The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-25

RAILROADS GIVE US THE MARKETS
OF THE WORLD.
In a late number of the Southern
Farm Magazine I was struck with a
very able article on Southern truck
farming by Colonel Killebrew. On
reading the article closely found
that the great truck business at Nor
folk was coincident with the railroad
and ship lines that the great vegeta-
BILE product of Western Tennessee
came with the Louisville & Nashville
Railroad, and, in fine, the splendid
agricultural development of the mid
die south was simply the result of the
railroad. AS matter Of fact, an an
alysis of the article showed that it was
but mastery statement Of what had
been the splendid effect of the railroad
upon the Southern farmer.
RAILROAD BUILDING SHOULD BE
ENCOURAGED.
Such being the case, let the South
ern farmer exert his great power and
wipe out the old-fashioned and restric-
tive legislation which diverts the rail-
road from his fertile valley, rich fields
and deep orebeds. Allow capital the
largest liberality consistent with safe
ty, and q great step will have been
taken in the development of this idea.
Attempting to interest capital IN the
building of railroad in one of our
States was met with the drastic rail-
road and corporation commission,
which cared little for the farmer, but
much for the half-dozen politicians
needing places. Let US get the rail.
road first. Then if they oppress US we
can easily curb them. I will not am
plify trite illustrations.
THE WAY TO KEEP OUR BOYS AT
HoME-BUSY MACHINES-PROs-
Porous AND HAPPY PEOPLE.
In my State had not very long ago
county where ordinarily the heavier
crops scarely afforded living there
was established large concern which
employed 400 men. A most observant
farmer showed me that the manufac:
tory had absolutely changed the whole
of the agricultural conditions. The
boys, instead of going West, were
operators in the manufactory, skilled
laborers within four years, living at
home. A town had arisen. Every
class of small farming gave the most
splendid results. It took at least 500
each a year in farm products to feed
the operators. This was 1000 in
farm products, needed. / was struck
with the variety of products raised
eggs, beans, peas, fruits vegetable,
melons, small fruits and many other
articles found thare q ready sale and a
splendid market. OF course, this Is
but 1.-THE of the money spent in this
one industry. One farmer made $500
clean last year from his melon crops,
more than he had made in all bis life
as wheat and corn producer. Anoth-
er one informed me that they had
quit raising wheat and corn. He
had turned his attention to poultry
and truck. He said last year he sold
1900 chickens and $110O worth Of
truck. He had bought some adjoin-
ing land at four times the price it was
before the factory came, and would
clear next year at least $4,000.
QUICK TRANSPORTATION NECESSARY.
The salvation of small farming is
quick transportation. Now Is the
time of Southern salvation. The rail-
road transportation is not following
the upper and northern course, but it
is cutting across the South to the Gulf
States. We can grasp our opportuni-
ties in the way of railroads and manu-
factory construction as we have never
before. 1t is said that the Dnanufacto-
ries bring the labor with them. That
is true primarily, but know to-day of
one cotton mandatory where, out Of
the $50 employees. 125. are from the
neighborhood, and the foreman who
has charge of all the machinery is
young man who was farmer boy ten
years ago. These illustrations are
trite, but they are true and come un-
der the view of every observing person.
THE WAY A MARVELLOUS CHANGE
WAS WROUGHT.
The general trend of this discussion
is we'll illustrated by New England.
Whilst taking my vacation in New
Hampshire this summer investigat-
ed as carefully as possible In this Sec
tion this economic question. AS q
politician I had discussed the New
England abandoned farm question,
and whilst there I determined to see
for myself the actual condition of the
New England farm. I found q great
deal of New Hampshire utterly unfit
for agriculture. A great part of 1t
would produce nothing, even if q
mandatory was placed on every acre,
but I ascertained that in the tillable
section Of New England the manufac-
tory, was having its potent influence.
BY reason of freer Western land, vast
changes in the economics of transport
alton, greater fertility Of soil, there
was produced in New England a
tremendous farm depressure. Great
numbers of farmers who had not been
able to understand the change which
was taking place abandoned the East
and went West. They did not grasp
the situation and thought if they
could not profitably raise the old
cereals in competition with the West
that there was no life for the New En-
gland farmer. This change was assist
ed by the tremendous increase of the
manufactures, which took many peo-
pie away from the farm. But in the
last fifteen years a marvellous change
has taken place in the agricultural dis
tricts of New England. They have
found out that they cannot compete
with the West in the growing of the
heavier grains, in the raisiDgiof beef,
hogs and sheep, and wiseley they have
gone to new fields of agriculture. The
teeming manufacturing towns demand
| nerica n nnnltrY eggs butter, fruit,