The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1890-09-06
Syontaeu4sul Prosperity.


It would be difficult to exaegerate
in telling Of tie wonderful prosperi.
ty which is before the South during
The next twelve months. Cotton
may no more be king as 10 olden
times, but as subject it brings to
the South an amount Of wealth that
Eis almost beyond comprehension
For five years the cotton crop has
been steadily increasing, and each
year has showA gain over the
proceeding omega record which ne
other fiVe.year period can exhibit.
In 1886 S7 the crop was 6 sos 900
bales; in I887a7 it was 7,O46. .833S
in 1883 SO, 6,938DO0 bales, but the
number Of pounds was greater than
in the preceding year; in 1880 80 it
was about 7 7,250O00 bales or over,
and the indications point to at least
7,50O,0O0 to 8,00O,000 bales this
year. Notwithstanding the steady
increase in production, the price has
advanced from year to year on &C.
count of the fact that the worlds
consumption is fast outgrowing the
production. The total farm value
OF the last four crops, including cot
ton seed, was 81 100000, 900. and
this years crop, unless some unfore-
seen disaster befall il, will reach
nearly $S0O,OOO,Oo0 10 value, il.
cluding the vahe Of the seed, which
was waste product few years
ago. Thus in Eve years the South
will receive for its cotton nearly
$4,000, 600,
While cotton has been thus ad.
diGg so enormously To- +he South's
wealth, all other crops have likewise
increased. Corn, wheat, oats. 10.
baceo, rice sugar, grasses. fruits ana
vegetables have made great gains,
and while some Of these cross. corn
for instance, will this year fall short
of last year, yet this difference III
the corn yield will be more shau
connterbalanced by higher prices.
ia fact, The Southern farmers have
been most wonderfully blessed dur
ing The last Eve years, and they aro
now in better financial condition
than the farmers Of any other see
tion of the country. They entcr tho
new crop year less in debt as o class
than any time since the war, From:
all over the South the bankers
write OF the hest outlook for farm
ers since the war, the condition Of
farmers better than ever before
farmers ,jnbilant over lhe pros-
poets, and other equally as encour-
aging words. The people of the
South are enthusiastic over their
prospects, and everywhere Is seen
life and activity. Added to the
wonderful industrial progress in ne
So9M that is reyolulionizing the
tha whole country is this unprece-
dented prosperity Of the farmers. !.
In four years the South has pro-
duced about 28,600 900 bales Of
cotton. 2,000,C00,O0O bushel OF coAn
200.000,000 bushels of wheat ard
3l5,O00,000 bushels Of oats, the
total value Of these and other agri.
cultural products reaching the enor.
nous aggregate of nearly $500.
With cotton crop worth
nearly $500,00e,000, a corn crop
that will yield $250,0J0, 900. $75..
100000 of wheat aud oats, added 10
rice, sugar, tobacco, vegetables, &c,
the Soath's agricultural products
will this year reach at least Sl,s
050,000,000 or about $4O0, ,00O. 900
more than il 1880. With this en-.
ormous agricultural wealth added
to the hundreds of millions OF ont.
side money which have gone South
for investment in railroads, in fur.
mace, in mines, in mills, in mineral
and timber lands, in costly hotels.
&c, we can readily understand the
south's great prosperity Manu-
iacturcr's Record