s working
together. But the Sunday evening talks at Tuskegee by Principal
Washington, and his urgent insistence, at all times, that Tuskegee
graduates and students should try to own land, led us to desire to
improve our condition. We were large renters, however; for twenty-three
years our father and his relatives had leased and "worked" a tract of
1,100 acres of land, having leased it for ten years at a time. We still
lease this tract, and, in addition, rent an additional 480 acres in the
same way, ten years at a time. We subrent tracts of this total of 1,580
acres to thirty tenants, charging one and one-half bales of cotton for
each one-horse farm. We pay twenty-three bales for the rent of the
1,580 acres. My brother and I run a sixteen-horse farm, doing much of
the work ourselves and paying wages to those who work for us. A number
of others also work for us on "halves"--that is, we provide the land,
furnish the seeds, tools, mules, feed the mules, and equally divide
whatever is raised. This is largely done in all the country districts of
the South.

About ten years ago we bought in our own right our first land, 320
acres. Since that time we have acquired by purchase another tract
containing 285 acres. The first tract we paid for in two years; the
other is also paid for. The total of 605 acres, I am glad to say, is
without incumbrance of any kind.

The following statements may give some idea as to what we have been able
to do since leaving Tuskegee:

During the year 1904 alone, we paid out $5,000, covering debts on land,
fertilizers, and money borrowed with which to carry our thirty tenants.

We own sixteen mules and horses, fourteen head of cattle, thirty hogs,
and have absolutely no indebtedness of any character.

My brother Dow lives in a good three-room house. My father and I live in
a good six-room house, with a large, airy hall, and kitchen; it cost
us to build, $1,500.

[Illustration: A SILO ON THE FARM.

Students filling it with fodder corn, steam-power being used.]

We conduct a large general store, with everything carried in a country
store of this kind. The colored Odd Fellows use the hall above our store
for their meetings.

The Government post-office is located in our store, and here all of the
surrounding community come for their mail.

Our store does a large yearly business averaging about $5,000.

We have a steam-gin and grist-mill. We gin about 500 bales of cotton a
season for ourselv