The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1894-09-22
Agriculture In Mississippi.

A
! the Southern Development Conven.
tion, Washington, d. c. The
speech is well written, Of much in
terest to oil Mississippians who have
the good of their State at heart.
Read all of it.
For Misslssippians l., @. C. La
mar spoke as follows:
"1n response to the call of Missis-
sippi, name as sacred and dear to
me as that Of fond and loving
mother, l shall ask your indulgence
for a few moments that 1 may tell
you, as best can from memory, OF
a few Of her many blessings.
Whilst not so richly endowed in
mineral resources as some of her
sister states, from an Agricultural
standpoint Mississippi is today with
her snow fields OF Heecy cotton, the
pride Of her nation and the wonder
Of the world.
Her great delta, which forms the
banks Of Yazoo and Miss, more fer
tile than the rich valley Of the fa-
nous Nile, IL wholly under cultiva-
tion would alone many times exceed
her present annual yield and possi-
bly, equal that of all the Southern
states combined.
Mississippi and Illinois are in
many respects similar. In the first
place they have more good land in
proportion to area than any other
two States, they are both washed by
the Mississippi River on their West
ern border; both are narrow in pro.
portion to length the north line OF
Illinois kisses the great lakes, while
the southern shore of Mississippi is
laved by the sea both have extern
sive prairie regions both have rich
alluvial valleys; both are pierced
from north to south by the Illinois
Central Railroad, and while Illinois
is in the front ranks in the coal pro-
ducts, Mississippi in her forests but
while Mississippi can produce every
staple that blesses !he soil OF Illinois
she adds to her products the grea,
| staple,v.cotc and almost every
fruit aRd vegetable Of the tropics.
| Old as she is, nearly half the
State Is today virgin forest Of as
fine timber MS ever gladdened the
sight Of the woodsmsn, abounding
with almost every variety of hard
woods. In the northern and eastern
sections, and covering the lower
portion OF the state, the pine tree
fourishes in all Of its glory,
She numbers her sawmilIs by hun
dreds, and some Of them are among
the most extensive In the South.
Her lumber cut in 1890 was over
800, 900, 900 feet, and it is estimated
now al fully 100, 100000, and her
lumber exports are to many of the
countries OF Europe in addition to
lsrge shipments TO South Africa and
the Spanish Americas. Her mills
furnished The timber for the Panama
canal, the Ead's jetties, the New
Orleans Exposition buildings and
many other gigantic structures. II er
timber exhibit at New Orleans was
one OF the wonders of the exposi-
tion and yet, numerous and enor-
nous as were the specimens dis
played, they gave but faint idea Of
the wealth Of her forests.
Southern Mississippi is a great
sheep country. Her open pine for
ests arc clothed with abundant herb
age and well supplied with water,
and there arc no buFrs there and the
sheep are free from disease. Her
flock in 1898 numbered AL, ,779
head, as officially reported, but an
entire count, including those on the
free range OF her southern forests
would probably foot up over a mil
lion. Her sheep owners number
10 ,456, which is, | understand, twice
that of Texas and four times that ot
California. and equal to many of the
wool-growing Western States aDt
Territories combined"
Mr.. Lamar spoke in detail of tat
remarkable cereal, fruit, vegetable
and manufacturing resources and
livestock industries Of Mississippi
with her superb educational institu-
tions and free school system, giving
the convention and the investment
public valuable food for reflection
and profitable digestion.
II is related that Lake Charles
girl was walking through an orchard
| ~ AsuiInrhk nnnnrn m ninh hrr a nnr