The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-12
COTTON NO LONGER KING
Industrial Evolution IN the State Of
Mississippi,

a
Mississippi. has been in the city q few
DAYS. Your correspondent, knowing tha
Mississippl has taken the lead among The
Southern States in an organized move
ment Of redemption from the cotton spe
cialtv-the fetch OF the one-crop idea
and that Gen. Lee, a. the head OF the ma
4 chinery Of that movement, would De eni
nently qualified to speak OF its achieve
meats and its prospects, called on him al
the Ebbift House. General Lee was en-
thusi astic over the outlook for his adopt
ed State. and readily responded 10 all in
| terrogatories. The following ia verbatim
report Of his remarks:
/ "A revolution il going on in Mississippi
/ in diver.ifying her industries, especially
/ in the linz Of agriculture. Heretofore,
! and even row, the farming interests are
/ mainly in the raising of cotton and corn,
which have restricted her people 10 the
| incubus Of the one crop-leading to soil
exhaustion and money receipts mainly at
one !. ason Of the year. Many intelligent
! citizens, however. have long since abandon
| ed cotton, and il l. now known that Mis-
| sissippi il soon destined TO Be one oil the
| leading States in stock and dairy far'ding
| These gentlemen I'VE dem 1nstrated IN 1T
/ the native grasses, such as Bermuda, ia
I y y
other kinds, supplemented with the varie-
ties Of sorghum-oT, a. known in its de
Perforated shape-ehicken corn, afford
great variety OF food for stock, and OF
permanent character as ia given IN any
State Ii il known, too, that cotton seed
is the most valuable food for cattle, ard
combined with the grasses affords better
aud cheaper food than can be had any
where else Il Is fact that cattle in Ms
-is.ippi have not been fed until OF late
years. They made their own living on The
cpmmoIs subsisJlng on such gr& . md
food ga the country afforded even in win
ter. lis true they usually got poor dur
lug the three months Of December, Janu-
ary and February but in the remaining
nine months they had ample food In graz
ing, the grass affording good grazing from
about March / at which time cOru i
planted) to December Is. In other words,
stock Is handled readily throughout the
year by feeding them only two and halt
or three months, with which slight atten-
ton they are kept in good TX. Is il
strange, then, that Mississippi is a stock
State, when at the North feeding is neoes-
sary for four or elk months Ensilage also
il easily prepared and successfully led to
stock 10 Mississippi Among the gentle
men who have led off in this important in
dustry may be mentioned Colonel w. 3.
Montgomery, Of Starkville, who has herd
of over 200 registered Jersey cows. In
the same section, or northeast portion OF
the State, may be mentioned Colonel II. l..
MuIdrow, Assistant Secretary Of the In
terror, John Allen, NJ. g., Winston Garth,
Mr.. Abbott, Judge Houston, Mat Mahorner
and others. Colonel White, of fernando.
Colonel Hemingway, Mr.. J. H. Odeneal,
of J ackson, and Colonel Stuart, on the Cuff
Coast In fact there is no portion OF the
State that is not suitable for stock Of some
kind.
Along the coast Of the Southern tier OF
south Of Meridian AID the Nicks- |
burg Railroad sheep are raised with great |
ease, and the recent Mississippi exhibit |
gotten M by Mai. S. A. Jonas interior |
Department. demonstrated that Mississippi I
had as fine wool as could be found in the |
United States. Market gardening is sue |
cessfully carried on throughout the State,
and the railroads are now furnishing re
frigerator cars for sending vegetables and
fruits to St. Louis, Chicago and other
cities. Around Madison Station are MANY
OF acres Of strawberries, and DR..
II. f. Mckay, from his great success in
handling and shipping this fruit, is known
=
son and along the Illinois Central Rail
road, is a great vegetable and fruit region.
Large shipments OF peaches, tomatoes,
,abbages, beans, etc, are made every year.
The lumber business Of Mississippi is
very great. The State as yet has an al most
nexhaustible supply OF as good timber as
: found in the world, and these valuable
orest- are now being bought up by lumber
men. The extensive buildings for the Cot
on Centennial Exposition at New Orleans
sere made If Mississippi pine. The timb.r
Exhibit Of The State at the Exposition at
racted great attention. A great I'M petus has
)een given to diverslfying the industries OF
# the State 10y the establishment, six years
,go, of the Agricultural and Mechanical
College of Mississippi at Starkvllle. This
institution Is a genuine agricultural coll
eye, and is conducted by an able board OF
rustees and faculty loyal to the agricuitu
al interests Of the State. II has had an av-
rage annual attendance of 800 students.
During the present session Ais students
rave attended, and over 800 were refused
or lack Of accommodations. The College
vas located on farm OF 1900 acres of
and, much of it made poor by continuous
cultivation of cotton aud corn. In few
7ears the farm has been brought up 10 a
nigh state of cultivation, demonstrating
hat improved methods and Il diver, ity of
,rops are peculiarly adapted to the South.
By introducing the stock feature the poor
,st lands afford ample and good grazing
or more than nine months in the year, and
he best lands are giving rem1neratlve re-
urns in the different crops planted. The
college is building up hnegrade herd OF
he different breeds; has now ferty-fye head
If pure-bred cattle, Holstien, Devon, Gallo
gay, Hereford, Jersey, etc, $50 grades, 100
cows, ETC., over 500 head in all.
Last June a creamery and dairy was es-
.a6lished, worked entirely by students.
De Leval separator was procured. The
experiment is great success, and now, in
less than year since its establishment lit
was the frst) there are going up twenty
creameries in different portions OF the State
at Meridian, Aberdeen, Macon, Edwards
Depot and other points 1t has been clear
" demonstrated that the bugbear of ''cli
mate conditions" does not exist and that
the dairy belt" has disappeared; that
successful creamery can be run in Missis-
sippi as we'll as in Iowa or Michigan or
Last July and August, immedi-
ately after starting, l75 pounds of butter
were shipped daily to New Orleans and
Mobile, Nieksburg, Memphis, ETC., and the
college hiss never been able to supply one
fifth OF the demand on ii for butter. BY
June the milk of over 600 csws will be
handled at the college creamery. The
butter is put on the market fresh, and COM
mands a better price than "Elgin Ill. but
ter" These creamerles can be put up in
at an expense OF from 81 ,200
to $4,000. Smaller ereameries are now
being put up at less cost and for indi
vidual use; separators are being offered at
reduced prices or lower than the De Leval.
1t is seen, then, that creamery put up
al the college has introduced a new indus
try in the State. Besides the stock feature
so suS cessfully and officially demonstrated,
the college is also eultivating large or
chards of fruits. Over 5000 fruit trees are
coming on twenty acres OF strawberries |
and other fruits, large and small, vegeta-
bles, etc. The college is. literally sup
ported by the State, receiving from s. {, 700 |
10 $4,000 year. 1t cannot aceommo-
date all the students desiring 10 attend. |
The commencement occasions have usually |
from 1900 TO 5000 visitors from all por-
tions of the State. 1t is doing grand |
work, and has demonstrated that Missis |
sippi can be made as great success as a |
cattle and fruit State, as cotton State I; |
that food for cattle grazing and winter |
food Is cheaper than elsewhere; that The |
lands that were considered worn out are
splendid grazing land. FIELDS that have
not been cultivated for years are now being
enclosed by wire fencing, and herds OF cat
tie put on them. The ordinary Indian Urn,
COW pea, so ghnm, cane, etc, are being utii-
lied for ensilage and feed. The ordinary
or native grasses are equal to any other
when cut and handled properly, and it is
entirely unnecessary to introduce foreign
grasses In fact the native grasses are the
best, and afford greater variety. The