The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-10-05
OUR STATES EXHIBIT.
NORTH CAROLINA'S AT THE COLI
UMBIAN EXPOSITION.
An Interesting Interview With the
Chief of the Departments OF Ag-
riculture and Forestry.

A few days ago the editor of THI
SENTINEL met Mr.. w. I. BuchanOn
chief of the Department of Agricul
ture and Forestry of the Columbian
Exposition. Mr.. Buchanon is a gen
tleman OF ability and his knowledge
is extensive as well as practical.
We asked Mr.. Buchanan for his
opinion regarding the exhibit made
by North Carolina: sit has remain
ed practically for NORTH Carolina tC
make its exhibit stand for the South
No other Southern State, except West
Virginia, has made comprehensive
exhibit. North Carolina's exhibit is
certainly very creditabIe and worthy
of any State"
"Wherein is the main difference be
| tween the exhibit of North Carolina
and that of Northern States?''
'Ihe Northern and Western
States,'' said Mr.. Buchanan, "being
nearer, are doing more in the way of
elaboration in the presentation OF
what they have. L question, how
ever, if any of them have any larger
variety OF articles exhibited than
| North Carolina. Kentucky has a bet
ter exhibit of tobacco, but it has very
little Of anything else. North Caro-
[ lina's exhibit is one of which any
| State might well be proud, inasmuch
| as it shows in small compass the eX-
tent of it's agriculture"
'Bas it been an instructive exhibit
| to strangers?"
Yes answered Mr.. Buchanan; sit
has attracted a great deal of atten-
| tiOn, particularly so because many
people had no conception of the eX-
tent and variety of the agricultural
products of YOUR State"
"And what, Mr.. Buchanan, do you
| think will be the OBJECT upon our own
| peUple?"
L believe the gentlemen in charge
| of your exhibit here and persons from
| North Carolina who come here will
| find on comparing notes that they are
| mistaken in some things: they will
find that there are some things they
can produce to great deal better adj
vantage than what they are producing
now; they will find some varieties of
product better fitted for their soil
and climate.
Il remember when Iowa expected
to be the great wheat State of the
Union. Well, it took her people some
years to demonstrate to themselves
that TREY could not produce wheat to
amount to much. They finally gave
up the idea Of becoming the great
wheat State. Then they found that
their chief business was raising corn,
| and, as result, our corn crop this
year will be 100000, 600 bushels
You believe in exhibitions as Of
practical benefit, d. yOu?"
YES" responded the Department
Chief. For example, you can go into
the exhibits of several States: you can
follow certain variety of products
all through these States. a North
Carolina man can see that he is grow
ing 15 to Is bushels of wheat per acre;
he goes into Minnesota and sees
product of &c bushels Of the same
kind of wheat, and if he is a thinking
man, he will say: Either l am on
the wrong track or | must quit rails
ing wheat and go to raising something
else Exhibitions bring these things
out; they develop the idea of cOmpar
ing notes and looking for best results.
1T was at one time thought that
apples could never be raised in Iowa.
Well, somebody planted some trees
and then another man tried it; others,
and they kept comparing notes until
the best results were obtained. There
were shipped from eleven counties
last year over 125, 900 bushels of ap-
pies. You see the result of expert
meLt and comparing notes. II a
farmer shuts himself up ard does not
go out and see what his neighbOr is
doing, he makes great mistake"
do you think that North Carolina
will profit much by this exhibit, Mr..
Buchanan"
Il should say that this exhibit will
attract to your State different classes
of people. First VIII be the man who
finds that he can get land there at
more reasonable terms than in some
other section. He learns here what
you produce. Another class of men
will be attracted here by your lumber
exhibit, which is very fine and inter-
esting. l make this observation, that
men and money want to go where
people are moving and accomplishing
something, and the best evidence
that your people are thrifty and wide
| awake and making the best of your
| possibilities is in the fact that they
| will spend money and undertake to
| show what there is in the State. Fairs,
public spirit and energy have made
| many a town prosperous"
"You are believer, are you, Mr..
Buchanan, in diversified agricul-
| ture?"
EYES," he answered, 81 believe
| that man ought to live on 160 acres
of land and be independent"
''As shown by our exhibit, what
would you say were our best and poor
est crops?"
81 should say" answered Mr.. Buch-
anan, that tobacco ranks as your
best crop and cotton comes second;
wheat is your poorest crop. Your
white corn is as good corn as is shown
in theiexposition. Another thing that
| surprises me is your fruit.''
LAS to your wheat, it may not be
the fault of the wheat; it might be
the fault of the farmer in not having
the right variety, or he may not have
cultivated it properly. When wheat
drops down to 16 bushels per acre, il
isn't enough to pay for raising it. OF
course, am not referring to the man
who raises it for his own USE Beans
are valuable crops and they pay big.
''There is one matter l would call
your attention to. Hardly anything
will do as much good as farmers in
stitutes. When farmers get together
they profit by their experience; they
get the instruction that comes from
comparing notes and are helped BY
the interest that is aroused in them.
Mr.. Buchanan was very obliging
and as he stands in high AUTHORITY
THE SENTINEL is pleased to have haC
this instructive interview on behalf O
the farmers of the Old North State.