Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-07-05
The Future Of the south.


one Of them, u leading manufacture
declared To reporter that at no di'
tant day cotton would become q
incidental crop, and not the "mone
crop" of his part OF the country
"Heretofore," said he I've hav
planted cotton to paytour debts, an
these debts would never have bee
made ii we had planted something
/ else-soIncthing TO live on, and no
something to Sell with which I,
| buy provisions. Why, the sS,,utl
c.tn produce 6,Os,e, 900 bales OF cGttul
now, and not feel the loss of tn
time. The farming population il
Florida will commence furnishin;
early vegetables aud fruits for tn
East and West at high prices il
February, and as the seasons pas
out tho~e in higher latitudes will
take itup, and the-supply will flow
North and East and West from 0u
fields till June. About that timt
cotton will needattention. To raist
it and get ii ready for market vii
take it until the LIST Of November
and then, with our pockets full o.
cash, which we don't have to pay
out for what we have been eating
all the year, we commence the early
vegetable and fruit business for the
next year. So we will go on taxing
the pockets of the rich and cultured
people OF other sections OF the union
enough for our early products to
riiise our cotton" ..'........
Others were quite as sanguine
about the ability of the South to
raise its own meat IL the farmers
would act wisely, claiming that the
refuse from the vegetables ard grain
crops would materially aid them.
One man said that their mild eli.
mate and abundance of feed would
make a hog OF $50 or 200 pounds in
six months, and that in time but
little Western meats would go into
the South. AS to beef, several very
intelligent gentlemen were hopeful ,
claiming that the "nO- fence law. "
which is now almost universal in
the older cotton States, will insure
them plenty and better beef cattle.
1t was specially urged that fine
stock raising i'm those States is now
booming, and attention was called
to numerous magnificent Jersey
farms in many of the States.
Some. fabulous statements were
made about the amount OF valuable
timber in the forests OF North Caro-
lima and the neighboring States, be-
ginning will the fields Of black
walnut, hickory, oak and chestnut
I'm the mountains, now acessible by
railroads, and thence passing down
TO the level lands of Georgia, South
Carolina, Florida and Alabama,
where there arc acres Of the best
pitch pine. To hear a gentleman
from Georgia speak OF the "sea OF
timber" between Macon, Ga., and
the coast OF Brunswick, Ga, the
principal shipping point, one would
think that not even time could OK
haust it. "Why," said he, 1--WE
shipped from Brunswick alone over
G00,000,OO0 feet % sawed timber,
not 10 mention the vast amount OF
heavy timber, ranging from 10 to
80 feet, last year, TO all parts of the
globe-to Europe, China and Japan
and there are always from fifteen
to thirty heavy vessels loading at
our wharves. This is only the be-
ginning. All we lack is facilities
for getting this lumber to the water.
We have capital now to penetrate
the forests, and there seems to be no
end to it." #grE
Among the visitors were several
cotton manufacturers, most of them
Northern men, who "Inoved the
mill to the cotton" They were
thoroughly aroused, and to hear
them talk of their wonderful success
the listener would imagine he could
see the grass growing in the dilapi-
dated cities OF New England, now
rich and clearly kept through the
profits Of their Manufactures. These
gentlemen claimed as some OF the
of manufacturing cotton
in the South, the proximity of the
mills to the cotton fields, the saving
Of freight and insurance, and hand
ing, waste and foliage. Climatic |
they laid particular
stress upon, as well as the price OF
Tuel and the plentifulness OF water |
power. AS to the labor, il was con-
ceded TO be more manageable and
than in the East or North,
and sure to become efficient very |
soon, A gentleman who represen-
ted u small mill in South Carolina
,aid that he bought great deal ofthe
cotton he used ain the seed" and,
while he claimed no advantage in |
he price to the farmer, it was prof.
.able to him, inasmuch as ii saved
Ialing, being run directly from the
yin on to the cards. Many OF the
first cotton mills in the South were
ocated on convenient streams to
Iecure good water power, and often
rom six to twenty miles from a
market town or railroad. To some
If these mills railroads have been
.un; in most cases the manufactur-
I'd goods have been hauled to rail-
oads ut some expense, but this has
been counteracted Dy getting the
cotton in the seed or bales delivered
It the mills free Of cost, also making
saving of commissions to I,urchas-
,rs. Those 80 suited are still salts
led but the idea now Is that steam
8 as cheap as water, coal being
cheap and growing more SO every
;ear. Mills recently built and in
are seeking the mar
let towns, where transportation
$ more convenient, although labor
y not always SO cheap. 1t Is claimed
hat many advantages are derived
rom this plan. For instance, in
.etting up stock for a mill Il mer-
.hant will more readily invest IL
oc,tied in Il town, because he secur-
IS a part of the trade of the opera
ives, and the town grows apace,
md his property is enhanced in
value by its presence.
In reply to an inquiry as to where
he money came from to build these
il was said that il came
rom capitalists and mill men in
he East, and that any town con-
situated could secure
actOry by subscribing hall the capi-
al stock capitalists from the East
)eing ready and anxious TO ensage
n it where they had the aid and
good will of the citizens.
"Whrre are all the operatives to
.Ome from To run these mills with
,ut affecting farm labor ?" WAS
lsked.
"Why, the women and children
ire principally employed, who are
Isclcss otherwise, and you would
Ne astOnishcd to witness the change
hat will come over community
n six months after tho completion
- =, ,,,stI S.,,g,a,, .anI fsIliislrp,l |