SOUTHWESTERN PINE HILLS: '-^K 



tion or township over 40 per cent farther apart than 

 would be in a straight line, and requires that much more 

 expense for construction and maintenance of the roads. 



AGRICULTURE. 



The development of agriculture in this region makes 

 one of the most interesting chapters in the economic history 

 of Alabama, though it would not figure very prominently 

 in an ordirary text-book of history, on account of the lack 

 of striking events a^d of noted personages. 



The poverty of the soil has already been mentioned. As 

 late as 1880 or.ly about 12 per cent of the area was included 

 in farms, and a little over 1 per cent was in cultivation. 



FIG. 25. Business portion of Silver Hill, a Swedish settlement in 

 southern Baldwin County. (A much newer place than Stockton. 

 Note the difference in number and size of shade trees.) November 1, 

 1919. 



Raising cattle and sheep on open ranges was then the prin- 

 cipal pursuit of the farmers, as indicated by the figures for 

 live-stock in the following tables ; and this region still leads 

 the rest of the State in the number per farm of most kinds 

 of animals. In recent decades the average size of farms has 

 decreased rapidly, but the number of improved acres per 

 farm has remained nearly stationary. The number of im- 

 proved acres per inhabitant is very low, indicating at first 

 the predominance of lumbering, fishing, grazing, etc., and 

 latterly, especially in Mobile County, intensive farming. It 

 reached a minimum about 1890, which is probably about the 



