The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1881-07-09
MINOR INDUSTRIES.

and plough factories, shoe factories,
button factories, axe-helve factories,
sash and door factories, which could
be started on much less capital than
cotton factories, and pay as well here
as at the North. Most of these facto-
rles require an abundant supply of
timber which the South possesses and
the North does not to such great ex-
tent. A New York paper says:
Our Southern brethren have recent
ly made, considering their anteced-
ents, rapid and large strides towards
developing the resources of their coun-
try by erecting cotton mills and other
expensive works, that we are glad to
say generally prove remunerative.
There remains, however, a field that
they have overlooked, to which we
call their attention. We mean minor
industries. 1t would pay Southern
men, with the interest of their section
at heart, to make excursions into the
back country of the New England
states, and the North generally. They
would find on every available wafer
fall factory, large or small, generally
small, turning out everything con-
ceivable, from a MATCHBOX to piano.
These minor industries are of great
Importance, and without being pre-
pared to go into figures, we think
that given sum of money thus in
vested would do more good by giving |
employment to Il greater number of
people than any equal amount put In
cotton factory. tu.rt.
We are acquainted with thriving
village In Northern New York that |
was formerly devoted to manufacture
ing lumber. AS forests diminished In
extent the Inhabitants looked for other
sources of employment. A young
man started a shirt factory in small
and unpretending way, employing u
dozen girls. In few years this little
industry expanded until now $40 900
are paid out annually in wages. Then
paper pulp was made from wood, and
mouse-trap factory is in successful
operation. In this same village is a
wagon-spOke factory doing well, the
cost of SIS a cord. We sent to him
some samples of this timber from Vir-
ginia, that were manufactured into
spokes, and pronounced equal to the
best.
1t is difficult to raise 100000, but
the capital required for one of these
small factories can be easily obtained.
One success leads to another, and the
habits of manufacturing once acquir-
ed will always find some want I'M
supplied some Improvement to be {
made.
There is another factory to which we
referred in the last number of the
paper-we mean canning factories. c
We heard Mr.. Piazza of this place say {
only to-day that he had wagon loads :
of tomatoes-which could pot be ship q
ped-and he expected to leave them /
in the field to rot. II is the same way q
with peaches, apples and Strawberries =
every year. At the North they would i
not think of losing such vast guam $
titles of fruit and vegetables, but I
utilize them by establishing canning !.
factories. d
Even some of our Southern States t
are far ahead of Mississippi, North I
Carolina realizes thousands from what !,
appears 10 be very small thing, the r
drying of blackberries. $
A correspondent writing from New y
bern, North Carolina, thus speaks i
about the erection of canning fac 1
tories at that place. $
While at Newburn, we were agree -
ably surprised 10 find a large canning n
lctoTy in full operation. They were a
canning at the time green peas. We n
learned as many as five hundred a
LANDS find employment in sileIling ~
peas, opening oysters, etc. The peas n
they are now canning are the surplus n,
stock raised by the truckers around .,
Ncwburn, which are too late for ship .,
ping north ; and without this estab- ~
lishment every biishel of the peas u
hey are now canning would have II
peen lost TO the truckers The adj r.
vantage of having canning at points =,
where the yeas are raised was so fully il,
demonstrated to us we now call the a.
attention Of Charleston, Savannah "
and Florida 10 the advantages they
might derive by putting up these es-
Establishments. The expense OF put
ting them up is small IN comparison
to the advantages gained. In addi- al
ton to saving the surplus stock. co
(which is now literally thrown away of
another great advantage would be To-
that one section would not interfere co
with another in selling early peas eff
For instance, as soon as Florida found w,
would stop shipping aud go TO canning IL
and instead OF having a glut of her III
late peas in the Northern markets, an
she would have them In her canning au
factory, and thus leave a clear market ST.
for Savannah, who comes In a little i'm
later. Savannah would then can her su
surplus and leave a clear market for a ,
and Charleston the same or
way for Newbern. As u now stands DO
there Is a surplus stock each season ST
from the points designated, which du
makes a glut in the Northern markets eri
and causes peas to be sold Mt ruinous DO
prices. hi
IL can all be obviated by putting up a wi
half dozen or more Of factories at the va
above points. ms
Newbern and Norfolk each have ms
heirs, and we hope before another By
summer rolls around, To see a number al,
II Others started. llfN 4I Lo
What pays in North Carolina must me me
pay in Mississippi-all we need is for Az
one one 70 make beginning. There sto
$ man In Virginia who plants 400 IN
cres in tomatoes every year just for
he purpose Of Supplying the caDning
actories-it seems strange, therefore,
hat We. can't get our little surplus =
rop utilized in this way cct
The only way 10 put the hall IN mo- yes
lon, is 10 keep SUCH Industries before inc
he minds Of the people. Maybe the Ian
eopIe Of our own State viii see what ere
ther States are doing, and do like ant
a. her
1t IL evident to all those who are ac- no,
TAINTED with the financial condition buy
Z our different States, to see very he
Iainly that those States have made ~. IN,
reater strides in prosperity who have ION
lid the greatest attention 10 build etc.
n factories and railroads, and diver Ne
tying their industrial resources re
acts are stronger THAT sfguEnent wer