The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-09-11
THE SOUTH'S WONDERFUL PROS
PERITY

ILh1l i.
| Baltimore Manufacturers Record, Au-
gust 3Oth.l
1t would be difficult to exaggerate
in telling Of the wonderful prosperity
which is before the South during the
next twelve months. Cotton may no
longer be king as in olden times, but
as subject it brings to the South an
amount of wealth that is almost be-
yond comprehension. For five years
the cotton crop has been steadily in
creasing, and each year has shown a
gain over the preceding one-a record
which no other five-year period can
exhibit. In 1869 the crop was
$685. 900 bales; in 1888 it was
7,o46,S3S in 1S88-So, 6,938,ooo
bales, in 1S8o-eo it was about 1885,
900 bales, but the number of pounds
was greater than in the preceding
year; ill 1889 go it was about 7,a5o,-
900 bales or over, and the indications
point to at least 100000 to 5000,
900 bales this year. Notwithstanding
the steady increase in production, the
price has advanced from year to year
on account Of the fact that the world S
consumption is fast outgrowing the
production. The total farm value of
the last four crops, including cotton
seed, was about $1,000, 900, 900, and
this years crop, unless some unfore-
seen disaster should befall it, will
reach nearly S5oo,ooo,ooo in value,
including the value of the seed, which
was waste product few years ago.
Thus in five years the South will re-
ceive for its cotton nearly $4,000, :
900, 900.
While cotton has been thus adding
so enormously to the South's wealth,
all other crops have likewise increased.
Corn, wheat, oats, tobacco, rice, su-
gar, grasses, fruits and vegetables have
made great gains, and while some of
these crops, corn for instance, will
this year fall a little short of last year,
yet this difference in the corn yield
will be more than counterbalanced by
higher prices. In fact, the Southern
farmers have been most wonderfully
blessed during the last five years, and
they are now in better financial condi-
ton than the farmers of any other
section of the country. They enter
the new crop year less in debt as a
class than at any time since the war;
From all over the South the bankers,
whose letters we publish to-day, write
of the ''best outlook for farmers since
the war;" "the condition of farmers
better than ever BEFORE" "farmers ju-
bilant over the prospects" and other
equally as encouraging 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
the South that is revolutionizing the
whole country is this unprecedented
prosperity of the farmers. The fol-
lowing figures explain the reason of
the South's agricultural prosperity:
YIELD OF PRINCIPAL CROPS IN 1887, 1888,
1889, 1889.
1887. 1855. 1889. 1880
COTTON.
7S.so ss'ssi s.sseoo+ sssssi 1sSso Aslss hs,ss
to S.oO0GO)
srsi 5os 9Ss sTs $50 sss ooo
900 A,oO7 900 55.O6o,OoO 5OOoO,OOO
OATS.
8. 1900 7s,s5iooO T,7ll.ooo. $1,000, 900.
tEstimated.
Thus in four years the South has
produced about 7S,6oo,ooo bales of
cotton, 1000, 900 bushels OF com,
200, 900 200 of fwheat and 3I5 900 900
bushels of oats, the total value of
these and other agricultural products
reaching the enormous aggregate of
nearly s., 900, 900. With a cot
ton crop worth nearly $500, ,ooc. 900,
a corn crop that will yield s25o,ooo,-
900, SIS, 900, 900 of wheat and oats,
added to rice, sugar, tobacco. vegeta
bles, Sc, the South's agricultural
products will this year reach at least
sI,o5o,ooo,o 900 or about $4oo, 900 900
more than in 1880. With this enor-
NOUS agricultural wealth added to the
hundreds of millions of outside money
which have gone South for investment
IN railroads, in furnaces, in mines, in
mills, in mineral and timber lands, in
costly hotels, &c, we can readily un-