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MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI, 
 
 
 Ylie Most IiiH?oftaT|t Towri iii tlie gtiite. 
 
 
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 ITS ADVANTAGES FOR ALL KINDS OF 
 MANUFACTURING. 
 
 
 COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY 
 
 STEVENSON & CO, 
 
 " MACHINERY AGENCY. 
 
 
 !^^iw"inap(Pip<p»<E 
 
 xMERTDTAN, MISS.: 
 
 CHAS. P.- DEMENT, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER. 
 
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 Iv^/dllSSISSIIPIPI ; 
 
 
 Its Great Advantages Offered for Farming 
 AND Manufacturing, 
 
 After careful search for correct information in regard to the re- 
 sources of Mississippi, from personal knowledge we accept the very 
 able report of Mr. A. B. Hurt, Special Agent of the Department of 
 x\griculture, as accurate, and quote largely from his report as to cli- 
 mate, productions, resources, etc., of this State. Any information 
 concerning Mississippi desired by parties visiting the World's Exposi- 
 tion at New Orleans, La., will be cheerfully given by Maj. S. A. Jonas, 
 State Commissioner, or Maj. E. G. Wall, Immigration Agent, at 
 Jackson, Miss., who will kindly furnish maps and pamphlets. 
 
 Mississippi lies between the 31st and 35th parallels of north latitude. 
 The Mississippi river forms its entire boundary on the west, Alabama 
 on the east, Tennessee on the north and Louisiana and the Gulf of 
 Mexico on the south. The extreme length of the State is 335 miles ; 
 extreme breadth, 190 miles. The area of the State is 50,000 square 
 miles. 
 
 CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE. 
 
 "The chmate of Mississippi is all that could be desired for agricultural 
 purposes. It is a happy medium between the extremes of heat and 
 cold. The winters are short, mild and pleasant ; the summers are in 
 the main devoid of the intense heat often felt in more northern lati- 
 tudes. The summer heat is, indeed, more prolonged, but much less 
 oppressive than farther north, owing to the proximity of the State to 
 the Gulf and the prevalence of cool, refreshing winds blowing from 
 that direction. The thermometer seldom reaches 100° in summer in 
 any part of the State. June, July and August are the hottest months, 
 
 ^l^-io 
 
[2] 
 
 but the range of temperature for the State in these three months is 
 about from 64° to 95°, with a mean of about 81°. In winter ice of 
 about an inch in thickness forms in the northern part of the State, 
 while in the southern part irosts rarely occur. November, December 
 and January are the coldest months. The average winter temperature 
 is not below 45°, and the thermometer seldom falls to 25°. It is a 
 well established fact that in the course of a year more out-door labor 
 can be performed with less inconvenience than in regions farther north. 
 The elevation of the State is, moreover, greater than is generally sup- 
 posed, and this gives a climate normally belonging to regions from i ° 
 to 2° farther north. This will appear more readily from the following 
 table showing the elevation of sections on railroads running north and 
 south : 
 
 stations on the Mobile and Ohio R. R. 
 
 Stations on the Illinois Central R. R„ 
 
 Station. 
 
 Elevation 
 
 Station. 
 
 Elevation 
 
 State Line 
 
 FKE T. 
 ,256 
 19j 
 
 281 : 
 
 248 
 236 
 426 
 185 
 275 
 316 
 244 
 242 
 304 
 311 
 807 
 280, 
 397 
 : 513 
 , 511 
 441 
 443 
 
 Osyka 
 
 FEET. 
 250 
 
 Waynesboro 
 
 Magnolia 
 
 300 
 
 Quitman , 
 
 Summit 
 
 420 
 
 
 
 500 
 
 
 
 450 
 
 
 H'azlehurst 
 
 430 
 
 Macon 
 
 Crystal Springs; 
 
 45s 
 
 Brooksville 
 
 Terrv 
 
 260 
 
 Crawford 
 
 Jackson 
 
 270 
 
 
 
 350 
 
 West Point 
 
 
 320 
 
 Muldon 
 
 Durant 
 
 815 
 
 
 
 355 
 
 
 
 380 
 
 Tupelo . .. 
 
 Grenada 
 
 308 
 
 
 Water Valley 
 
 365 
 
 Booneville Summit 
 
 Oxford 
 
 Holly Springs 
 
 685 
 
 
 850 
 
 
 
 645 
 
 Corinth .... 
 
 Grand Junction 
 
 795 
 
 RAINFALL. 
 
 "Mississippi as an agricultural country has advantages unsurpassed in 
 the vital matter of rainfall. The abundant luxuriant vegetation to be 
 seen here on every hand during the hottest summer months shows the 
 presence of ample moisture to vitalize and promote the growth of all 
 vegetation. As a matter of course there are short seasons of drouth 
 occasionally, for these occur everywhere, but they are less frequent 
 here than in many States, and are generally confined to small and 
 widely separated areas. The rainfall is usually copious throughout 
 the State in spring and summer, while the annual precipitation is more 
 or less evenly distributed in all sections of the State. From the south 
 and west come the regular rain winds, bringing refreshing showers, 
 
[3] 
 
 highly conducive to the growth of the cotton, the cereals and other 
 vegetation. The tables of the census give the annual rainfall in North 
 Mississippi at from 48 to 58 inches per annum. The high country 
 lying between the Tombigbee and Yazoo rivers has fully 58 inches per 
 annum, and the Yazoo delta has as much as 48 inches of annual rain 
 fall. The degree to which the State is favored in this respect may be 
 appreciated when it is remembered that the country west of the Mis 
 sissippi ranges from 20 to as low as 4 inches of rainfall per annum. 
 Kansas, Texas, and the Indian Territory have from 20 to 38 inches 
 per annum, and Maine, New York, Virginia and Ohio from 32 to 46 
 inches per annum. Tennessee and Kentucky have from 46 to 56 
 inches per annum, the same as the north half of Mississippi, and the 
 country near the Northern Lakes, east of the Mississippi, from 24 to 
 ^6 inches per annum. 
 
 "The State is well supplied with water courses and drainage. On 
 the west the Mississippi river and its tributaries in the State drain the 
 Sreat Yazoo delta and the hilly country adjacent thereto, while on the 
 east the Tombigbee river and its several large tributaries drain the 
 prairie region and that section of the State. The Tombigbee drams in 
 Mississippi and Alabama an approximate area of 18,918 square miles. 
 The Yazoo river and its tributaries drain a surface of 13,936 square 
 miles. The Pearl river, from its source in Winston county to where 
 it empties into the Gulf, drains a surface of 8,964 square miles. The 
 Pascagoula river and its tributaries, running through the southern pine 
 region and emptying into the Gulf, drains an area of 9,980 square 
 miles. Besides these, there are numerous other rivers and small 
 streams well distributed throughout the State. Generally the water 
 courses on the west flow to the Mississippi river, on the east to the 
 Tombigbee river, and on the South to the Gulf of Mexico. These 
 are, therefore, the three great watersheds of the State. 
 
 HEALTH. 
 
 'Tf the old adage that 'health is wealth' be true, Mississippi may be 
 considered an exceptionally opulent State. It is rich in the conditions 
 of health, and the facts will demonstrate that it is one of the healthiest 
 States in the Union. This subject is w^orthy of consideration here as 
 vitally affecting the results of agriculture. An impression prevails in 
 some places outside of the State that Mississippi is very unhealthy. 
 How little foundation there is for this belief will be seen by an exam- 
 ination of the mortality tables of the United States census. It should 
 
L4] 
 
 be remembered in this connection, that the statistics of health in Mis- 
 sissippi include, of course, the entire population, white and colored, 
 and that the death rate among the colored population is quite high, 
 being 17.28 per thousand throughout the Southern States. It is sug- 
 gested in the census that the difference in mortality between the white 
 and colored people in the Southern States is especially well marked, 
 and is largely due to the relatively greater number of deaths among 
 infants in the colored population. The followmg table of comparative 
 statistics compiled from the census will be a sufficient answer to the 
 assertion sometimes made that Mississippi is unhealthy : 
 
 Annual death rate for each thousand of population. 
 
 Massachusetts 18 50 
 
 New York 17 30 
 
 Virginia 15 32 
 
 Indiana 15 77 
 
 Texas 15 53 
 
 Kansas 15 52 
 
 Pennsylvania - 14 92 
 
 Illinois 14 60 
 
 Kentucky 14 39 
 
 Alabama 14 20 
 
 Georgia 12 97 
 
 Colorado 13 10 
 
 Mississippi 12 80 
 
 THE NORTH-EASTERN PRAIRIE REGION. 
 
 The following counties lie wholly or partly within the section of the 
 State usually denominated the "North-Eastern Prairie Region" : 
 Alcorn, Tishomingo, Itawamba, Union, Lee, Monroe, Prentiss, 
 Lowndes, Clay, Noxubee, East Tippah, East Pontotoc, East Chicka- 
 saw, East Oktibbeha and North-East Kemper. These are not all 
 prairie counties, strictly speaking, but are catalogued together as 
 counties in which prairie lands occur to a greater or less extent. This 
 section is sometimes designated as the Cretaceous or North-Eastern 
 Lime Region. Its prominent agricultural and geographical features 
 are dependent upon the several calcareous strata of the Cretaceous 
 formation, with the exception of a few townships in the eastern part 
 Tishomingo county, where the Hmestone and sandstone strata of 
 the Lower Carboniferous formation prevail. 
 
 The Cretaceous formation in this State consists essentially of four 
 different stages or beds, which have a west or south-west dip of about 
 twenty-five feet to the mile. The uppermost of these divisions, the 
 Ripley group, which appears to the westward of the others, consists 
 of hard sandy Hmestone, with strata of blue shell marl between, and 
 generally one of heavy gray calcareous top ; these strata, overlaid by 
 
[5] 
 
 a yellow or orange colored loam, combine to form what is known as 
 the "Pontotoc ridge." The middle stratum consists of white day 
 marls or soft limestone — "rotten hmestone" — and forms a level or 
 gently undulating surface, mostly with heavy calcareous soils, pardy 
 prairie, partly oak uplands, and known as the Prairie Region proper. 
 The other two sections — the Eutaw and Tombigbee Sand Groups — 
 more or less clayey and partly limy; the region occupied by them is hilly 
 and sandy, while there are abundant springs of water, principally 
 freestone. The specific names here given to these stages or groups 
 are the ones already recognized and understood to some extent. The 
 lands in the territory of the Carboniferous formation, consisting of 
 hard limestones and sandstones, do not differ essentially from the last 
 mentioned groups, save, perhaps, in the abundance of pebbles on the 
 surface and the many fine, cold, freestone springs. 
 
 THE FLATWOODS REGION. 
 
 This region embraces small portions of the counties of Tippah, 
 Union, Pontotoc, Choctaw, Oktibbeha, Calhoun, Winston, Noxubee 
 and Kemper. The level lands, timbered chiefly with post-oak, often 
 accompanied by black-jack and short-leaf pine, popularly styled the 
 "flatwoods," form a narrow belt which borders on the west the Creta- 
 ceous or North-Eastern Prairie Region. The usual width of the flat- 
 woods proper is from 3 to 6 miles; in some places the bordering hills 
 encroach upon them so as to greatly reduce their width; in others the 
 hills recede so far as to enclose between them a level tract of 10 or 12 
 miles. Their outline is therefore much scalloped and difficult to de- 
 fine with accuracy. The district begins at the north on the southern 
 bank of the Tippah Creek, in the county of the same name, and runs 
 in a slightly southeastern direction toward De Kalb, Kemper County, 
 where the Succarnochee River may be considered their southern limit; 
 tor beyond they gradually lose their character and pass into the common 
 yellovr-loam uplands of that portion of Alabama. It is an attractive, 
 level country, and possesses an abundance of fine post-oak timber, val- 
 uable for railroad and building purposes. The soil is generally a hard 
 gray or whitish clay when dry, and of a dark gray, almost black, when 
 wet. Two kinds of soil are noticed, a light soil and a heavy soil, the 
 latter bemg on the whole more prevalent than the former. 
 
 THE YELLOW-LOAM REGION. 
 
 This is the most extensive of the subdivisions, comprising North- 
 west Tippah, Marshall, the greater part of De Soto, East Panola, La- 
 
[6] 
 
 Fayette, West Calhoun, Benton, Tate, Yalobusha, part of East Talla- 
 hatchie, Grenada, East Carroll, Montgomery, Webster, Choctaw, East 
 Holmes, Northeast Yazoo, North Madison, Attala, Leake, Winston, 
 Neshoba, part of Kemper, Lauderdale, Newton (greater part), and 
 northeast corner of Scott Counties. The general characteristics of the 
 soils of this region are thus defined: The better class of uplands are 
 formed by a yellow or brownish-yellow loam, varymg greatly in thick" 
 ness from a few inches to as much as 3 feet, generally a Hght soil, un 
 derlaid by either loose sand or red hardpan of the orange formation; 
 while on the poorer uplands the loam is very thin or entirely absent, 
 and some of the materials of the orange sand, or their intermixture 
 with the yellow loam, form a sandy soil, which, though often quite pro- 
 ductive at first, wears out rapidly, unless good care is taken to preserve 
 it. There are, of course, all degrees of transition from one extreme of 
 soils to the other. The timber growth generally shows their character 
 and value. A good size post-oak of sturdy, thickset growth, with stout, 
 crooked bianches, which decrease rapidly in thickness, and with a 
 dense well shaped top, will never be found on a poor or easily exhaust- 
 ed soil; if, however, it is small and scrubby, with numerous smaP 
 branches, and a long, tattered top, or its trunks are tall, thin, and taper" 
 ing, with long, rod shaped branches, themselves often covered with 
 stout foliage, and an open, irregular top, little is to be expected of the 
 natural, resources of the soil. In determining the character of the soil 
 by the timber, the size and growth of the trees, a's well as their mode 
 of growth, should be taken into consideration. In this region are the 
 lands known as the "Marshall table-lands," which are among the best 
 uplands in the state, and are considered to be particularly adapted to 
 the production of cotton. The soil is formed of a brown loam, gener- 
 ally from 6 to 8 feet in thickness, sometimes more. The material is 
 on the whole rather heavier than that of the yellow-loam lands of South 
 Marshall and La Fayette Counties. 
 
 "The sturdy, vigorous growth of the post-oak and the hickory denote 
 a soil of unusual fertility. In the northwest portion of Tippah County 
 are apparently the same class of table.lands. 
 
 THE CENTRAL PRAIRIE REGION. 
 
 "Comprising, in the main, the portions underlaid by the calcerous 
 Tertiary of the counties of Madison, Yazoo, Warren, Hinds, Ran. 
 kin, Scott, Smith, Jasper, Newton, Lauderdale, Clark and Wayne. 
 
 The prairies characterizing this region are not generally the prevalent 
 
[7] 
 
 features of its surface — not near to the extent to which this is the case 
 in the Northeastern Prairie Region. They do not anywhere form such 
 continuous or large bodies of land as is found occupying the surface of 
 the country underlaid by the Cretaceous formation, nor is the surface 
 of the country so gently undulating or generally level. 
 
 "The black prairie soil occurs in patches of a few acres to several 
 thousand in extent, and intervening between elevated ridges occupied 
 either by the orange-sand formation and its peculiar soils, or by the soils 
 derived essentially from the materials of the clayey non-calcareous or 
 gypseous stages of the Tertiary — forming in the western portion of the 
 belt the lighter soils of the " gypseous prairie," and in the eastern por- 
 tion of the belt the heavy intractable soils of the "hog wallow prairie." 
 Both of these occupy, in general, positions above any contiguous 
 "black prairie, "the latter being in the more hilly portions of the region 
 confined to the slopes and bottoms of the streams. They are sometimes 
 called "shell prairies" from the great abundance of fossil shells, ac- 
 companied sometimes by the remains of huge Zeuglodon. The ridge 
 lands intervening between the several kinds of prairie lands bear, partly 
 in the north, the character of the adjoining Yellow Loam Region, and 
 in the south the character of the soils in the adjoining Long Leaf Pine 
 Region. Beyond the Chickasawhay, in Clark and Wayne Counties, 
 the black prairies are found on the summit of the ridges. Parts of the 
 district here described, while not underlaid by the marl formations, 
 are more nearly related in their features to those of the Prairie Region 
 than to any other. 
 
 THE LONG LEAF PINE REGION. 
 
 "This extensive district embraces the counties, and parts of counties, 
 of Clark, Wayne, Covington, Perry, Green, Jones, Marion, Lawrence, 
 Lincoln, Pike, Amite, Franklin, Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Copiah, 
 and Simpson. * 
 
 "It presents great uniformity of character in its surface conformation, 
 jn its soils, and in its vegetation. The surface is generally undulating, 
 not unfrequently hilly, especially where the uplands fall off towards the 
 larger water courses • between these, however, often occur dividing 
 plateaus, or table-lands, which are generally undulating, or mostly level. 
 The surface soil of the uplands is generally very sandy. The bottom 
 and second bottom lands, to which cultivation is generally, as yet, re- 
 
L8J 
 
 stricted, are quite fertile, and yield good crops of sugar-cane, upland 
 rice, corn, cotton, fruits, regetables, &c. 
 
 THE YAZOO DELTA. 
 
 "The great, rich alluvial plain lying in Mississippi, and commonly 
 nown as the Yazoo delta, is one of the most important formations, not 
 only in the State, but in the entire Union. It lies between the Missis- 
 sippi, River on the west and the Yazoo River and its tributaries on the 
 east, and from the line separating Mississippi and Tennessee on the 
 north to Vicksburg on the south. It comprises about 6,250 square 
 miles, or 4,000,000 acres, of some ot the most fertile and productive 
 soil in the world. It is larger than the combined area of Connecticut 
 and Rhode Island, and almost half as large as these two states and 
 Massachusetts all combined. 
 
 "This vast delta is ellipsodial in shape, and its dark, rich alluvium 
 has been formed by the overflow of the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers 
 and their tributaries. At its northern limit, the State line, it is very 
 little more than 10 miles wide, but the Mississippi River, turning to 
 the southwest, it widens rapidly, and 30 miles southward, where the 
 dividing line between Panola and Tate Counties would strike the bluff 
 near Helena, Arkansas, it is about 36 miles wide. Opposite Charles- 
 ton, Tallahatchie County, the bottom is 58 miles wide. It reaches 
 its greatest width about opposite the town of CarroUton, Carroll County, 
 where it is about 68 miles wide, and from thence it at first narrows 
 slowly, and at last rapidly. Opposite Yazoo City it is still more than 
 40 miles wide, but ends near Vicksburg, where the hills extend to the 
 bank of the Mississippi River. Of all this fertile plain only about one 
 eighth, or 500,000 acres, is improved, the remainder being covered 
 with vast forests of valuable timber. The prejudice which long existed 
 as to its unfitness for cultivation and for health is rapidly dying out. 
 
 COTTON PRODUCTION. 
 
 "The production of cotton must, in the very nature of things, ever 
 remain one of the leading industries of Mississippi. The agriculturaj 
 conditions of the State are especially favorable for the culture of this 
 staple crop, while all the habits and traditions of its labor and of its 
 landholders lead in this direction. 
 
 "Diversification of products is undoubtedly one of the pressing needs 
 of the times, and there are ample scope and facilities for such diversifi- 
 cation without trenching materially upon the yield of this great product. 
 
[9] 
 
 As suggested by Mr. Edward Atkinson, the demand for cotton goods 
 must continue to keep pace with increasing population and wealth, and 
 the new purposes to which the fibre is constantly being applied. The 
 world must depend upon the limited area where the staple can be suc- 
 cessfully grown for its supply, and Mississippi, with its favcrable soij 
 and climate, and its great, rich, alluvial Yazoo delta, will always be an 
 important factor in cotton production. 
 
 "It is not yet quite a hundred years since the cnltivation of cotton 
 was really begun in the United States. In 1 719 it was suggested that 
 the climate of South Carolina was favorable for its production^ yet 
 more than half a century elapsed before much attention was given to 
 the subject, when, in 1775, the first Provincial Congress of that State 
 "recommended to its people to raise cotton." Georgia is said to have 
 taken the lead in its introduction and cultivation. As showing the 
 period sometimes required to introduce a new product, it may be men- 
 tioned that it was not until 1785 — sixty five years after its cultivation 
 was suggested — before the first shipment was made, when eight bags 
 were seized by the custom-house officers at Liverpool, it not being 
 credited that even the small quantity of two thousand pounds had 
 been raised in the United States. Seed was introduced in Georgia 
 from Jamaica and Pernambuco in 1786, and the upland, or Georgia 
 variety, was successfully introduced about the same time. As is well 
 known, the cultivation of cotton was insignificant until Whitney in- 
 vented the cotton gin, when the value of the crop in the United States 
 increased in ten years from about $150,000 to at least $8,000,000. 
 
 "The production of sea-island cotton has, in Mississippi, been con- 
 fined to a very few plantations on the coast. The area suited to its 
 growth is very hmited, and, while it bears a much better price than 
 the ordinary cotton, its production in Mississippi has never assumed 
 much importance. 
 
 "Many accidental and excellent varieties of cotton have been intro- 
 duced, and have been preserved and further improved by a careful 
 and judicious selection of seed in the field. At the same time many 
 worthless and spurious kinds have been palmed off on the planters, 
 bearing, usually, high-sounding names, which enjoyed a brief and fic- 
 titious reputation. 
 
 ,,The long-established method of cotton cultivation is too well known 
 
 require any detailed description here. It usually takes from six to 
 
 eight furrows to get the land prepared and the seed planted, and four 
 
 plowings and two or three hoeings to get the crop in condition to "lay 
 
 A 
 
by." A thorough and proper preparation would require a dozen or 
 more furrows to get the land in the desired condition for the seed. 
 
 ^'Cotton-picking, like type-setting, is still performed by the fingers, no 
 invention yet having been introduced to do the work in a satisfactory 
 manner,* Should one be constructed to meet the requirements it 
 would be a great saving to farmers, and very materially enhance the 
 profit of production, as fully one third of the cost of making cotton 
 may be charged to the gathering. It is worthy of note, however, 
 that a hand can pick more cotton in a day now than formerly. Many 
 years ago fifty pounds a day was considered good work; now two hun- 
 dred pounds can easily be picked, while there are a few persons who 
 gather three and four hundred pounds a day. 
 
 "In an average of ten years, in which observations have been record- 
 ed in this State, the first cotton blooms made their appearance about 
 the first of June, and the plant was killed by frost about the first of No- 
 vember. 
 
 <'Prof. E. W. Hilgard, in his cotton returns to the United States Cen- 
 sus, has this to saj about the cotton production in Mississippi : 
 
 'Mississippi stands first in total production, while sixth in population, 
 among the cotton States. (See table from United States Census.) At first 
 blush, in view of the large area and great fertility of the Mississippi and Ya- 
 7X)o River bottoms, within the limits of the State, the inference would be 
 that the high position of the State's production is due to these fertile bottom 
 lands. But a detailed discussion of the areas of production shows that a 
 little over one-fourth (27 per cent.) of the cotton product of the State comes 
 from the Mississippi and Yazoo River bottoms, while over one-half of the 
 whole is produced in what might be termed first class uplands, viz, the 
 table lano-belt bordering the Mississippi blufls, the yellow-loam region, 
 and the two prairie belts. 
 
 'The remaining one-fourth is grown scatteringly over the sandy uplands, 
 bearing more or less of the long and short leaf pine that form nearly one half 
 the area of the Stale. 
 
 *It thus appears that the high production of Mississippi is due to the fact 
 that quite one-half of its territory is occupied by soils of excceptional fertil- 
 ity, coupled with circumstances that cotton cultui*e is the one pursuit to 
 which the population devotes itself.' 
 
 "Mississippi increased its cotton product more than 70 per cent., or 
 398, 173 bales, from 1870 to 18S0. This great increase in ten years 
 shows the capabilities of the State for cotton production. The value 
 of the total crop in the census year was more than $43,000,000, or 
 nearly $40 for each unit of population. The total number of acres in 
 cotton at the same time was 2,093,330; close on to one-half of the en- 
 tire improved land m the State. The total product was 936,111 bales, 
 of which 328,368 bales were the product of white labor. The aver- 
 age yield per acre throughout the State, as mentioned elsewhere, was 
 0.46 of a bale, or 190 pounds of lint cotton, being a higher yield than 
 in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and 
 
Tennessee. Issaquena County makes the largest average yield, per 
 acre, of any one county, being 0.88 of a bale. Other river counties 
 follow with an average yield almost as great, while a single acre fre- 
 quently produces a bale and a half to two bales, without fertilizer. 
 
 "It is a question much debated among farmers whether it pays to 
 raise cotton at the low prices which have prevailed for several years. A 
 great many contend that it does not pay, but often these are the very 
 producers most wedded to its culture. It therefore happens that at 
 each planting season there is much talk about decreasing the acreage 
 in cotton, which more frequently ends in an increased acreage than 
 otherwise. One planter will often advise his neighbors to plant less 
 cotton, arguing that it does not pay, and at the same time quietly make 
 arrangements to increase his own acreage, in the vain hope that the an- 
 nual product will be less and prices higher than usual. Many prodii- 
 cers acting on this hope, the result is, of course, increased production 
 and poor prices. If there is really a desire to reduce the production of 
 cotton, it will be best accomplished by the introduction and production 
 of other crops, and the diversification of industries generally through- 
 out the cotton belt. This seems difficult to accomplish at once, and 
 there remains the one practical plan for each individual farmer to 
 adopt, and that is to improve the culture, increase the yield per acre, 
 and by these means lessen the cost of production. 
 
 "An effort has been made by the writer to determine, approximately 
 at least, the cost of cotton production. This is well nigh impossible, as 
 so much depends upon the character of the soil, the seasons, the 
 method of cultivation, the price of food, &c. The most that can be 
 done in this respect is to submit the experience of several intelligent 
 farmers in different portions of the State, with their opinion as to the 
 cost of producion. 
 
 "Mr. Will E. Collins, resident on Steel's Bayou, Issaquena Co., says : 
 
 'I can only estimate the cost of one bale of 450 pounds, the usual yield 
 per acre here. T submit the estimate as made up from my crop-expense ac- 
 count, to-wit : 
 
 Basis, one acre ; yield, 450 pounds lint : 
 
 Preparing land for seed , $2 50 
 
 Planting 3 00 
 
 First plowing «.. 1 25 
 
 Second plowing 1 00 
 
 Third plowing 1 00 
 
 Fix'st chopping , 1 50 
 
 Second chopping 1 50 
 
 Laying by 1 50 
 
 Ginning , 1 00 
 
 Picking 7 50 
 
 Hauling .., , 75 
 
 Total ?22 50 
 
 'Total cost to make 1,400 pounds seed cotton, or 450 pounds lint ready for 
 
[12] 
 
 market, |22 50, or 5 cents j^er pound. The cost, of course, differs under dif- 
 ferent systems of working, ttie above being the cost to make under the 
 wages system, the only true system in any business. Under the share sys- 
 tem the cost would increase fu.lly 2 cents per pound, because the yield per 
 hand would be much less. Of course when the yield even under the wages 
 system is less than 450 pounds lint per acre, the cost would increase in pro- 
 portion, but the usual j'ield here being 450 pounds, the estimate is a safe 
 one.' 
 
 "This estimate makes a very good showing for the rich alluvial bot- 
 toms, where a bale to the acre can be easily made without fertilizing. 
 Let us apply the figures to the entire State and see the result. The 
 average product per acre in Mississippi is, as we have seen, 0.46 of a 
 bale, or 190 pounds of lint cotton. Every item in Mr. Collin's account 
 would be the same for making 1 90 pounds as it would be for making 
 the 550 pounds, excepting the gathering and ginning, which would re- 
 duce the total cost per acre to about $17 95, and make the cost of pro- 
 duction about 9.44 cents per pound. The conclusion seems to be ii re- 
 sistible that when the yield falls below half a bale to the acre there can 
 not be much money in making cotton at present prices. 
 
 *'Mr. W, Bridgforth, of Pickens Station, on the Illinois Central Rail- 
 road, gives the following estimate of the cost of making a 450-pound 
 bale of cotton in his section of the State : 
 
 'With favorable seasons we produce a bale on from 2 to 3 acres ; otherwise 
 it takes from 3 to 5 acres. It costs at least 6 cents per pound to produce 
 cotton with us, and this does not include loss, wear and tear of tools and 
 implements nor does it include the land rent, which is from $2 to $5 per acre; 
 hence I think the total cost will be at least 7 cents per pound, or $31 50 per 
 bale of 450 pounds.' 
 
 [This last estimate is a fair one for the cotton production of the sandy 
 lands of Lauderdale County.] 
 
 MISSISSIPPI AS A GRASS AND STOCK COUNTRY. 
 
 ''These subjects are so nearly related that they are best considered 
 together. There can be no successful and profitable industry in stock 
 raising unless there is ample pasturage the greater part of the year. 
 
 ■"Good pasturage, an abundance of water, short, mild winters, and 
 accessible markets, are the advantages Mississippi possesses for stock 
 raising. 
 
 "The farmers of the State have long waged an energetic warfare 
 against grass, which they considered their most troublesome foe; they 
 are now beginning to look upon this growth as their strongest ally, and 
 with a new and proper appreciation of the immense value of this crop 
 to the agricultural interests of ti:c State. The v,^arfare against "Gen- 
 eral Green," to use a popular plantation expression, of course necessa- 
 rily continues in the cultivation of crops, but many are finding by ex- 
 perience th9,t the profits on grass and stock often exceed those on the 
 
[is] 
 
 crops, and the disposition to engage in this new departure as a matter 
 of business has increased greatly in the past few years in all sections of 
 the State. 
 
 "The question of ascertaining the grasses best suited to the soil and 
 cHmate of the State has been made the object of many experiments, 
 much thought and attention by the most progressi\'e farmers and stock 
 breeders of the State. 
 
 '•Of late years, since the exclusive culture oi cotton has by re- 
 peated disastrous experiments proven unwise and unprofitable, the ni- 
 terest in grass rnd stock has assumed great importance. Probably no 
 other subject has for years enlisted the attention of intelligent farmers 
 and landholders so generally ; and this awakening interest is destined 
 to grow and \Mden until Mississippi takes its proper place among ths 
 grass and stock producing States. It is a subject of vital importance, 
 no less on account of its effect in the amelioration and restoration of 
 exhausted lands than the certain and direct profits to be obtained there- 
 from. 
 
 "The grasses of the State which are commonly referred to as nat- 
 ural, and pasture grasses, which grow spontaneously, with little or no 
 care and attention, consitute a never-tailing and exhaustless mine of 
 wealth, which, when properly worked, will afford a new and valuable 
 source of revenue. Of this class the well-known Bermuda {Cynodon 
 dadylon) is considered the [most valuable and is entitled to the first 
 place, but its precedence is being energetically contested by a com' 
 paratively new and powerful rival, the Japan clover, or Lespedeza 
 striata. The Bermuda, while an introduced grass, like the Japan 
 clover, is now so v/ell established that it may be very properly consid- 
 ered as a native. 
 
 'Tn a valuable litde work on grasses. Dr. D. L. Phares, of the Mis- 
 sissippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, says of Bermuda : 
 
 'As a permanent pasture grass I know of no other that I consider so val- 
 uable as this, after having transplanted it from near the month of Red 
 Eiver to my present residence thirty-live years ago, and having studied it on 
 hundreds of other farms, commons, and levees for a longer period. As hay 
 this grass has been cured and held in high esteen by many farmers in Missis- 
 sippi for more than forty years. The late Mr. Thomas Affleck, of Texas, 
 for man^^ years a well-known planter in Mississippi, with characteristic 
 Scotch thrift, promptly recognized the value of this grass, largely profited 
 by it, and, as long as he lived, by mouth and pen inculcated its great worth 
 for pasture and hay, himself making five tons of the latter to the acre. Dr. 
 Ravelel, by the aid of nitrate of soda, obtamed at the rate of ten tons to the 
 acre on a lot near Charleston, S. C. Many other examples could be given 
 as to the quantity of hay cut from this grass, and innumerable testimonials 
 as to its nutritive value. On good soil it covers the ground densely several 
 inches deep with its prostrate stems and dense leafage, which are always 
 moist, even in dry Aveather.' 
 
[H] 
 
 'This grass is a rapid and valuable fertilizer, and is of great value iu hold- 
 ing earthworks and levees of sand and loose soil against floods of water, 
 and m preventing lands from washing. It can be successfully propagated 
 only by transplanting the roots and stems, but when once started spreads 
 rapidly. It thi-ives best when stock keeps it well trodden, and should be 
 mowed from three to four times every summer for hay.' 
 
 Mr. William M. Robertson, of Claiborne County, writes of Ber- 
 muda : 
 
 'I cut 60 acres of Bermuda grass and sold therefrom the surplus hay, 
 amountina:(as shown by my books) to 275 tons of fine hay, and left the best 
 cutting of^the season uncut on the meadow. It was given up by all who 
 saw the hay to be the best they ever saw. I had from 25 to 30 head of stock 
 on the meadow all the time I was mowing ; they did not appear to hurt it at 
 all. Bermuda grass is the best grazing for stock in ray experience with 
 grass, and horses and mules supplied with it need but little corn to do good 
 work.' 
 
 "The Japan clover {Lespedeza striata) exists almost everywhere 
 throughout the State, in shade or sunshine, on poor lands and rich, in 
 red clay and sandy gulUes, and on soil that will not produce anything 
 else. It spreads with marvelous rapidity, exterminating in its course 
 even broom sedge and Bermuda grass. How and whence it came are 
 questions that have not yet been satisfactorily explained. It is sup- 
 posed to have come from Japan, but in what manner it got a start m 
 the Southern country is not known. It was first noticed in Hinds County 
 about 1878, but several years earlier in other portions of the State, 
 and it may be said that for the last fifteen years it has been rapidly 
 spreading in various sections. It grows well in shade, seemsnot to be 
 affected by either excessive rain or drought; indeed, it appears to grow 
 regardless of the seasons. It affords fine grazing; as a hay for winter 
 feed many farmers consider it incomparable, while it promises to be an 
 important factor in the restoration of exhausted lands, arresting washes 
 and fertilizing the soil, comparing in this latter respect, it is said, very 
 favorably with red clover. An intelligent stock-raiser states that he 
 has no trouble in curing the hay, and that in winter stock will leave all 
 other food for it. 
 
 Dr. Phares says of Lespedeza : 
 
 'Stock do not relish this plant at first sight, bat tasting a few times, they 
 become very fond of it for grazing and hay. In many places they abandon 
 all thenatural pasturage in March, April, or May, and confine themselves to 
 this till frost kills it down. By frequent grazing or mowing it is kept in a 
 growing, tender, palatable condition. Cattle fatten on it and produce supe- 
 rior milk, butter, and beef. And this is just what shouli be expected when 
 we consider that the justly esteemed clover contains 16 per cent, of al- 
 buminoids and 41 per cent, of carbohj'-drates, while Lespedeza contains nealy 
 as much albuminoids and 56.79 per cent, of carbohydrates.' 
 
 "The grass popularly called "broom sedge" {Andropogon), when 
 burned off produces in the spring a new crop of tender, nutritious 
 herbage, which stock eat with much relish. It is not long tender 
 
.[15] 
 
 when not well grazed, and then affords only a brief pasturage. When 
 cut before it becomes tough it makes a very fine hay. 
 
 "A very and justly popular grass for summer and fall grazing, and 
 one of the most widely diffused, is the well-known crab {Panicum san- 
 ^uinale). It has been considered one of the worst enemies of the 
 cotton-planter, but is a great boon to grass and stock-raisers. Dr. 
 Phares says he has seen a crop (many of them) of this grass harvested 
 worth more than the corn that could be produced on the same ground, 
 and corn and cotton fields of a wet season so overrun with this grass 
 that in May, June, July, or August, ten day's work with mowers and 
 horse rakes would secure in choice hay two to ten fold more value than 
 many month's labor with teams and machinery and heavy expenses 
 could obtain from the cotton and corn. This grass makes an excel- 
 lent hay of which live stock are very fond, preferring it to the best 
 Northern hay. Crab grass is excellent for summer pasturage also, 
 and with many bad managers it comes as a godsend to eke out a short 
 corn supply for work animals, saving their lives from May to August, 
 and thus saving the growing crop. 
 
 "The above are the more important of what are termed native pas- 
 ture grasses. There are a great many other kinds, some quite valua- 
 ble, but a detailed catalogue of them cannot be attempted here. Dr. 
 Charles Mohr, of Mobile, states that he has himself collected in South 
 and Middle Alabama one hundred and thirty-two species, belonging 
 to fifty-three genera of native grasses. No doubt the list in Mississippi 
 would be quite as large. Many of the native grasses produce aston- 
 ishing results from cultivation. 
 
 "Almost all of the cultivated grasses and clovers have done well in 
 Mississippi with proper care and attention. There have been failures 
 in some instances, it is true, but they have generally resulted from 
 careless and improper preparation of the soil at planting. The follow- 
 ing article on the feed-stuffs of Mississippi, prepared for this report 
 by Prof, John A. Myers, State chemist, and professor of chemistry 
 in the Agricultural and Mechanical College, is lull of interest : 
 
 * Although during the late civil war Mississippi swarmed with stock 
 (cattle and hogs), and was one of the chief granaries from wlaicli some of 
 the armies drew their supplies, it is not unfrequently stated that Missis- 
 sippi is unsuited for the growing of stock. It is very strange that within 
 twenty years after the State has been known to be capable of supporting 
 sucli vast herds of stock the impression should prevail tliat stock cannot be 
 grown. It can only be explained by taking into the account that just after 
 the close of the war the price of cotton ran so high that it dazed the farming 
 community so completely that they parted with all of their stock and went 
 to raising cotton. We venture the assertion, however, that there is scarcely 
 
[i6] 
 
 a State in the Union that lias superior natural facilities for this pursuit than 
 Mississippi.' 
 
 'The question is often asked, is there any forage in Mississippi for cattle? 
 We answer, yes, abundance of it ; and if the farmers would only let the 
 grasses grow instead of trying to kill them, Mississippi would in a few 
 years become one of the most important grazing States in the Union. In 
 spite of their efforts, however, the grasses are gradually/ gaining ground ; 
 and many of them are now so perfectly scattered that tlie land will rapidly 
 become "set" in them when not in actual cultivation. These grasses, while 
 largely different from those familiar to the stock-growers of the North and 
 West, are as nutritious and valuable feed-stuffs as many of the most highly 
 prized grasses of those regions. The variety of grazing is greater than it is 
 farther north, just as vegetation is more luxuriant in warm countries than 
 in cold. Besides this, many of the grasses so highly prized, such as orchard 
 srass, the clovers, timothy, and the millets, do as well here as any where 
 else, so far as trials with them have been made. But, without these, we have 
 a number of grasses, such as Bermuda grass, Lespedeza or Japan clover, 
 which grow wherever there is any soil to cling to, when they once get in- 
 troduced. These afford pasture during the summer, fall, and winter. In 
 the spring there is a variety of grasses which come on rapidly and afford 
 most excellent pasturage. The Johnson grass makes one of the best of hays 
 produced in any country.' 
 
 "The experience and opinion of prominent stock-raisers in the 
 State, here appended, are impressive and suggestive. 
 
 "Mr. W. B. Montgomery, of Starkville, the largest breeder of 
 Jersey cattle in the State, and one of the largest in the United States, 
 says : 
 
 '1. The smaller breeds of improved cattle succeed best here. It is more a 
 question of agricultural development than of climate. The larger breeds, 
 for their higheet development, require rich and abundant feed. There is no 
 climate bar, only one of rich and nutritive grasses. 
 
 2. I know of no serious obstacle in the way of improved stock-farming. I 
 know of no failure where stock-farming is intelligently pursued. The mild- 
 ness of our climate constitutes a great advantage. 
 
 3. I have succeeded well with all the cultivated grasses, which I have 
 tested, excepting timothy only. Our cultivated grasses will not bear, how- 
 ever, close grazing without injury during long protracted droughts in sum- 
 mer and early fall. 
 
 4. Clover and blue-grass do best on a stiff lime soil, red top or Herd's 
 grow on low damp lands.' 
 
 "Mr. Mat Mahorner, of Macon, says : 
 
 'My experience with improved cattle is very limited, except Jerse5'^s, 
 which I consider preferable for good milk and butter. I believe the Devon 
 to be an excellent general-purpose animal, making excellent oxen, good 
 beef, and in many instances fair milkers. The larger breeds will doVell 
 where the pasturage is rich enough and proper attention is given. I cannot 
 see any reason why improved stock-farmmg cannot be made as profitable on 
 cheap lands, with mild winters, as it is where lands are worth from §100 to 
 $500 per acre, and with winters from five to seven mouths. I fear the desire 
 to become rich in a short time, which many expect to accomplisii by raising 
 cotton, is the greatest difficulty in the way in this State. It has been ni}'' 
 IDleasure to visit herds in the New England States this summer that are con- 
 sidered profitable on lands valued as iiigh as $500 per acre.' 
 
 "Mr. M. L. Jenkins, Meridian : 
 
 'I know of no difficulties in the way of successful stock-farming in Mis- 
 sissippi. Of the improved breeds, Jersey cattle are the best for butter and 
 milk, and Holsteins for milk and beef.' 
 
 "Dr. W. E. Gates, Warren County : 
 
 'After several years' experience in breeding and raising thoroughbred 
 Jersey cattle. Southdown sheep, Berkshire and I'oland-China swine, I do 
 not hesitate to say that Warren County, Mississippi, is equal, if not supe- 
 rior, in some respects, to the iamous blue -grass region of Kentucky. Clo- 
 vers luxuriate in our soil ; the Bermuda grass covers nearly all our hills and 
 
[^7] 
 
 valleys, and it will pasture acre for acre juore stock in summer than the 
 blue-grass lands of Kentucky ; its power to resist drought is greater, and 
 analysis plac«s it, pound for pound, in value with the blue-grass. On our 
 meadow land as much as 3K tons per acre have been cut of very superior 
 hay. My herd of Jersey cattle, yet quite young, is as promising as can be 
 found in the United States — rather a broad assertion, but this is the opinion 
 of good jvidges. The butter test i have made bear me out in the assertion. 
 (Handlx)ok of Mississippi, p. 28.) 
 
 SHEEP RAISING. 
 
 "The statistician of the Department of Agriculture estimated the 
 number of sheep in Mississippi, on the 1st of January, 1882, as 290,- 
 571, valued at $421,328, at an average price of |1.45 per head. In 1850 
 the number of sheep in Mississippi, was 304,929 ; in 1860, 352,632 ; in 
 1870, 232,732 and in 1880, 287,694. The number of pounds of wool pro- 
 duced in 1850 was 559,619; in 1860, 665,959; in 1870, 288,285, and in 1880,. 
 734,643. The production of wool increased in the last decade to 
 the large extent ot 446,358 pounds. It therefore appears that, al- 
 though the number ot sheep has not yet reached the ante-bellum 
 figures, the production of wool is now the highest in the State's his- 
 tory. This is best accounted for by the fact that sheep are now more 
 extensively raised for wool than for home consumption or market, 
 owing to the increase in the home consumption of the fibre by woolen 
 mills recently established in the State. This is but another evidence 
 of the good results which flow from the establishment of manufac- 
 tures, which create a ready local demand for the raw product to be 
 manufactured. The production of wool will steadily increase with 
 the establishment of new mills; improved breeds will be produced, 
 more time and attention will be devoted to the industry, and better 
 safeguards will be erected around it. The State is admirably adapted 
 to successful sheep raising, and it only needs the establishment of 
 woolen mills and the vigorous enforcement of friendly legislation ta 
 stimulate the industry until it assumes proportions commensurate 
 with the favorable natural conditions which exist. As illustrating 
 what may be done by raising sheep in this State, the following from 
 the Greenville Times is of interest : 
 
 'A cotton-planter pf our acquaintance, in the lower part of this (Wash* 
 ington) county, has run a sort of side-show with sheep, with the following 
 results : 
 
 Dr. 
 
 EiRhty-sIx sheep, cost $4 each ^. „„...„ „.... ......„„....,.. 8344 00 
 
 First shearing of same „,^ I, 7 60 
 
 Second shearing of same- 4 15 
 
 Shearing 58 lambs _ „.„ „ _ , .^, 2 90 
 
 Of stock 3 died ^„.,„ , ,..., .„, ^. ...^ . 12 00 
 
 Total cost ..„...,.-....,.,..... „, V. ...■■, $370 65 
 
 Cr. — " 
 
 By first clip rApril) ...>...,,. . ..v... .......... ...v, „., $55 77 
 
 By second clip (fall) , „ 60 00 
 
 By clip of lambs , 32 04 
 
 By increase, 29 ewes „ lie 00 
 
 By increase, 31 bucks .s , ^. 93 00 
 
 Total yield „ 8357 71 
 
 'This is within $12.94 of 100 per cent, realized on the investment. This 
 flock of sheep had the run of a Bermuda grass common and front yard.' 
 
 "The pine hUls and level lands of Southern Mississippi ^re especl- 
 
 B 
 
[i8] 
 
 ally well adapted to sheep raising, and it is in this part of the State 
 that the industry has attracted the most attention. Perry County at 
 the last census had 15,764 sheep, and is entitled to the first place in 
 this respect. Marion County comes next, with 14,981 sheep, and then 
 Wayne County, with 12,338 head, while Greene and Harrison Counties 
 have each more than 10,000 head. The I'emainder are quite evenly dis- 
 tributed throughout the State. 
 
 "Mr. J. A. Wetherbee writes that the industry is carried on quite 
 extensively in the western and southern portions of Wayne County, 
 and very successfully. He says that along the line of the Mobile and 
 Ohio Railroad, and in the eastern portion of the county, there are 
 very few sheep, owing to the number of dogs running at large, and 
 suggests that if all persons having dogs were required to keep them 
 confined, the business would be enlarged and become more profitable. 
 The sheep are common stock. 
 
 "Mr. J. T. Buckworth, of Williamsburg, says that there is little or 
 no special attention paid to sheep raising in Covington County ; that 
 this part of the State possesses many advantages for sheep raising, in- 
 cluding a fine summer range, and plenty ot water, but the great 
 trouble is the large number of dogs. He complains that present local 
 and general legislation against this evil is not properly enforced. He 
 considers the Southdown the best breed for that section. 
 
 "Mr. T. H. Smith, of Lawrence County, says: 
 
 'There is generally very little attention paid to sheep in this county. 
 They make their owii lining, but little feed being given them, and .yet they 
 seem to do moderately well. I know of no improved breeds here, only the 
 common stock. I think the pine hills here would make tine sheep-walks, 
 as sheep live through the winter here with little or no feed. The enforce- 
 ment of a strict dog law wovild be a great advantage.' 
 
 "Mr. W. B. Montgomery thinks the smaller breeds of sheep, the 
 Merino and Southdown, best adapted to the State, for the reasons he 
 has given elsewhere for preferring the smaller breeds of cattle. 
 
 "Mr. Mat Mahorner prefers the Southdown for mutton and early 
 Iambs and the grade Merino for wool. 
 
 "The foregoing facts give an idea of sheep raising in Mississippi. 
 There seems to be nothing except dogs in the way of profitable sheep 
 raising in the State. It has been suggested that a dog tax would 
 greatly reduce the number of worthless dogs in the State. The pres- 
 ent statute for the protection of wool-growers provides that any dog 
 found prowling and straying alone and from the premises of the 
 owner, and found either chasing or killing sheep, shall be deemed 
 and held to be a sheep-killing dog, and any person so finding such 
 dogs may kill them, and shall not be held liable to the owner for so 
 doing. Also that the owner of any dog found chasing or killing 
 sheep, who, after notice of the fact, shall fail to kill, or refuse to allow 
 killed, such a dog so found chasing or killing sheep, shall be held lia- 
 ble for three times the amount of all losses or damages occasioned by 
 
[19] 
 
 such cLog' chasing or killing sheep, to be recovered before any court of 
 competent jurisdiction. 
 
 FRUIT AND vegetable: PRODUCTION. 
 
 "As indicating the growth of diversified industries in the State, it 
 may be mentioned that a very profitable and handsome business has 
 been built up in places adjacent to the railroad lines in the production 
 and shipment of fruits and vegetables to the larger cities. This new 
 industry has been steadily growing for a number of years, until it now 
 assumes proportions reaching into the thousands at a number of points 
 in Central and Southern Mississippi along the line of the Illinois Cen- 
 tral railroad. The acreage in fruits and vegetables is constantly being 
 increased, and the industry, inaugurated by a few progressive minds, 
 bids fair to spread and widen until it embraces all points accessible to 
 markets, thereby becoming an important factor in the State's produc- 
 tion. The success which has attended the efforts of those who have 
 engaged in the business shows what may be accomplished when it 
 increases sufficiently to obtain concessions from railroads in the mat- 
 ter of rates, rapid transportation, and improved methods of handling. 
 New markets will be opened up, a healthy rivalry will be established 
 to produce the best results, and there will be a mutuality of interests 
 prompting organization and co-operation in all things tending to pro- 
 mpte and advance the industry. A direct result, and one already 
 foreshadowed in the State, of the growth of the businessand increased 
 production will be the establishment of canneries to utilize such stock 
 as may be on hand at seasons when the markets are depressed to such 
 an extent that it is no longer profitable to make shipments. This 
 sometimes happens late in the season. 
 
 "In the central and southern portions of the State fruit and vegeta- 
 ble production as a business has been found so profitable as to obtain a 
 firm footing within the past few years. This part of the State posses- 
 ses many advantages for successful fruit and vegetable growing, and 
 is attracting the attention of market gardners of the North and West. 
 The winters are mild and short, and successive crops of a large variety 
 of vegetables can be raised during the year with outdoor culture. It 
 is claimed that in the extreme southern portions of the State, with 
 reasonable attention, green peas, lettuce, radishes, and a number of 
 other vegetables can be raised every month in the year. The varieties 
 of fruit which grow here successfully include species grown in more 
 northern latitudes, as well as those which nearly approach the 
 tropics. 
 
 "The soil in South Mississippi is a sandy loam, while higher up it 
 contains a great deal of lime, conditions considered favorable to prof- 
 itable fruit and vegetable growing. The fig-tree and the vine bring 
 the most satisfactory results, with but slight attention. In the south- 
 
em part of the State the fig, which bears regularly ever year, matures 
 its first crop in May and the second and more abundant crop In June 
 and July. It is of long life, and neither tree nor fruit is subject to 
 disease. The dry season, which usually occurs about the time of the 
 maturity of the fig, renders the preserving and drying of it a labor 
 of easy accomplishment. Peaches, pears, and apples do well, but 
 difficulty has been experienced in obtaining a variety of the lattey 
 which will keep well during the winter. Oranges are quite extensive- 
 ly and successfully grown on the coast, and are considered equal in 
 flavor to the Florida oranges. The Scuppernong grape Is largely 
 grown on the coast, and to a less extent throughout the State. From 
 it excellent wines are manufactured. The Concord, Catawba, and 
 Martha grapes have found most favor. The vines are usually planted 
 in February, and most of the varieties mature in June and July. 
 Blackberries and dewberries are indigenous throughout the State, and 
 grow luxuriantly in fields and woodlands. On fertile lands these 
 fruits compare favorably, both in size and flavor, with the cultivated 
 berries, and are no doubt susceptible of great improvement by culti- 
 vation. 
 
 "Strawberries have attracted the most attention and are considered 
 the safest and most profitable crop. Plants put out in June yield a 
 full crop the following spring, when kept clear of grass and weeds 
 and well cultivated in the fall. The Wilson, Albany, Imperial, and 
 Monarch of the West are the most approved varieties. They are 
 easily cultivated, and boys and girls are generally employed to gather 
 the crop. The first shipments from this State are usually made about 
 the 15th of March in each year to Chicago, 111. There are more than 
 three hundred acres in strawberries near Mandison Station, Madison 
 County. Dr. Hayden McKay has 130 acres, and Dr. John McKay 100 
 acres in strawberries. These progressive gentlemen have been making 
 experiments with the Tiffany refrigerator car, which, if successful, 
 will very largely reduce the cost of transportation as now made 
 through the express company. 
 
 "The State is also rich in wild fruits, as will appear by the follow- 
 ing list : 
 
 "Apple (P^?'«ts).^P^r?is coronaria— crab apple; P. angustifolia— 
 crab apple, good for preserves and apple sauce. 
 
 "Blackberry.— Pm6ms vUlosus~h\g\\ blackberry; 11. cimeifoUcis— 
 
 sand blackberry. 
 "Currant.— P/6es j?or/rif<m— wild black currant; E. fenuifoHum— 
 
 wild gooseberry, 
 
 "Dewberry.— i^. canadensis— northevn dewberry,; B. trivialis— 
 southern dewberry. 
 
 "Deerberry.— F«cem/Mm eo?^.j/»?6o.9cum— swamp blueberry; V. 
 ttrftoreM^— fackleberry. 
 
"Elder. — Samhucus eanadensia. Berries make a good wine. 
 
 "Grape.— ( F?<^s)—Fi<^« Mpinnata; V. incisa; F. indivisa; V. la- 
 brusea — northern fox grape; V. cesHvalia — summer grape; K cordt- 
 folia — frost grape; V. vulpina — muscadine. 
 
 "Huckleberry. — Oaylussacia ^•e8^no«a— blaclc huckleberry; O^ 
 fTondosa—hlwQ dandle— higli blueberry ; O. domosa. 
 
 "Mulberry (Morua). — Moras rubra. Fruit deep red, much like a 
 blackberry in appearance— juicy and sweet. 
 
 ^'Papaw. — [Asimina triloba). Fruit very sweet and edible, and 
 much improved by cultivation ; grows in well-shaded alluvial lands; 
 fibrous Dark valuable. 
 
 "Persimmon {Diospyrus).-~Dio8pyrus virginiana. Fruit palatable 
 after frost, and it is believed would be greatly improved by cultiva- 
 tion and made to rival the celebrated Diospyrus Kaki, or Japan per- 
 simmon. I 
 
 "Plum (Prunua). — Prunus Americana— -wild plum; P. chicaaa— 
 —Chickasaw plum; P. pumila—Awmf cherry; P. «e?'o^ma— wild 
 black cherry. " 
 
 "Sloe. — Viburnum prunifolium, — black haw. 
 
 FORESTS AND FOREST TREES OF MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 "The arboreal flora of Mississippi is remarkable for the dense 
 growth of its forest trees, the height and size of timber trees, their^*^ 
 great variety ; for the prevalence of species common only to the Gulf 
 region ; for the extensive growth of hard woods, their kind and value, 
 and above all, for the great belts of pine forests. The forests of the 
 State constitute a mine of untold wealth, which has as yet attracted 
 comparatively little attention from its citizens. While the States of 
 the North and West have been planting forests, and while the Gen- 
 eral Government bestows a liberal bounty for the planting of forest 
 trees upon the public domain, Mississippi has done little to preserve 
 Its bountiful supply of valuable woods, and nothing whatever to re» 
 plete with a new growth the forests alreay destroyed. 
 
 "When first visited by white men the State was an unbroken forest, 
 save limited stretches of prairie, with gigantic trees, undergrowth, 
 wild flowers, cane, and wild grape-vines in unlimited extent. Since 
 its settlement the woodman's ax has destroyed many a fine lorest, a 
 result often rendered necessary by the demands of agriculture, but 
 which, it must be admitted, did not always stop with this necessity, 
 but was continued with little care or thought of the value of forests. 
 The destruction of forests still necessarily continues to a certain ex- 
 tent, but there is fortunately a growing appreciation of their value 
 and a public sentiment which will do much to preserve them forpres- • 
 ent and future generations. The illiberal policy of rapidly exhaust- 
 ing the cleared lands by ^ reckless and improvident system of agri- 
 
■ ■ [22] 
 
 culture and abandoning them for new clearings, to be in turn rapidly 
 exhausted, is beginning to be understood and appreciated. The res- 
 toration of exhausted lauds now going on Avill do much to save the 
 forests from further depletion. 
 
 "The statistics of wood and timber consumption in the United 
 States are full ot meaning, and suggest what is now generally admit- 
 ted, that soon the country must look to the South for its principal 
 supply of useful and ornamental woods. .At a recent session of the 
 American Forestry Congress the Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. 
 George B. Loring, also president of the; Congress, called public atten- 
 tion to this fact. He said : 
 
 * In the near future tlie pine forests of. the Gulf States wilt have to be de- 
 pended upon for lumber. Much remained to be done for the care of forests, 
 much timber being wasted by want of care in burning and cutting. The 
 public mind should be aroused to the importance of the subject.' 
 
 "The immense importance, therefore, not only to the State but to 
 the country at large, of the forests of pine and hard woods, which 
 abound in almost every section of Mississippi, ought to be fully ap- 
 preciated. This valuable bounty of nature should receive the .pro- 
 tecting care of legislation, State and National, the support of public 
 sentiment, and the guardianship of every citizen. Self-interest, it 
 seems, would be sufficient to insure the protection of individual for- 
 ests and the National and State Governments should enforce alike 
 protection upon their respective lands. Every year the value of the 
 forests will increase, and there should be a corresponding increase in 
 a sentiment favorable to their protection. Not only should friendly 
 legislation protect the forests as far aS' possible, but it should also 
 encourage the planting upon the State lands when sold, of pecan, 
 white oak, walnut, chestnut, and other useful trees. It is none too 
 early to begin this work, and if begun at once and diligently prose- 
 cuted the advantages may be ready to be reaped by the time the pres- 
 ent supply of timber is exhausted sufficiently to produce inconve- 
 nience. Mississippi has a statute sufficiently stringent, if enforced, 
 for the protection of valuable and ornamental trees and shrubs. The 
 increasing value of such growth should induce owners to insist upon 
 a more rigid enforcement of this timely legislation, and thus pro- 
 mote a more general regard for this class of individual and national 
 wealth than has obtained heretofore. 
 
 "Immense acquisitions of valuable pine forests in Southern Missis- 
 sippi have of late been made by investors from abroad, who under- 
 stand and appreciate that the trees alone are worth many times the 
 present Government price. As many as seventy large, tall, pine trees 
 have been frequently counted on a single acre of land that the Gov- 
 ■ ernment is selling at $1,25 per acre. The estimated yield per acre of 
 these fine forests varies from 6,000 to 30,000 feet of lumber. This l^iong- 
 leaf Pine Region lies south of the Vicksburg and Meridian Railroad, 
 
[23] 
 
 and extends in Mississippi to the Alabama line on the east, to the 
 Gulf of Mexico and the Louisiana line on the south, and to the 
 blufT formation and Louisiana line on the west. The region of mixed 
 growth adjoins the pine belt on the north, while the bottoms 
 of the State generally, and the Yazoo delta in particular, contain the 
 large deciduous forests. Generally speaking, the sandy lands in the 
 State incline to the different kinds of pine, and the valleys skirting 
 the streams to larg.^, tall, moisture-loving trees. The oaks predomi- 
 nate among the deciduous trees, and are in great variety. 
 
 "The statistics of the Census give the following as the pine supply 
 of Mississippi : 
 
 Estimated amount of merchantable jnne standing Maj/ 31, ISSi). 
 LONG-LEAFED PINE, (pinus australis.) 
 
 STANDING PINE. 
 
 No. of feet, 
 (board-measure) 
 Standiuff pine in region west of Pearl River, tributary to the Illinois 
 
 Central Railroad , .6,8U0,000,000 
 
 East of Pearl River 7,600,000,000 
 
 Region of mixed growth, exclusive of 2CO,000 acres injured bv the man- 
 ufacture of turpentine 3,800,0 00,000 
 
 Total 18,200,000,000 
 
 Cut for the census year ending May 31, 18S0 108,000,000 
 
 'In this estimate no account is made of small timber standing on some 
 2,912,000 acres which have been cut over, and from which the merchantable 
 pine has been i^ractically removed.' 
 
 SHOKT-LEAFED PINE. {PinUS mitis.) 
 
 Standing pine in the northeastern belt ■; ■. 1,600,000,000 
 
 Standing pine in northern region of mixed growth 5,175,000,000 
 
 Total '.6,775,000,000 
 
 Gut for the census year ending May 31, 1880 7,775,000 
 
 "The estimated consumption of wood for domestic purposes in 
 Mississippi amounts to 5,090,758 cords, valued at $7,145,116 per annum. 
 The value of mill products, such as lumber, laths, shingles, staves, 
 ,&c., per annum, amounts to $1,920,335. These two items will give an 
 idea of the large annual drain upon Ihe forests of the State. 
 
 "It is to be regretted that the forest wealth of Mississippi has never 
 been made the object of special study by a competent observer. It 
 is a mine of wealth, which, however, awaits and merits exploration 
 and study. 
 
 ^COTTON AND WOOLEN MANUFACTURING. 
 
 "The agricultural prosperity of a State, if not dependent upon the 
 development of manufactures, is greatly promoted and advanced by 
 their success and number. They create a ready, accessible market 
 for the raw material manufactured, and a demand also for other pro- 
 ducts of the farm for the sustenance ot their operatives. When fac- 
 tories abound the planters of the State will have little trouble in dig- 
 
posing of many of their surplus products for which tliere is at present 
 no market. Upon the article manufactured the producer will save 
 the charges and profits of middlemen and transportation companies, 
 no inconsiderable burdens upon the staple products of the soil. To 
 the extent, therefore, that the products of the State are manufac- 
 tured within the limits of that State the entire profits in the succes- 
 sive stages are kept within the State, and all callings and trades feel 
 the beneficial effects, but none more so than that of agriculture. 
 
 "The press and people of the State are thoroughly alive to the im« 
 portance of manufactures and the advantages which result to a com- 
 munity from their establishment. Never before in the history of the 
 State has there been manifested such a lively and growing interest in 
 this important subject. The governor of the State, in his inaugural 
 address, called special attention to the importance of manufactures, 
 and the legislature, at its last session, passed a law exempting from 
 taxation for ten years the machinery used for the manufacture of cot- 
 ton and woolen goods, yarns and fabrics composed of these or other 
 materials, or for the manufacture of agricultural implements and 
 machinery. This sentiment takes practical shape every now and 
 then in the incorporation of a company of home capitalists to em- 
 bark in cotton or woolen manufacture. And here it may be remarked 
 that there is probably not a county in the State whose citizens could 
 not, by organization and co-operation, establish, without foreign aid, 
 a well-equipped manufaiitory for the production of the coarser cotton 
 fabrics. It is a common remark that capital is scarce is Mississippi; 
 the truth is, there is a fair proportion of it here, only it is very widely 
 and evenly distributed, and needs co-operation to bring it together 
 for industrial and manufacturing advancement. When the people ot 
 the State fully appreciate the vast benefits of combined capital and 
 effort they will not long wait for outside capital to aid them in estab- 
 lishing manufacturing industries. There may not be one or two indi- 
 viduals in a given community able and willing to invest $100,000 in a 
 cotton factory, but two hundred might be found who would invest 
 $500 each, thus making the required amount. These figures are, of 
 course, merely illustrative; the capital need not be so large for a be- 
 ginning, and consequently the individual subscriptions would be less. 
 
 "The present healthy sentiment in favor of manufactures promises 
 well for the future, and it is a reasonable assumption that Mississippi^ 
 occupying a position among the first of the cotton-producing States, 
 will, in the near future, lake high rank in the manufacture of her 
 favorite and staple product. A well-settled conviction exists through- 
 out the country that the coarser fabrics, at least, should be manufac- 
 tured close by the fields where the raw material is produced. "Bring 
 ihe mills to the cotton" Is now one of the popular ideas of the day 
 which is gradually assuming practical realization. It la very generally 
 
[25] 
 
 admitted that the mills established in the cotton belt will soon have 
 the market under control for the coarser grades of cotton goods. Those 
 who have engaged in cotton manufacturing in this State have wisely 
 concluded to devote themselves to this class of goods for the present. 
 This is the proper and necessary beginning; what possibilities the 
 future will develop is left to conjecture. 
 
 "There is littlB fear of overproduction of cotton goods, however 
 much manufactures may multiply in the South. Mr. Edward Atkin- 
 son, of Boston, an eminent authority on this subject, says: 
 
 ' Wlien it is remembered that a larger portion of the population of the 
 globe is now clothed in cotton fabrics made by hand, and even those who 
 use machine-made fabrics are served as yet with less than half as miich 
 cloth as the people of this country average in a year, the future field for in- 
 dustry and commerce in this department may be imagined, but cannot be 
 proved by statistics, or by any deductions from census data.' 
 
 "The requirements for successful cotton manufacturing abound in 
 Mississippi. The raw material is here in first hands; there is an 
 abundance of cheap fuel ; the cost of living is less than in the large 
 manufacturing centers; the hours of labor are longer; there is an 
 abundance of cheap water-power, when it is preferred to steam ; all 
 capital invested is exempt from taxation for ten years; a home mar- 
 ket exists for a part of the products, and finally there are rail and 
 water transportation facilities from many sections of the Staie to the 
 great centers of trade and commerce. These are the inducements 
 held out to foreign investors, and the further important fact that 
 manufactures in Mississippi, built and operated with home capital 
 and home labor, have prospered to a gratifying extent, and have paid 
 handsome interests on the investments- Those who are inclined to 
 doubt that manufacturing may be made to pay well in Mississippi 
 have only to notice the results already accomplished. 
 
 "Thirty-five years ago, at the present site of Bankston, Choctaw 
 County, Col. J. M. Wesson put in motion the first spindle and spun 
 the first yarn that was ever made by steam or water-power in Missis- 
 sippi. This pioneer in manufacturing was president of a company 
 organized at Columbus, Ga., and the enterprise established at the 
 interior site, Bankston, proved very profitable until destroyed during 
 the war. 
 
 "The extent of the mechanical and manufacturing interests of Mis- 
 sissippi, at the last census, is exhibited by the following statements : 
 
 Description. 
 
 All industries 
 
 Cotton goods, 
 
 Flouring and grist mill products- 
 Lumber, sawed 
 
 Oil, cotton-seed and cake 
 
 Woolen goods 
 
 All other industries 
 
 Number of 
 
 establisb- 
 
 ments. 
 
 1,479 
 
 9 
 
 .525 
 
 295 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 034 
 
 Capital. 
 
 54,727,000 
 1,1.TO,&10 
 889,950 
 922,595 
 450,000 
 381,500 
 1-002,915 
 
 Average 
 
 number of 
 
 employes. 
 
 5,827 
 722 
 
 1,170 
 50i: 
 21.^ 
 
 2,360 
 
 Value of pro- 
 ducts. 
 
 37,518,300 
 
 691,415 
 
 1,762,523 
 
 1,920,335 
 
 500,303 
 
 299,605 
 
 2,284,006 
 
 "The figures above quoted have been very materially increased 
 C 
 
[26] 
 
 slneojtbe census was taken by the establishment of new industries 
 and the enlargement of old ones. 
 
 WHAT SOME MISSISSIPPI MILLS ARE DOING. 
 
 '•A conspicuous example of what may be done in manufacturing in 
 this State is offered by the Mississippi Mills, located at Wesson, Co- 
 piah County, on the Illinois Central Railroad, 138 miles from New 
 Orleans. These mills commenced operations under their present or- 
 ganization in 1873. The site selected was, previous to the establish- 
 ment of the mills, almost an unbroken pine forest. To-day Wesson 
 is a beautiful, prosperous manufacturing village, of which there 
 should be many counterparts in Mississippi, containing free schools 
 and churches and about 2,800 inhabitants, more or less dependent 
 upon the prosperity of the mills. Mr. E. Richardson, the president, 
 and an extensive cotton-planter, and Mr. William Oliver, the secre- 
 tary and treasurer, are both Mississippians, and the 900 operatives are 
 mostly from the surrounding country. 
 
 "At the Centennial in 1876 these mills received the highest award 
 of merit, and medal for their celebrated "Centennial cassiraei'es," 
 and at the Atlanta Exposition they again received the highest award- 
 diploma and gold medal — for the superiority of their goods. Every 
 year since the present organization the mills have prospered and 
 made money, but the management have steadily invested the earn- 
 ings in buildings and machiner3^ Within the past six months very 
 near $100,000 have been thus invested. There are 500 looms and 10,000 
 spindles in operation, and also thirteen sets of woolen machinery, 
 and all the appurtenances of a first-class woolen mill. A variety of 
 goods are manufactured, such as cotton checks, plaids, ginghams, 
 eottonades, brown sheetings, shirtings, osnaburgs, drillings, tickings, 
 jeans, cassimeres, yarns, threads, &c. The mills consume about 4,000 
 bales of cotton and 900,000 pounds of wool per annum. Wood fuel is 
 used, of which there is a convenient and abundant supply. As to the 
 demands for the products of the mill, the secretary says : 
 
 'We are generally overworked on all our fabrics, and have orders now 
 largely in excess of our produciion of woolen p;oods, and on many of our 
 cotton goods. Our trade extends from New York to San Francisco, but 
 most in the Western States, Texas, and the Southern States.' 
 
ilj.^"ct3d:h]i=5X).^^XjE ooxj^sra?"^. 
 
 One of tlie ISest iia tlie State. 
 
 The lands of Lauderdale County are much above the average in 
 productiveness of those counties in East Mississippi lying south of 
 the Noxubee River. Cotton, corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, rye and 
 sugar cane, grow to perfection in this county when properly culti- 
 vated. We have as many successful farmei's in this county "who 
 live at home and stay at the same place," as any portion of the State. 
 Mr. S. M. Bailey has made a success of cotton, corn, hogs and 
 cattle. 
 
 Another farmer, Mr. H. F. Alexander, while looking well at cotton, 
 corn, hogs, &c., has also made a success of raising sugar cane. He 
 (A.) has planted three acres in cane; after saving enough cane for 
 planting the same amount of land, made 1040 gals, of the best molasses 
 at a cost of planting, cultivating and grinding, of $134. Mr, Alexan- 
 der states to the writer that he has never failed to find ready sale for 
 all the molasses at 50 cents per gallon. The fine displays made yearly 
 by Mr, John Stinson, at the Mississippi State Fairs, held here, are a 
 complete showing up as to the various productions of our county. Out 
 average crops of corn are from 20 to 30 bushels per acre with no fer« 
 tilizers. 
 
 Mr. John K. Mosby rarely ever falls under 50 bushels of corn per 
 acre. Of rice, which can be raised almost all over the county, the 
 crop is from 30 to 60 bushels per acre, according to location. This 
 crop (rice) never proves a failure. The want of a good and cheap 
 portable rice mill, that will hull and clean rice properly, will give an 
 impetus to its culture, and beyond all doubt prove a bonanza to the 
 inventor. We feel an especial interest in such an invention, and 
 would call attention to inventors in whose hands this pamphlet may 
 reach, that a successful machine for hulling and cleaning rice would 
 make a revolution as decided as the "Famous Cotton Picking Ma- 
 chine," and the reward to the inventor would be as great. 
 
 Great success has attended the oat crop in this county. The red 
 oats are the variety sown here. The crop is a sure one and often 
 yields as high as 50 bushels per acre, when sown on the best lands. 
 
 Eye and barley do well here, but is planted mostly for grazing. We 
 have a great variety of natural grasses. [See pages 12-16.] 
 
[28] 
 
 Wheat does well in t'lis county and is as sure a crop as any other 
 planted. The writer has long been engaged in milling, and more than 
 twenty-fiye years in East Mississippi. From his own observations, 
 and from enquiries made of many farmers, be is lead to believe that 
 in almost every case where a failure has occurred in wheat culture it 
 may be traced to some or all of the following causes : First. — Cotton 
 first, last and all the time in the way. Second— Land not properly 
 prepared. Third— Planting in December when seed ought to be in 
 the ground early in October. (Cotton in the way at that time.) 
 Fourth— Planting wheat year after year on the same land with little 
 or no fertilizer and never improving the seed. We had charge of govern- 
 ment (Confederats) mills in this section during the late war, and had 
 good opportunities to learn something of wheat cultivation, and 
 know that one army obtained nearly all their supplies in the way 
 of flour from this section. Cotton was not "King" then, it had no 
 sway, and this section did show marked adaptability for wheat and 
 all the rest of the small grain. 
 
 Nearly all the fruits and grapes belonging to a more northern lati- 
 tude, our county will produce to perfection, besides many varieties 
 belonging here. 
 
 In the forests we have a full share of different woods belonging to 
 other sections of the State and offering manufacturers great induce- 
 ments. All over the county we have good water and the best of health 
 and epidemics are unknown. 
 
THE CITY OF MERIDIAN. 
 
 One of the Greatest Railroad Centers of 
 THE Southwest, 
 
 =4" • 
 
 ITS ADVANTAGES FOR ALL MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES. 
 
 Meridian, the county seat of Lauderdale County, is located near 
 the eastern border of the State, in a most salubrious region, in the 
 midst of the pine woods of East Mississippi, and is now estimated to 
 have a population of 10,000. It has nearly doubled its popula- 
 tion in the last three years, and at no time in its history have more 
 new buildings been erected than in the last twelve months. At a 
 convenient distance, and connected by rail with the iron mines and 
 coal fields of Alabama, and surrounded by an inexhaustible supply of 
 the best pine, oak, ash, hickory, cypress, sweet gum and other valua- 
 ble timbers, there is no more inviting locality for manufactures in the 
 United States. No place in the South is more favorably situated for 
 cotton factories, or the maufacture of furniture, wagons, agricultural 
 implements, etc., than Meridian, and that such enterprises here would 
 pay handsomely, admits of no doubt. Immigrants coming to this 
 section will receive a hearty welcome. We make the following quo- 
 tation to illustrate this, from the "Handkook of the State of Missis- 
 sippi," issued by Maj. E, G. Wall, Commissioner of Agriculture and 
 Immigration, copies of which may be obtained on application to Maj. 
 Wall, at Jackson, Miss. : 
 
 "We need population to develop our State. We will give settlers a 
 hearty welcome, and extend to them full and equal protection. We 
 want people of kindred races, that we may be homogeneous; vve are 
 immigrants or the decendants of immigrants in our favored country. 
 We do not want the criminals and paupers of other States and 
 countries, but to industrious and reliable immigrants we offer good 
 and cheap homes— invite them to locate, and become the owners of 
 their lands in fee simple forever; we want thera to become citizens, 
 
[3o] 
 
 and have with us equal political privileges and responsibilities. We 
 want persons skilled in a great variety of agricultural, horticultural 
 and manufacturing pursuits, in fact, in all the industries of life. We 
 want, especially, capital to develop our unbounded resources. We 
 want settlers who will bi'ing along witli them means and energy, to 
 enter into business for themselves, to buy our cheap lands, become 
 permanent residents, and to help build up tbe prosperity of our State. 
 We want men who are willing to rely on their own energy and ex- 
 ertions and means, to make for themselves comfortable and beautiful 
 homes. To such we say come, and if you have good staying qualities, 
 and do not expect to gather a fortune in a year or two from cotton 
 plants, your reward will be sure." 
 
 £S.ailroadLs. 
 Meridian is on the Mobile & Ohio Eailroad, 135 miles north ot Mo- 
 bile, and 194 miles south of Corinth. It is at the junction of the 
 Vicksburg & Meridian, East Tennessees & Virginia, Alabama Great 
 Southern, and New Orleans & Northeastern, It is 140 miles east of 
 Vicksburg, 105 miles west of Selma, and 195 miles north of New Or- 
 leans. Twelve passenger trains and over thirty freight trains arrive 
 at and leave Meridian daily. Three other railroads are in con- 
 templation, and will be buit': one to the Warrior coal fields in Ala- 
 bama, one to Tuscahoma on the Tombigbee and the other to Grenada 
 on the Illinois Contral Railroad. 
 
 Manuifactories. 
 
 There are now in operation a number of manufacturing enter- 
 prises, whose business is yearly increasing, and who find a remunera- 
 tive sale for all they can make. They are : 
 
 MEBIDIAN SASH AND BLIND FACTORY. 
 
 This company commenced operations fourteen years ago, and is the 
 oldest manufacturing enterprise in the city. Their business for tbe 
 past year has been larger than any previous year, and with all the 
 hands they could employ they have scarcely been able to fill their 
 numerous orders. They maufacture sash, (glazed at the factory), 
 doors of all kinds, mouldings, brackets, nevt^ells, banisters, and every 
 kind of wood work used in building. They also keep on hand 
 dressed lumber in all shades, and almost every kind of builder's ma- 
 terials. While they supply nearly all the sash, doors, blinds, etc., 
 used in the city, this is but a small part of their business, the greater 
 part consisting of orders from different points along the lines of 
 railroads. 
 
 They do by f?ir the largest business of the kind in the State, and 
 their prices are, on many articles which they manufacture, cheaper 
 than in Mobile or New Orleans. In quality or style their work is 
 equal to any that can be had in the South or West Mr. George S. 
 
[3x] 
 
 Covert, who is a member of the company, has charge of the contract- 
 ing department, and usually has eraploj^ed thirty and often as many 
 as fifty hands. The wood work of the Opera-house, court-houses at 
 Meridian and Corinth, the Baum Block, the East Mississippi Insane 
 Asylum, and nearly all the other buildings here, have been fnrnished 
 by the Meridian Sash and Blind Factory. In fact, their work can be 
 found in every part of East Mississippi and West Alabama, and gives 
 satisfaction to the hundreds who use it, both in quality and in price. 
 Tlie factory itself affords constant employment to sixty hands, 
 among whom are a number of skilled workmen. 
 
 MEEIDIAN OIL MILLS AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY. 
 
 This company was organized in 1876 and has been in successful 
 operation ever since that time — four years ago the machinery was en- 
 larged at an expense of §30,000, and it is now one of the largest and 
 most complete oil mills in the South. With nearly one hundred boxes 
 it will grind from sixty to eighty tons of cotton seed in tweuty-four 
 hours, and its employees usually number one hundred. In this way 
 during the crushing season, the company pay out every week several 
 hundred dollars to their employees, for services, the most of which is 
 spent in the city, and adds considerably to the retail trade. The cot- 
 ton seed meal made by the Oil Mills is an excellent article, very pop- 
 ular wherever used, and as its merits as a fertilizer and for feeding 
 are becoming better known, its local sales are greatly increasing. The 
 company occupies an elegant three-story brick office that has every 
 convenience and comfort for the storage of valuables and the trans- 
 action of business, and is an ornament to that part of the city. They 
 have also enlarged their extensive sheds, for the storage of cotton 
 seed, and covered the M'hole with an iron roof. 
 
 SOUTHERN STANDARD PRESS COMPANY. 
 
 This company of which Mr. A. J. Hyde is the owner and business 
 manager, was located here in the spring of 1879. At that time Mr. 
 G. W. Soule was President, and Mr. A. J. Hyde, Secretary. Since 
 then, Mr. Soule, who is engaged in perfecting a sugar mill for which 
 he has obtained a patent, disposed of his interest to Mr. Hj'de, who is 
 now carrying on the business successfully. The company has been a 
 most valuable accession to the industries of Meridian. In the last 
 four years they have manufactured and sold over 3,000 of their cele- 
 brated Southern Standard Presses, tliat are now in successful opera- 
 tion in almost every county and neighborhood in this and adjoining 
 States. 
 
 THE PLANTERS COMPRESS AND WAREHOUSE 
 
 at Meridian is one of the largest and best in the South, and will 
 afford every facility for the compressing and storage of cotton. It is 
 a first-class 90-inch cylinder Morse Compress. Was put up by Mr. 
 
[32] 
 
 L. A. Eagsdale, three years ago, and is now conducted by Mr. J. S. 
 Solomon as lessee. During the past tv/elve months it has compressed 
 over 65,000 bales of cotton, of this number 60,000 bales were sold in 
 this market; the remainder was shipped via Meridian and compressed 
 here en route. 
 
 EAST MlSiSISSIPPl MILLS. 
 
 This cotton factory is now in successful operation under the man- 
 agement of Mr. J. S, iSolomou. About sixty hands are employed, 
 and they make a very superior article of sheetings, and also the best 
 yarns in the market. They make a specialty 4-4 sheetings Nos. 8 
 and 10 yarns, and cotton batting. They consume fi'om 700 to 800 lbs. 
 of cotton daily or about 500 bales yearly. The product of the mills is 
 sold to the merchants of Meridian, though some of it is shipped to 
 nortliern markets where it finds a ready sale. 
 
 MACHINE SHOPS AND FOUNDRIES. 
 
 Besides the above, the machine shops of the N. O. & N. E. Rail 
 road have been located at Meridian. Over 500 hands will be em- 
 ployed in these shops, and this alone will add several thousand to the 
 population of the city. 
 
 Messrs. Williams & Briggs have a first-class machine shop and 
 foundry, (brick) one of the best in the State. They are building two 
 or three sizes of steam engines and doing rauoh^ of the repair 
 work done in this section. 
 
 Mr. G. W. Soule also has a machine shop and; foundry. Work prin- 
 cipally jobbing. Mr. Soule is the inventor of the Southern Standard 
 Press, a cotton seed oil press and other inventions. 
 
 MERIDIAN FERTILIZER COMPANY. 
 
 This is a new enterprise, started in the last 12 months. Both the 
 General Manager, Mr. W. L. Goldsmith, and the Superintendent, Mr. 
 PI. J. PraLt, have had large experience as manufacturers of fertilizers. 
 This company have a capital of $50,000, and every member compris- 
 ing it is a guarantee that they will furnish a fertilizer worth the money 
 asked for it, and give the most profitable return to those who use it, 
 thereby securing for it a permanent place in the esteem of the people. 
 
 ROBINSON & CO. 
 
 are among the largest manufacturers of brick in the State. They 
 operate two large yards and keep the largest quantities of both ma- 
 chine and hand-made brick for building and other purposes. 
 
 ICE FACTORY. 
 
 This company has been for the last three years in operation, and 
 finds a ready sale here and along the lines of the different railroads 
 for all the ice they manufacture. This company has ample capital to 
 
[33] 
 
 enlarge their capacity as their trade increases. Mr. R. A. Fewell is 
 the business manager and Mr. Robert E. White superintendent. 
 
 MEBIDIAN GAS LIQliT COMPANY 
 
 began supplying the city with gas on the 1st of October, 1882. These 
 works were erected and the mains laid at a cost of over $35,000. 
 Within the last two years, such has been the rapid growth of our city, 
 this company has been unable to supply the increased demand made 
 on them, and during the coming season will have to make larger ad- 
 ditions to their works. Mr. C. W. Robinson is secretary and treasurer 
 and Mr. John Stafford, manager. 
 
 MEKIDIAN PPIOSPHATE COMPANY. 
 
 This company own the richest Phosphate and Marl beds in the 
 South. The supply is inexhaustible. Their benficial effects on the worn 
 out lands of New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and iNorth and South 
 Carolina are known to every farmer who has kept apace v/ith the pro- 
 gress of this age. This company claim that they can furnish to the far- 
 mer a marl for composting at a cost, compared with the results, less 
 than has ever been sold before. They will also have on the market a 
 fertilizer with this marl as a basis which they believe will meet the 
 wants of the farmer, price considered, as few fertilizers have done. 
 This company has had a careful analysis made of these marls by 
 Prof, John A. Myers, Mississippi State Chemist, and append the 
 analysis: 
 
 ANALYSIS OF WHITE MARL FROM NEAR COATOPA, ALA. 
 
 (Average of five dotenninations.) , . 
 
 Sand 10.91 
 
 Water 1.20 
 
 Lime 31.211 
 
 Carbonic acid 20.08 
 
 Phosphoric acid 4.95 
 
 Oxide iron and alhiviuni , 20.75 
 
 Volatile and.i gaiiic matter 3.00 
 
 Potash (N. & O.) :. 64 
 
 Soda (Trace) 24 
 
 Sulphuric acid 1.10 
 
 Magnesia 
 
 Sap - 
 
 This marl is the richest known to me in the State or the United States, and 
 is wortli at commeicial j^rice at least |6per ton. 
 
 The sample was quite dry, varied considerably in physical character and 
 was thoroughly pulverized and mixed before selecting a sample for 
 analysis. Respectfully Submitted, 
 
 Jwo. A. Myeks, State Chemist. 
 
 This company will also develop a large bed of fire clay, which lies 
 nearly at the doors of their factory. This fire clay is pronounced by 
 Dr. Little, State Geologist of Mississippi, to be of the most superior 
 quality. Several tests have been made of this clay at tlie Iron Fur- 
 naces of Briminghain, Ala., and Dr. Little's high opinion of it has 
 been fully sustained. This company have ample capital to carry on 
 the business. John F. Wiatt, president, and Col. John T. O'Ferrall 
 secretary and treausurer. 
 D 
 
[34] 
 
 GRIST MIX.LS. 
 
 The mort complete grist mills in the State are located here. The 
 Meridian Mills are owned by J. A. Wetherbee & Son, who, in addi- 
 tion to their milling, are among the largest grain dealers here. 
 
 The City Mills are owned by Stevenson & Co., who also deal in 
 machinery. Both of these mills are built of brick in the most sub- 
 stantial style and the machinery flrst-class in every respect. 
 
 As a manufacturing point, few places offer as great inducements as 
 Meridian. Especially is this true of the manufacture of wagons, 
 plows and all other industries in which the woods enter so largely as it 
 does in those manufactures named. We are surrounded by the greatest 
 bodies of lands, covered with white oak, hickory, yellow pine and 
 other valuable timber. The cost of these materials would be nominal 
 when compared with most places, where such manufacturing is car- 
 ried on. Labor is as cheap and the cost of living as low as any place 
 in the Union. Coal is abundant and cheap and no better railroad 
 connections any where. 
 
 We have a Street Railroad which when finished will be four miles 
 in length. Two miles are now operated, and the work on the unfin- 
 ished portion of the road is being rapidly pushed forward and its com- 
 pletion in the next ninety days is assured. Mr. J. L. Handly is the 
 superintendent, and Capt. R. M. Houston is the secretary. 
 
 There is no place in the South where merchants display greater 
 vim and energy and at the same time due caution in their business, 
 as do the merchants of Meridian. Tbere are more large dealers here 
 than any other town in the State. There are thousands of bales of 
 cotton brought here yearly by wagons, and bought by our merchants, 
 who through their liberal dealings and high prices paid for cotton, 
 have added greatly to the growth and present prosperity of Meridian> 
 The stores are all built of brick and some of them would be an orna- 
 ment to any city. 
 
 THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK. 
 
 This bank bogau business July 1st, 1883, succeeding the Peoples' 
 Bank. Its capital was $50,000 during its first year. On July 1st 1884, 
 the capital was increased to $100,000, and up to this time its paid up 
 capital and surplus amounts to $105,000, making this bank the 
 strongest in the State. 
 
 It does a general banking business and has unsurpassed facilities 
 for collecting throughout this State and West Alabama. The success 
 this bank has met with gives a true idea ot tlie rapid growth of Meri- 
 dian during the past year. The officers of this bank are: Chas. A. 
 Lyerly, president; W. W. George, vice-president ; C. W.Robinson, 
 cashier, and O. J. Waite, assistant cashier. 
 
 THE MERIDIAN NATIOUNAL BANK. 
 
 The Meridian National Bank began business during the past twelve 
 
[35] 
 
 months. The subscribers to the stock of this bank are a number of 
 
 Pennsylvania capitalists and some of the most solid business men of 
 
 East Mississippi, making this bank an assured' success from its start. 
 
 Its paid up capital is $100,000. 
 
 Will transact a general banking business and pay great attention 
 
 to collections in this section. The officers of this bank are : W. H. 
 
 Hardy, president; T. Wistar Brown, vice-president, and J. H. Wright 
 cashier. 
 
 NEWSPAPER AND JOB PRINTING OFFICES. 
 
 We have the Meridian Mercury published Daily and Weekly by 
 Horn & Shannon. It has the largest circulation in East Mississippi 
 and West Alabama of any daily published in the State, and is the 
 most influential paper in this section. 
 
 The Farmers^ Advocate^ a weekly paper published byR. P. Walker, 
 finds its largest circulation among the farmers, but has a good list 
 among others outside of them. 
 
 Rev. A. Gressett edits the Southern Baptist, a weekly paper in the- 
 interest of that denomination. This paper claims the largest weekly 
 circulation of any religious jpaper in this section. 
 
 In addition to the above publications, Mr. Chas. P. Dement has one 
 of the most thoroughly equipped job printing establishments in the 
 State and turns out as good work as can be obtained in the larger cities. 
 
 Mr. J. J. Dement is also engaged in the job printing business and 
 has an excellent collection of materials. 
 
 SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, HOTELS, ETC. 
 
 The Meridian Female College, (Baptist) the East Mississippi Fe- 
 male College, (Methodist) the St. Aloysius Female Academy, (Cath- 
 olic) and several schools for males. We have besides, public schools 
 for both white and colored children. The trustees of the public 
 schools have purchased lands on which to erect suitable buildings for 
 the same. There are over sixty public schools in the county. 
 
 Nearly all denominations are represented here. There are three Bap- 
 tist, three Methodist, two Presbyterian, one Episcopal, one Catholic 
 and one Hebrew Temple. We have three good hotels with ample 
 room for the present population. Our public buildings Jare : Court- 
 house, City Hall, Opera House, and an Insane Asylum costing over 
 $100,000. Messrs. J. J. O'Neal & Sons have a complete marble yard 
 and do the largest business of any similar firm. Their work will com- 
 pete with like work done in any section of the union. Their work is 
 sent all over this State and West Alabama. 
 
 OTHER INDUCEMENTS. 
 
 Mr. L. A. Ragsdale, who is the largest real estate owner here, in- 
 forms the writer that he will offer extra inducements to those coming 
 among us to engage in manufacturing of any kind. 
 
 Last, but greatest, we offer you the best of health with no epidemics 
 of any sort. In proof of which, we will state that our mortality is 
 not quite ten to the 1,000 inhabitants, 
 
[3^\ 
 
 mmiTm 
 
 MFFWiMMf MB MB ABIE, 
 
 est Merial WorMMi! Tales it Stall Space! 
 
 LOWEST PRICES! 
 
 :E3:as InTo Eq.-aal for Z^Tannin^ 
 
 Saw Mills, Grist Mills, Cotton Gins, 
 
 -.^^:3sr3D- 
 
 EveryKindOf Machinery Used In The South, 
 TSerc art) Four of tliese Eiiiliies Eiiiiiiiiii in Icrkllaii, 
 
 We are the only parties iu the State who carry a full line of 
 MACHINERY OILS. 
 
 Correspondence Solicited. 
 
 City Mills Macliiiiery Agresscjr, 
 
[37] 
 
 Meteor, 15 Horse Power, ....... 
 
 Reliable, 25 Horse Power, 
 
 Hercules, 35 Horse Power, 
 
 Peerless No. i, 45 Horse Power, . . . . 
 Peerless No, 2, 60 Horse Power 
 
 $250 
 325 
 450 
 
 500 
 
38] 
 
 -m^wwi^^^^n i^m fence mb gc^Ew ce.^^ 
 
 AND WE OFFER A 
 
 The several stylos of this Fence are manufactured under the justly 
 
 CEI^EBRATEB "ROOF PATENTS." 
 
 No pains have been spared to Perfect this Fence in every particular, 
 and we offer to the public, 
 
 THE CHEAPEST AID BEST MUfiHT IRON FENCE EVER MADE. 
 
 Neither its strength or durability will be questioned when it is known that our Fence 
 is made of the best quality ot Wrought Iron, the posts thoroughly tarred below ground. 
 We use no rivets and have no poor joints. The combination of the parts is such that 
 the expansion and contraction cannot displace or injure any part. 'The posts are but 
 six feet apart, and their bases are so largo and deeply set that the frost can never dis- 
 turb them. 
 
 The iron of which the rails are made, though light, is so combined in 1" form that 
 the resistance of the upper rail is nearly equal to that of a bar of irom 1% inches square, 
 and the lower one proportionately greater, yet does not have the appearance of being 
 heavy or cumbersome. It is perfectly adjustable, has no braces above ground, and botti 
 sides are alike. In other words, both sides present finished and smooth surfaces, free 
 from nuts, bolts and braces so often prominent on the house side of the most patterns of 
 Iron Fences. 
 
 Nothing is used but WROUGHT lUON and need no resort to words sucli as 
 
 "Malleable," &c., to give our Fencing a quality of 
 
 elasticity and durability. 
 
 Our Fences (excepting Nos. 1 and 2 which are three inches lower,) are all made 
 Standard Heighth, Pickets being full 36 inches long, or 39 inches from ground to top of 
 
 Eicket. This heighth seems to be most popular, however, we order Fencing of lighter or 
 eavier iron and of any desired heighth, on special contract, and at very low rates. 
 
 The prices given are for a linear foot on board of cars, and in- 
 cluding the putting up. 
 
 Gates we make very substantial and to match the styles of Fencing ordered, the 
 standard Avidth being 3)^ feet. Onr Carriage Gates are made double. Standard width-9 
 feet. Our hinges and catches are put on in the most substantial shape. Our latch is 
 ingenious in its simplicity ; permits the gate to open either way, and does not slip by 
 when snut. Correspondence solicited. 
 
 City Mills Blacliinery Agreucyt 
 
[39] 
 
 PUTTING UP THIS FENCE. 
 
 to Work Loose. 
 
 tt.ee fa t2M, Pii liases fmt. 
 
 STEVENSON & CO., 
 
 City Mills Macliiiiery Agency, 
 
[4o] 
 
 THE STANDARD. 
 
 Every Mill of French Buhr and even 
 Grit. Iron back on the Runner with eye 
 Bush on one piece. Therefore, no push- 
 ing of the Eye Bush through the Mill. 
 
 1^1 
 
 
 ^1 
 
 
 
 mi 
 
 
 t^i 
 
 S^l 
 
 CIS 
 
 Si^l 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 PI 
 
 Fa^ 
 
 G3» 
 
 C/1 
 
 S^ 
 
 jf—fl, 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 S-HJI 
 
 
 ^■i\ 
 
 1^1 
 
 r^ji, 
 
 m 
 
 
 «&» 
 
 
 ^1 
 
 
 ■^ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 •^ 
 
 u^ m 
 
 
 L»=3I 
 
 Iron Bridge Tree, Iron Girt, Adjusta- 
 ble Followers with Set Screw and Oil 
 Fountains. Grinds more and better meal 
 with a lower rate ot Speed and with less 
 power than any other Mill. 
 
[41] 
 
 pumps Ytitigai im 
 
 ARE THE ONLY 
 
 HIGH SPEED MILLS 
 
 Msi7iMg tkit BiSii'mgs BsMMg In Oil, i§ PtSYsat Es^tiag of 
 
 i&i Efmdk w&kh is §§ G§mm§n ia sill ot&@F Mills 
 
 §i t&is ^hMMUs. 
 
 This is the only Vertical Mill having a 
 
 FAN ATTACHINT FOR CLEAfflG GOl, 
 
 ■^ic H0^K0]^3F^ii ^ a^DE^ ^ WWW -^ W^^% 'i^ 
 
 ARH MADK EITHBR 
 
 Stiff Spindle or Cock Head, Pully or 
 Double Geard as Desired. 
 
 We are the only parties in the State who keep a full line of . 
 
 Elilli 4WP MI, OTEll liOlIIlBY QILS. 
 
 Correspondence solicited. 
 
 STEVENSON & CO., 
 
 City mills Machinery Af^ency. 
 
 E 
 
[42] 
 
[43] 
 
 O^irirjij-fr.irii 
 
 wn 
 
 r^rr 
 
 
 llil.. 
 
 A-InTID: 
 
 EKMAMSHIP. 
 
 Ifllf lOttll IlSf IB Af 111 f iOf 01 
 
 -E"^ orxaiE- 
 
 Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and 
 Insurance Company. 
 
 CEi^TIFIC^TE @F mW i^CCejIP^NY E^Cfl B0mER. 
 
 Correspondence solicited. 
 
 mmm & CO,, Cit? mis MacMDery Apncy, 
 
 MERIDIAN, MISS, 
 
[44] 
 
 lis 
 
[45l 
 
 mm, MTERS & SGHNIER'S 
 
 m 
 
 I 
 
 Fraie eler Made of Solll Iron, or f ooJen siies and Iron euis as ieslreJ. 
 
 Bearings are 9 inches long^ and are 
 lined with the 
 
 BEST lAllIT MBTAL 
 
 I UOO C C C IU**—' 
 
 Feed l^orks of the most Improved Pattern. 
 
 PACKING AND FEED PULLEYS OF PAPER. 
 
 PATENT SAW GUIDE, 
 
 Which enables Sawyer to change lead of Saw while in Motion. 
 
 Revolving Wedge with each Mill. 
 
 CARRIAGE 18 Ft. LONG 
 
 City mills Machinery Agency, 
 
 MERIDIAN, MISS.