CENTRAL R. R. J. W. COLEMAN & CO., EXCLUSIVE DEALERS IN Country and Suburban Real Estate, I N ^Mississippi, Ijouisiaijet eigel aelj0i:r)iri«| Stales. Correspondence Solicited. 123 La . Yieksbupg M Estate Ageney, Buy, sell and lea^e Lands, City and Farm Properties, Cypress, Pine and Cottonwood Lands. ioi )4 N. Washington St., VICKSBURG, MISS: W. I. HODGSON. ESTABLISHED 1857. HARRY G. HODGSON. W, I. I locio sort 0 @3©r)j auctioneers, an& General IReal Estate Events. . . Correspondence Solicited. , . 143 Caroudeiet St., n r^eui Orleans, JL-a. F. Haipip’s Loan, - insurance - anel-t^eal- Estate Wjl HENRY l 6 1*25 £ s ^,» c ‘ al ’ montevallo coal. * a A & (Benenil H^cnts, 303 East Capitol St., dacksoi}, ifyliss. MISSISSI IP3P 1 AS ST SS, A HANDBOOK FACTS FOR IMMIGRANTS. Committee. R. L. Saunders, | E. Watkins, J THF FLOWERS CO c\ \ 7 . {, T7U^\ The States bordering on the Gulf r exico are now attracting more atttention from home-seekers and home- makers than is any other part of the United States. Their genial climate, the fertility of their soil, and the present low prices of their lands, all combine to make them the most desirable portion of the whole country for the man who has energy, intelligence, and even a moderate amount of capital. Mississippi is the central State of this region, and is one which contains a greater variety of soils, and which is capable of producing successfully and profitably a greater variety of farm products than is any other State in the whole Union. On the east is Alabama with her rich cotton, hay and corn fields; on the north is Tennes- see with her famous tobacco fields and bluegrass pastures; on the west is Arkansas, famous as a fruit country, and Louisiana, the “Sugar-bowl of America;” while on the south is the Gulf Coast, where the high lands extend to the water’s edge, with its numerous health resorts, and its unequalled opportunities for boating, fishing, hunting, truck farming, and dairying, combining to make it one of the most attractive parts of the State. The favor- able conditions possessed to such an unusual degree by the surrounding States center and unite in Mississippi, thus securing to her the material advantages of all, in ad- dition to the wonderful resources consequent upon her fortunate location. Mr. Carlisle said, recently: “Missis- sippi is essentially and pre-eminently an agricultural State. Nature designed and fashioned it to blefes and re- ward- the labors of the husbandman. Its recent geologi- cal formations appear to exclude it from the profits of the mine and quarry, but what the State lacks in mineral re- IO MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. sources, sometime transitory and always in the end ex- haustive, is more than counterbalanced by a generous, responsive soil, an almost ideal climate, and productions the value and variety of which are not excelled in any part of the Union. The first Europeans who trod its soil — the adventurous and romantic expedition of Her- nando de Soto — found its surface richly carpeted with the native grasses, and maize or Indian corn, one of the chief foods of mankind, ‘of such luxuriant growth as to produce three or four ears to the stalk.’ No State in the Union has been more liberally endowed by nature with all the conditions favorable to agriculture. In one sense of the word, Mississippi is still a new State, with its immense natural advantages as yet mainly unappropriated. Its great forests of valuable woods have been comparatively little depleted; many of its numerous fine mill and man- ufacturing sites aw r ait the power of skill and capital; more than half its area remains untouched by the husbandman, while the part already in cultivation may be made to double its productive power by improved methods of agriculture. ” AREA AND POPULATION. The area of the State of Mississippi is 46,810 square miles, or 29,958,400 acres. The acres used as farm lands and number of farms since i860, are: TEAK. NO. OF FARMS. NO. OF ACRES. IN CULTIVATION. AVERAGE SIZE OF FARMS. 1800 42,840 15,840,000 5,065,000 370 1S70 68,023 13,129,000 4,209,000 193 1880 101,772 15,855,462 5,216,937 156 1890 144,318 17,572,547 6,849,390 122 The population of the State in i860, was 791,305, MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 1 1 which had increased to 1,289,600 in 1890. From these statements in regard to the population and the size of farms it is seen that in Mississippi it is the country rather than the towns w T hich is receiving the bulk of the increase. This is shown by the fact that while the total population has not quite doubled since i860, the average size of the farms is now less than one-third what it w r as thirty years ago. The old tenant system, and the immense plantations of former times are being broken up into smaller farms, and, best of all, the farmers here are less in debt than are those in any other section of the whole country. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. The surface of the State, with the exception of what is known as the “Yazoo Delta,’’ is rolling or undulating, with a gradual slope from north to south. On the Ponto- toc ridge, in Tippah and Union counties, many of the hills have an elevation of from 800 to 1,000 feet; in the central portion of the State the elevation is from 300 to 500 feet; while near the southern coast the gentle undulating sur- face is only from twenty to thirty .feet above the waters of the Gulf. In all of this region the land is well drained, swamps and bogs are almost unknown, and there are no stagnant waters to cause malaria. The ridge which forms the main watershed of the state rises in the northern part, separating the waters of the Mississippi andtheTom- bigbee rivers, and extends almost directly southward to the Gulf of Mexico. In Choctaw county this ridge divides, one branch continuing its general southerly direction and separating the writers of the Pascagoula and Pearl rivers, both of which empty into the Gulf of Mexico; while the other branch takes a southwestern direction, approxi- mately that followed by the Illinois Central railroad, and separates the waters of the Pearl from those which flow into the Mississippi. Fully one-third of the State is drained into the Mississippi or its larger affluents, the 12 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. Yazoo and. Big Black. The generally high and rolling table lands fall off somewhat abruptly in the western part of the State, and the low lands along the Mississippi river form what is known as the “Yazoo Delta/' which occupies about one-sixth the area of the State. This section is in- terlaced with a network of navigable streams, and has the most fertile soil to be found in the whole United States. A portion of the delta lands are subject to overflows in time of high water, but there has been almost no trouble from that cause since the completion of the present levee system in 1890. Mississippi has no mineral deposits of value, and good building stone is found in only occasional locations. Marls of fair quality are quite common, and clays for making brick, tile, and pottery are found in many sections. In nearly all parts of the State flowing artesian wells may be had at a depth of from 300 to 600 feet. CUIMATE. The climate of Mississippi is warm, but temperate, and is subject to none of the extremes of either heat or cold which are common in the northern states. The summers are long, usually including May and September, but it is rare that the temperature reaches 95 0 even in the hottest weather: sunstrokes are practically unknown, and the nights are always cool and pleasant. In the southern part of the State the heat is tempered by the winds which blow from the Gulf almost daily, and nowhere is the heat so in- tense, oppressive and exhausting as during the “hot spells’ in the northern states. The winters are cool and damp, though there are many days during the cooler mouths when the temperature is from jo 0 to 8o°. Blizzards and severe freezes are unknown. At the Agricultural College the lowest temperature during the past six years has been 8°, and that has been reached only once, the average low- est temperature for each winter being i4 0 . During this time the ground has been frozen so as to interfere with MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 13 plowing only twice, and then for only 7 a few days. Further . south the winters are still more mild, a temperature of 20 0 being rare on the Gulf coast. The first frosts usually occur in October, though tomato vines often remain fresh through November. In the winter of 1888-S9 no frosts oc- curred during December, January 7 , and February, Dr. R. B. Fulton, of the State University, and Director of the State Weather Bureau, summarizes the records kept by about fifty observers in different parts of the State as follows : “Over the State at large the normal mean temperatures during the several months. of the year as shown by a long series of observations are as follows: January 46°, Feb- ruary 5 1°, March 56°, April 65°, May 72 0 , June 79 0 , JUI3 7 8i°, August 8o°, September 74 0 , October 65°, November 53o, December 47°. In the southern part of the State the normal mean temperatures for the several months are as follows: Janu- ary 49 0 , February 53°, March 58°, April 66°, May 7 73°, June 8o°,July 7 82°, August 8i°, September 760, October 67°, November 56°, December 50°. In the extreme northern part of the State the normal mean temperatures for the several months are, for January 40°, February 7 44?, March 52 0 , April 62°, May 7 71°, June 77 0 , July 8i°, August 78°, . September 71 0 , October 62°, Novem- ber 48°, December 4i 0 . In the central and northern parts of the State the high- est summer temperature rarely 7 exceeds ioo°. As this high temperature is nearly 7 always accompanied by dry 7 winds it does not entail special inconvenience. The lowest winter temperature rarely falls below io°. It reaches zero not once in ten years. Since cold weather comes always in the form of cold waves which are generally predicted, suf- fering from cold can usually 7 be avoided. Near the Gulf coast the extremes of temperature from the lowest in win- ter to the highest in summer are 25 0 and 90°. The normal rainfall for the State at large during the 14 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. several months of the year is as follows, the numbers de- noting inches: January 5.5, February 5.3, March 6.1, April 6.4, May 4.1, June 4.2, July 3.8, August 3.9, Sep- tember 3.8, October 2.8 November 4.6, December 5.1. For the whole year the average rainfall over the entire State is 56 inches. In the northern part the average is 54 inches for the entire year, and the distribution throughout the year is about as indicated for the State at large. Along the Gulf coast the rainfall is heavier in the spring and fall months and the total for the year is 62 inches. It will be noted from the above statements that the rain- fall is quite uniformly distributed throughout the year. Very seldom do growing crops suffer permanent injury for lack of moisture. The humidity of the atmosphere is considerable and plays an important part in equalizing the day and night temperatures during the summer season. The first killing frosts in the fall occur about the 20th of October in the northern part of the State* and about the 1st of December in the southern part. The latest killing frosts in the spring occur about the 5th of April in the central part of the state and possibly as late as the 20th of April in the northern part.” The following tables are taken from the records made at the State Experiment Station during the last six years. meteroeogicae summary. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 1 5 < LL z < cz w O' D H < UJ C- £ U 3 H Os 00 — (/) « s M— c ^ *c 5 ~ cs cj 60 S 3 a vs rfvO n vsvo O OOO N rfoo VO H fr> N O' 00000000 0-000 o o o o o o oocooooooooo o o o o o o 00 O'VO i^sd r^. Os Cs 0 s O' O' O- Mean | | Minimum. ro r-' N C "0 00 N i r\\Q *-> 03 0 > O'VO VD ^ 03 [N E 6 6 ^ d N fAPArf ir\«o VO SC r^vO vs rf * Cs SO Os^t ts N O v\»t 03 Tt 0-0 ►- Tt N 4 US o OO O^ r-f- m r-^ 03 00 rnmO 03 oa O p N p t^.00 vO lA, p- c> O CN -rt- ltn ON VO can CN O C^vO O^h ^ tA rA CN * CO* cA October. O O O O Tj* m OnCO O. CA O O IA OvOO ON cA xA September. T ^tco -sT ^ CN tN tN o CASS^Q V0 ^}- ^ VO hOO H o ^ CN August. tA rA OOO OO CN U-* O CO c-noq CO C^O Tf iAcnvovo rj- CN July. cn r^co ooo iaomai T}-vO rA N ua O 00 tA cAoO ro CN *A >-* vd h-< June. CAN o O' N tA N M O roC'i'O O N ic w w tA to. iA iA ^ cn Ay -A CN May. m~n ioo 0 vO i-* O icv t'-** LTNCANt^O >“< CN O >A >h CN tA cn O cA April- CO vO CO IA N fA N H ~ ^-CO i>>CO h N N ri“ 1>\ can On >-h rtNOO CN March. to t>» -*;• O'VO o\nw VO Ob CO LTN CN 01 ■•'fr cA omA cn vo r^vd ^ . February. NtAONwCNON rj-O UDU-Nf-* CN oo do w lArtd ’A CO January. (N rt* wavO >-< v^n rv H\£)VO 1A o O O »-< O cA cAvd cn to *-• tA CCS Year. 'JO (/) c O O >“• CN CCS rj- C CsS OO O' OOn O O' ‘C QJ OOCOCOOOCOCO i ►-(>—< pi /-< ►— < < (/j *^T, p P N- cr> W P P P P P < P MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK, 17 health. Good, health is necessary to success and happiness in any country. Statistics show that, contrary to a preva- lent idea, Mississippi is really one of the most healthy States in the whole country, and that her residents enjoy an immunity from disease which is found in no other sec- tion. This is largely owing to the fact that cases of pneu- monia, consumption, and diptheria seldom occur here, and that from the absence of sudden and extreme changes in temperature all diseases of the throat and lungs are rare, and are seldom severe. Scarlet fever, that scourge of the North, is almost unknown here, and measles seldom cause serious trouble. Malarial diseases are, perhaps, the most common, but are of no more frequent occurrence, and are no more severe here than in New York or Illinois. Even in the Delta region, which has had the reputation of hav- ing more malaria than all other parts of the State com- bined, cases' of such diseases are no more common than in the region along the Mississippi river in Iowa or Minne- sota. Yellow fever is a thing of the past, and is no longer feared. There has not been a single case in the State since 1878, and the present quarantine regulations are so well enforced, and the disease is now so well understood by physicians, that there is no longer any danger from another epidemic. The following figures, taken from the last Census Report, show the vigorous health of Mississippians: ANNUAL DEATH RATE FOR EACH THOUSAND OF POPULATION. Average for United States 15-09 Massachusetts 18.59 Maryland 18.10 New York i 7>30 Missouri 16.89 Tennessee 16.80 Virginia 16.12 Indiana I z. 77 Texas I s. Kansas x 0* / / 1^.22 Pensylvania 14-92 Illinois 14.60 Kentucky 14-39 Alabama 14.20 Georgia 13-97 Colorado 13-10 Mississippi i8 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. It should be noted that the figures before given in- clude the deaths among the colored people, among whom, especially among the children, the death rate is much higher than for the white race, so that the figures for Missis- sippi, small as che3 r are, are still too large to represent the number of deaths among the whites. Physicians state that in the Gulf States there are less than one-third as many cases of consumption, pneumonia and other lung troubles commonly originating in colds, as there are in an equal population in the northern States. The residents of Illinois, or Iowa, or Kansas may well think what a difference the absence of such diseases would have made in his own neighborhood, or in his own family. In speaking of this matter, Bishop Thompson, form- erly of Wisconsin, says: “I have received a number of letters of inquiry in which great stress is laid on the health of Mississippi. I do not wonder at this, although there is ground for wonder at the persistent ignorance of our great country concern- ing any other part. Will you allow me to say then, that by official, Washington figures, Mississippi is just one- third healthier than New York and Massachusetts; twenty- five per cent, healthier than Illinois or Pennsylvania ? Its death rate is under thirteen in a thousand. Considering that half its population are colored and that the colored death rate is half greater than the white in all the South, I suppose the ordinary white death rate in Mississippi is not above ten in a thousand, a little more than one-third the death rate in New York City. “In the letters I have received there is frequent men- tion of marlaria, and a wholesome dread is evidenced of that mysterious thing about which the faculty knows so little. I suppose there is more of it, whatever it is, in New York City in a week than in Mississippi in a year. At least I hear more of its performances during one week’s visit in New York than in twelve months at home. The figures I have given above are from the compilations of MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 19 the Census Bureau, Department of Agriculture in Wash- ington. “My own experience and that of men who have come from the North to Mississippi is that it is a rarely healthy climate and country, and that for delicate people, delicate in lungs or throat, with catarrhal or bronchial troubles, it is a home of health and comfort. As to malaria, that is more to be dreaded in a week on the Hudson than in all our borders in a lifetime. I can, from full knowledge and examinations, and with, full responsibility^ say, that in summer or winter, in spring or fall, there need be no hesi- tation on account of health in coming to Mississippi, and the delicate and non-robust are likely to find here just the balmy and temperate climate which wall enable them to live and work with comparative ease.” DAWS: DEBT, TEMPERANCE AND ERECTIONS. The laws governing debts, temperance, and elections are the most important of those governing any State. The principal points in the laws regarding these matters in Mississippi are: debt. Every householder having a family is entitled to hold, exempt from seizure or sale under execution or attach- ment, the land and buildings occupied as a residence, the amount of land not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres and its value not exceeding two thousand dollars. Among the items of personal property which are exempt are: the agricultural implements of a farmer necessary for tyvo laborers, the tools of a mechanic necessary for carry- ing on his trade; two work-horses or mules and one yoke of oxen, two cows and calves, twenty head of hogs, twenty sheep or goats, all poultry, all colts under three 3^ears old raised in this State by the debtor, two hundred and fifty bushels of corn, ten bushels of wheat or rice, five hundred pounds of meat, one hundred bushels of cotton seed, one 20 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. wagon and one buggy or cart and one set of harness, five hundred bundles of fodder and one thousand pounds of hay, forty gallons of sorghum or molasses, one thousand stalks of sugar cane, one sugar mill and equipments not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars in value, one bridle and saddle and one side-saddle, one sewing ma- chine, household and kitchen furniture not exceeding two hundred dollars in value. With such exemptions the debtor certainly cannot complain of oppression. TEMPERANCE. Liquor selling in Mississippi is controlled by “local option” by counties, and the plan is working very smooth- ly. During the five years since the law went into opera- tion liquor selling has been abolished in all excepting six counties, and as the penalty for selling without a license is very severe, “blind tigers’’ are quite rare. We are proud to say that there is more practical prohibition in Mississippi than any other State in the Union. ELECTIONS. Elections are conducted under the Australian ballot system, and it is required that all voters must have paid a poll tax of two dollars not later than February preceeding the election. This makes the purchase of votes, bribery, and bulldozing practically impossible, and no elections anywhere in the United States can be more peaceable, fair and just than those held in Mississippi since the adop- tion of the present constitution in 1890. The Australian ballot. acts as an educational qualification, and the two dollar poll tax, being payable in February, prevents the importation of voters for the November election. INDEBTEDNESS AND TAXATION. Although the price of cotton, our staple crop, has de- clined constantly for man}! years, the farmers have pros- pered and their indebtedness has constantly decreased. li v^tr'vt'C ^ Cj oVo-TtvVvfl. ^2 Zb- ** SS.ib ^S/t. tb V^O'cVv t o\ Qv cv^ o C> c\V\^yWv\ cxbVso- C) o yvy\.sxVv c.\vC XX. abVvXw^ OYV /lb ^ iff. 0 \vO>\ ^ ^ «\ aw cxt e. \W 1 Vx\c 1 \s 1 o\N(X W'^oWv'CvO, OCCN^V "sXTxbbCAXTV ~'Iq.Y'«w.q\\'C ~^-c\l.^YvOYV ~^W\.c\\vO s ocyv \\\,S>tO't\&Vw ~5MoJvx\e /2 b. M.bj wo. by 3/67 /JS.by f.OQ / 3 3.00 / 3.5 / /30.J/ HO. 20./ f &Q.ft fb. If 3 2 1/3.32 /OQ. / 0 .Yr\-^i^r\\Y« SO, 21.64* 7 / ’W&aoyv.cv < t\s "SC'C ? x \ c \i :yvx\.iv ocx\.bart of it which is healthy and fertile like Madison county, offers to persons seeking homes far better oppor- tunities than most localities in the West. The climate is certainly ver} r fine, and can only be criticised because of the long warm season, as the thermometer rises no higher on the open lands in Mississippi than it does in the hottest weather in central New York. Hand is very low at the present time, but is steadily rising, so it seems to me that no better home could be found for the energetic Canadian 50 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. or American than these cleared fields of central Missis- sippi.” DAIRYING. The first co-operatitive creamery established in the Gulf states was at the Mississippi Agricultural College in 1886, and since that time it has been operated successfully and profitably. That was the beginning of a new indus- try for the State, and has demonstrated that we can make butter fully equal in quality to that made in the North, and which brings a better price in the southern markets. Creameries are now being established in many parts of the State and in nearly all cases, are proving to be paying in- vestments, our long grazing seasons and our cheap corn and cotton seed feeds giving us a great advantage over the northern dairymen. In 1886 nine-tenths of the milk re- ceived at the College creamery during nine months of the year was made from the natural growth on old fields which had “come in” to native grasses without any seed- ing or preparation. During; the year the average amount of milk needed to make a pound of butter was twenty-one pounds. With the better cultivation of the fields and the introduction of more prolific grasses the production of milk has been largely increased, while the quality remains very nearly the same. Records from the same creamery in 1894 show the quality of the milk to have been as follows: POUNDS OF MILK TO ONE POUND OF BUTTER. January 22. 1 July 21.2 February.... 24.5 August 20.8 March 23.5 September 20.6 April 23.3 October 21. May 22.4 November .21. June 23.9 December 19-7 Average for the year 21.9 HORSES AND MULES. Horses and mules can be grown in Mississippi with far greater ease and profit than in the North, and the MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 51 number of farmeis who are now engaged in raising them for the market is increasing at a rapid rate. With good grazing for at least nine months of each year, and with fair “picking” in the canebrakes which will more than sustain life during the other three months, the actual cost of rais- ing a mule is very little. Many planters who have been engaged in the business since 1880 claim that the total ex- pense of growing a mule until it is ready for work at three years old, does not exceed $25. Many of the mule colts run in the pasture from the time they are born until they are broken for work, and have absolutely no shelter and no food beyond what they find in the fields. Of course mules which are raised in this easy manner suffer some hard- ships, and do not usually make as large and fine animals as do those which receive better feed and care, but the raising of them is extremely profitable. Ordinary 3-year- old mules will sell for from $75 to $100, while one which is in good condition, fifteen to sixteen hands high, and broken for work, will bring full}'- 50 per cent. more. Horses require more care than do mules, and are less used in farm work, though they will always be preferred for riding and driving. Prices for horses are now lower than for many years on account of the immense numbers which have been shipped here during the last year from the northwestern states, but still good animals command better prices here than in the North, while the cost of raising them is very much less. With our abundant and nutritious pastures, and our cheap lumber for building barns and sheds, the cost of raising either horses or mules is less than in any other part of the country, while from, the relatively small number of farmers engaged in raising them, they always sell for good prices. Mules are the more popular animals for ordinary farm work, as they' are less easily fretted and -worried than are horses by the treatment often given them by the negro la- borers; they bear neglect and irregularities in feeding and watering better than do horses, and are, in every way, / 52 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. more hardy and enduring. Where the owner uses and cares for the animals himself, horses are usually preferred, as being quicker and more intelligent, but for the ordinary hired laborer the mule is the better animal. The immigrant who has good teams will find it good economy to bring them with him. HOGS. Dr. Tait Butler, formerly of Iowa, but now of Stark - ville, sums up the peculiar advantages of Mississippi as a hog growing State as follows: “That the hog has been one of the most important- agencies in building up the agricultural interest of the Central Northern States is a fact never questioned by those familiar with the conditions. But all thinking farmers are equally certain that considerable care must be exer- cised in the breeding and feeding of hogs in those states to obtain the most profitable results. The valuable experi- ence of careful and scientific feeders proves very conclu- sively: 1. That only the improved breeds are profitable. 2. That after a hog has gained a weight of 300 pounds he is less profitable as a feeder, other things being equal, than one of less weight. 3. That any hog which will not grow to the weight of 300 pounds in one year’s time, or less, is undesirable. 4. That an old animal, or one that has been stunted in its growth, will never give as good results for the food con- sumed as a young and rapidly growing animal. 5. That at present market prices for feed and meat no one kind of food can be fed to hogs at a profit, but that a variety of foods is e sential to profitable pork production. Now these are the facts that confront meat production, and it will be of value to consider briefly how Mississippi can meet the conditions which these facts require: 1. The improved breeds do as well in Mississippi as anywhere and the climate conditions are such as to make MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 53 them less subject to disease and more cheaply kept. 2. Owing to the short winteis and early springs, pigs can be made to reach the maximum profitable rveight by the time cold weather comes on In the fall and, therefore, feeding in cold weather, which all agree is unprofitable, is avoided. 3. It is a well-recognized fact that nothing retards the growth of a young pig so much as extreme cold, but in this climate pigs can be farrowed at any time of the year without danger of serious loss from that cause. 4. The most important factor in meat production is the question of food supply. Experiments in feeding have shown more or less accurately, the value of the different food-stuffs w r heu fed alone, and when fed together; and nothing is more certain than that a variety of foods is abso- lutely essential to profitable feeding. For instance, one bushel of corn will produce from six to eight pounds of pork while fifty pounds of skimmed milk will produce about two pounds of pork; but if one bushel of corn and fifty pounds of skimmed milk be fed together, from twelve to sixteen pounds of pork will be produced, or the combining of the two feeds results in a gain of from three to six pounds of pork. Again, one lot of fifteen pigs fed for fifteen days con- sumed 29.5 bushels of corn and produced 220 pounds of pork which at $4.75 per hundred weight w T ould be w'orth $10.75, or 35/^ cents per bushel for the corn. Another similar lot of fifteen pigs were fed for fifteen days and consumed 29.5 bushels of wheat and corn. The pork produced was 453 pounds, which at $4.75 per hun- dred w r eight would be wx>rth $21.60 or 81 *4 cents per pushel for the mixed corn and wMat. These and many other ex- periments which might be quoted shov r the importance of a variety of foods, and it is in this respect that 'Mississippi affords the greatest advantages. The northern pork producer has to depend upon corn and red clover for his cheap feeds, and purchase shorts, 54 MISSISS : ?I HANDBOOK. bran, and oil meal at a higli price. With the low priced lands and cheap labor of Mississippi corn and clover can be produced at a less cost than in the northern states, which is partially due to the fact that clover may be grazed for a half longer time, owing to the mildness of the cli- mate. It has also been shown that one acre of alfalfa will, by soiling, feed from fifty to seventy-five hogs, and all of the lime lands in Mississippi will produce alfalfa to perfec- tion, and here it will give a greater number of cuttings than in the North, owing to the greater length of the season. During the winter months the northern hog raiser is forced to feed entirely of high priced foods, but the Missis- sippi farmer may have his oat, wheat, or barley field which, with few exceptions, will afford grazing the whole winter. In addition he has a climate and soil especially suited for the growing of a greater variety of other crops which are recognized as very valuable for hog feeding; such as arti- chokes, ground-peas, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and sor- ghum. In short, the climate and facilities for producing cheap foods combine to render Mississippi the ideal home of the hog breeder and feeder”. Mr. Jesse Drake, formerly of Illinois, has been raising Poland China hogs at Jackson, Miss., during the last six years, and writes as follows: ‘‘I grow about 150 hogs an- nually, and find the business much more profitable here than in Illinois. Here, I can grow two litters each year, while in the North I could grow only one to advantage. My hogs do well on the pastures, receiving very little other feed during the summer, though making a rapid growth. For winter feed and for fattening I use sugar beets, pea- nuts, sweet potatoes, and corn, though very little corn is needed. Here, as elsewhere, hogs must be grown on grass, roots, and other cheap foods to make them profitable. In Mississippi we can grow' such foods in the greatest abun- dance and at very small cost, which gives us a great advan- MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 55 tags over the northern hog raiser, and this is one of the principal reasons why pork raising is so much more profi- table here than in the North. Our pork crop is all that we can ask, but our market facilities are poor, and we are greatly in need of a packing house to handle our surplus product — and that is sure to come soon. Neither ‘scrub’ hogs nor cattle have paid me as well as have thorough- breds.” SHEEP. A short time ago the United States Department of Ag- riculture commissioned Hon. R. M. Bell, of Decatur, 111. to make a thorough investigation of the sheep-growing in- dustry of the southern states. Mr. Bell has given this subject a more careful study than has any other man in the whole country, and he writes of the sheep business in Mississippi as follows: ‘‘Mississippi has a valuable sheep husbandry, but it is so unlike anything known save. on the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts that a northern man looks upon it with feeling of disgust. The absence of large winter supplies of feed, and the general lack of comfortable shelters suggests to the stranger that the southern sheep owners are a shiftless and indolent set and that there is, or ought to be, a better way. If he is a newljr arrived immigrant he is apt to say that ‘he will show the southerners how to raise sheep right.’ This presumption is due to a want of appreciation of the advantages which the genial climate, the bounteous sup- plies of natural feed, and the possibilites of the country give to the Mississippi shepherd. For the heedlessuess of the northerner in speaking his mind so freely, there can be no excuse, and if he remains in the country long enough he will learn that he has something still to learn, and that he does not know it all. Mississippi has an enviable record in wool-growing due to the climate and soil, the pasturage, water, shade, sunshine, and geological formation — a mj^stery not now so 56 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. easily explained — though recognized wherever . fine, soft, luxurious wools are grown. The first account we have of an - attempt to introduce improved sheep into the State was in 1811, when a ram from Col. W. R. Livingston’s flock — a French merino — was brought here. This ram, it is said, founded a number of fine flocks. Saxon merinos were first introduced in 1831, and in 1839 Col. M. R. Cockrell removed from his Tennessee plantation to Madison county, Mississippi, with 1,000 Saxon and Spanish merinos, and 500 long-wooled or mutton sheep. Col. Cockrell was one of the best shep- herds and finest judges of sheep and wool in his day, as well as being one of the most enterprising sheep-breeders in the United States. In 1845 Mr. Affleck purchased some Saxon Spanish merinos, and Leicester sheep for his plan- tation in Adams county, and from that time large numbers of improved thoroughbred sheep were introduced. About 1850 Col. Cockerell removed his sheep back to Tennessee, and from that time the progress of flocks began to decline. Although the total number of sheep in the State increased, there was no gain in the quality of the blood. Once in a while a planter or a northern immigrant would bring a new ram into the countr} 1- , but for one reason or another few good results were secured. After the war Mississippi planters turned their attention from sheep-breeding to the raising of horses and mules, and for many years the sheep industry was greatly neglected. With few exceptions, the sheep of Mississippi may be divided into two groups, the common or degenerate sheep bred from English breeds, and the “piney-woods” sheep descended from Spanish merinos introduced by the Span- ish colonists and brought from Florida and the Mobile dis- tricts. The ‘piney-woods’ sheep are found in the southern part of the State, where they have held their own from Spanish colonial times, and can continue to do the same in the indefinite future. It is a singular and significant fact MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 57 tliat these hardy, aboriginal, neglected and unimproved sheep are exempt from all diseases, while many serious ailments abound in the region where foreign sheep have recently been introduced. The writer desires to emphasize this exemption of the ‘piney-woods’ sheep from all disease. He would leave the reader to find out why certain sections are unsound for sheep, and would suggest the necessity for caution in deviating from the practices of the most successful sheep-raisers of the State, among w T hom may be mentioned G. W. Smith-Vaniz, of Canton, and Col. Wm. Sigerson, of Ocean Springs The famous ‘Take Wools’ (practically a natural production) are raised in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Green, Perry, Pearl River, Marion, Lawrence, Covington, Jones, and Wayne counties, though other counties claim to produce as good and useful a product. Hinder ances to sheep-growing. At present, without any real system of sheep-raising, the negro’s coon dog, the squatters’ hogs which run wild in the woods, eagles, buzzards, a few foxes, wild-cats, and perhaps an occasional wolf, are the principal annoyances of sheep-growers, and all of these can, and will, be managed or controlled in time. The absence of any fence law in some misguided sections is a serious obstacle to the extention and multipli- cation of flocks. While it is a fact that Mississippi has a wonderful supply of natural pastures, the writer suggests to the immigrant the importance of consulting ‘Farmers’ Bulletin No. 18, on ‘Grasses and Forage Plants for the South’ which has recently been issued by U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture. A man in a new country should avoid making mistakes. When the writer made an investigation of the subject of sheep-raising a few years ago for theU. S. Government, he thought Mississippi a most wmuderful region for the raising of wool, and he thinks so yet, but he also sees a future for the State, and for all the South, as a most profi- table mutton-growing section. There is no reason why 58 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. the raising of lambs for mutton should not be extensively- followed, and lambs are now sent from Columbus, Miss, to Boston , Mass. , as a regular annual trade. There is a meaning in the fact that Mississippi, under practical free trade, has increased her number of sheep during the last two years, and the valuation of her flocks has increased as well. Would any' one ask why this is so? There can be but one answer — wool can be produced cheaply enough there to give a profit at the low prices which have ruled during the last two years. Without winter, and with such abundant winter pas- tures, almost anything is possible in sheep-raising in Mis- sissippi. ” Col. Sigerson, of Ocean Springs, and formerly of Indi- ana, who is mentioned in the foregoing letter from Mr. Bell, writes as follows: “Sheep and cattle are doing well this fall with us. Sheep especially, never looked so well since I have been in the country. And, let me tell you, now is the time to commence the sheep industry in our Gulf Coast country. Our land is so cheap, the climate so desirable and the grass is so good that the cost of production is reduced away below what is known to the northern sheep-raiser. We have grass enough to feed; nothing is fed here, they live entirely on grass; 500 sheep where we only have one novr. Some of our sheepmen are very much discouraged, but I tell them to hold on. It is certain that we do well at raising wool at i2 J /2 cents a pound, even on our cheap pasturage. To make sheep-raising pay we must take into the ac- count the mutton and the price we can get for early lambs. I was thinking how well we can do by crossing with the American Delaine-merino. I am constrained to believe this sheep a very hardy animal and a cross on our piney- woods ewe will give a fine carcass, and a fleece that will weigh from six to eight pounds per head. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 59 Surely such a sheep as figured above will give a fine profit. Lambs at 4 months old will sell here at from $4 to $6 per head. Remember we are located only about thirty hours from New York City, Chicago and St. Louis. I am amazed, and can but wonder, why sheepmen will continue to go West to raise sheep, and u r orse yet, why men will stay on high priced land and feed six months in the year rather than come here. I cannot Ac- count for it save for the reason that they do not understand what we have down here and are afraid to come. Tell them to come and see for themselves.” FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. It is not alone in the growing of cattle and hogs, corn and hay, that Mississippi excels, for her fruits and vegeta- bles have won for themselves an enviable reputation in the markets of Baltimore and Boston, Cincinnati and Chicago, 1 Detroit and Denver. Mississippi sirawberries and toma- toes are knowm in every little town and cross roads in the North, and in many of the northwestern states the first herald of approaching spring is the arrival of Mississippi radishes, lettuce, and peas, which have been grown here in the open ground while our distant customers are shov- eling snow. Our market gardeners are not obliged to limit their shipments to three mouths, or to six months, but have twelve months every year for their market time, and something to sell during every month. Shipments of tomatoes from Mississippi to Chicago commenced as long ago as in 1S66. In 1872 Dr.- H. E. McKay commenced his shipments of strawberries which have been continued up to the present time. From the modest beginning made twenty-five years ago, the business of growing fruits and vegetables for the northern markets has constantly increased, until now it amounts to more than $1,000,000 annually. Hazlehurst, Crystal Springs, Terry, Jackson, Madison Station, and Durant on the Illi- 6o MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. nois Central railroad; and Meridian, West Point, Tupelo, Baldwyn, and Booneville on the Mobile and Ohio road are the most important shipping points, though there is scarcely a town on either line which does not contribute more or less to this rapidly growing industry. Both of the railroads named run special “Fruit and Vegetable” trains through the summer months in order to carry our products to the northern markets quickly and cheaply, and are do- ing everything in their power to favor the growers. Ice is provided liberally, and the trains are run so that our fruits are only thirty-six hours from the St Eouis and Chicago markets. apples. Apples do -well here, and are extremely profitable, as the supply is usually much less than the home demand. The trees here may not be as long lived as at the North, but they come in to bearing earlier, bear more regularly, and the fruit is of the best quality. Early apples are shipped quite largely, as they reach the northern markets in advance of those from any other section, and so com- mand high prices. Winter varieties, however, are gener- ally more profitable, as they can always find a home mar- ket at much better prices than are paid at the North. Dur- ing the winter months apples in Mississippi sell higher, per bushel, than do oranges. The owners of old apple or- chards are mbre than satisfied with their investments, and the planting of new orchards cannot fail to be a profitable business. Judge B. B. Boone, of Booneville, in northeast Mississippi, says: “I am satisfied that there are many localities in this State where the earl} 7 varieties of apples -will succeed about as well as thej* will in any section. I know 7 they do well with us. I know 7 this from forty years observation. I am often asked w 7 hether it will pay to raise apples in our section for market, and whether we can compete with the apple growers in the North. I think it will pay to MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 6l raise the early varieties of apples for both northern and southern markets. The apple growers of the North can’t compete with us in raising early apples. Our early varie- ties will reach Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and Buffalo and other northern cities before the apples of these regions have hardly shed their bloom. Our June apples are July apples there. The ist of June, when our apples are ready for market, finds both southern and northern markets com- paratively bare of the winter apples. There is no place from which this demand can be supplied for the succeeding thirty days, except from the South, and we have usually netted $i per bushel for first-class, and 75 and 50 cents for second.” PEARS. Before the war the largest and most noted pear orchard in the State was that of Col. Hebron, near Vicksburg, which covered 150 acres, and from which the sales some- times amounted to $7,000 in a season. Very few fruit trees, of any kind, survived the war, and nearly all the trees now in the State have been planted within the last twenty years. Within the last ten or twelve years some thousands of acres have been planted in pear trees, with varying success. Some of the trees have been so neglected that they died from want of care, and others have blighted, though the results, on the whole, have been very encour- aging. Man}'' large orchards have given from $3 to $5 per tree in ten years from planting, and many smaller or- chards have given even better cash returns. A. A. Gale, of Jackson, says: ‘‘From my experience, I should say, there is no fruit which, throughout the season, sells as well. The price seldom deviates, for the quanticj" of first-class pears has never yet been known to ‘glut the the market. ’ Califor- nia Bartletts begin to arrive in New Orleans the latter part of July, and from that time until the middle of September are very abundant in that market; yet the price keeps up, all the time, to from $3 to $4'per bushel. 62 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. During last summer, all that the writer sent to New Orleans brought the same price as those from California.” PEACHES. Peach trees grow well in all parts of the State, except- ing along the Gulf coast, where there is not sufficient cold to check their growth during the winter mouths. They usually bear heavy crops, though here, as elsewhere, they are sometimes injured by late spring frosts. D. T. Price, of Boonveille, says he has had eight full crops in ten years, and others in that region have had equally regular crops. Peaches are grown more largely in the region of Terry and Crystal Springs than in any other part of the State, some of the larger orchards there covering more than 300 acres each. PLUMS. Plums are grown quite extensively, and as they ripen much earlier than those grown in the North, always bring good prices. While the Wild Goose and Chickasaw vari- eties are still the more common sorts, the Japanese vari- rieties are now being planted, and are giving heavy yields of fruit which never fails to command a fancy price. GRAPES. Grapes can be grown here in such profusion as is not seen elsewhere east of the Rocky Mountains. Our seasons are so long that the vines make double the growth that they can in the North, they never require protection from winter freezes, and the latest ripening sorts never fail to reach maturity. If the vines are properly cared for they will often ripen five pounds of fruit in eighteen months from planting, and such is the vigor of their growth that they are not injured by producing such crops while still so young. Vines grow much larger here than at the North, and bear with correspondingly increased abundance. The leaves are not injured by either the downj' or powdery mil- dews, and the fruit is seldom troubled by the black rot, MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 63 and we have no insects which cause serious trouble to either vine or fruit. B. A. P. Selman, of Booneville, says: “With us the grape crop is never a failure, and but few of the varieties tested have failed to do well. So far we have had little or no disease among them, and while as yet but few have ventured to grow them for market, ow- ing to the want of facilities to get to it, the experiments of those who have are satisfactory. That we can grow them in great abundance, the choicest and the best, and as cheaply as the most favored sections, we have no ‘doubting Thomas. ’ As to varieties, the Concord is most generally grown, yet the Delaware, Ives Seedling, Dindlejp Perkins, Hart- ford and others have been planted with success. I consulted with two of our oldest grape sowers, and here compile a part of their statements. Both have grown them for about twelve years, different kinds. Their experience is: The Perkins never rots, and always pro- duces good crops; so with the Ives Seedling and the Scup- pernong, and while the Concord in very wet seasons will mildew and rot some, yet owing to its abundant crop they havemever failed to harvest a fair one. The Niagra, Em- pire State, and some others of the new grapes have been set out, but not having borne yet, I cannot speak of adapt- ability to our soil and climate. Our mode of planting (except the Scuppernong) is in rows eight feet apart, vines six feet in the row. This will give 918 vinos to the acre. If one year old vines are used, they will bear some at three years old, a fair crop at four years old, and an abundant one at five years old. A low esti- mate for an ordinary crop at five years old is 12,000 to 15,- 000 pounds per acre. Up to last season, for want of proper transportation rates and markets, 2 to 3 cents per pound has been the average net, yet this will make $300 per acre. Of course these results mean good cultivation and proner attention. This last year one of m}?- neighbors gathered from 350 6 4 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. vines, mostly Concord; one-half first year in bearing, the other half second year, with only some fifteen the third year, and shipped $42 net, made eighty-three gallons of wine, which he sold at $1.25 per gallon, and of the crop grown only about three-fourths were shipped or converted into wine. The 350 vines cover slightly over one-third of an acre, which would make an acre at the same rate net $450. Owing to bettershipping facilities and ratesgiven us b3 r the Mobile and Ohio railroad, the grapes we shipped the last season netted 4 and 5 cents per pound. ” Parker Earle & Sons, of Ocean Springs, who have thirty acres in vineyard, report even better yields and prices. STRAWBERRIES. Whatever may be said in regard to our advantages for the growing of other fruits, the strawberry is pre-eminently the one for which Mississppi is famous. Thousands of acres are devoted to its cultivation, and the fruit is now shipped, not by the dozen crates, or by the car load, but by special train loads. More strawberries are grown between Hazlehurst and Durant, on the Illinois Central railroad, than on any other equal area in the world. On the Mobile and Ohio, from Meridian north to Corinth, the industry is of more recent introduction, but is growing rapidly, and that region promises soon to-become as noted as is the re- gion about Crystal Spring and Madison Station. In this State we have no trouble with the “crown borer, 1 ' which destroys the plant in Illinois and Missouri when only two years old, and strawberry fields from five to ten years old are not uncommon. We have no trouble with the “rust” and “blight” which are so common in northern fields, our plants never suffer from the cold of winter, and are wonder- fully productive. On some soils fields have been known to yield as much as 100 crates annually for many years, with no cultivation whatever beyond the mowing of MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 65 a heavy crop of hay in the late summer, while with proper care and cultivation a yield of 100 bushels per acre is not uncommon. Our first shipments are usually made in March, and the fruit continues to ripen in quantity until June, while occasional pickings may often be found much later. In the central and southern parts of the State a few ripe berries may be found at almost any time, and Dr. Mc- Kay, of Madison Station, the largest grower in the State, informs us that he has shipped strawberries to the Chicago market during every month in the j^ear. TOMATOES Tomatoes are shipped in greater quantities than is any- other market garden crop, and from the towns between Hazlehurst and Canton more than 1,000 car loads were marketed last year. That is only one item from one locality, but it shows something of the extent and importance of the business in Mississippi. The tomatoes grown here are of a quality superior to those grown in any other part of the country, and “Mississippi tomatoes” always receive special quotations, not only in the markets of Chicago and Minneapolis, but in Baltimore and New York. Our fruit is more solid, has better carrying qualities, and reaches the northern market in better condition than that from any other district, and so sells for higher prices. Large quan- tities are now being grown along the Gulf coast, and as- these reach the market at the same time as those grown in Florida, they are quite remunerative. The crop from the central and northern parts of the State come in after those from the extreme south are exhausted, and before those grown in Tennessee are ripe, and so they too, bring good prices. Many of the tomato growers make a second crop late in the season, having it ready for market in Octo- ber and November, after the northern crop is killed by frost, and secure good returns. From Hazlehurst to Water Valley on the Illinois Cen- tral road, from Meridian to Corinth on the Mobile and 66 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. Ohio, and from Baj^ St. Louis to Ocean Springs on the Louisville and Nashville railroads the growing of vegeta- bles ior the northern markets is no longer an exper- iment or a side issue, but is a well-established and profitable industry. Planting begins in January and does not end until December, and there is scarcely a vegetable seen in the northern markets of which the earliest and best do not come from Mississippi. Radishes, lettuce, peas, beets, asparagus, snap beans, cabbages, tomatoes, cucum- bers, melons, squashes, green corn, sweet and Irish potatoes, and all other garden crops are grown in the greatest vari- ety and profusion, and afford a source of constant income. In nearly all cases two crops are grown on the same ground annually, and often a third crop gives a good return. The first crop of Irish potatoes is planted in January or Feb- ruary, and a second crop can be planted on the same ground in August. The first crop being ready for market very early, and the second crop very late, both bring good prices. Very often the second is left in the ground until February or March, and then shipped to the North, when a few strokes of the marking brush in the hands of the dealer transforms it into “New Potatoes, just imported from Bermuda,’’ and so doubles the selling price. Sweet potatoes need the long season which is found only in the southern states for their best growth, and here their yield is enormous. Both sweet and Irish potatoes are being grown quite extensively on the Gulf coast, in the prairie region about West Point, and the Delta region about Greenville, and the acreage is everywhere increas- ing. EDUCATION. The Public School system of Misssissippi was not or- ganized until 1871 , but is now attracting attention from all pails of the country for its thoroughness and efficiency. School-houses are multiplying on every hand, the old MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 6 7 frame building of a few years ago is giving place to brick and stone, and the people of the State fully endorse Dr. Curry when he says: “Universal education must lie at the foundation of all governments with representative institu- tions, and of all civilization which is to be promotive of the highest good of humanity. ’ ’ In speaking of the recent work in educational lines, Prof. Preston says: “In the elements of real progress and solid advancement, the past two years cover a bright period in the history of popular education in Mississippi. Better teachers, longer school terms, in- creased earnestness and interest among the people mark the highway of our achievements. With a practical and systematic school law which needs but time for its effective execution; w 7 ith uniform State examinations, a department of pedagogy^ in the Uni- versity, Peabody summer normal institutes and teachers’ associations continually making the teaching corps stronger by impelling them to higher attainments; with public sen- timent in favor of the schools broadening and deepening year by year, our educational forces are fairly organized for effective work.” During the scholastic 3'ear 1892-93, the last for which the report has been published, the State expended: For Public Schools *... '$ 1,192,844 For State University/ 32,643 For Agricultural College 30,750 For Industrial Institute 23,325 For Deaf and Dumb Institute 17,750 Eor Blind Institute 8,161 For Alcorn A. & M. College 13,000 For State Normal 2 500 These items make a total of $1,320,973, which is equivalent to a levy of 7.1 mills on the total assessed valua- tion of all the property in the State. Mississippi leads among the southern states, and ranks eighth among the sates of the Union in the amount expended for education 68 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. in proportion to valuation of property. The past decade shows a steady progress in our public schools. The increase in our population from 1880 to 1890 was less than 14 per cent. The enrollment in the public school has increased 20 per cent, within the last nine years, nearly doubling the rate of increase in the population. Our average length of school term has been increased 14 per cent. , and our expenditures for school purposes 50 per cent. The statistics for 1892-93 show that seventy-three whites in every 100 of school age were enrolled in our public schools, while less than sixty in every 100 negroes were enrolled. The enrollment of both races was 64.8 per cent, of all the educable children. According to the re- port of the Commissioner of Education (1889-90) Kansas had in 1890 enrolled 27.98 in every 100 population, which was the highest per centage in the United States, the aver- age being 20.27. The enrollment of Mississippi for 1892-93 was 25.97 i n every 100 population, which places us second in the Union when both races are considered. But our enrollment of whites was 28.61 in every 100 of white pop- ulation. It is thus shown that our white population, as measured b3 r enrollment, are availing themselves of the ed- ucational advantages provided by the State to a greater ex- tent than the people of any other State in the Union. Seperate schools are provided for the whites and blacks, and the school fund divided between them in pro- portion to the number of educable children of each race. While the whites pay about 80 per cent, of the taxes, the colored schools receive about 60 per cent, of the school funds. In a State which provides so liberally for its primary schools the higher education is even more ^liberally en- dowed, and the young women have fully as many advan- tages as do the young men. One of the first — if not the very first — chartered institutions for the collegiate training of young women in the United States was the Elizabeth Female Academy, at Old Washington, near Natchez. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 69 Sharon Female College was organized in 1834, and the first college for girls in the United States, established by the State and maintained at public expense, is located at Col- umbus, and is the pride of the whole South. The State University at Oxford was organized in 1848 and has been well endowed by the State. Many distinguished states- men, not only of this State, but of the nation, are proud to claim that institution as their Alma Mater. Its doors have recently been opened to young women, new departments of instruction are being added, and it is one of the most prosperous institutions in the country. The Agricultural and Mechanical College at Starkville has been in operation only fourteen years, but has already taken a high rank among similar educational institutions, and is doing a grand work for the young men of the State. The Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College for the education of colored youth, is at Westside, and receives a liberal sup- port from the State, as well as somewhat more than half the income from the Morrill endowment funds. We have taken the following illustrations and de- scriptions from the publications of the several institutions. UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI. The State University, whose first session began in 1848, is founded upon a grant of one township of land made by Congress to the State of Mississippi in 1819. It has been supported by State appropriations, and the in- terest upon the proceeds resulting from the sale of the land granted by Congress. This institution from its beginning took high rank among the colleges of the country. In its faculty have been found many men prominent in the affairs of the State and of the country. Since 1848 it has had a total enroll- ment of more than 9,000 students. Its alumni roll con- tains the names of a large number who have attained dis- tinction in various professions and pursuits. As now organized the University includes a Depart- 7 ° MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. ment of Professional education, with a school of Law, which is in a most prosperous condition, and a Department of Science, Literature and the Arts, in which are twenty- one different schools. These schools make up a cirriculum which affords excellent training in Latin, Greek, German, French, and English, Belles Lettres, Mathematics, all the Natural Sciences, Mental and Moral Philosophy, Logic, History, Political Economy, Elocution and Pedagogy. A large option is allowed in the selection of studies and spe- cial courses are marked out leading to various Baccalaureate degrees and to several post-graduate degrees. In the University tuition is free to all students except in the school of law. All expenses are very low. The lo- cation is noted for its healthfulness, and the grounds are unsurpassed in beauty. Within the last two j^ears the au- thorities of the University have discontinued preparatory classes in the institution. All the energies of the institu- tion are given to Collegiate and advanced University work. The institution is well provided with Chemical and Phys- ical apparatus of the best character. It has a library of 13,000 well-selected volumes, a fine collection of specimens illustrating Mineralology and Geology, and an excellent Astronomical telescope of fifteen inches aperture. It has a coi'ps of instructors large enough to do excellent work with about 200 students. The number enrolled this session is 225. The character of the work done and the tone per- vading the whole institution is such as to command the confidence of the people of the State. It affords to the young men and young women of the State the highest ed- ucational advantages at the least possible cost. In its work it seeks coordination and cooperation with all the sound educational work done in the State. Catalogues containing full information may be obtained by addressing R. B. Fulton, Chancellor, University of Mississipi. OBSERVATORY, STATE UNIVERSITY. . : ■' , ; - ' ' • ,v',U : v.; •V-t- & .'••'4 ;H‘v ^\sr- * . 72 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. INDUSTRIAL, INSTITUTE AND CORTEGE. Robert L. Frazer , L L. D . , President , Columbus , Miss. “Intelligent Motherhood, the best provision for Intel- ligent Citizenship.’’ To this school belon s t- _• distinction of being the first institution of the kind ever founded by a State for the edu- cation of women. The bill creating the school' was passed in March, 1884, and the first session opened October 22, 1885. To secure its location for Columbus, the town gave property, in land and buildings, valued at $50,000 in money. For the support of the institution the State makes an annual appropriation of about $25,000, thus offering /m? tuition in Academic Studies and Industrial Arts to 400 young women. The various departments of its work employ twenty- two officers and teachers. The school offers three Courses of Study, viz: A Bus- iness Course for those who wish to prepare for industrial pursuits; a Normal Course for those desiring to teach in the public schools of the State, and a College Course for those who aim at broad and thorough culture as the basis of future usefulness. Provision is also made for thorough instruction and practical training in Industrial Arts by which women’s opportunities for independence and usefulness may be mul- tiplied. It embraces Book-Keeping, Industrial and High Art, [Design, Modeling, Drawing, Wood Carving, Oil Painting, etc.,] Cutting and Making Dresses, Telegraphy, Phonography, Type- Writing, etc. The free scholarships are apportioned among the counties of the State according to their number of white girls within the school age. Applicants for admission must be at least 15 years old, in good health, and of good moral character. They must pass an examination in the ordi- INDUSTRIAL, INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE, COLUMBUS, MISS. 74 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. nary common school studies. Board is furnished at actual cost. The average cost, including furnished room, fuel, light, washing, infirmary attendance, etc. is less than $9 per month. The occr .mts of the rooms are required to do all the work necessm v 'o keep them in order. The work in the dining-room is aKo required of the pupils. For this regu- lar details are made, each one, in turn, performing her part. Voluntary Work . — Students have the privilege of do- ing a part of the light work in the kitchen and laundry. Thej r may also find employment in the dressmaking de- partment. For this voluntary work they are paid. There is no disposition in the institution, by word or action, to disparage those who work to aid in paying their expenses. From the beginning the success of the school has been extraordinary, the wise forecast for its establishment be- coming, year afer year, more and mote unquestionable. During the nine years of its existence more than 1,300 * young women have come under its tuition and gone out. They are almost all engaged in some form or other of useful employment. Wherever they go — in school-room, count- ing-house, shop, laboratory, office, studio, or home — there is abundant evidence of their worth, and of the high esti- mate put upon their work and their influence. Many who worked their way through College are now independent and lending a helping hand to others. THE STATE AGRICUETURAE AND MECHANICAE COEEEGE. Gen. S. D. Lee , President , Starkville, Oktibbeha Co . , Miss. By a Eegislative Act, approved February 28, 1878, Mississippi accepted the conditions of the Federal Eand Grant Eaw of July, 1862, and divided the benefits equally between the white and colored youth of the State. The HERD OF THOROUGHBRED CATTLE, AT MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE 76 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. college was thus established: A Board of Trustees was duly appointed, and the site soon chosen. It is located one and a half miles east of Stark ville, the county seat of Oktibbeha county and at a junction point of the Mobile and Ohio, and Illinois Central railroads. The value of its lands, buildings and equipment is over $240,000. The college was opened to students in October, 1880, and :he average attendance for twelve sessions has been 312 students. Eighty-two per cent., or more, of the stu- dents are the sons of men engaged in industrial pursuits. The discipline is military. The corps of students is organized into a battalion of four companies under the com- mand of the Professor of Military Science and Tactics, who is also the Commandant and directly administers dis- cipline under the supervision of the President. The average necessary expenses of a student for each session, including cost of uniform, books, board, fuel, lights, etc., is about $125, which can be reduced to $100 or less, by labor. In its organization provision is made for both Collegi- ate and Common School instruction, so as to meet the wants of the youth of the State, especially those of the industrial classes. It is the only college or school for whites in the State that instructs in the theory and practice of Agricul- ture and the Mechanic Arts. This instruction is given to every student, commencing with the elementary principles which are taught to those in the Preparatory Department. In addition to class-room instruction, students perform manual labor on the farm, at the barns, in the creamery, in the garden, on the grounds, and in the Experiment Sta- tion, also in the carpentry and machine shops, in the foun- dry, and at the forge. The influence exerted by the college on the Agricul- ture of the State may be estimated by noting the impetus which it has given to Horticulture, Stock-raising, Dairy- T. and the cultivation of Grasses; also by noting the in- MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 77 creased tendency towards Diversified Farming, which has been advocated and illustrated at the college. The Experiment Station was organized in March, 1888, under the provisions of the “Hatch Bill,” as a De- partment of the college. Catalogues containing full information will be sent on application. ALCORN AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE, WESTSIDE, MISS, Founded in 1871, when the Legislature purchased “Oakland College,” and dedicated the propert}^ to the ed- ucation of neg-ro youth. Supported by one-half the interest on Congressional Land Scrip, amounting annually to $5,678.75, an annual State appropriation and a portion of the “Morrill Fund.” The Lands comprise about 300 acres, used for campus, cultivation and pasture. There are upon the school grounds twenty-five buildings, ten mules, two brood mares, a drove of Poland-China hogs and herd of Devon cattle. The Agricultural Department includes instruction in all branches of farming and practical work under a compe- tent superintendent. Among the subjects dwelt upon are Horticulture, Insects Injurious to Farm and Garden, Breeds of Live Stock, Cattle Feeding, Flow Crops Grow, etc. The Mechanical Department includes instruction in Carpentry, Printing, Shoe-making, Blacksmithing and Wheel wrighting, and courses of three years are arranged for each of the above, upon the completion of which a cer- tificate is granted. Tuitwjk is free to Mississippians, but $5 a term of three months is charged to residents of other States. The enroll- ment to date (January 22, 1895) is 594. The Courses of Study are College, Scientific, Academic, Preparatory and Commercial. Those who complete the 7 8, MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. College and Scientific courses are given the degree of B. S. Those who complete the Commercial course receive a cer- tificate. The Graduates number seventy-nine and are scattered through Mississippi and contiguous States doing good work. Thomas J. Caiaoway, A. B., President and Professor. FACTORIES WANTED. Although the agricultural advantages of Mississippi are made the prominent feature of this pamphlet, facto- ries, and especially small factories of almost every kind, will find better opportunities for location and a better local market for their products here than in almost any other section of the country. With our unlimited sup- plies of timber in the greatest variety, with clays suited to the manufacture of brick, tile, and every grade of pottery, with our immense fields of cotton, with abundant water power, cheap fuel, and inexpensive labor, this state offers unqeualled facilities for manufactories of every kind. The cotton factories which have been in con- stant operation at Columbus, Wesson, Enterprise and at other points in this state have demonstrated that cotton cloths can be made here at a profit when many of the mills in New England are obliged to suspend because unable to pay running expenses, and the estab- lishment of additional factories here is attracting more and more attention. The cotton mills at Water Valley have been in constant operation for nearly twenty years, and have always paid good dividends. The mills at Natchez, Corinth, and other points have proven equally good investments, and the cotton goods manufactured in this state have won a national reputation. Early in the present year Gov. Stone delivered an ad- dress before a convention of cotton growers assembled at Jackson, Miss., in which he earnestly advocated the estab- 8o MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. lishment of cotton factories in different parts of tlie state to consume the products of the local market, and showed very plainly that such a course would effect a great saving in the present expenses for bagging, transportation, and commissions. He pointed out the great advantages which this state possesses in its abundant water power, its cheap fuel by reason of its nearness to the coal fields, and the great good which must result to each by having the pro- ducer, the manufacturer, and the consumer in the same localitjr. Close upon the publication of this address we have the announcement of a widespread movement among the cotton manufacturers of New r England to locate their mills nearer to the supplies of raw materials. This move- ment includes some of the largest manufacturers in the whole country, and is not the effect of any sudden change, but the result of a long and careful study of the entire situation. Among those who are said to be planning for the change are the Merrimac, the greatest cotton manu- facturing company in Howell, having a capital of $3,500,000; the Bright mills of Chicopee, and the Boott manufacturing corporation. Capitalists in the neighbor- hood are watching the movement with anxiety, and la- borers with no less interest. Elliott Clarke, treasurer of the Boott concern, and A. G. Cumnock of the same company, have made public the causes leading to their migration. “The fact is,’’ said Mr. Clark, “that we can no longer make plain sheetings and drills at a profit in the North against $2 per ton for coal in the South. We must pay $4 to $4.50. The climate down there is milder and it does not require so much coal to heat the mills. The manu- facturers there can buy their cotton off the market wagon. Here we must pay freight and brokerage, giving them an advantage of 1 cent per pound on the raw cotton, which by itself is a fair profit for a mill making coarse yarn goods. The labor, too. costs 60 per cent, of what it does here, and down there the taxation is not quite one-half,” MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 8l “These are some of the main reasons why we cannot manufacture the sheetings and drillings in the North in competition with the South. Along with the Dwight and Massachusetts companies we are compelled to seek a more favorable location for making these goods. We have very valuable trade marks on these drillings and sheet- ings, and it would be a pity for us to abandon that kind of work. We can make the goods for, say, about 4 cents a yard, and in the market we can get, say 4 cents per yard. In the South, we could produce similar goods at 3 cents per yard, }delding excellent profits.” Speaking of the labor statement, Mr. Cumnock said: “About five years ago the last time I compared weavers’ wages with those on similar work in the South, I found there were many important things discriminating against us. Our weavers worked ten hours a day, or sixty hours a week, and averaged about #1.15 a day in wages. In the South they worked seventy-two hours a week and got about 60 or 70 cents a da3 r . In other words, where the southern manufacturer paid 5 to 6 cents per hour, w r e paid 10 to 11 cents. I believe that they are now running sixty- nine hours a week, against our fifty-eight. To offset these inequalities we have changed over about one-half of our plant here to the production of a finer class of goods. ’ ’ On the same subject Mr. Clarke said: “The labor there, while cheap, is of a very fine class. All the female help in the mills down there are farmers’ daughters, who are glad to work for small wages, which seem large to them, as they are not so accustomed to money as we are here. As the negroes do not work in the cotton mills down there, the white people are quite willing to take up that form of work. These southern girls are strong, quick to learn, and glad to be in the way of earning money. Re- ports of production from good southern mills show that the machinery, as a rule, is run a little faster than in the North, and the goods are of excellent quality, w^dich is the best proof of the efficiency of the labor in the South.” 82 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. It is estimated by the Baltimore News that $12,000,- 000 of the northern capital will be invested in the southern botton mills within the next twelve months. Capitalists of the North who have heretofore invested their surplus money in cotton factories, are beginning to realize the great advantages of the South for such plants, sensibly concluding that the proper place for cotton mills is in the section where the staple is grown, thus saving the freight at least one way, and coming to a country where strikes are unknown, and labor on good terms with capi- tal. Indeed, in no period of her existence has the South presented such attractions to northern investors as now. Here the mills and factories can be worked every week in the year with a good profit. Never was this more clearly shown than during the past and present period of business depression, which compelled a shutting down of a major- ity of the larger mills in the North. The success of the cotton mills of the South during the past ten years has demonstrated that the Bast cannot compete with it in cotton manufacture. Discussing this matter, the Philadelphia Record says: “That one of the most significant industrial signs of the times is the rapid growth of cotton manufactures of the South. New England capitalists find it advantageous to establish cotton factories in the midst of the supply of raw materials. As the manufacture in the South shall develop, more and more production will extend to the finest fabrics of the loom. Another sign of the times is the fact that many southern manufacturers have declared their entire independence of a protective tariff. The proof of it is to be witnessed in the large exportation of cotton fabrics of the South in spite of European competition.’’ Cotton factories alone are not all for which there is an abundant opening in Mississippi. Our timber is worth even more than our cottton, and the making of agricul- tural implements is often more profitable than the using of MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 83 them. But with our practically inexhaustible supply of woods of the greatest variety, nearly all our household fur- niture comes to us from Michigan and Ohio. Too many of our wagons come from Indiana, while St, Louis and Louisville furnish the most of our plows; too many of our carts and buggies come from Cincinnati, and Missouri fur- nishes far too large a proportion of our harnesses. Many of our blacksmiths are old plantation hands who have no training beyond that necessar} 7 to enable them to nail a ready-made shoe onto a hoof. Cabinet makers are hard to find, and while we have many carpenters, we have very few architects. There is but one tile factory in the State, and scores of ice and cold storage companies could find de- sirable locations here. We have an abundance of good, reliable, and cheap labor, but very few really skilled labor- ers, and we know 7 of no better opportunities for skilled and industrious mechanics anywhere in the country. Almost every town in the State may be made the location of a fac- tory for making bricks, tile, wagons, agricultural imple- ments, furniture, harness, and other articles of every-day use and constant demand. With all the thousands of cat- tle which are slaughtered here annually, there are very few tanneries in the State, and not a single packing house. Among the towns which offer special advantages for the location of factories of various kinds are : ABERDEEN, in Monroe county, at the junction of branches of the Illinois Central and the Mobile and Ohio railroads. With an abundance of iron ore in reach, beds of inexhaustible coal, water power, timber of all kinds and cheap labor, there is no reason why manufacturers cannot locate here to the best advantage. Forests of poplar, ce- dar, hickory, ash, cypress, gum, wild-cherry, maple, -wal- nut, beech, pine and oak supply material for all kinds of wood-working industries. 8 4 MISSISSIPPI HAXLBOOK. BAY ST. LOUIS, in Hancock county , on the Louisville and Nashville railroad, is the first town of importance east of New Orleans, and has always been the favorite resort of New Orleans people. It has a good hotel, a heavily tim- bered country around it, and as it has a large coasting trade it is one of the best locations for the manufacture of wood-work of all kinds. It has saw-mills in abundance, but very few factories of any kind. There could be no better location than this fora daity to ship milk to the New Orleans market, and it has a large home demand for the products of the market garden during the summer months. BILOXI, in Harrison county, also on the Louisville and Nashville road, is the largest town on the coast, and probably does more manufacturing than all the other towns on the coast .combined. It has five canning factories in which hundreds of tons of oysters and shrimp are pre- served annually, extensive saw and planing mills, several large boat yards, a model flour mill, electric light plant etc., but still has room for more. Fertilizers are used very largely in all the coast country, but there are no factories for supplying it nearer than Mobile or New Or- leans. At Biloxi thousands of tons of fish can be had at an almost nominal cost, and there is no place in the whole country where an establishment for the manufacture of fish oil and of commercial fertilizers could be placed with a greater certainty of profit than here. BOLTON, in Hinds county, on the Queen and Crescent road, is in one of the best agricultural regions of the state, and is growing rapidly. It has extensive deposits of claj^s of the very best quality, and is in one of the best fruit districts of the state. Many of its supplies which should be made at home are now brought from Jackson and Vicksburg, and the town offers an excellent location for a tile factory, tannery, harness maker, or a box fac- tory. The situation is healthful, it is on one of the principal lines of railroad, the people are hardworking and energetic, MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 85 and it is one of the towns which the mechanic and the man- ufacturer should examine before locating elsewhere. BOONVILLE, in Prentiss county, is located on the high- est point on the Mobile and Ohio road, and is the most important fruit and vegetable growing town in that part of the State. It is surrounded by an unusually rich and fer- tile country so that it has a good local trade, and its busi- ness is increasing rapidly. It now has a large box factory, and a canning factory, but other manufacturing enterprises are greatly needed. BROOKHAVEN, in Lincoln county, is on the Illinois Central road, and in the center of the yellow pine region, and where many kinds of hard woods are found in abundance. In the line of industries it already has one brick yard, two foundries, two machine shops, two planing mills, two cot- ton gins and a grist mill. To other desirable industries, backed b} r a fair amount of capital, liberal inducements will be given in the way of location. CANTON, in Madison count}*, is one of the most impor- tant towns on the Illinois Central road. It is in a locality where the shipment of fruits and vegetables is a leading industry, and it has the largest nursery and floral estab- lishment in the State. In the immediate vicinity oak, gum poplar, pine and other woods are abundant, and a spoke •and handle factory, or any other wood working factory would find that a good location. CENTERVILLE, in Wilkinson county, is on the Yazoo Valley road, in the extreme southwestern part of the State. The country around it is one of the oldest settled parts of the State, and has always been noted as being one of the best stock and grain regions in the whole South. Those who saw her magnificent exhibit at the Sioux City fair in 1894 will not need to be reminded of t lie wonderful stalks of corn, the well-developed sugar cane, and the many luxuri- ant hay plants which -were samples of her wealth and pro- ductiveness. A large colony from Dakota has recently 86 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. been located there, and other immigrants from the same State are expected during the coming spring. These colo- nists are mostly farmers, and as the establishment of new homes always calls for mechanics and for tools, this town is just now an unusually good location for intelligent work- men and manufacturers. CRARKSDARE, in Cohoma county, is on the Yzaoo Val- ley road, 'and at the head of navigation on the Sunflower river. It is in one of the best sections of the hardwood coun- try, and is the natural distributing point for an extensive region in all directions, so its local trade is always good. Its shipping facilities make it an unusually favorable loca- tion for factories, and among the enterprises for which home capital can be had to half the amount necessary to undertake them are a cotton factory, a public ginnery and grist mill, a saw and planing mill, an ice factory, an elec- tric plant and telephone exchange, a company to put in artesian wells, and a tile factory. COFFEEVIREE, in Yalobusha county, is on the Illinois Central road, in a region where oak, cypress, beech, hick- ory, poplar and other good timber is abundant, and where wood-working factories would find a good location. Water power can be secured, and the “Business Men’s Reague’’ of the town will be glad to co-operate in the establishment of factories of all kinds. CORUMBUS, in Rowndes county, is at the junction of the Mobile and Ohio, and the Georgia Pacific roads, and at the head of navigation on the Tombigbee river. It is the seat of the Industrial Institute and College for girls, and is one of the wealthiest and most attractive towns in the State. It has an oil mill, ice factory, cotton mill, and other smaller factories, but offers unusual facilities for factories of all kinds. It is as near to the coal fields of Ala- bama as is Birmingham, and has direct railroad outlets in every direction. * MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 87 CORINTH, in Alcorn county, is at the junction of the Mobile and Ohio, and the Memphis and Charleston roads, and so has unusual shipping facilities. It was a progressive town before the war, and still retains its pres- tige as a manufacturing center. It has one of the largest foundries and machine shops in the State, and offers spe- cial inducements for the establishment of tanneries, cotton factories, and other manufacturing enterprises. A factory for the making of agricultural implements is greatly needed. CRYSTAR SPRINGS, in Copiah county, has long been noted as being the center of the largest fruit and veg- etable growing interest in the State. The town has an ex- tensive box and fruit package factory, a large canning fac j tory, and several packing houses, and offers attractive induce- ments for the location of other factories. A well equipped wood-working establishment and agricultural implement factory is greatly needed there, and there is no town in the State where a fertilizer factory would find a better home trade. DURANT, in Holmes county, is on the Illinois Central oad,_ at the junction of its branches to Aberdeen and rchula. It is three miles from the Castalian mineral spring, which is largely patronized and a popular resort. It is in the center of a rich farming country and is one of the largest shipping points for strawberries on that line, the “Durant” berries always having a special quotation in the Chicago Price Current, and the shipments of this fruit alone amounting to from $15,000 to $18,000 per annum. The town has a large foundry and machine shop which is doing a thriving business. Timber is abundant in the sur- rounding country, and cooperage works, a box factory, and similar establishments would find a ready market for their products. EDWARDS, in Hinds county, is on the Queen and Crescent road, and like Bolton, is surrounded by a rich 88 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. farming country. It is only two miles from navigable water, tlie Big Black river, and so is able to draw supplies of raw material from the whole Delta country, and to ship its manufactured products to the east or west by a direct rail- road line, or to New Orleans and other river towns by water. It has excellent clay for the making of tile, the best of tim- ber for agricultural implements and machinery, and its citi- zens are ready to take an active and financial interest in al- most any manufacturing enterprise which may be located there. Its situation is healthful, and its local trade as good as can be found in the State. EEEISVIREE, in Jones county, is on the New Orleans branch of the Queen and Crescent road, and is one of the older towns which gains vigor with age. It is the loca- tion of one of the largest cotton mills in the State, the sur- rounding country is covered by a heavy growth of pine and has abundant water powers, so that it offers special inducement to wood-working establishments and to manu- facturers of agricultural implements. It is an important shipping point for lumber, turpentine and other timber prod- ucts, and is the most “live” town in that part of the State. ENTERPRISE, In Clarke county, is on the edge of the pine woods country, and has two railroads, the Mobile and Ohio, and the Queen and Crescent, and so has facilities for shipping direct to Mobile, New Orleans or to the North. It is already a thriving manufacturing town, its name be- ing indicative of its spirit, aud is destined to become an important business center. It has timber in abundance, good water power in easy reach, excellent clays for mak- ing brick and tile, is in the midst of a good farming coun- try, aud is growing rapidly. GREENVIEEE, in Washington county, is the center of the network of railroads which covers the whole Delta country, and which belong to the Yazoo Valley and the Georgia Pacific systems. It is also on the Mississippi river, and so has the advantages of river shipments as well MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 89 as being a railroad center It is one of the most thriving towns in the State, and is an excellent location for fac- tories of all kinds, especially of wagons, plows, agricultural implements, and furniture. Its unusual shipping facilities make it one of the best places in the whole South for the establishment of a cotton factory, and its citizens would subscribe liberally to aid such an enterprise. Being in the center of one of the best corn growing sections of the State it offers unusual inducements for a packing house, and is probably the best location in the State for such an enter- prise. A cold storage plant, and a grain elevator are greatly needed there. GREENWOOD, in EeFlore county, is on the Georgia Pacific, and the Jackson and Parsons branch of of the Illi- nois Central roads. It is in the region where there is an almost inexhaustible supply of heavy forest growth. The oaks are remarkably large and fine, the cypress also are fine for fencing and building material, lumber, staves, and shingles. Greenwood has several factories, among which are the Planter’s Oil Mill, which consumed 3,000 tons of seed last season. There are also two saw mills, two stave factories, ice works, brick factory and machine shops. It is a very advantageous site for lumber working industries. A spoke factory, sash, blind and door factory, cotton and woolen factory, and cooperage works are needed. GRENADA, in Grenada county, is at the junction of the Illinois Central road and its Memphis branch. It now has one of the largest and most complete oil mills in the State in full operation, and a cotton compress, au ice company, a leather and tanning company with a collar factory attached. A cotton mill is greatly needed, and would have solid local support. A fertilizer factory could find no better location than here. HATTIESBURG, in Perry county, on the Queen and Crescent road, is another pine woods town, full of pluck and push. The country around has the best of water 90 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. power, and there is no better timber anywhere in the South. “Lake Wools” are grown here quite extensively, and the town offers special inducements for the establish- ment of a woolen factory. A tannery, and a good wood- working plant would receive strong local support. HAZLEHURST, in Copiah county, is on the Illinois Central road, and near the southern part of the rich fruit belt which reaches from Lincoln county north to Holmes. In addition to its large fruit and vegetable trade it exports wool, hides, and timber. The surrounding country is an unusually good farming region, the soil being light, and easily worked, and very fertile. Wood- working factories of all kinds will find this a desirable location; a tannery, and a woolen factory are greatly needed, and it has the best of clays for the manufacture of brick and tile. HOLLY SPRINGS, in Marshall county, the “City of Flowers,” is at the junction of the Memphis and Birming- ham, and the Illinois Central roads. Its nearness to Mem- phis makes it an excellent location for dairying and mar- ket gardening, and it is a desirable location for a tannery and a cotton factory. It has clays which will make the best of sewer pipe and paving brick, and it now has the most extensive pottery works in the State. A branch of the State Experiment Station is located there, the sur- rounding country is filled with prosperous farmers, and the town is ready to give financial assistance to almost any manufacturing enterprise which may be located there. JACKSON, in Hinds county, the capital of the State, is an important railroad center, being on the main lines of the Illinois Central, and the Queen and Crescent roads, and having also direct connections with Natchez to the southwest and the Delta region to the northwest. It has fine water power and is one of the most prosperous towns in the State. The country for miles around is very pro- ductive and abundantly able to support and make it the splendid business point which it is. Jackson has a num- M ISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 91 ber of manufacturing enterprises, among them, the large cotton seed oil mill; a sash, door and blind factory; three plow factories, a vegetable packing house, two candy fac- tories, one broom factory, an ice factory, one barrel-head factory, two brick plants, a large cotton compress, and a number of small enterprises. With its fine location and abundant railroad facilities there is no reason why it should not be one of the great manufacturing centers of the South, especially of cotton. Its citizens are anxious to secure the location of a cotton mill, and would subscribe liberally to secure such an establishment. KOSCIUSKO, in Attalla county, is on the Aberdeen branch of the Illinois Central road, and is surrounded by a pine and hard wood forest containing an unusual variety of fine timber, and is one of the best places in the State for wood-working factories of any kind. A tannery would find supplies cheap and abundant, and near the town is -water power sufficient for a large manufacturing plant. UOUISVIUUE, the county seat of Winston, is one of the most thriving towns in the central part of the State, though not on any line of railroad. It is surrounded by a rich farming country, and has such an abundant supply of good hardwood timber that a spoke, stave, wagon factory would do a good business. It is also an excellent location for a tannery or a woolen mill. McCOMB CITY, in Pike county, is the terminus of the southern division of the Illinois Central road, and has extensive car shops. As it is only about 100 miles from New Orleans, it has the advantages of quick transporta- tion, a near market, and a good trade. In the surround- ing country is an abundant supply of timber, and the clajrs in the immediate vicinity of the town are of an extra good quality for the manufacture of brick -which are shipped to New Orleans in immense quantities. A spoke factory, sash, door and blind factory, cooperage works, and a cot- ton and woolen mill are much needed and would be well supported. 92 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. MACON, the county seat of Noxubee county, is on the Mobile and Ohio road, and near the southern limit of the famous “black prairie’’ country. It is a thriving and prosperous town which has been built up almost wholly from the trade of the rich country about it. Several man- ufacturing enterprises are located there, but still there is room for more. There are probably as mail}’' fine cattle and hogs in Noxubee as in any county in the State, and a co-operative creamery would find that an excellent location. An agricultural implement factory is greatly needed, and a cotton factory would be warmly welcomed. MAGNOTIA, the county seat of Pike county, is on the Illinois Central road, and is such a short distance from New Orleans that it has a ready market for all its products. The timber supply is sufficient for manufacturers of any kind of wood-work, and it has the best of clay for tile and paving brick. The country around the town is a fine stock country, as the native grasses furnish fair grazing during the entire winter, and the summer pastures are unexcelled. It is so near New Orleans that a better location for ship- ping milk would be hard to find. MERID IAN, in Eauderdale county, is a flourishing town and the most important railroad center in the State, being the meeting point of four main lines. Its facilities for trans- portation are so complete, and its interests are so inti- mately connected with those of every other part of the State, that it offers unusual facilities for all kinds of manu- factures. It is so near the great coal fields of Alabama that fuel costs but little, the surrounding country has abundant water power, it has competition in freight rates in all directions, and better railroad connections than any other town in the State, We do not know where cotton manufacturers could find a better location than this in the whole South, and it is probable that at least one of the large companies coming from New England will locate there. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 93 NATCHEZ, in Adams county is at the junction of the Jackson branch of the Yazoo Valley road and the main line. It is one of the oldest towns in the State, and one of the most desirable places for residence in the whole South. The public improvements of the city are useful and substantial. Among these are a good line of street cars, water works, gas plant and electric light system, good public and private schools, and churches of every de- nomination. Among the raw materials most abundant are the finest hardwood timbers of all kinds, clay, cotton, veg- etables and fruits for canning. Among the factories spe- cially desired are cooperage works, paving and pressed brick, tile and fire brick plants. NEW AEBANY, the county seat of Union county, is at the junction of the Memphis and Birmingham, and the Chicago and Gulf railroads. It is on what is known as the “Pontotoc Ridge,’’ the highest land in the State, is in a region noted for its freedom from all inalariou.- diseases, good springs and water are plentiful, and it is one of the coming towns. It has a rich farming country about it, as is shown in the fact that during the past season it has shipped large amounts of corn to Missouri. Its people are wide awake, and will give material assistance to any manufacturing enterprises which may be located there. OCEAN SPRINGS, in Jackson county, is on the Louis- ville and Nashville road, and is the center of a large and constantly increasing fruit-growing business. Grapes, pears, olives, figs and other fruits are grown inconsiderable quantities. Its location is delightful, the soil mellow and easily worked, and the local trade is good. It is greatly in need of a box factory, as all such supplies for the fruit- growers are imported from the North, y/hile the best of poplar timber is abundant in the surrounding for- ests. The town has no ice factory, and it would be hard to find as good a location for a first-class hotel. It has a larger trade in “Lake Wool” than any other town in the State, and is an excellent location fora woolen mill. 94 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. OKOLONA, in Chickasaw county, is on the Mobile and Ohio road, in the heart of the “black prairie” country, and is a live, go-ahead town. The rich country about it gives a strong local trade for its support, and it probably ships more hay and grain than any other town on that line. It has but few factories, and others would find this an ex- cellent opening. Factories for making agricultural imple- ments are especially wanted. OXFORD, in Lafayette county, is on the Iilinois Cen- tral road. It is the seat of the State University, and has many families of wealth and culture. The country has still an abundant supply of hardwood timber in great va- riety, and the attention of car builders, cooperage workers, wagon manufacturers, and manufacturers of furniture is particularly directed to her vast resources in that direction. PASS CHRISTIAN, in Harrison county, is on the Louisville and Nashville road, and is a famous summer resort, boasting of the finest hotel on the Gulf Coast. Al- though it is now more of a pleasure resort than a manu- facturing town, there are few better locations for wood- working enterprises, for the packing of shrimp and oysters, and for the manufacture of fish oil and commercial ferti- lizers. Having such a large number of visitors, and being so near to New Orleans, make it an unusually good loca- tion for a dairy. ROSEDALE, in Bolivar county, is the most important river town between Memphis and Greenville. It is in one of the best sections of the Delta country, and is the .shipping point for immense quantities of cotton and corn, so that it is the center for a heavy country trade. It has a supply of timber in both hard and soft woods which is practically unlimited, and is an excellent location for wood-working factories of all kinds. A box factory is specially desired, and a w r agon and agricultural implement factory would do a heavy business, as all such materials are now shipped in from other towns. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 95 SARDIS, the county peat of Panola county, is on the Grenada and Memphis branch of the Illinois Central road, about fifty miles from Memphis. It is one of the richest agricultural sections of the State, has a good local trade, and is a thriving town. It has a spoke and handle factory, an oil mill, and other manufacturing plants, but its wants are by no means supplied. It is specially in need of a tan- nery, canning factories, and general wood-working estab- lishments. SENATOBIA, the county seat of Tate county, is also on the Grenada and Memphis branch of the Illinois Central road, and is still nearer to Memphis so that it has the ad- vantages of a close local market. The adjoining country has a soil specially adapted to the growing of fruits and vegetables. It handles a large amount of cotton and corn, and would be an excellent location for a compress and ele- vator, as well as for factories and mills. It also offers ex- cellent advantages for the manufacture of brick and sewer pipe for the Memphis trade. STARKVILEE, in Oktibbeha county, is at the junction of branches of the Illinois Central, and the Mobile and Ohio roads, and is the seat of the Agricultural and Me- chanical College, and of the State Experiment Station. The towm has long been noted for its social, moral, and ed- ucational advantages, and the country adjoining is being rapidly filled with the very best class of northern immi- grants. It is surrounded b}^ an excellent stock country, and its merchants do a thriving local and shipping trade. It has several small factories, and among the additional enterprises most needed are a tannery, ice factory, harness makers, agricutural implement factory, and wood-working factories of all kinds. SUMMIT, in Pike county, is on the Illinois Central road, and derives its name because of its altitude, which is 420 feet above tide water. Some twenty-five business houses compose the commercial world of the place, besides 96 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. which there are livery stables, hotels, newspapers, and different small shops and tradesmen representing' every de- partment of commerce or industry usually found in towns of its size. Quite a number of extensive saw mills are found in its vicinty. Some large and successful growers of early fruits and vegetables are located in Summit and their experience shows that it is an attractive field for the thrifty and practical northern and western man for money mak- ing and the upbuilding of a new home. It is a desirable town for the location of industries. Adjacent to the town “.re large tracts of hardwood timber that will furnish an un- limited supply for manufacturing purposes. A sash and qooi factory or a wagon factory would find ready sale for all its products. TERRY, in Hinds county, is on the Illinois Central road, sixteen miles south from Jackson, and is a strong competitor of Crystal Springs for the honors of the fruit and vegetable trade, and as lands there can still be had at moderate prices, it is one of the best locations for those desiring to engage in truck and fruit farming. It is a live business town with a number of small factories doing a good trade, and its nearness to the railroad center at Jack--, son makes it an excellent location for factories of all kinds. Its citizens will give financial aid to almost any manufac- turing enterprise which may be locatad there. TUPELO, in Lee county, is at the junction of the Mem- phis and Birmingham, and the Mobile and Ohio roads, and is an important manufacturing town. It is almost on tue line where the black prairie and Pontotoc Ridge sections meet, and so has a rich farming country to sup- port its local trade, and its merchants are doing a good business. It has a large cotton compress, and several small factories, but factories for making agricural imple- ments are greatly needed, and its good shipping facilities, and it s direct connection with, the Alabama coal fields, make it an excellent location for a cotton factory. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 97 UTICA, in Hinds County, on the Jackson branch of the Yazoo Valley road, is between the great fruit region to the east and the rich farming country of the cane hills and the Mississippi bottoms to the west, and so has many of the peculiar advantages of each. It has an abundant supply of hardwood timber for wood- working factories, productive farming lands on all sides, and is in an excellent stock- growing region. It is a good location for a woolen mill, box factory, or wagon factory, as it is the distributing point for an extensive region. VICKSBURG, in Warren county, is at the junction or the Queen and Crescent and the Yazoo Valley roads, and also on the Mississippi river. It is the most important town between Memphis and New Orleans, and is a large manufacturing center, having three cotton seed oil mills, two ice factories, a well-equipped foundry, boiler wmrks, sash and blind factory, and a host of other factories which are usually found in a city of such importance. Her un- usual shipping facilities make it an ideal site for factories of all kinds, and a cotton mill could not find a rfiore desirable location. The city also needs a packing-house, tannery, furniture factory and other w'ood-workiug enterprises. WATER VALLEY, in Yalobusha count}'-, is on the Il- linois Central road. It has an abundance of brick clay; with no plant within ioo miles of the city; fine clay for earthenware, tiling- and fire brick. Six or eight kinds of oak, several varieties of hickory; poplar and beech are handy to the place. Among the industries needed are a brick plant both for the manufacture of earthenware, tile and fire brick, wood-working plants, manufacturers of spokes, hubs, cooperage, furniture, building materials, coffins, tan yard, steam laundry, ice factor}' and cold storage, etc. WESSON, in Copiah county, is on the Illinois Central road, and is a live manufacturing town. It has a large water power which is only partially utilized by the Missis- 98 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. sippi Mills, the largest cotton manufacturing company in the South, and one having a national reputation. In this factory from 1200 to 1300 hands are employed, and the present monthly pay roll amounts to from $23,000 to $25,- 000 per month. There is a good opportunity for the loca- tion of a jeans pants factory and a large tailoring estab- lishment, where the products of the mills could be made into pants, shirts and other wearing apparel. Such a large population engaged in manufacturing makes this one of the best places in the State for market gardening and dai- rying. WEST POINT, in Clay county, is an important rail- road center, being at the crossing of the Mobile and Ohio, Illinois Central, and the Georgia Pacific roads. It is within easy reach of the coal fields of Alabama, and so is an excellent location for factories. Furniture and plow factories are needed, as well as barrel and box facto- ries, and an extensive cotton factory could purchase all its raw material direct from the planters’ wagons. The sur- rounding country is being rapidly filled with northern immi- grants, and the price of land has advanced fully 50 per cent, within the last j^ear. The town has excellent schools, and the lands all around the town are peculiarly adapted for orchard fruits, vegetables, grapes, strawberries, etc., and the culture of these is rewarded with good profit. WINONA, in Montgomery county, is at the junction of the Georgia Pacific, and the Illinois Central roads, and is in the center of a fine agricultural country. It has an ex- tensive cotton compress and quite a number of small man- ufacturing plants, but its excellent water power, its good railroad connections, and the rich farming country by which it is surrounded, all make it an attractive point for manufacturing enterprises of any capacity. It has a good supply of hardwood timber for the manufacture of agricul- tural machinery, and it would be a good distributing point for a fertilizer factory. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 99 YAZOO CITY, in Yazoo county, is on the Jackson and Parsons branch, of the Illinois Central road, and also on the Yazoo river, so it has the advantage of both water and rail transportation. It has one of the finest school build- ings in the State, its people are progressive, and its busi- ness houses solid and reliable. It is in the heart of the best cotton growing district in the world, especially for the production of the “long staple” cotton needed for the making of the finer grades of cloths, and extensive cotton manufacturing plants will certainly be located there in the immediate future. Wood-working establishments will find abundant supplies of the best timber near at hand, and an active demand for all their products. Yazoo City is the best business location in that part of the State. This brief outline of some of the special advantages possessed by fifty of the more important towns in the State gives only a faint suggestion of the many attractions which Mississippi offers to manufacturers. Ever since its first settlement, agriculture has led manufactures in nearly every locality, and we have consequently been at the great disadvantage of exchanging raw materials for manufac- tured products brought from the ISTorth — and have paid freights both waj’s. The time for the establishment of fac- tories for using our raw material at home has now come, and the factories which have been established during the last five years are already working great changes in the trade of every little town. The bulk of the immigration now coming in so rap- idly is going onto farms, and so is creating a still greater demand for manufactured goods such as are needed by new settlers in every country, and manufacturers will never have a better time than now for locating in a region where they will have a growing demand for goods of every kind. Although the State produces such an immense quan- tity of cotton, not i per cent, of the crop is manufactured IOO MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. here, though with our abundant water power, cheap fuel aud cheap labor, the work could be done here at fully io per cent, less cost than in New. England. The expenses for building, fuel and labor are less here than there, while the saving in freights alone would give a fair profit. Although 80 per cent, of the people in Mississippi are farmers, we have almost no manufacturers of agricultural im- plements and machinery for which every farmer is obliged to spend so large a part of his income annually. That no better timber for their manufacture can be found anywhere is shown in the fact that during the last five years the shipment of timber from Mississippi to Indiana and Illi- nois and Michigan has become an important industry. In addition to the freight on all this lumber we have to pay from io to 20 per cent, of the cost of most of our imple- ments as freight from the factory to our farms. With the raw material so abundant, and the demand for tools and machinery so constant, these double freights alone would give a handsome profit to the Mississippi manufacturer. Oaks and sumac for tanning are abundant over a large part of the State, and hides are a drug in the market, but we have almost no tanneries. Our “Take Wools’’ have a reputation wherever woolen goods are made, but are all shipped out of the State for manufacturing. In fact, scarcely any branch of manufactures can be mentioned for which we have not the raw material in excess, and the products of which we do not import. At present the whole South, and especially Mississippi, offers better opportunities for the location of factories than does any other part of the country. WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THE STATE? This is the question which is asked more frequently than is any other, and is one to which it is impossible to give a definite answer. The locality which would be the best for one might be the very worst for another, and the MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. IOI immigrant should first decide what he wants, and then he can look for it intelligently. Dr. Hilgard, former State Geologist, has studied the soils of the State more thoroughly than has any one else, and makes the following divisions which have come into very general use for purposes of description: I. Northeastern prairie region. r. Rotten limestone or black prairies. 2. Pontotoc ridge. II. Flatwoods region. 1. Post-oak flatwoods. 2. White-oak flatwoods. III. Yellow loam or oak uplands region. 1. Flatwood hills. 2. Short-leaf pine and oak uplands. 3. The red lands. 4. The sandy oak uplands. 5. The brown loam table-lands. IV. Mississippi bottom region. V. Cane hills region. VI. Central prairie region. VII. Dong-leaf pine region, i. Dong-leaf pine hills. VIII. Doug and short-leaf pine and oak lands, i. Sandy pine hills. 2 Pine flats and coast region. In speaking of these several regions there can be no better descriptions of the soils than those given by Dr. Hilgard, from whom we shall quote frequently. The dif- ferent regions are not usually separated by sharply drawn lines, but merge into each other, often by insensible gra- dations, and the descriptions are those of the general char- acter of the districts, and do not necessarily cover every farm within its limits. The experiences of those who have lived in any locality are of great value in knowing its spe- cial advantages and drawbacks, and in speaking of the dif- 102 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. ferent soil regions of the State we shall quote largely from letters written bjr men who have come here from the North and West, and who have tried the country for themselves. I. THE NORTHEASTERN PRAIRIE REGION. This division , characterized by the more or less gen- eral occurrence of heavy, calcareous cla}" soils, (popularly called “prairie” soils even when fully timbered) presents two very strongly defined features, the one being largely level calcareous prairie, the other a rolling, mostly timb- bered region. The rotten limestone, or black prairie region, forms a belt varying in width from six to twenty-five miles, and extending about 150 miles southward from Alcorn county, including large portions of Prentiss, Lee, Chickasaw, Mon- roe, Clay, Oktibbeha, Lowndes, and Noxubee counties, and passing through a portion of Kemper county into Alabama. The Mobile and Ohio railroad passes through almost the entire length of this region; the Memphis and Birming- ham road crosses it in Lee and Monroe counties; the Geor- gia Pacific and the Illinois Central cross it in Clay and Monroe counties. The principal towns are Corinth, Booneville, Tupelo, Okolona, Aberdeen, West Point, Starkville, Columbus, Brooksville and Macon. The native timber is nearly all hardwood, a large part of that of “milling size” having been removed. The soil, like all other soils which are rich in lime, is exceeding- ly fertile, and this region has been truthfully called “The Egypt of the South.” This is pre-eminently a stock and grain country, and the man who buys land there is not likely to make a mistake. Although the soil is of almost inexhaustible fertility, it requires somewhat peculiar man- agement to prevent the subsoil from becoming so dense and compact as to make crops suffer in excessively wet weather and in times of drouth, but no soil is more easify mananaged when it is once understood. Tile draining benefits it greatly, and subsoiling produces marked MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 103 changes for the better. Commercial fertilizers, and even stable manure produce almost no effect, and when the land fails to produce the crops which may reasonably be ex- pected it is almost invariably due to the bad mechanical condition of the soil, and not to any want of fertility. The cultivation of red clover and melilotus, and the plowing of them under at the end of the second season is almost per- fect insurance of a good yield of whatever may be planted during the two or three following seasons. No other man- agement has been found which is so simple, cheap, and ef- fective, and the hay from the clovers themselves is one of the most profitable crops which can be grown. This whole section is admirably adapted to the growing of corn and other grains, it will make heavy crops of hay, and gives the best of pastures. Mr. E. C. Robertson, of Cincinnati, who has made a thorough study of the agricultural possi- bilities of the whole South, says: “This prairie region combines more favorable condi- tions for general agriculture than any other portion of America. Some of the farms are considered worn out be- cause they do not produce as large crops of cotton as they did fifty years ago. The analysis of the soils, however, shows that the only element lacking to make them as rich as can be desired, is vegetable humus, which can easily be supplied by the growth of clovers and grasses. The plant- ers of this section have been devoting their entire attention to the production of cotton, in many cases not even grow- ing the food for the stock and the help necessary to carry on the plantations. Farming under such conditions can- not prove profitable at the present low price of cotton. Stock-raising and all general farm products can be grown with the greatest success in this region. The land is just rolling enough to afford good drainage. It is a prairie re- gion, but yet there is enough timber to supply all the needs of the country. Improved farms can be purchased near the railroad at from $10 to $15 an acre.” T. B. Gregory writes: 104 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. “I have lived here in Mississippi a little over ten years and have enjoyed good health all that time; I know of others who came here with poor health that became healthy and strong. I consider this part of Mississippi very healthy. As a farming country, stock raising, orchard, and fruit raising section it is hard to beat. We have the finest of native grasses here for pasture on which stock thrive and get very fat. Our climate is so mild that stock can be raised much cheaper than in the cold climate of the North where they have to feed so long. I have grown red clover for five or six years and have proved it to be a success in this county beyond a doubt. The mint crop pays as well here as in Michigan. We have good schools and churches all over the country in every neighborhood and here the society is good. Political liberties are just the same here as in Illi- nois and elsewhere. I am, or have been a third party man. I was raised in Galesburg, Knox Co., 111., and have spent a little time in Missouri and Kansas. I have farmed in all of these States and I believe this is the country for a man of moderate means and plenty of grit. I will take pleasure in any way I can to advance the interests of this country. I often receive letters of inquiry from my friends in the North. If I could be among them a little I could do some good but letters do not amount to much.” The “mint” to which Mr. Gregory refers is the “pep- permint” which is used so largely in making extracts. Until quite recently four-fifths of the worlds supply was grown in three or four counties in New York and Michi- gan, but during the last eight years it has been found that it can be produced at least cost on these black prairie lands, and it now appears as though this section would eventually. control the trade. Mr. W. T. Tittle writes: “As a mild and delightful climate this is surpassed by MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 105 no other, not being as warm in summer as northern Illi- nois, and seldom if ever the mercury reaches within 10 degrees of zero in winter. People suffering with consumption, catarrh, bron- chitis and lung troubles find almost instant relief when they come here and many find permanent cures. Scarlet fever and diptheria are unknown. I would say to young men who are unable to invest in high priced lands of the North and West, and who are seeking homes, ‘Come South where you will find im- proved farms close to good markets for less than you can buy a homestead and improve the raw lands on the fron- tier; where you are compelled to haul high-priced lumber and fuel a long distance to improve the lands which you have paid more for than you can get farms already broken in, and fenced, and supplied with wells of pure fresh water; comfortable houses, orchards and beautiful forests at the very door, which will afford fuel and good shelter and range for the stock; while in the West they are ex- posed to the bleak and unobstructed blizzards with fre- quently no other shelter than a barbed wire fence to split the wild winds and storms.’ Here he will find the comforts of life prepared for him as soon as he arrives, where he is free from such pests as flies, mosquitoes, buffalo-gnats and green-head flies, such as he and his stock have to contend with in the North, West and other portions of the South. He will also find agreeable and desirable neighbors willing and ready to promote his interests in every way, and be close to good schools and churches, instead of living on the vast prairies with here and there an occasional house in the dim dis- tance; where he is compelled to live in solitude and lone- liness for several years or until such a time as people will settle near him, a few families at a time. Here he can sit in the shade of a giant oak and sing ‘My little old log cabin in the lane,’ instead of ‘My little old sod shanty on the claim.’ ” io6 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. T. S. Little says: “I have lived in this State six years, and find the climate all that is desired. The soil is good for all kinds of grain, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, corn, tobacco, flax, grapes, peaches, apples, pears, plums, and all small fruit. The people are kind and sociable. We have good schools and churches and a fine climate. Our political liberty is as good as elsewhere. I do not wish to return to the North any more, as I love this climate for health and comfort. We have fine timber on bottom lands. My former place of residence was Illinois. I am a carpenter by occupation. Mj^ political views are Repub* lican. The people do not interfere with my opinions as is supposed in the North. The people are disposed to vote as they please. I hope that the people of the North will come and see for themselves.” F. R. Hamlin writes: “I came from Bedford, Cuyahoga County Ohio to this place ten years ago and have been engaged in the dairy business ever since. Am now milking fifty cows and think this country especially adapted to this business. We have men now at work in this town trying to establish a creamery here for the manufacture of but- ter by the centrifugal process. ‘‘I think the climate is all that could be wished for. Schools, A. No. i. Society in this vicinity is of the very best. Political liberty all that could be desired. I have always voted as I chose without fear or trembling, and the Republican ticket at that. Market gardening is a leading industry.” J. M. Clapper says : ‘‘We came from Ohio five years ago and located on a farm two miles from. West Point, and can truly say, we are very much pleased with the South. I find the soil very productive, and one of the finest climates in the world and the very best of water. MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 107 We all have good health. I came here with the catarrh very bad, but I have never had any trouble with it here, and have not taken an}' medicine for it. We have a good graded school and five churches. We find the people very kind and sociable, and always ready to give a helping hand. We have an abundance of timber here and need the wood-working and manufacturing. We have fruits of all kinds and raise all kinds of early vegetables to ship, as we can raise tw'O crops of vegetables here a year. It is a splendid country in which to raise stock, sheep and cattle.” H. E. Fitts, an Aberdeen man, writes: I ivas born and raised in nothern Ohio, served three years in the army, came south in the fall of 1865 and lived in Mississippi since 187c. In all that time I have never heard one word to wound my feelings on account of my being a northern man and a Federal soldier, in fact, the warmest friends of my life are among those w T ho ‘‘wore the grey.” Now, as to climate, wdiile I do not consider this a ‘‘paradise,” I do consider this a far more congenial cli- mate than that of the North and West. ; Tis more pleas- ant to read of blizzards than to be in them. There are but few days of the year too cold to do outdoor work, and while we have long summers the heat is not as oppressive as in the North. My first year in Mississippi I worked all the summer in the field. I think the health of this country will compare favor- ably with any State in the Union, and as far as soil is con- cerned we have quite a variety — black prairie, post oak, hummock, sandy loam, and clay varying in richness. At this particular point, Aberdeen, we have the finest arte- sian water on earth. The productions of the region are varied. While cot- ton has been king, the people are turning more to grain, grasses and stock, all of w T hich do well. I have raised as io8 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. fine red clover here as I have seen anywhere. As to church privileges, in all towns you will find nearfy every denomination represented. At this place we have six dif- ferent churches. The buildings will compare favorably with any town of its size anywhere, and besides there are four churches for colored people. In some localities in the country the church privileges would not be so good, but in nearly every neighborhood you will find a church-house and a school-house. We have free school five months in the year, while in towns v T e have graded schools that will compare favorably with any section. Socially, the people are kind hearted and generous, always ready to extend a hearty welcome to any one com- ing among them. Here, as elsewhere, a person’s conduct and moral bearing has largely to do with the treatment he receives. Politically, the people are largely one way, owing largefy to the race question; still, they accord to every man the right to his political convictions, and he will be protected in his political rights. Times have changed very perceptibly in the past twenty years, and I predict for this country, that with a change from “all cotton” to diversi- fied crops and a liberal influx of Northern capital and en- ergy, a degree of prosperity never before attained. And I believe that when this country is settled up with medium sized farms with their owners living on them, improving and beautifying and making each farm self-sustaining, with cotton as a surplus, then, indeed, will we have a beautiful Southland and as desirable a country to live in as there is on the face of the earth, and this, I honestly believe, is the future of the Sunny South.” The Aberdeen Examiner says: “There are some men who are undecided what to do next year to make a living, and it is well to call their at- tention to the following fact : On a farm about ten acres, not many miles from Aber- deen, Miss., a western man this year raised and sold $300 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 109 worth of Irish potatoes on less than three acres; $100 worth of cucumbers on half an acre; over $100 worth of tomatoes on one acre, besides smaller sums on other vegetables, cabbage, turnips, etc. He had also twenty head of cattle and two good horses, and sold enough milk and butter to pay the entire expense of the farm and his famty. Another western man near him raised $1,200 worth of Irish potatoes on seven acres, and had the money in hand before the last of June.” PONTOTOC RIDGE. The Pontotoc ridge is a belt of ridgey and sometimes hilly oak uplands whose main body lies in Tippah, Union, and Chickasaw counties, immediately west of the black prairie region. The Gulf and Chicago railroad runs nearly through the centre of the region, while the Mem- phis and Birmingham crosses it from west to east. The principal towns in this section are Ripley, New Albany, and Pontotoc. The soil in this region is quite variable, being often of a deep red color owing to the presence of iron, while in other places it is quite sandy, and in other localities strongly impregnated with lime. Some of the soils are exceedingly fertile, while others are only moderately productive. Many of the bottom lands, especialy toward the southern part of the ridge, although somewhat un- promising in general appearance, are fully as productive as those in the black prairie, producing from sixty to eighty bushels of corn to the acre, and heavj r yields of hay. It has an abundant supply of fine springs, frequent waterpowers, and a plentiful supply of hardwood timbers. In some sections the hills “wash” badly, and are .better suited for pastures than for cultivation, but there are other sections where the soil is the equal of any in the country, as is shown by the fact that during the past I xo MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. year this region lias shipped large amounts of corn, not only to Alabama and Georgia, but to Missouri. There are no better lands in the state than are to be found in this region, but they should be selected with care and good judgement. THE FEATWOODS REGION. The so-called “Flatwoods region” is a narrow belt of country west of the Pontotoc ridge and black prairie country, and extends from Tippah to Kemper county, being widest in Pontotoc, Chickasaw and Oktibbeha coun- ties, the divide between the waters of the Mississippi and the Tombigbee rivers being largely within this region. Its soil is extremely variable in character, some of it being quite light and sandy and fit for little except pasture lands, while in other sections it is of wonderful richness. In a large part of the region the subsoil is very heavy and close so that the almost level surface of the laud draius very slowly, and cannot be worked until late in the season, and the roads sometimes become almost im- passible during winter. The streams are, many of them, but a few feet below the general level of the country, and the natural drainage is therefore very slow, and during the heavy winter rains man}^ of the low lands become covered with w r ater. These low and wet lauds however are very fertile, and when proper arrangements are made for draining them, usually by open ditches, there are few soils which are more productive. In the “White-oak Flatwoods” which are principally in the southern part of the region, the ground is of a more sandy nature, is more easily worked, and makes excellent crops of corn, grains, potatoes, hay, etc., but is not regarded as being a good cotton soil. The timber along the streams in this region is of great value, white and chest- nut oaks being abundant, while hickory, ash and poplar are quite common and grow to a large size. This region MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. Ill is more especially a hay and stock country, many of the farms along the streams making heavy crops of hay, even when but little attention has been given to their drain- age. There are more creameries in this region than in any other equal area in the state. YELLOW LOAM OR OAK UPLANDS. The main body of the lands classed as ‘fellow loam” lie between those last described on the east, and the cane hills adjoining the Delta region on the west, with a south- western extension reaching as far as Franklin county. The lauds along the Illinois Central road are mostly of this character, as are those on the Memphis and Birming- ham road from Memphis nearly to New A|bauy, and on the Georgia Pacific from Greenwood to Maben. In the extreme northeastern part of the State is another similar region including ngarly all of Tishomingo and Itawamba counties, with parts of Alcorn, Prentiss, Monroe, and Lowndes counties. These lands show all degrees of transi- tion into those of surrounding regions, and their limits can- not be Accurately defined. In the better class of the uplands, the soils are a brownish or yellowish loam, of a light, or only moderately heavj r texture, and are underlaid sometimes by a hard- pan and sometimes by loose sands. On the poorer up- lands the soil is often thin, and though often quite pro- ductive at first, soon becomes exhausted. The low lands in this region, the creek bottoms and all the valley lands, are usualfy fertile and lasting, producing abundant crops after more than fifty j^ears of cultivation. Many of the hill soils are rich in lime, and the constant washings con- tinually add fresh deposits to the vallej" lands, which thus become richer with each succeeding year. The soils are generally lighter and much more easily worked than those previously described, and are adapted to the widest range of crops. They are usually w r ell drained, so they can be I 12 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. worked earfy in the season, and as the roots of the growing crops can easily penetrate into the porous subsoil, they suf- fer but little from drouth. The lighter soils of the hills are often badty washed, and in the many places, the deep scars and furrows left by running water give a very unat- tractive appearance to the land, and are sometimes so nu- merous as to give a very unfavorable impression of the whole region. These washed and gullied hills however, form but a very small part of the whole area, and the val- leys between are made correspondingly richer by the sur- face soil which is washed from the hills. Where the land receives anything like fair attention this washng can all be prevented by “circling” the rows in the cultivated fields, and by a little care in stooping the washes as soon as they make their appearance. Care in their selection will enable the purchaser to find all the lands he may want which are wholly free from these washes, in almost any locality. Nearly every branch of agriculture may be followed here successfully, and the farmer who wishes to pursue any special line can easily find soils and locations suited to his needs. On the higher hill lands cotton does not grow as large as in some parts of the State, but the plants are unusually well fruited, and being smaller, the rows can be closer, and so the yield is not materially less than in the lower lands. Cow peas, lespedeza and other hay crops grow well on these hills, and afford the most nu- tritious of hajr and pasturage. On the lower lands, corn, grains and other crops succeed as well as anywhere in the country, yields of from seventy-five to ioo bushels of corn to the acre being not uncommon. Sor- ghum does well, and in the southern part of the region sugar cane is grown on nearly every farm. Oats may be sown at any time from October to March, and when sown in the fall give continuous winter grazing. Potatoes, both sweet and Irish, do well here, and of the latter two crops can be grown during each season. As a rule, the MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. *13 farms in this region are small, and the white population far exceeds the negro. In the “Flatwood Hills” the soil approaches that of the true flatwoods in character, but the land is higher and so less subject to overflows. In many places the subsoil is quite compact and the fields require deep cultivation to make them productive. The lower hillsides and the creek bottoms are the better lands. In the ‘‘Short-leaf Pine and Oak Uplands” the pines usually occur most abundantly on the hills, while on the lower lands and in the valleys the oaks are more common. The soil is usually light colored, and is underlaid with either clay or sand. Where the clay subsoil prevails, the lands are much more durable than are those which are underlaid with sand. Upland tracts with but little pin - md a larger proportion of hardwood occur frequently in Cal- houn, Webster and Choctaw counties, and these [n ets make excellent farming lauds, especially for corn and other grains. In the central part of the State, and more commonly in Attala, Winston, Leake and Neshoba counties, are fre- quently-' areas of “Red Lands” which are very fertile and durable. The ground is usually' rolling with narrow creek bottoms, and the soil is not difficult to v'ork. A green- sand fertilizei of great value is found mixed with many' of these red soils which adds greatly' to their lasting quality. The ‘‘Sandy' Oak Uplands” are broken and hilly lands often intervening between the short-leaf pine country and the table lands, or extending in ridges into lands of other descriptions. These lands are often called “Blackjack Ridges,” the soil is mostly sandy and inferior in quality to that of the table lands. These ridges, however, are usually narrow, and do not occupy any' large area, being more common in Marshall and Lafayette counties than elsewhere. The “BrowmLoara Table Lands” lie mostly' between those already' described and the Mississippi bottom lands MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 114 to the west, and includes large part of the the lands along the Illinois Central road. The soil is a brown or yellow- ish loam which is often from six to eight feet deep, and was originally covered with a dense growth of hardwood timber. Hilgard says “the common chemical character- istics of these soils, and especially of the subsoils, are the percentages of potash and lime, with usually a large sup- ply of phosphoric acid in the subsoil, at least of the heavier lands; while in the case of the lighter soils, such as those of the Richland neighborhood, as well as that from south- ern Hinds, the phosphates are rather low, even deficient in the latter case.’’ The bottom soils in this region are quite variable, their character seeming to depend largely on the direction of the streams. Along the smaller streams, and those flowing to the north or south, the soil is usually light and often sandy, while along the larger streams and those flowing to the west and southwest it is much heavier. Greensand marls are of frequent occur- rence, and the whole region, covering nearly one-fourth of the State, is well adapted for the growing of all kinds of crops. The southwestern extension of this region, from Holmes to Copiah county; includes the great fruit distrtct of the State, and with a little care in avoiding the lands which are obviously so washed as to be unfit for cultivaton, good and productive farms may be found any- where in the region. Nearly all the lands so far mentioned are rich in lime, and so make a rich stock-growing country, and in regard to this matter perhaps nothing stronger can be said than is said in the following letter from Mr. Albert Montgomery, of New Orleans, who is one of the the largest stock feeders and dealers iu the South. Knowing Mr. Montgomery’s preference for cattle from this part of the State he was asked how and why they were better than those from other sections, and why he preferred feeding at Me- ridian rather than at otn<_r points. His reply was as fol- lows : MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. ”5 “I regard the east Mississippi prairie belt as the best- cattle country south of Middle Tennessee. My reason for this belief is that it is-so rich in lime. A lime soil is the home of the clovers, and it imparts to all other grasses a quality that produces bone, muscle and fat. The practical cattle man who, like myself, has had opportunities for ob- servation, will tell you that there is a wide difference in the cattle produced in the pine woods of the south or on the sandy lands of the western part of the State as com- pared with those produced on its eastern prairie or lime lands. The prairie cattle grow to a larger size, take on more flesh, and in proportion to their stature weigh heavier. I have made two experiments of buying in Texas and grazing in east Mississippi, and the results of both were highly satisfactory. Of all the grasses for this sec- tion of country I prefer those two vigorous plants, John- son grass and meli lotus, both of which have stood the test. Alfalfa promises well, but I have never seen it thoroughly tried.” Among the letters w T hich we have received from those who have come from other states and settled in this Yel- low Loam region are the following: Lott Parker, of Lockhardt, writes: “My farm is located in Lauderdale county, Miss. , two and one-half miles east of Lockhardt Station, Mobile and Ohio railroad. I have been here four years. I came here from Birmingham, Ala. Before locating here it was my privilege to see a good portion of the Southern States, and after carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the different sections of country, I came to the conclu- sion that this was the best country I had ever seen, and I am still of the same opinion. I have about ioo acres of laud in a state of cultivation. I have 434 acres in all. Our lands are not so productive as the prairies in the northern portion of the State, nor the allu- vial lands on the Mississippi River, but here we make all Ii6 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. we can gather; have good water, good health, plenty of fire-wood, good society, churches and schools in close proximity; fine railroad and shipping facilities are among the reasons why I prefer this immediate country to any that I have any knowledge of. My farm is situated on a small creek, nearly all level, with a light mulatto soil with clay subsoil; some of it has been in cultivation fifty years and still produces good crops. We raise all kinds of fruits and vegetables in abun- dance except those that are grown only in the tropics. I have never raised any fruits or vegetables for sale, con- sequently I have , no idea how much one acre would pro- duce, but some of my neighbors have tried it on a small scale, and from what I can hear from them it seems to be very profitable. This in my opinion is one of the finest stock-raising countries in the world. Most all of the farm- ers of this section are raising their own hofses, mules and hogs, and a great many cattle. Cattle live on the com- mons nine months in the year and are then turned into the fields and live through the winter on grass, cane and reed that grows spontaneously upon the creeks and branches. Hogs through the spring and summer are fed enough to keep them gentle, they get fat in the fall upon acorns, hickory nuts and berch mast; they are then turned into the fields to eat the peas we plant in our corn at the last plowing. I have nine to kill that have scarcely cost me anything. A fortune could be made raising sheep if we had a dog law; the people are becoming*very much interested upon the subject, and I think the next legislation will give us a law that will supplant the dog with the sheep It is not neces- sary to feed them at all by letting them take the run of the fields during the winter. Cotton seed is the finest feed in the world for sheep and can be bought for io cents per bushel, but the live progressive farmers keep their seed as they are the finest fertilizer in the world. We raise here principally corn, cotton, oats, peas, MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 11 7 sweet potatoes, sorghum, sugar cane, and all kinds of veg etables for family uses. I will now give you an average estimate of the above named crops per acre. Corn from ten to fort}’ bushels per acre, some exceptional yields from seventy to ioo per acre where the land is highly fertilized. Cotton from 500 to 1500 pounds seed coton per acre. Oats from ten to forty bushels per acre. Sweet potatoes from seventy-five to 250 bushels per acre. Sugar cane 300 to 500 gallons per acre. Sorghum from seventy-five to 150 gallons per acre. The above esti- mate is the yield of white labor; negroes frequently do not make anything. We use fertilizers from the barnyards, phosphate, cot- ton seed and cotton seed meal, when we use any, but the majority of our farmers do not use anju There has been some of the so-called fine grasses planted here, but they proved to be far inferior to the native grasses. W e have the carpet grass which is the finest grass I ever saw for grazing purposes. The crab grass is the best for hay, it will grow three feet high on good land. Last year I cut 6,000 pounds on three-fourths of an acre where I had raised thirty-five bushels of corn per acre, they both come up in the spring and die down in the winter. Clover grows all over creation. We plow from two to four inches deep, use single plows and rarely break the same land twice before planting. We do not use machinery or harrows, as the land pulverizes nicety with the plow. We have a splendid sy r stem of free schools. The school-houses are located by law, two to the township, or one for every three miles square; so a man cannot possibly live over one and one-half miles from a free school. Teach- ers have to stand a rigid examination before they are al- lowed to teach. There is one high school within three and one-half miles of where I live. Another is twelve miles, and three others in the city of Meridian. Meridian, where we market our produce, has a population of 15,000. Churches are in close proximity consisting principally xiS MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. of Baptist . Methodist and Presbyterian. There are Catho- lics, Episcopalians and others in our towns. Our politics are principally Populists and Democrats, with a sprinkling of Republicans. Our country is well watered having streams of water running in every direction. The rain fall is from 30 to 65 inches per year. Our climate is pleasant. Average temperature in the heat of summer 80 degrees; in the winter 45 degrees. By consulting statistics you will see that our summers are not so oppressive as they are in New York State. A case of sun- stroke is of rare occurrence. I never saw a case of it in my life. It rarely ever snows here. We can work in the fields twelve months in the year, but do not work more than six. People can live here cheaper than anywhere I know of. When we try, we have vegetables twelve months in the year; turnips, collards, mustard and cab- bage in the winter, and a second crop of Irish potatoes in the fall. Unimproved lauds can be bought here from $2.50 to $3 per acre; improved lands from $3 to $10 per acre. Our taxation including State and county, is /11 per $1,000. Should any one wish to know more of this section I will take pleasure in answering his communication.” J. T. Downs, of Flora, Madison county, says: ‘‘We came from Marshall, Mich., here a little over three years ago. We came because we wanted to try a milder climate. I like the climate very much. We also like the people. The white people are an intelligent, cul- tured. kinder people in this vicinity. We did not intend to make cotton raising our principal business, hence have run largely to stock. Raise corn, oats, rye, barley, peas, all kind of vegetables, and cut a large amount of hay. Have had very good success with the northern red clover. Cattle take care of themselves the year around without be- ing fed at all. This seems to be a good fruit country. We set out one-year-old peach trees three years ago last spring and MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 119 this j r ear had an abundance of peaches from the last week in Ma} r to the middle of October Hand is slowly advanc- ing and is worth from $5 to $15 -an acre. Very good places can be bought for $10. I cannot saj r much about this coun- try and what I think of it without making my letter too long. I think the possibilities are great, and I believe it has a grand future before it, and I would like very much to have some of the good enterprising northern people set- tle here. It would certainly hurry up the grand future I speak of. The price I spoke of for land means improved farms, with buildings, etc. Unimproved land can be bought for less. Land must advance in this country. The days are perfect here, warm, still, soft and pleasant; I might saj 1- , a fascinating atmosphere.” W. J. Foster, of Terry, in Hinds county, sa3 r s: ‘‘I came here from Alta, Buena Vista county, Iowa, October 27, 1886 — about seven 3 ? ears ago. I left Iowa on account of m3’- health. I would break down at times and have a spell of sickness, generally rheumatism. Since coming here I have gained in health and strength eve^ 3 T ear, and now at the age of 57 I feel like a boy. We can grow almost everything that 3'ou can in the North. Even wheat can be grown here. Oats, corn, rice, Irish potatoes, sweet botatoes, beans, peas, cow peas, cabbage, turnips, tomatoes, and eve^thing in the vegetable line. Cabbage, turnips, spinach, etc. , grow all winter. Cotton is the staple among the native farmers. Fruit grows in great abundance. Strawberries come in about April 1 and last until June 1. Plums ripen in May. Blackberries are abundant. Grapes ripen about July 10. Uouisiana sugar cane does well, and sorghum grows finehc Peanuts do well. This is a good country to raise stock. Ther" can grow and become old without winter feeding, but do much better if they have a little ha3 _ and dry shelter during the winter rains. Stock is getting to pa3 r , too. Some of the live merchants are bu3 r ing them in large numbers and fat- tening them on cotton seed meal and cotton seed 120 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. hulls. One firm has from 300 to 500 feeding now. Cattle get very fat on grass, if the pastures are not over-stocked. Horses can be raised very cheaply. Hogs often grow up in the woods and get fat on the mast. They are often brought to town and sold for meat without any feeding. This is a great country for flowers. At this date our front yard just sparkles with roses of all colors, cape jessamines, tube roses, morning glories, verbenas, zenias, dahlias, etc., etc. The more I see of this country the better I like it. It is such a comfortable country to live in. Even in July and August there are so many cool, cloudy afternoons. The nights are almost cool. Some winters we do not see any snow. The winters do not deserve the name of winter; it is only a little fall weather. We like the people. We were never treated more kindly. Terry is a lively town. There is a very large amount of business done here. A new iron bridge spans the Pearl river, which brings the business of the counties east of us to Terry, which formerly went to Jackson (the State capi- tal), sixteen miles north of us. Terry has the name of be- ing the liveliest town on the Illinois Central. I think Terry and the surrounding country offer greater induce- ments than any part of the South that I am acquainted with. Farming lands are from $3 to $12 per acre. There is plenty of land for sale, and it can be bought in large tracts so as to form neighborhoods, if so desired. Terry ships from 4,000 to 7,000 bales of cotton a year. During the fruit and vegetable season there is from 1,500 to 2,000 cases shipped each daj r for about sixty days. We have a good graded school nine months of the year. We have six churches; three belong to the colored people. The country has improved wonderfully in some respects in the last seven years, but we need more farm- ers. Farmers can raise nearly everything they need, and what they need to buy is very cheap. Fuel costs next to nothing. To those who are coming to see a home I would MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. I 2 1 say, take plenty of time. It will pay you. It is a big country and so diversified. There are large tracts of heav- ily timbered land that can be bought very cheaply. Come and see.” This is the testimony of many others whom space forbids to quote. The development of the fruit and vegetable industries in the State cannot be better illustrated than by giving a brief history of its growth at Crystal Springs, which is a hand- somely located town, but to all appearances has no better country surounding it than other points, and that it should have made greater progress in the line of fruit and vegeta- ble growing than any of its neighbors, is due not so much to a better quality of soil as to the push and enterprise of the men engaged in that particular industry, and what has been done at Crystal Springs may be done at many other points as well. It will be noticed, however, that the citi- zens of Crystal Springs made a specialty of this industry and not only exercised care in the growing of crops, but wisely looked after the marketing at points where they were sure of quick sales and good returns. In 1865 their was only 300 inhabitants at Crystal Springs. Cotton was the only product grown for market, but the wonderful adaptability of climate and soil to the growth of a variety of the best fruits w T as soon discovered, and every family had a few fruit trees, raising a limited quantity for home use. In 1865, Maj. .Sturgis, having a larger orchard of peach, pear, plum and apple trees than others, ventured to ship some of its product to New Orleans, La. , by express; and, meeting with success, continued shipping to that point. This was probably the first fruit ever shipped to market from this section of the country. The following year several fruit dealers came from New Or- leans seeking larger supplies of peaches and other fruit; and, as they offered attractive prices, others brought fruit to town for sale or shipment. Large orchards were planted in the immediate vicinity, and more attention 122 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. paid to their cultivation. Thus began the marketing of fruit from this State as well as town. The business grew steadily, but slowly, other little towns in this section also falling into line, to some extent. In 1873 Dr. Stackhouse, seeking a wider field for the sale of his fruit, the produc- tion having grown to such an extent that the New Orleans market could not use all at satisfactory prices, expressed a few boxes of. peaches to Chicago. Two days later a tele- gram announced its arrival in good order and sale at fancy prices. Then followed daily shipments to Chicago, where the fruit brought very high prices, there being no other peaches or plums on that market so early in the season. The great success attending these shipments resulted in a very largely increased acreage, so that as early as 1875 the shipment of peaches amounted to sevaral cars daily, all going by express, to Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Douis and New Orleans, and by 1878 the movement had grown to large proportions. About 1874, W. J. Stackhhouse shipped the first strawberries to market. The success attending the ship- ment of peaches and strawberries having given Crystal Springs quite a reputation, J. C. Brown and his son-in-law, John W. Day, of Anna, 111 ., in 1877 moved their families here, bringing with them a quantity of strawberry plants, and the following year, 1878, the first strawberries were shipped from this State to northern markets. These sold at phenominal prices, being far in advance of the sup- plies received from other sections. The acreage in straw- berries increased rapidly, and ten years after the first ship- ments the volume had grown to as many as seven cars daily, shipments going to as distant markets as New York and Philadelphia. About 1875, N. Piazza &Bro., and S. H. Stackhouse, both large growers of peaches and other fruit, planted to- mato seed in hot beds, and b}^ very careful attention, pro- duced an early crop, of fine quality, shipping them by ex- press to Chicago, where they sold at what would now be MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 123 regarded as fabulous prices. In 1877, F. M. Brewer grew a small quantity of peas and beans for shipment to Chicago, and meeting with suc- cess, he, and a few others, planted a larger acreage in these vegetables the following year. About 1880, the Illinois Central railroad began to handle vegetables in ventilated fruit cars, on fast trains, affording cheaper transportation for tomatoes, peas, beaus, etc., and this stimulated the industry, so that each 3 ? ear the movement of these articles increased, all going to Chicago. In 1883, the firm of Lotterhos & Huber, doing a small merchandising business and soliciting consign- ments of fruits and vegetables for certain commission firms in Chicago, made the first move towards the better distri- bution of tomatoes by shipping part of the crop to St. Fouis, and meeting very satisfactory results, in 1886, they sought a market in far distant Denver, (Colorado) and two years later, ventured to Philadelphia and several other “new” markets with a few cars, where they brought high prices on account of their superior quality. Bach succeeding year since 1865 has shown increased shipments and an extension of the business in every direc- tion, and now, although Crystal Springs still ships more than does any other point, many of her neighboring towns on the Illinois Central railroad are lively competitors for the supremacy, and the northeastern prairie region, where the business has been developed almost wholly in the last ten years, promises to become a formidable rival. W. F. Shaffner, of Water Valley, says: “Our princi- pal crops are corn, cotton, vegetables and fruits. Fruits of all kinds do well. Where any attention is paid to stock raising in this section it is always successful. The Valle}^ Stock Farm, one mile south of the city, operated by a syndicate, has proved a success and is well stocked with high grade horses, trotting and pacing. The country is well stocked with high grade cattle, and the grazing facilities are such 124 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. that stock onlj r have to be fed three months in the year. The average price of land is from $5 to $10 per acre, and is sold on easy terms, within reach ot the poorest. The school facilities of this place cannot be surpassed — ten months school free each year, 650 pupils enrolled at present. The University of Mississippi, at Oxford, eigh- teen miles north, is unsurpassed by any school in the South. There i« situated at Water Valley the Yocana Cotton Mills, employing 300 hands; the Illinois Central Railroad Machine and Car Shops, employing 250 skilled hands; the Water Valley Canning and Manufacturing Company, a new and prosperous industry, employing 100 hands and taking up all the surplus vegetable crop. This will make truck farming very profitable in the future. No business failures have occurred at this place for several years. This being the relay point for all trains gives facil- ities for the quick handling of vegetables and fruits enjoyed by few places within the State, places it within quick reach of Chicago, St. Uouis and all the principal produce con- suming centers. The large force of factory and railroad employes being a class of regularly and well paid con- sumers made this city prosperous regardless of the condi- tion of crops. While there are a great many of our citi- zens who were engaged in “the late unpleasantness,” they enjoy such excellent health that all recollection of the war has been forgotten. Northern men will find a w r arm and hearty welcome and learn that the hospitality for which Mississippt is noted is a living reality.” J. W. Copeland, who has lived near Water Valley for twenty 3'ears, says: “We grow cotton, corn, oats, wheat, and all the grasses. Clover does well with us. The field pea and the common crab grass make our most profitable hay crops. Potatoes, both Irish and sweet, are very profitable crops. Vegetables of all kinds do well here; also sorghum and ribbon cane to a limited extent. I like the country well, in fact I think it one of the MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. *25 best sections of country to move to at present, all tilings considered. It is healthy and well watered; generally mild winters; stock easily raised and wintered. Society is good; city and railroad facilities for marketing crops and vegetables. I like the people well. Have good schools and churches. I reside two miles southwest of town. We have fine graded schools there. hands range from $5 to $15 per acre, owing to loca- tion, improvements and quality. As a farmer and tiller of the soil, I know this country to be a good one for farmers, and I think that small farmers and truck gardeners would find this a good country for them; and as a farmer and speaking for this people and the farmers, we most cordially invite them to come and settle among us, and can assure them that they will be kindly and cordially received and fully appreciated by us all.” J. S. Foster, of Sessumsville, writes: ‘‘We are from North Central Kansas, and have been here about two years. We think the climate healthy, and find it agreeable, excepting for the continuous rains which are very disagreeable. We find the winters colder than we expected; clothing and provisions are higher here than in the North, but fuel is, of course, cheaper than in a prairie country. I find that stock need shelter here as well as in the North, as the cold winter rains are very hard on unsheltered stock. The winters being shorter, much less feed is needed, and stock can and do live through the win- ter on the cane brakes, with nothing else for food. The falls being dry, and the winters wet, we find it hard to get fall and winter plowing done. Cotton and corn are the only crops we have tried, and the corn averaged forty-five bushels per acre. Grasses and stock must take the place of cotton. We pay 40 to 50 cents per day for labor, and it compares favorably with northern labor costing a dollar a day. We are a mile and a quarter from a school where we have a splendid teacher.” 126 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. THE MISSISSIPPI BOTTOM, OR YAZOO DEBT A REGION. This region lies along the Mississipp river from Vicks- burg northward to Memphis, and is about seveuty miles across in its widest part. It includes about one-sixth the area of the State, and nowhere else in the world can be found an equal area where the soil is as fertile and pro- ductive as here. The soil is wholly alluvial, having been deposited by the overflows of the Mississippi river during the ages past, and now that the river has been controlled by levees so as to prevent future overflows, nearly the en- tire region has become available for settlement and culti- vation. The whole area is intersected by numerous bay- ous and rivers, many of them navigable; railroads belong- ing to the Yazoo Valley and the Georgia Pacific systems are forming a network over its surface, and immigration is already filling the country at a rapid rate. The timber growth consists largely of poplar, white and chestnut oaks, beech, sycamore, maple, cypress, etc., and in many districts the natural forests are practically untouched. There is probably not another equal area in the United States where an equal amount of valuable hard- wood timber can be found. With such facilities for trans- portation, with such an unlimited supply of raw materials, and with a constantly increasing demand for their pro- ducts, the Delta is an ideal location for manufacturers of agricultural machinery, furniture, and wood work of every kind. The Delta produces more cotton than does any other one district in the world, though less than one-fifth its area is given to that crop. When cotton was worth io cents per pound the New England manufacturer paid only about io per cent, of its cost for freight. At present prices, however, the freight is nearly 25 per cent, of its cost. Factories can be built and operated here as cheaply as in MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 127 New England, and the saving on freight alone would give a larger margin of profit than the mills are now receiving. Coal can be delivered at Vicksburg, Greenville, Green- wood and other Delta towns as cheaply as at points in New England, cotton can be delivered at the mills without the expense of compressing or freighting, and the Delta is des- tined to become a great manufacturing center. The delta soils will produce not only cotton, but corn, sugar cane, potatoes, hemp, and nearly every crop which can be grown anywhere in the United States. The soils are of two kinds, the “loam” and the “buckshot,” the latter being a black clay loam peculiar to this region. Each is of unequalled richness and can be worked at al- most any time. The soil is of such a depth that the deep- est tillage, even that of the steam plow, would not reach through the top, and its highly absorptive power insures the crop from injury from drouth. The natural drainage of these lands is perfect. The rich soil and easy drainage make this section especially adapted to raising vegetables and the making of truck farms. Every known yariety of vegetables can be grown, and not only one but two crops can be made each year. Stock growing is attracting more and more attention, and packing-houses are among the urgent needs of Green- ville and Vicksburg. Lands in desirable locations can still be had at reasonable prices, but there has been a marked change in their valuation during the last year, and the present indications are that nearly all this fertile region will be brought into cultivation within the next five years, T. P. Walt, of Shaw, Bolivar county, says: “Since 1890 we think our town and vicinity has done some wonderful climbing. Only a few years ago it was a cane-brake, now it has many substantial buildings, churches and good schools all around us. Our principal crop, of course, is cotton, which makes one bale to the acre. Seventy-five and eighty bushels of corn have been 128 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. grown to the acre. Fruits do very fine here and a good many are turning their attention to their culture. All kinds of timber are fouud here. We have not many northern farmers among us, but can say, let them come; they are thrice welcome and I am sure they will receive the very best care and attention. We want immigration badly. Lands are cheap and soil not to be excelled. People who will work can certainly do better here than in any new country that I know of. Stock do well here, as shelter and food can be dispensed with twelve months, our winters are so mild. There are several partly improved places near here that can be bought now cheap.” J. T. McGuire, of Yazoo City, says: ‘‘This city has a population of near 4,000, and the county 39,000. The health of the city and county is as good as any other in the State, the death rate in Yazoo City not exceeding 12 per 1,000 of population annually. The school and church facilities are unexcelled by any city of like size in the country. The public school is open nine months in the } r ear, tuition being free to all children between the ages of 5 and 18 years. The building was erected at a cost of $20,000; $5,000 additional being paid for heating aparatus and furniture. Six hundred children can be comfortably housed and taught in the building. The churches are Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Baptist and Episcopal, each denomination having neat and comfortable houses of worship. The city is lighted by electricity, has four and a half miles of sewers and water mains, and five miles of grav- eled streets and drive-ways. The city is compactly built and the citizens are enter- prising, pushing, progressive people. The trade annually of cotton is from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000, and of general merchandise about the same. Yazoo county is about the center of. the rich and allu- vial Yazoo Delta. About half of the country is of rolling lands, susceptible of all kinds of farming, stock and cattle MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 129 raising; the other lands are in the Delta, and produce abundantly crops of corn, cotton and grasses. Both the Delta and the hill portions of the county are well supplied with timber of many varieties; oak, hickory, ash, poplar and gum predominating in the hills, and cypress and other soft woods in the Delta. Streams furnishing water the year round for pastures and stock are abundant, and stock can be grazed all the year without the cost of housing and feeding. Cattle and stock of all kinds do -well and grow rapidly. Mules and horses can be raised cheSply , and de- velop fully in size and muscular qualities. Cattle are raised without any pactical cost. Open lands range from $5 to $50 per acre, according to location; wood lands, from $1.50 to $10. In the county there are fifty-four white free schools, open five months in the year. The country school-houses are all comfortably built, and so located as to be within close range to all children. Scholars are admitted from 5 to 18 years of age. Singular as it may appear, many physicians claim that the climate of the Delta is one of the best for those who are affected with consumption, pneumonia and other lung troubles, and that for such diseases it is superior even to the climate of Colorado, Florida or San Antonio. THE CANE HIDES REGION. On the eastern side of the Yazoo Delta, and extending from Vicksburg to the borders of Louisiana is a strip of country from five to fifteen miles wide known as the “cane hills,’’ from the fact that they were originally cov- ered with a dense growth of cane, which afforded the rich- est and best of winter pastures. The soil in this region is essentially the same as that of the “loess’’ or bluff forma- tion so common along the upper Mississippi and the lower Missouri rivers, and which is everywhere noted for its fer- tility It is so rich in lime and potash that it is often spoken of as a marl, and being so porous that roots can 130 MISSISSIPPI EAiSrDBOOK. penetrate very deep, it never suffers from drouth. It does not wash, it is easily worked and is very durable. It is one of the best clover, hay, and stock regions in the State. Occasionally places are found where the hills are so high and steep as to interfere with cultivation, but this is sel- dom the case and nearly the entire region is susceptible of the highest cultivation. LONG-LEAF PINE REGION. The pine region is in the southern part of the State, and covers about one-third of its entire area, embracing all the country south of the central prairie region excepting a small portion in the extreme southwest. The soil is of a very uniform character, being a light, easily worked sandy loam; the better soils being in the western part of the re- gion , while those toward the southeast are generally more sandy and less durable. The northern and western part of this region, known as the “long-leaf pine hills'’ has a for- est growth composed of both the long and the short-leaf pine among which oaks and hickories are often found quite abundantly. The long-leaf pine is found mostly on the poorer soils, and an exclusive growth of that species is a strong indication that the soil is light and sandy, and less valuable for cultivation than is that where the short-leaf pine predominates. Hilgard says: “Broadly speaking, the soils of the country lying east of Pearl river are more sandy than those to the westward, where, as we advance to the Mississippi, the retentive subsoil comes nearer the sur- face, and thus gives rise to soils which, if not naturally thrifty, are at least susceptible of ready and permanent im- p rovement, having a good foundation of loam subsoil of considerable depth. At the same time the bottom soils are correspondingly stronger. Such is the case in Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and adjacent counties, while from Jones and Marion counties, east and southward the soils of both uplands and lowlands become, in general, lighter and less retentive. ’ ’ MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 131 The whole country is admirably adapted to dairying, both for the local and New Orleans markets, as it has the best of pastures during the entire year. Among those who have tried this region for them- selves are Mr. W. J. Parker of Orange Grove, Jackson county, who says: “Seedling peach trees give fine crops; grapes do well and bring more money than those grown elsewhere, as ours are ripe and marketed before the crops north of us. Pears are the fruit of this country — free from all diseases and bear abundantly. I sold my crop of Leconte pears this year at $1.40 per bushel, twentjr to twenty-three pears filling a peck measure, and now I am selling my Kieffer pear crop at $1.50 per bushel; a larger pear than the former, eighteen pears to the peck. These two va- rieties give invariably a sure crop. The Japanese plum and persimmon both do well. The pecan tree is a good grower and a certain bearer. Figs are very profitable; the canning factories at Biloxi paying three to four cents a pound for figs delivered at the depots along the railroads. From sixteen to twenty figs make a pound. One tree at Moss Point produced $50 worth of figs in a single season. The Scuppernong grape is a good grower and gives large crops annually, and no one feels that his farm is complete without a Scuppernong arbor. SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. Dr. J. C. Roberts, of Centerville, who has lived in that region for twenty years and who knows the country thoroughly, sends us the following description of that part of the State : That portion of the State known as “Southwest Mis- sissippi” consists of Wilkinson, Amite, Franklin, Adams and Jefferson counties, and is watered throughout by nu- merous small streams rising from perennial springs. The bottom lands along the Mississippi river wfiil 132 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. hardly average more than three or four miles wide, and the reader may at once dispose his mind of the idea, so prevalent, that we live in a country subject to overflow and consequent ill health from malaria. Just east from this alluvial bottom is found a wide stretch of very rich hill lands twelve to fifteen miles in width parallel with the Mississippi river. It is exceedingly rich in those elements necessary to most successful farming, especially the pro- duction of leguminous plants; white clover is indigenous, and cow peas yield enormously. The soil is so strongly marked with lime that man}'- consider the water of this bluff formation unfit for drinking, and make use of under- ground cisterns. This is one of the finest stock-raising sections of the United States, cattle and horses keeping fat all winter on the switch cane that grows rampant over the hill sides. This cane, followed by white clover, Ber- muda grass and Japan clover makes an all-the-year-round natural pasture unexcelled by any we know. The crops of this section are corn, cotton, sweet and Irish potatoes, oats, sugar cane, sorghum, cow peas, rice, etc. A great variety of fruits, apples, peaches, pears, plums, figs, grapes, strawberries and others, do well. Ev- ery ordinary variety of vegetableg and truck may readily be raised in rich profusion. One peculiar feature of this section is the existence of many large plantations of from 1,000 to 2,000 acres or more, whose owners realize the fact that new people with new enegies are needed to help develop one of the best countries in the world. As a result of this a colony of Sweedes, mostly from Illinois, has been located at Center- ville during the past year. The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley road traverses this region, with its main line, besides two branches, one to Woodville, and one from Jackson to Natchez, crossing the main line at Harriston. In finis, we say there is no country that offers bet- ter inducements to good, industrious people of limited MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 133 means. Not only do we need farmers, but also men of all trades. Any one who wishes to inquire further of this country can address Dr. J. C. Robert, secretary of Immigration Association, Centerville, Miss. THE GULF COAST. If the cyclone-beaten, blizzard-ridden cropless farmers of the bleak and sterile regions of the North could, during a season of extreme suffering from frigidity and destitution, peering through a long-distance telescope, catch but a passing glimpse of this southern paradise, this land of milk and honey, this section of long, pleasant sum- mers and short, mild winters, this garden of fruits and flowers, blessed with healthful climate and refreshing breezes, he would hesitate but little before transferring the scene of his labors to this God-favored portion of America. Indeed, he would long since have enjoyed peace, content- ment and plenty on these broad acres of fertile soil and rich resources but for his ignorance of their existence, due to the lack of judicious advertising. I refer to the counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jack- son, constituting what is general^ known as the Gulf Coast of Mississippi whose shores are washed by the waters of the great Gulf of Mexico, along whose southern fringe daily speed the long trains of the Eouisville and Nashville Railroad, bearing easterly and westerly hundreds of pas- sengers and thousands of tons of freight. The gulf shore is dotted with pretty villages and thriving towns, devoted largely to the entertainment of summer visitors from many parts of the South, and North- ern tourists during the winter months, w 7 ho flee to the “coast” to escape the severities of low temperature and chilly blasts; while a few very liberally support manfuac- turiug enterprises and other industries besides serving as Convenient shipping points for the products of the land ly- 134 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. ing between the railroad and' the northern boundary line of these counties. A great deal of this is devoted to the production of garden truck which finds a growing demand in the towns along the railroad and ready markets in New Orleans on the west and Mobile on the east, only 141 miles apart connected with frequent daily trains by the Louis- viile and Nashville Railroad to which places ample trans- portation facilities can always be had by both rail and sea. The soil is splendidly adapted to all kinds of vegeta- bles; their cultivation requires only reasonable fertilizing and their crops are infallible in their respective seasons. Fruits of almost all kinds — figs, pears, peaches, plums, pomegranates, persimmons, etc. — grow in sufficient abun- dance for profitable shipment, while the orange industry has, in the last few 3^ears assumed large proportions. The scuppernoug, Concord, Delaware and Ive’s Seedling grapes thrive splendidly; large tracts are, in fact, given up exclusively to their culture; and the pecan nut puts many dollars into the pockets of industrious toilers every year. Sugar and molasses are also among the products and many energetic tillers of the soil are rewarded with a far greater yield in value per acre than any cotton tracts can possibly produce. Numerous creeks and rivers • and bayous course through these counties, the Wolf, Dog, Pearl, the Tuxe- chena, Tchouticabuffa, Pascagoula, Big Biloxi, Tittle Biloxi rivers; Tukey, Bluff, Black, Red, Cypress creeks; Ft. Bayou, Bernard and Davis bayous and others. Many of these are navigable, and many a staunch craft can be seen on them, all sails up, carrying to market the valua- ble products of the lands lying at inconvenient distances from the railroad. They give access to the vast forests of long-leaf yellow pine in these counties. These have been, are now, and will for years hence be a great source of rev- enue. The demand for this splendid and useful wood , is by no means confined to this country, but foreign ships MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 135 frequently take large cargoes from ports of Pascagoula and Ship Island to European and South American markets where they find immediate sales. A great deal of the interior land is still open to home- stead entry, and would-be settlers can find desirable homes in the sections offered by the Government. Other lands suitable for cultivation and satisfactorily near to transpor- tation facilities can be obtained at figures ranging from $1.25 to $5 per acre, much of this on very liberal terms of credit. No better country for the raising of cattle and sheep can be found anywhere in the United States. The grazing lands are unexcelled and the wool of superior quality; besides the yield is already large and increasing yearly. The production of wool bids fair, in truth, to be- come, in a few years, one of the chief industries of the coast. The oyster beds of Mississippi Sound and the marshes supply a large portion of the South with un- limitied quantities of the most luscious bivalves, which have almost wholly supplanted the eastern product. The canneries of Biloxi and Bay St. Louis are kept in operation during a greater part of the fall and spring, canning the palatable oysters as well as shrimps in their season, which are found here in inconceivable numbers. The gulf, the baj^s, rivers, and bayous are filled with numerous varieties of salt and fresh water fish and the supply of crabs during the entire jmar is large. The canneries find appreciative patrons all over the country for these goods and make a few shipments to European countries every year. The difierent religious denominations have large con- gregations, eloquent preachers, and beautiful houses of worship in the larger towns, while the spiritual welfare of the people residing in the smaller settlement is not neg- lected. Circuit preaching is a much appreciated feature and camp-meetings are numerous and well attended.* The public schools are eligibly located throughout these coun- ties, well conducted by competent teachers, who are in 136 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. turn looked after by vigilant trustees; the entire system being under the watchful care of experienced superintend- ents. The efficiency of the school department is yearly improved regardless of cost. The temperature averages in summer 74 0 Fahren- heit, though it reaches infrequently, however, go 0 ; in win- ter it averages 63°, and very rarely falls to the freezing point. The rainfall is not excessive nor unseasonable aud drouth is unknown. Invalids from all portions of the United States flock in large numbers to the coast, particu- larly in wdnter, seeking health and vigor. The\ find in the salt air an effective tonic and invigorant, and in the tarry exhalations from the tall and stately pine trees an infallible remedy for bronchial and catarrhal affi ctions. Malarial troubles are foreign to this section and epidemics are almost impossible. The quarantine regulations against the Invasion of yellow fever are perfect, and fears of the dread malady gaining a foothold here are no longer enter- tained even by the most timid anci nervous. The people of the Gulf Coast are justly proud of their very creditable reputation for liberality and hospitality. The animosities naturally engendered by the unpleasant incidents of the civil war have long ago succumbed to the inevitable changes of time and pacifying effects of agreea- ble and profitable trade relations. This is evidenced by the prosperous colonies of northern people, who have settled here since the war and fraternize with those to the manner born. The advent of the shrewd, enterterprising, progressive, hustling “Yankees” is indeed hailed with ex- ceeding delight and every encouragement is accorded to their plans and undertakings for the general welfare of the people or the betterment of the towns, settlements or sec- tions. CONCLUSION. The Report of the Eleventh Census gives some very interesting; figures in regard to land and crop values, and MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. 137 the percentage of gross earnings on the capital invested in farms in the several States. According to that report, the average values of farm products, per acre, for the whole United .States is $ 6.88 ; for Ohio $7.27; Indiana $6. 27; Illi- nois $7.20; Michigan $8.48; Wisconsin $7.25; Minnesota $6.40; Iowa $6.27; Nebraska $4.38; Kansas $4.26, and for Mississippi $10.70. By these figures the average crop from an acre in Mississippi is worth more than fifty per cent, above the average for the -whole country, and more than twenty-five per cent, above that of any of the States named. The percentage of the gross earnings of the capital in- vested in farms, including land, buildings, implements and stock, is very high in Mississippi, the average for the United States being 15.4 percent; for Ohio 11.1 percent, Indiana 10.9 percent; Illinois 12.5 percent; Michigan 12.9 percent; Wisconsin 12.7 percent; Minnesota 17.2; percent; Iowa 14.5 per cent; Nebraska 13. 1 per cent; Kansas 13.5 per cent, and for Mississippi 43.8 per cent. By this show- ing, money invested in Mississippi farms brings nearly three times as much as the average for the -whole country, and more than twice as much as in any of the States named. The average value of farming lands, including both improved and unimproved is, for the United States $25.55- for Ohio $51.13; Indiana $42.59; Illinois $58.35; Michigan $43.72; Wisconsin $33.30; Minnesota $22.18; Iowa $36.10; Nebraska 23.71; Kansas $23:43; and for Mississppi $9.50. In other -words, one thousand dollars -will purchase 19.6 acres in Ohio; 23.5 in Indiana; 20.7 in Illinois; 22.9 in Michigan; 33.3 in Wisconsin: 45.1 in Minnesota; 27.7 in Iowa; 42.2 in Nebraska: 42.7 in Kansas; -while it will purchase 105.3 acres in Mississippi. These figures speak for themselves. In this little “Hand-book; “we have endeavored to give a fair statement which is fully justified by the facts. We cannot deny that tneimmigrant will find many things here not to his liking. In many places he will find the schools inferior to those to which he has been accus- tomed; he will find bad roads, tumble-dowm buildings and dilapidated fences. He will often find his crops less than he expected if he is a farmer, and his sales less quick than he hoped if he is a manufacturer; and he will find the 138 MISSISSIPPI HANDBOOK. obstacles and discouragements and difficulties which every new settler in any country has to meet. All this is ad- mitted, but that does not make our soil any less fertile, the climate any less mild, or the bright future for the in- telligent and industrious immigrant any less certain. We do not say that there are not other localities not as attrac- tive as any in Mississippi, but we know of no other region where a good living and a comfortable home can be made any more easily than here. Certainly not in the East, with her deserted farms and idle factories; not in the North, with her terrible blizzards and dreary winters; not in the West,, with her scorching winds and never ending- drouths. The advantages of the South are only now beginning to be realized, and more northern and western men have purchased farms and located factories in Mississippi dur- ing the last eighteen months than during as many preced- ing years. No one should come here blindly, or on the representation of others, but should first examine the country thorough!}' and then judge of it for himself. ID. ©. Attorney at Law, , , , Reai [state ftgent and Negotiator of Loans* WBSSON, MISSISSIPPI. D. M. MAYERS, real estate agent . For the Sea Coast of Mississippi. The best and most growing Section of the South. fJcldfess : ID. lyl. fpflYElRS, Biloxi, HJiss. ROBERT S. WOOD, Real Estate agent ai>e Conveyancer. County, misa. 1 11 4®* Bargains in Real Estate. Correct Abstracts and conveyances, -“gar The South Western Land Company of Port Gibson, Mississippi, e S. DKXKB. President. .1. T. DRAKE Secretary. Offers for sale on most favorable terms a great many improved places, large and small, in the Counties of South West Mississippi and East Louisiana. For further information, address, DR. J. C. ROBERT, General Agent, Centerville, Miss. A Swedish colony is located in Centerville, Jnds for Stock Farms, for Corn, Oats, Clover, Grasses, Hogs, Etc. Lands for Fruit, Truck and Vegetable Farms. te at JACKSON MISS., the Capital of the State, the largest Railroad Center, the best markets, packing house will take 3 y our hogs, cattle, etc. , as the erection of one is now being considered here. Good, public Schools, Colleges, Churches, etc. Population 10,000, and gaining rapidly. High, Healthy Country, Good Water, Good Lands. AFTER your land titles. W ri HERE are located the records of the United States, and State Land Offices, the beginning, or source of all the titles. Having had charge, as Chief Clerk, of the State Land Department for a number of years, and practicing before all the land offices for past sixteen years, I am prepared to give valuable information to parties desiring large bodies of hardwood, or yellow pine timbered lands, for speculation, or milling. I have lands in all parts of the State on my books for sale, in small or large tracts, for colonies, or investors. I refer you to any bank, or State Official at Jackson, or can give Chicago reference. Enclose 2 cent stamp for FREE list of lands for sale. Call or write. GEO. W . CARLISLE, LAND AGENT AND TITLE ABSTRACTOR, JACKSON, MISS. (One block of State Capitol Building.) ? T4?e Best^sn^ IS ALONG THE LINE OF The pOBlIiE & OHIO nflUiROMD In the Prairie Region of EASTERN MIS- SISSIPPI and the Pine Belt of SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA. The Garden Spot of firnerica. You can make more money farming here than you cun elsewhere. It is the Paradise of the Fruit Grower, Truck Farmer. Stock Raiser, General Farmer and Invalid. The Summers are cool. The Winters are mild. Sunstrokes are un- known. The water is pure and soft. It is Unequaled for Healthful ness. There are no swamps and no malaria. The best shipping- facilities in the South. IMPROVED FARMS $io to S15 an acre. Wild lands -.5 to ;5 an acre. Government lands free. Magnificent Locations for Colonies. NOW IS THE TIME TO GET A HOME. PRICES ARE ADVANCING. We ask you to investigate our Section before you locate. kooi 13 ate Land Seekers Excursions Bvefy lyiopti). Tickets good for 30 days with privilege of stopping off at pleasure coming or going. Two through fast trains daily between St. Louis and Mobile, with sL _ hg cars and fine day coaches. KH^Beautiful, illustrated pamphlets telling ill about our Section, SENT FREE TO ALL- For a copy of pamphlet, or for rates, time, tickets or other information apply to any Railroad ticket or Mobile & Ohio Land Agent, or to F. IN. GREENE, Gen. Agent. 108 N. Bread way, ST. LOUIS, MO. E. E. POSEY, Gen. Pass, Agent, MOBILE, aLa. JNO. G. MANN, General Manager, MOBILE, ALA. 1— I CARROLL,, I^eadif)^ Hotel, Vicksburg, fyliss. Special P^ent for Sale of Lots ip Piefit BinStiarpptor;, OVterrtpliis,) Terjn. IMMIGRATION SOCIETY JUDGE IRAp. DAIS, Cotton Brokerage and General Collecting. General Intelligence Office, References : Capital State Bank, Jackson, Miss. First National Bank and Delta Trust & Banking Co., Vicksburg, Miss. Bolton, flinds Go., pss. w. ~ REAL ESTAtWeIET County Immigration ^Rgent. starkviiie, mis**. 3,000 ACRES Fine Lands in Monroe Co., Miss, for sale. Terms to Suit. i,ooo in Culti- vation, balance Finely Timbered. Title perfect. Address: E. d. SiyilTM, Jackson, lyUss. or fl. S. 13 fl SKdN, fltoerdeep, lyliss. R. 3 . Mg MAHON, Located in the Center of the GREAT YAZOO & MISSISSIPPI DELTA, I have for sale 100,000 acres of the FINEST FARM and TIMBER LANDS. Address : Indianola, Straflooier Goanty, Mississippi $ai“Have the only Abstracts of Titles to Real Estate in Leflore anJ Sunflower Counties. Yesgei? & South wohth, Attorneys at Law, Hub * IReal * Estate * agents. Abstracts f unite bejD on sbort notice. Greenwood, and Carrollton, Miss. COLONIAL AND UNITED STATES PHTGftGE GOiPafiY, LIMITED, HAS FOR SALE Improved Plantations in Afississiyopi, Arkansas anti Louisiana, on Easy Terms. Tracts to SiffiLt. Five Year Installment Plan. n^errjptfis Office : 5 M ad is on Str eei ; N. F. Le MASTER, Manager . Correspondence Solicited. Iv etta Xanb Hgenc& Gfeenmood, Rush & Gardner, Attorneys. J. K. Allen, Manager. (Dorresponber.ee SoUdteb. R. K JAYN EH, REAL estate agent, 304 E. Capitol St., JACKSON, MISS. Farms, City Property and Timber Lands for Sale. Prompt attention given to Correspondence. Enochs Bros., . . {paptifactUfetr s of Long • Leaf • Velio# • Pine • Itamber. Flooring, Ceiling and Finishing a specialty. Write for delivered prices. JACKSON , MISS. C. R. BYRNES, Jr., flatehez, Miss. Largest Lapd D ea l er °F> fbe JVlississippi befvbeep jVIeropbis apd ]Mev\) Orlegps. HATCHETT, RICE & CO., Real Estate. 41 Madison Street, Room 15 Flantars Building, MEMPHIS, TENN. PROPERTY bought, sold and rented in the city or country. Targe list of city and suburban property for sale; also plantations. Special attention given to the property of non-residents, and to platting and subdividing. We have 3,200 acres land near Houston, County Seat of Choctaw County, finely timbered and productive land that can be bought at a great bargain. Also 2400 acres fine farming land and well adapted to stock raising, with running stream through it, about 1,200 acres cleared and in cultivation in De Soto Co., within 25 miles of Memphis, 7 miles of Hernando, has a large and splendid pasture. Also a number of farms in North Mississippi, and in West Tennessee, and Orange Groves in Florida. J. fi. D. BGWMAR & SON, Real Estate Agents, Ylcksfoiirg, S^iss. Large and small tracts, both in the Hills and Missis- sippi Bottom, at low prices and easy terms. Write for particulars. Information cheerfully given. GEO. >i. Gova.h, Jackson. Miss. R. W. Durfey, Canton, Miss. G OYAN & feURF^Y, Getter al Office, Jacksorj, ?y?lss. Have formed business connection with Northwestern Capitalists for the sale of Southern Farms and Pine and Timber Lands. Northwestern Office, Sioux City, Iowa, Address; S. F. COOK, or JRQ8T. E. L,E Y, iSOOPfl 12, COO$flE«CIfJL SLOCK. ELl£E = Mtant a Dom e In the South ? If so, ccrrespopd ydifl) us YH c l^etv'e. sorpc ^eyy d esipcrlole irpproded properties |op sale located ip ilje alluvial portiaps o| ^Mississippi, Iiouisiapa apd g/I'pl^apsas. \A/f)icI) vde ojlepipq cl^eap apd op eusy fcpips. Goppespoixkince Solieitsd. GRAVES & ViHTOIl GOiPfifiY, Metnppis, Tenn. LEE J. LOCKWOOD, Manager. HENUY C. r: VERS, Bss'i. M 3 r. eridia^ IssissijDjsi, £ l^L aptif ac t Cifips* city of 15,000 popdiatiop. Popdlatiop ip 1880 oply 4,000. 135 Saui Infills ip territory trip* titafy to H^eridiap. I have 1,000 eity lots for sale, also 100,000 acres timber lands. C. V. ROBINSON- REFERENCES : Meridian National Bank, First National Bank. n, V, ':j Southward bo! We offer for sale, at from $Z to $ZB Bollafs : Ranging in side from 20 to -uqq acres in the uplands and in the alluvial lands of Arkansas. Mississippi, and Louisiana. ,Gne~tenih cash, balance 10 years time with one-tenth and interest at 7 per cent, payable each year. Caldwell & Smith; J . . No. 8 f>lad;son St., lyieirijpfyis, Te:r?i). •Send for description list our ten ds. m /&T / i L J M a m > J 5 r 1 p STATE IMMIGRATION MAP OF MISSISSIPPI — Wg-; ^2W *-*— fiL'Y LXJ J tv ■ «rn. ■ Date Due HARRR |E5C O ■r Form 335 — 40M -6-39 — S 917.62 T762M 365604