The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-27
An0erson JntelIgenttr,
Southern Industries Looking Up.

A revolution appears to be silently going on
in the AGRICULTURAL industries of the Southern
States. Ever since the war the planters of the
cotton belt have recognized the necessity of a
greater diversifcation of their industries, and
Gratifying progress in this direction has been
made. In former times the planter persisted
in devoting all their arabic land to cotton,
which of course rendered them dependent upon
the North and West for~the great bulk OF theil
food staples Thus Louisville, Cincinnati ana
other Western cities became Literally the
smoke-houses and corn-cribs OF the oouth, anu
it required considerable percentage OF Tue
cotton crop each year to pay tor 1000, WILL, WILL,
under a better system OF agriculture, mlgn1
have been obviated. For the last two or three
wears however, the press of the South have
strenuously urged a revolution in the OLD meth
cd of cultivating the soil, and the appeal has
been measurably successful, judging from the
numerous reports which reach us of the great
increase in the production of wheat, corn and
other cereals Nor has this diversihcation OF
crops apparently interfered with cotton culture,
as with good weather, the yield of that staple
this year will be not far from an average, IN
spite of the damage by floods at the Southwest
IN the Spring. Indeed, with the immense
amount of virgin soil exactly adapted 70 cotton,
yet to be brought under cultivation, IN such
that the heaviest crop ever produced by the
should the demand warrant it, If we are to
Judge the future by the past, it will be imprac-
ticable for foreign cultivators of this lndlspen-
sable fibre to compete successfully with our own,
even though they should succeed in raising it
at q much less cost. So far, every attempt to
substitute for the Southern staple that of other
countries has proved far from successful; I'm,
gland has exerted her utmost efforts and spent
fabulous sums of money, through long series
of years, in stimulating the cultivation OF cot
ton in such of her colonial dependencies as per-
mitted the experient, besides encouraging Its
growth, through diplomatic and other appli-
ances, in Egypt, Brazil and elsewhere. In
limited cases as in Egypt and Brazil, the staple
is of high grade, being long, soft and silky,
partaking of the general characteristics which
mark our Sea Island variety; bnt the supply
of this variety is limited, and, moreover, I'M
suited to the fabrication of goods for wearing
apparal, being chiefly useful in the manuiac-
ture of spool cotton, laces and similar articles.
Where it has been found possible to produce
crop in any considerable abundance, as in In
dia the staple is short, harsh and of poor color,
adapted only for making the coarsest descrip-
tions Of goods, and difficult to handle in the
processes of reproduction. With the expecta-
tion of surmounting this obstacle, seed in large
quantities have been imported from the United
States, but this resource has utterly failed, and
England has abandoned all efforts to supercede
the American variety, having found the effort
too costly and too barren of results. For
time, during our civil war, King Cotton ap-
peared to have changed his seat of dominion,
and not few Of our countrymen were led to
the conclusion that the Southern staple could
never resume its place in the worlds markets.
Subsequent events, however, have shown how
premature and mistaken were all of these cal
eulations. The South is not only destined to
eclipse all her former efforts in the production
of cotton, but she is beginning to increase her
factories, which, almost without exception, are
more proftably conducted to-day than, are
those of New England. They are singularly
favored as regards soil, climate, mineral re-
sources, water power, timber, &C., and it only
remains for the people, white and black, to
compose their differences, and bury their re-
sentiments in a common grave, to enable them
to promptly overcome their financial enabar-
rassment and place themselves in most pros
porous condition.-Er.