THE HARDWOOD RECORD, 



13 



United States as ever there were, but they crank on the possibilities of the South, 



are set out in orchards, groves — for shade and we firmly expect within the next halt 



and wind protection, and are not placed century to see all the land in the Delta 



where they will interfere with the culti- region worth $200 per acre. It is the 



vation of the soil. richest and strongest land in the world 



. It may be that there is some relation and there is no reason why it should not 



between forestry and rainfall. Just as be. 



they used to say, and furnish facts and We see that the Italian Consul is in- 



figures, too, that there was relation be- teresting himself In the matter to the 



tween the rainfall and the ponds of Illi- extent of using the power of his govern- 



nois. And that when the ponds were ment to divert the tide of emigration 



drained out Illinois would be a desert. from the cities to the South. Two hun- 



\Ve confess to a prejudice in favor to fit- dred thousand and some odd was the 



ting the laud for cultivation. If it is unfit number of Italians that came to this coun- 



for cultivation let the government do some try during the present year. They^ are 



experimenting in forestry. It will furnish a hardy and industrious race of people, 



work for a number of idle citizens and who have been brought to this country 



good positions to a number of college by the railroads and have been taught 



graduates; but don't expect the lumber- to believe that everybody over here works 



men to do the work. They have no more on the railroad, and they don't knowany- 



interest in the preservation of the forest thing else. They come from the same 



than the shoemaker or groceryman. latitude, and in many respects from the 



But let us meet together and talk it same condition, that will surround them 



over. in the South; and at home they are an 



agricultural people. 



THE SOtTTH'S AMAZING PROGRESS a ^ ^ ^i. , •« .u ■■ 



The following figures are from the Man- scheme is successful, they will be a good 

 ufacturers Record of Baltimore, Md.. and substitute for the lazy negro and shift- 

 were by them compiled from the census less "white trash," upon which the South 

 department. must depend for its labor. 



1880. I.SOO. loos. 



Pig iron made, tons SdT.iiOO S.eOO.ono .■i.300,000 



Coal mined, tons (i.OiXt.OOO 21,200,000 l!o,000,000 



Value of I'lmber products $,"W,()00.000 S90,700,000 $200,000,000 



Capital inrested in cotton mills 21,000,00(1 60,000,000 200,000,000 



Number of spindles in cotton mills 667,000 1.712,000 8.2.")0,000 



Cotton consumed in southern mills, bales 22.5,000 .546,000 2.000.000 



Capital invested in manufacturing $3.57.000.000 $659,000,000 $1 .200.000,000 



Value of manufactured products 457,000,000 917,589,000 $1.<'.00,000.000 



Foreign exports through southern ports 261,000,000 306,000.000 508.000.000 



Railroads, miles in operation 20,600 42.900 60.000 



Value of cotton crop $313,696,000 $390,000,00« $ (i25.0O0,000 



Value of all agricultural products 660,000,000 773,000,000 1 .700,000,000 



These figures need no comment. They MORE MEN 'WANTED. 

 speak for themselves, but we cannot for- j^ ^^.^^ ^^ ^^^ immigration figures for 

 bear to make a few remarks. There is ^^^ ^^^^ ^^i^j^ ^^^ enormous, there is a 

 any amount of land in the South which is ^^^.j^g ^^^^ throughout all the country, 

 the best land in the world, from which j^,. ^^^^ ^^^ j^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ 

 the timber has been taken, and the mis- ^^ ^^^ ^-^.^^ ^^^ ^^^^ northern Michigan 

 sion of the lumbermen being over, can be ,„ ^^e Gulf, from the Atlantic to tlie Pa- 

 had tor ?S or $10 an acre. ^i^^ ^^^^^ i^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^„ i^ tj^^ 



This land, when properly brought under country 

 cultivation (valuing money at 5 per cent). How" manv men could the state of Mich- 

 is worth $200 an acre. It will not bring jg^^ ^^^^^^^ „„ Uer waste lands? Men of 

 It at present in the South, for people in moderate means, suflicient to make the 

 that section expect big interest-8 or 10 fl^st pavment on lands'? Manv thousands, 

 per cent. But with cotton at the present ^^ ^jQ^^t There are thousands of acres 

 price, it can be easily demonstrated. ^f g^Q^, hardwood land lying idle, that are 



But the American citizen is particular capable of making good homes-a good 



where he lives. He doesn't want to live ^^^^ better homes than the people are 



down South, for he will have chills and ygg(j (,, 



fever. We can remember when the great ^nd how many men could the South 



state of Illinois offered no better induce- utnj^e to advantage? Men with a small 



ments in that respect than the South does amount of cash; men to take forty or 



to-day. We have started from home and eighty acres of land— clean it up and 



skated ten miles, going from one pond to make a home of it? Many thousands, no 



another, and could probably have skated doubt. 



to Chicago. That land is all drained at And the great Northwest — how many 



present and cannot be bought for less could it utilize? They would have to rough 



than $160 per acre. And the chills and it for a while, but in the end they will see 



fever won't hurt anybody. We used to be the land which cost them seven or eight 



lonesome without them. dollars an acre increase in price to a 



We have always been somewhat of a. hundred dollars an acre. 



It is no use to expect the American cit- 

 izen to do this work and take these 

 chances; they are accustomed to condi- 

 tions being too easy. The poor people 

 of Europe can, however, have a golden 

 opportunity in this country, and in the end 

 they can possess a good home, which they 

 could never get in Europe. 



The lumbermen should take some con- 

 certed action. They own hundreds of thou- 

 sands of acres of good land, which is un- 

 salable for no other reason than that good 

 men cannot be found to clean it up and 

 put it in cultivation. 



They want to watch the labor unions 

 that no restriction is placed upon immi- 

 gration of desirable citizens. 



The Japanese should not only be ad- 

 mitted free of all restrictions, but en- 

 couraged to come. It is acknowledged 

 that they make the best of citizens. The 

 only objection to them is that they can 

 live on a little and consequently they 

 work cheaply. We don't want them to 

 stop in the cities, ^^^lat would 50,000 

 Japs with their energy and intelligence 

 and sobriety accomplish on the wild lands 

 of Michigan alone? Or Wisconsin or any 

 northern State? They would make it 

 blossom like the rose, and they would own 

 good homes in a few years; and they 

 would produce a good living from that 

 which is now going to waste. 



There is scarcely an acre of land in the 

 United States to-day that isn't worth $100 

 an acre. It only needs intelligent culti- 

 vation. 



If the lumbermen would organize and 

 by concert of action place the true facts 

 before the foreigners and prevent them 

 from congesting in our large cities, where 

 their presence is a positive evil, and 

 would get them to come direct to the 

 farms, it would be to their profit. 



JACOB CUMMER DEAD. 



Jacob Cummer, one of the pioneer lum- 

 bermen of that great lumbering state, 

 Michigan, reached the end of a long and 

 useful life at his home in Cadillac, Mich., 

 the early part of this month. For a year 

 or more he had been slowly losing strength 

 as the result of old age; he had just 

 reached the ripe old age of 81 years when 

 death called him. 



Mr. Cummer was born November 1, 

 1823, at Toronto, Ont. In 1860 he came 

 to Michigan, purchasing a saw mill in 

 Newaygo County. This was the beginning 

 of a business career that has carried the 

 name of Cummer all over the world. In 

 1876 he began operations at Cadillac, and 

 that section of Michigan owes not a little 

 of its present prosperit.v to the influence 

 of Mr. Cummer and his industrial activi- 

 ties. 



In business circles Mr. Cummer was 

 known and spoken of as honest and up- 

 right in all his dealings, and those who 

 knew him personally and in a social way 

 speak of him as generous in his relations 

 with his employes, liberal in his charities, 

 thoughtful of his neighbors, helpful to the 

 community in which he lived — a kindly 

 Christian man, honored and respected by 

 all. 



