These farm inspections were an integral part of the mortgage business, which relied on accurate reporting of conditions prior to a financial commitment. The maps and plats offer researchers the best visual materials available on the type, character, and quality of lands mortgaged owned and leased by the J. B. Watkins Land Mortgage Company.

These materials are arranged by state and county and include farm inspection reports drawn and filed by D. M. Sprankle, Land Inspector for the J. B. Watkins Land Mortgage Company; descriptions of Louisiana lands owned and offered for sale by the Watkins and Orange Land Companies; and printed county plat maps which locate the numbered Watkins farms available for lease or sale.

Many of the maps are accompanied by essays that describe terrain, crops, and improvements on specific farms.