The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-07-26
ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS.

Inc non. IdlflCk w dlSlI, VI ullC Au-
gusta Chronicle, in his letter to the
Tradesman says:
"While sympathize deeply with the farmers
of the South, they are not above that adverse
criticism for the policy that has impoverished
themselves while enrching others. They have
neglected the examples of their fathers II there
never had been q slave in the Sou th-if boil OF
cotton never had opened into lint, the farmers
OF the country could live comfortably upon the
products Of their farms. Cotton is low in the
markets of the world, and the producer OF it en-
barrassed, because the inexorable law OF supply
and demand has been violated. Whatever other
cause may be assigned for the low price of cot
ton, over-production is the only and real one
The South can become prosperous and indie
pendent. Three things are necessary:
81. Diversified agriculture.
90. The pursuit OF mining.
% The development OF manufactures
"When the South raises her own food supply
the manufacturer will no longer buy cotton be-
low the cost of production The South was rich
before the war-the richest country in the world
richer far than New England with all her hive
of industres-not because of slave labor, but be-
cause she lived at home and filed her corncribs
and smokehouses with hOmeraised corn and
meat
THE South has inexhaustible mines Of coal
and iron. These will be operated with the dawn
ing OF the better times that will soon dispel the
depression and adversely that have only tenn
porarily retarded the development OF the mining
inter ests Of Chattanooga, birmingham, Annis-
ton and numerous other places in the South that
are rich in mineral wealth. Discriminating
freight rates against southern coal and iron on
the part of eastern and northern railroads are
weak artificial barriers that will be swept away
by our own superior natural advantages which
enable southern furnaces to sell iron in competi-
ton with the northern product at prices that
yield a small profit, in the one place and loss
in the other. The time is coming when the South
will no longer be suppressed industrialy or po-
litically Ali she asks in any department OF bus
mess is fair field and no favor Competition
cannot be stihed by aggregations OF wealth,
whether in the forms of trusts to create artificial
scarcity and high prices, or in the shape of COM
bines Of eastern railroads to keep the products
of southern mines out of the eastern markets.
With coal and iron and timber. why should not
the South have her ownfoundries, machine shops
and factories? Why should the South depend
upon the North for articles that she can manu-
facture at home? In the manufacturing of cot
ton the South has within the last ten years
driven the eastern mills from the market in GER
tain lines of goods
There is very much more prose than
poetry in what Mr.. Walsh says. While
the progress and development Of the South
during the last quarter of century has
been great, in fact almost phenomenal,
and greatly in excess Of what could have
been hoped for under conditions existing
during the period prior to the war be-
tween the States, every close observer
admits that this progress had it's basis
upon agriculture, and until the last few
years when the mineral resources of the
South were developed to some extent,
upon agriculture only. AS agriculture
is admitted to be the best basis and sur
est foundation Of wealth, it was we'll for
us to build upon it, but the trouble has
been that we have used the foundation
material for entire structure. In this
was the error 1t is a matter that we
may well be proud Of that with our agri-
cultural resources alone we have been
able to make such rapid strides on the
road of progress, but when we contem-