Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-08-11
THE BOOMING SOUTH.
The Immense Strides Made IN Re-
cent Years
tadssrrt.i n~vstattra on-~rvssG~ ne Every
Dtr~~tisn-rA~ t.r-.t Tasr~a.~ aa
M..aes~tartax rh@ Boom
In Agrtruffur~.

In Axrs=aIsar-.
Mr.. Richard H. E.imsnsE=. os Rslti-
more. late editor II the Manufacturers
Record. has a paper in th. August
Forum On the Industrial progress Of the
south. in which he says The south
produces three fourth. of the entire
eottuu crop of the wprid. IL is b.cotn-
ing the market garden of the north.
over O., ,ooo. GOO worth Of vegetables and
fruits being shipped annually from
Norfolk alone IN northern cities.
Florida furnishes the country frum 3.
100000 to s.ooa. ooa boxes of oranges a
year Georgia ships over I0.0oo ear
loads Of watermelouS every season. In
the aggregzte the shipment of early
| fruits and vegetables north and west
probably amounts - nearly sS0. 0o0. 000
| a year. and this hu-in-s. IL fncrraSinr r
very rapidly. Ten years ago IL was Of
trifiiug Importance.
The south's profitable crops include
about 40. 600. ooa pounds ot sugar. TO- =
eoo. .ooo pounds ~ rice. many million
pounds of tobacco and other smaller
crops.
| In the extent and variety Of It's stand
ing timber the south far surpasss.S all
other sections. The editor Of Timber
man estimates that the annual lumber
product Of the south Is fully s40o. .o0o. =
600, or a. mueh as the value of the cot
ton crop, but that is probably too large
an estimate. In the mineral and timber
belt which stretches from West Vir-
z1nia IN northern Alabama. covering.
roughly speaking. an AREA of about 100
miles in length and iss To efssi miles in
width. there is a concentration Of min
eral and timber wealth greater than
can be found in any other equal AREA in
America or Europe with IDEAL eoudi-
tions for its profitable Development
Instead of having to haul ore .eoo
miles. ~ many northern furnaces do.
anil eUsse 500 u 500 miles as many west
ern furnaces are compelled - do. the
iron maker IN this section finds his ore
and coal and limestone within a few
miles IT each other. In quantity they
are. humanity speaking. inexhaustible:
and A. new railroads open up new and
large fields. the cost Of prusiuetion
steasilly decreases. against n gradual
but certain increase in a very large part
of the north and in all OF Europe. For
/ awhile Il was believed BY many that
the quality II Soathern ores and coke
was inferior ts the best grades Of north
eru. but the best southern Goals and
eolSes uow equal NJ outrank the highes;
Pennsylvania grades. while southern
irln ores have gained a position equally
as strong. except for Bsss-mer IRON
The mountain and plateau sections
euvers about -.r0.000 square miles. This
II equal 10 the combined areas ~ En-
/ gland. Wales Scotland and Belgium.
and half af Germany and half ai
| France This central southern region.
equal in AREA 10 the countries named. IS
capable II supporting a greater popula-
tion than their combined population.
/ II can comfortably accommodate and
furnish foundation for the prosperity
ot more people than now live in the
{ nited States. It's greatest resources
are its coal and iron and timber. and
| vet Mr.. Edward Atkinson estimate.
that il is capable. when well populated
with thrifty farmers. of producing a.
much wheat a. the entire country now
consumes.
loss ny THE WAR
The census report of 1870 showed 6
decline Of q, 600. ooo, 900 in the assessed
value of property as compared with
1850 Careful estimates put the money
loss to the south by the war. counting
the destruction Of property AMI taking
some coguizance of the losses due d
disorganizatiou Of the labor system, nj
from 81, 600, coo. 900 to e. coo. 900. 900. II
the losses represented by the death oi
50 many of its foremost men and the
great rush west and north Just after
the war be included, il is very reasona,
bic to say that the war cost the south
-. 0O0. eao. 00o. The total capital invest
ed in manufactures in the United
States. according to the last census. is
about 81. 500. .o00. 900.
| IL we could conceive of some disaster
which should wipe out of existence
every manufacturing enterprise in this
country and every dollar of capital in
vested. the loss would be 50 appalling
as to stagger the world. And vet this
frightfuI condition and this loss would
be less than the south had to face when
il Laid down its arms in 1855. Moreover,
this loss would have To be borne by over
S.. ao0, 600 people. who would have every
aid that the worlds capital could rem
der in helping to overcome its effects.
while the south's loss had to be borne
by less than 10000, 900 people, and that,
too. without any material assistance
from the outside world
ENORMOUS PREDICTIONS
The growth of the population in the
| south since 1850 has been almost wholly
natural increase. the growth in the
north and west has been swelled by
over 5000. 900 immigrants. In 1881 the
south produced sos, o0e. 600 bushels oi
Of corn. and in 1891 SIS. 20, 600 bushels,
gain OF over 20. .o0o. 900 bushels, or rs
per cent. while the increase IN corr
production in the balance of the coun-
try in 1891 over 1851 was Il per cent
lor = lower rate than the south The
aggregate production of wheat. corn
and oats IN the south in 1901 was 672. :
asa, 900 bushels, against 404, 501. 600 bush
els IN 1851, = gain of a6s, I5s, 900 bush
els. or 81 per cent During the same
period the gain IN the rest Of the coun-
Try was ~ per cent In other lines o.
agriculture the south growth has been
equally satisfactory. In 1881 the cotton
crop was ), 455. 600 bales in 1891 il was
about 5000, 600. On the basis of prices
which prevailed in 1851 the south's az.
riculturzI products of 1891 would have
been worth about s5oo.00o, 600 more