The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-28
other section of the world.

| VelOplng It's resources, DuL tnlS ueVel-
opment is not 1.-THE of what should
have been accomplished. Yet it dis
closes what can be done even under
adverse circumstances, and points to
| the magnificent results which should
await the future.
| FURTHER FACTS.
Mr.. McLaurin then produced ex'
tracts from various industrial lourn.
ais, to show the character and extent
of the progress in the South. He
showed, among other things, that in
| 1896 there were in the South: SS2, ,746
more cotton spindles than there were
| in 1894, and continued:
| What is true of cotton is true also
of woolen mills, since am informed
that the largest woolen mill in Ameri.
ca, if not in the world, is located at
Knoxville, Tenn. Other industries,
such as iron and steel, wagon and
carriage factories, tanneries, etc., l
can not describe in detail. sincerely
believe, however, that the time will
come when Columbia, Atlanta, and
Birmingham will be to America what
Birming cham, Manchester and Leeds
are to England. When that day
dawns, the supremacy of Fall River,
| Lawrence, and Lowell will be lost for
ever, and Charleston and New Orleans
! will be rivals of New York and Chi
cago. I wish to say further, If the
science mining is ever perfected so
that the gold in Georgia and the Car
linas can be separated and secured,
there will be as wild a rush for the
mines in these States as there was for
the gold fields of California. l de-
sire to call attention to my own ma
tive State. South Carolina. In con-
tains $4,000 square miles OF as fertile
land as the sun shines upon, and
1, Isl, 600 of as kind, brave, and hospl-
table people as can be found on earth.
Its geographical location brings it
genial, healthy climate, luscious
fruits, beautiful flowers, bountlful
haryests, and all the comforts of life
which attach to such favored region.
We have what is known as the coast
section, the middle section, and the
Piedmont country, each adapted to
particular lines of production. Our
State is traversed by numerous rivers,
many of which are navigable. 1t is
otherwise watered, and the annual
rainfall is abundant for all agricultu-
raj purposes.
In 1890 the American Agriculturist
offered prize of 81, 900 for the largest
yield of corn from single acre, and
Mr.. T. Drake, OF the county OF
Marlboro, secured it. Mr.. Drake
gathered 2554 bushels of corn from l
acre. This seems impossibles except
for the fact that Mr.. Drake gathered
two crops the same year. He planted
his first crop in season, and by the
time that had mRtured he had a Sec
ond crop ready to cultivate between
the rows. In this manner he made
two crops of corn in one season, and
secured the premium. Marlboro
County, may say, is one OF the ban
ner agricultural counties of the South.
FIGURES ON FARMING.
IN 1895 the News and Courier, Of
Charleston, s. c., with its usual liber'
ality and foresight, offered prize for
the best all.round farming in my
State. This prize was also secured by
a citizen of my home county, Mr..
John g. Fletcher. With but 100
acres under cultivation Mr.. Fletcher
produced at market prices So, ,726. .45
worth of farm products, ranging
from 4S bales of cotton to 400 dozen
eggs. Let those who are seeking new
homes remember that in South Carroll.
ma nearly $4,000 in various farm pro-
ducts were made on 100 acres of land.
In my opinion, State with such
record should not want for the very
best class OF emigrants. Farmers out
West have become rich chiefly through
the increased value of their lands.
Now, when the manufacturing indus
tries increase in South Carolina, pop
ulation will increase also, and an in
creased value in our lands will surely
follow.
The crops of 1s93-the figures are
taken from agricultural reports
were: Wheat, 1, 732, 1924 bushels; corn,
29,261, ,422 bushels; oats, 4,767,S21
bushels; rye, %, GAL bushels; potatoes,
349, 1854 bushels; cotton, 747, AL bales;
rice, 80, 33s, ,s95 pounds (this is about
one-fourth of the product of the en-
tire country, in which respect South
Carolina stands second) tobacco, 222,-
s9S pounds.
South Carolina has 15,00S farms,
5,255, ,2S7 acres of improved land, and
1929, Ais unimproved. The value of
its lands and farm improvements is
500, 104, 600; value of farm implements
and machinery, 81, LIZ, ,262; live stock,
SIG, 572, ,410; estimated annual value
of farm products. 1887, 9S5; SO, ,SS9
horses, sc, ,306 asses and mules, $685.
293 neat cattle, 494, 1896 swine, 79, ,421
sheep (producing 157,707 pounds of
wooD; the product of milk was 23,-
S33, ,631 gallons; butter, 5,737, ,557
pounds, as we'll as $50, ,47S bushels of
cow peas, 8.01S bushels of beans, and
AZ, 767 bushsls of peanuts. From this
it will be seen that South Carolina, as
an agricultural State, makes an excel
lent showing, and that it is admirably
adapted for all who desire to engage
in farming.
Apples, pears, ounces, plums,
peaches, nectarines. apricots, and
cherries grow in abundance, and all
along the 800 miles of coast oranges,
figs, lemons, olives, and pomegranites
are raised in perfection. S.rawber-
ries, raspberries, whortleberries, and
blackberries grow spontaneously and
in such quantities that they are large.