Ala. Montgomery Montgomery Real Estate Agents' Association

“ These rich farming lands, already recovered from the revolution in the labor system, are still to be had for from $3 to $15 per acre, while vast bodies of timber lands are still in the hands of the government, at $1.25 per acre.
Montgomery only asks that the man of enterprise and the man of capital shall come and see for himself. Cheap iron, cheap fuel, cheap cotton, cheap lumber and a consuming population of 500,000 farmers hold out inducements to the manufacturer, unsurpassed on the American continent. ”

“ In the heart of this Agricultural belt, sits Montgomery, with her river and six railroads. She is the commercial emporium of this farming region, while a few miles north or south brings her to the cheap fuel [Pg 8] and the cheap lumber of the Mineral and Timber regions of a State more richly endowed in these respects than any State in the American Union. ”

“ The average profits from cotton mills South, for years have been fully equal to those of other business, and in many instances, far greater. In selecting a site for a mill, there are localities that offer greater inducements for such an enterprise than others, and among those cities that offer the greatest attractions is Montgomery. We believe a careful review of her facilities will convince capitalists that she is the most available city in the South for [Pg 44] operating a cotton mill, and that she must become sooner or later the center for cotton manufacture. ”

“ It will be seen from the foregoing tables that Montgomery stands first in the list, the annual death rate being only 9.50 per 1,000 of the white population, 18 per 1,000 of the colored population, and 13 per 1,000 of both races. It is from these facts, representing as they do, the vital changes of a people, that values of health are obtained. Hence they are not only priceless to us as citizens, but to representatives of our own and of foreign countries, who, with their families, design making this city their home. ”

“ In many families the adult males are compelled to support by their labors the remaining members of their households, owing to the difficulty of the class mentioned above finding suitable and profitable employment. For this, at present, surplus labor, there is no fixed value. It seeks employment wherever there is an opportunity, and is satisfied with very moderate pay. Should a cotton mill be built in Montgomery, an ample supply of this labor would be certain to volunteer before the completion of the building. ”

“ The rich black prairie belt touches us on the south and certainly contains some of the finest and most productive lands in the Union. It is just undulating enough to afford good drainage. The prairie soil is naturally so rich that fertilizers have been used very little, and the all-cotton system of farming which has been practiced almost to the exclusion of every other crop since 1865, has impoverished the farmers to such an extent that large prairie farms have been turned over entirely to negro tenants. ”

“ Montgomery has superior advantages. Our mild winter, our clean bills of health, hotel accommodations, churches, schools, and domestic help—the least annoying of any in the world—are some of the many advantages offered to those in quest of health and homes. ”

“ Market gardening, or truck farming, around Montgomery, offers a number of advantages over other sections. As stated elsewhere, we have a great variety of soils that are suited to growing fruits and vegetables, while our climate is all that could be asked, with a mean annual temperature of 64 degrees, the last frost occurring from the 5th to the 25th of April, and earliest killing frost in the fall, in November, with an annual mean precipitation of rain of 55 inches. ”

“ While 250 pounds of lint cotton, twenty bushels of corn and thirty bushels of oats per acre are considered fair crops for our white farmers, below will be shown what can be done with our lands under the intensive system of farming. ”

“ In counting the cost of a plant, the question of a site would not have to be considered, as a good railroad site will be donated by either the Riverside or the Highland Park Company. Building material, and skilled and unskilled labor required to convert it into mill buildings, can be secured at a very reasonable rate. ”

“ Johnson grass flourishes here as a hay grass, yielding from one and a half to two tons per acre, without any trouble of re-seeding, and sells in home market for $15 per ton.
Bermuda grass for pasturage is unsurpassed by any grass in the world, as it affords good grazing for eight months in the year, and will keep fat one horse or cow per acre for that length of time. Another valuable characteristic of the Bermuda grass is that it never runs out as a pasture. ”

“ We have long believed, and are now prepared to show by facts, figures and an experience of twenty-one years in the Health Department of Montgomery, that it is entitled to rank amongst the healthiest cities in America. ”

“ The above-mentioned enterprises are only named to suggest to the minds of business men a few of the manufacturing establishments that will pay a large profit on capital invested in Montgomery, while the field is open for sundry others that are two numerous to give in detail. ”

“ When it is added that the Alabama river, navigable all the year round, connects her with the Gulf of Mexico, it will be seen that her facilities as a trade and business center leave little to be desired.
No city is more completely equipped with all the conveniences that make the modern city than Montgomery. ”

“ This has resulted in a complete failure as a system, as the negro without a white man for a director, is not capable of making a living for himself or rents for his landlord. These magnificent lands can now be bought for about $10 to $15 per acre, and are certainly better adapted to stock raising than any other section of the continent, being splendid grain lands for such crops as oats and corn, yielding from twenty-five to 100 bushels per acre. ”

“ Some of the alluvial bottoms are subject to occasional overflows, but the second bottoms are above the effects of freshets and form beautiful flats, in some places several miles wide, of sandy loam with clay subsoil, making a most valuable land for general farm purposes, as it is easily tilled and susceptible of great improvement by manuring and a good system of farming. ”

“ With the good railroad connections that we have with such points as Louisville, Cincinnati and Chicago, and advantage in rates by being two hundred miles nearer to these markets than the Gulf coast, the Montgomery gardener is favorably situated to make his business successful. ”

“ The Superintendent is a competent, painstaking gentleman, and his assistants are for the most part well adapted and fitted to be his coadjutors in the good work.
The schools begin on the first Monday in October and end on the last Thursday in May, thus having an eight months’ session. The children within the district who are able to pay it, are required to pay a fee of two dollars per session of eight months; those who are unable to pay this fee are admitted free. ”

“ Another important advantage of this section, for stock raising, is that our winters are so mild that stock does not need housing, except that it is better to provide open sheds for protection from rain, and they feed on the cane which grows on all branches and streams, staying green all the year. ”

“ On all the rivers and streams in this section abound hard woods of every kind, suitable for manufacture into furniture, wagons, tool handles and for every variety of wood working. These can be laid down in Montgomery at such a low cost that she is destined to become a great center for wood working establishments.
COTTON FACTORIES.
As a financial investment, cotton mills in the South, under proper management, offer as good promise of dividends on capital invested as any industry or branch of business. ”