The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-11-22
GREAT POSSIBILITIES.
- The Road to Wealth Leads Through
the South

Recently we noted in these columns
little book bearing the title of the
second part of the above caption,
published by F. e. Robertson & Co.,
Cincinnati, Ohio. As We said at the
time il contains many articles of
interest and value to persons wanting
information about the South, and
can not fail to do much in drawing
attention to the South and its advan
tages as an iviting field for the
profitable investment of capital as well
as the home seeker. 1t says, among
other things, in speaking Of the South
as a whole:
1t is difficult 10 exa9gera,e the
advantages and resources Of the South.
1t can be truthfully said that there IS
no other region on this continent or
in Europe of equal area that has one
half of the advantages for supporting
dense population and for the creation
of wealth as the South. 1t has every
variety of climate, its soil yields abun-
dainty of the widest range Of agricul-
tural products, it raises nearly three
fourths of the entire cotton crop Of the
world, but its cotton crop is now
exceeded in value by It's grain crops,
fact which comparatively few seem to
know. 1t is becoming the market
garden Of the North, over $4,000, 900
worth Of vegetables and fruits being
shipped annually from Norfolk alone
to Northern cities. Florida furnishes
the country with 5000, 900, to 4,ooo,-
900, boxes of oranges a year.
Georgia ships over 5000 carloads Of
watermelons every season. In the
aggregate the shipments of early fruits
and vegetables North and West
probably amount to nearly $50, ooo,-
900 a year, and this business is
increasing very rapidly. Ten years
ago it was of triaing importance.
But the South's profitable crops dc
not end with cotton, grain, fruits and
vegetables they include about 7oo,
900, 900 pounds of sugar, 200, 1000, 900
pounds OF rice, $50, 100000 pounds OF
tobacco and other smaller crops. The
possibilities in grain growing in the
South were illustrated few years ago
when South Carolina farmer won
the prlzc offered by the Amt1ican
Ag1Itnltn1Id for the largest yield of
corn per acre in competition with the
most progressive farmers in every
section OF nearly every State in the
Union. In no part of the country can
agriculture be made more profitable
than in the South And a genial
climate makes the cost of living and
caring for live stock very much less
than where the intense cod reduces
the days OF out -door labor to the
minimum and adds heavy burden of
cost for food, clothing, and fuel for
the family and for the shelter and
feeding Of all farm animals. The
South is a well-watered country, with
a regular and abundant rainfall.
From the great mountain ranges that
form its backbone innumerable streams
and rlVtrS flow into the Atlantic and
| Gulf OF Mexico. Some furnish cheap
transportation, and will forever regu-
late railroad freight rates others
afford water powers, used only to a
comparatively small extent now, but
capable Of furnishing sufficient power
TO spin all the cotton which the South
produces.
Contemplate the future Of section
of country which has more coal and
iron than all of Europe, one half of all
the standing timber in the United
States, which raises three-i ourthS the
worlds cotton crop and which can
manufacture cotton at lower cost
than England or Great Britain, which
practically nonopolzes the phosphate
rock deposits of the world, which can
produce grain enough to supply
America and still not cultivate more
than half OF It's soil, which has almost
every mineral useful in arts and
sciences, which has unequaled climate,
which has a great sea coast and rivers
without number-think of such
combination, unknown elsewhere, and
then picture if you can the South of
the future