The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1897-04-23
ON THE WING NOTES.
Editor Democrat-Star.

/ Editor Democrat
A spring trip from the Gulf Coast
to the Quaker City, covering about
$500 miles, reveals much that is both
interesting and instructive, from
which "A few notes are taken for the
readers of the "Old Reliable"
Leaving peaches half GROVE you find
there the trees beginning to blossom,
but still leafless; leaving ripe straw
berries and dewberries, there the
plants are starting new growth; corn
six to ten inches high here, there none
| planted.
Between Washington and Philadel-
pha, especially around Baltimore, the
land is mostly devoted TO truck or
vegetable gardening, the market de-
mand for which being supplied, the
excess is canned Most OF the canning
is said to be private enterprise. Each
owner OF large tracts, say so to 200
acres, cultivatcs his land with hired
ldUui las lllN wv IL bubHl lDl
putting up his vegetables and fruits,
and is, therefore, both an agricultur-
ist and a manufacturer, able 10 can
all his produce and realize the full
manufactured value. What a con-
trast between their money-making
method and that pursued along the
Gulf Coast, where produce is raised to
ROT or To be shipped thousand miles,
and canned goods, costing double
shipped back to meet the greater de-
mand, paying freight both ways.
A large per cent Of the Gulf Coast
lands are naturally more productive
and better adapted for that kind of
farming than the Atlantic Coast land
between Washington and Boston,
where it is most engaged in, and
while they can raise but one crop a
year, the extent to which they use
fertilizers would drive many Gulf
coasters to fire their land and run
away by the light Of it. Undoubtedly
there is much land near the Cult
Coast that, if worked and fertilized as
is common around Baltimore, would
produce three times the yearly profit
there.
Space forbids details, hence a gen.
eral comparison:
Washington has about 10000 pOpu-
lati0n: Baltimore, AZ miles distant,
450, 600; Philadelphia, 96 miles farther,
1850, 900, and Greater New York. 9C
miles still farther, nearly 3,0O00O
giving in the said four cities within
22S miles population OF some 4, 80
600. Other cities along the Atlantic
Coast and within said 22S miles con
tain very nearly 250,000.
Between New Orleans. with some
$50 600 and Pensacola, with say 1000
a distance Of 246 miles, is Mobile with
probably $4,000; total, 100000 (thC
Mississippi Coast towns thrown in
for greater distance along the Cen
tral Gulf Coast, there contains 5000,
600 on the Central Atlantic Coast.
The industrial resources are fal
greater in these Gulf States than were
ever furnished by those Atlantic
States, and while they produce but d
small part Of the raw material to suS
tain their manufacturing interests OF
One-half the breadStutfS to fecC
this population, the Gulf States car
sustain twenty times their present
manufactures and feed ten times the
present population with large sur
plus left
More reading, thought and effort
along industrial lines are very much
needed il greater prosperity is to bC
expected.
The "hard times" the last few years
= docs not seem to have prevented eX
tenSiye developments in the elevated
and mOunta regions between
Atlanta and Lynchburg along the line
Of the Southern Railway system
Three cities claim over 10000 each
and the city council Of Charlotte
n. c., asserts that within 100 miles
there are over POO cotton mills. Cot
ton and tobacco are staples, although
the surface, for the most part. is
broken with large per cent OF land
too rough and rocky to be cultivated
There is much soil nearer the Gull
equal to the best up there, but with
their better methods, combined with
diversified manufacturing, they are
making the most OF their OppOrtuni
ties. There have been great improve
ments since my last visit through
Georgia, the Car0linas and Virginia
but noticeable through Maryland ant
Pennsylvania.
: No doubt some Of your readers hat
!, experiences long ago along that line
| rode on the train with Confederate
veteran as conductor and a UniOr
veteran, now living at Key West, a.
passenger, who were opposed to each
other at Bull Run, Manassas, Culpep
per, Rapidan, etc, and who pointeC
out their positions, etc, as the train
sped along.
Many things OF interest must be
omitted, as this is already TOO long
April II, 1897. II. S. H.