A Letter from Western Georgia.
Mr. George W. Truitt, of LaGrange, Ga., one of the most advanced and successful of the present generation of progressive Georgia farmers, writes to the Southern States as follows:
“Noticing your commendable efforts to advertise the attractions and resources of the South and induce immigrants to seek homes in this country, I ask space in your columns for a review of some of the inducements this immediate section offers.
“This county—Troup—is in Western Georgia with the city of LaGrange as its county seat.
“LaGrange has a population of about 4,000 and is beautifully situated, 850 feet above sea level—on the Double Daily mail route from New York to New Orleans, and on the new and splendid line from Palatka, Fla., via Macon, Ga., to Birmingham, Ala. For healthfulness it has no superior. It has two of the best female colleges in the South, and an excellent male high school. The various religious denominations are represented by nine churches. The town is lighted by electricity and has a fine system of water works. Two strong banks furnish all necessary money for business enterprises. The famous “Terraces” or Terrell flower gardens are within a mile of the heart of the town. There is a $400,000 manufacturing plant here, embracing the LaGrange Cotton Mills, foundry and machine shops, oil mills and guano factory, all under our management.
“There are two carriage factories, a plow factory, planing mills, variety works and ice factory all inside the city limits. A canning factory will soon be erected, and a public school system will be established.
“LaGrange is surrounded by one of the best agricultural regions in Georgia.
“The farm lands are fertile, easily cultivated and yield abundantly under intelligent culture. There has not been anything like a failure of crops in twenty-five years through this section. The climate is all one could wish. Extreme heat and cold are rare. Our lands are rolling, with natural drainage; plenty of timber and pure water. Farmers can work their lands in half a day after the heaviest rains.
“The agricultural interest is undergoing a great and rapid change for the better. We have abandoned the one-crop idea.
“Since January 1st, 1894, there has not been sold at this point more than one car of Western corn and meat. It has not been many years since forty cars of those two items were sold in about the same time.
“Lands here can be bought at a bargain. Our largest land owners see the great importance of increasing our white population, and are in thorough accord and sympathy with any movement looking to an improvement in that direction, and stand with open hearts and friendly hands to welcome a sturdy thrifty class with a little money and plenty of will and energy.
“One attraction, of the many worthy of an immigrant’s consideration in this county, is the fact that the farmer has a home market for his surplus farm products. Within a few months from now there will be a demand, within a circle of fifteen miles around LaGrange from the cotton mills already in operation and nearing completion, for 10,000 more bales of cotton than the county raises; that means 30,000 bales; we raise annually about 20,000. Many thousand bales will be sent direct from the fields, as it is gathered, to the factory, where the spot cash will be in waiting for the cotton and the seed, the value of the seed amounting to, or adding to the cotton, at least one cent a pound. The mill operatives furnish a market for thousands of dollars’ worth of the farmers’ surplus food products.
“Clover and grasses grow to perfection here, the Bermuda grass especially, which furnishes nine months pasturage and yields bountifully of a hay second only in nutritive value to the purest timothy.
“Here are some facts and figures from actual experience in farming in this vicinity: $96 worth of Bermuda hay from one and a quarter acres; $60 worth of rust proof oats from one acre; $64 worth of corn from one acre; 2180 pounds lint cotton (a fine variety) from one acre, sold for $174.40 and the seed brought $120.
“We have a farmer in this county who twelve years ago was not worth over $1000 and who now owns unencumbered property worth over $30,000; made it all farming; has never engaged in any other business.
“The thanks of every Southern man and woman are due you for the service you are doing them. And every respectable immigrant who is influenced by you to seek a home anywhere in this State, I know will not live here long before his obligations to you will be expressed.
“This country and any other will be truly great when the man who pushes the plow is landlord of the sod he turns.”