The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-08-02
3OUTHERN OPPORTUNITIES.
Question which Goes to the Core OF
Southern Prosperity.

Southern Prosperity.
There is good deal of force in the
story told by the president Of the agri-
cultural society of Michigan concern
ing a recent visit to Arkansas. He was
taken from place to place, he says, and
various chances Of making large profits
in the raising of clover fruit, etc, were
urgently pointed out to him. And
why" he asked, do not your own peO-
pie turn their attention to these things
and make money if it is SO easy?" That
is question which goes to the core of
the problem of southern prosperity.
The opportunities are there, urques-
tiOnably, but the people do not
improve them. Instead OF di-
vcrsifying their industries, they
cling obstinately to the old plan
of giving their time and labor
mainly to single product. They de-
pend principally upon cotton, that is to
say. regardless Of the fact that the sup
ply largely exceeds the demand and
that the prices are consequently too
low to leave the producer any profit
This fact has been apparent for years,
and yet they go on planting cotton in
abundance when practical intelligence
should show them the folly Of such q
proceeding. The partially for that
product seems to be a pervasive and
controlling superstition. Now and
then we hear of efforts being made to
reduce the acreage, but they do not
bring about the desired result. Cotton
continues to be raised in an excessive
quantity, and it's market value con-
tinues to go lower rather than higher
with succeeding years.
The idea that nothing but cotton can
be raised in the south is stupid and
mischievOus fallacy. In few lOcali-
ties, Perhaps the soil is not adapted, or
at least not SO we'll adapted to any
other product; but these exceptional
districts constitute only a compara-
lively small portion of the aggregate
territory. Generally speaking, it is
possible to raise profitable crops of va
rious other things that are in wide and
constant demand. Corn, wheat, oats
and tame grasses all grow there and
yield well when properly cultivated.
There is no better section of the cOun-
try for fruit-grOwing and for the rails
ing of staple vegetables The people
of the south can take advantage of
these chances without any aid from the
north either in capital or ilnmigrat ton.
They have only to divert from the
profitless production Of cotton the
Ia Dor necessary to plant and manage
these other crops. The same money
and emery now applied to a single
product with such poor returns could
easily be made to yield handsome
profit if thus transferred to different
fields. No Legislation is required in
the case. The question is not one of
politics in any sense but of business,
and the people have the means of set
Ting it in their own hands. 1t is for
them to utilize the resources that they
re so fond of recommending to others.
They should get rid Of the cotton
superstition, and give their attention
to the Investigation of their agricul-
ture. Therein lies their best hope of
material gain and progress; and the
sooner they accept it and act upon it in
good faith the more wisdom they will
show and the more money they will
nake.-St. Louis Globe-DemOcrat.