The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-02-01


road first. Then if they oppress US we
can easily curb them. I will not am
plfy trite illustrations.
THE WAY TO KEEP OUR BOYS AT
HoME-BusY MACHINEs-PRos-
Porous AND HAPPY PEOPLE.
In my State I had not very long ago
and apt illustration of my idea. In q
county where ordinarily the heavier
crops scarcely 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 $4,000 in
farm products, needed. I was struck
with the variety of products raised
eggs, leans, peas, fruits vegetable,
melons, small fruits and many other
articles found thAre ready sale and a
splendid market. Of course, this is
but tithe 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 Sl100 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.
Tie 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 pnanufacto-
ries bring the labor with them. That
is true primarily, but I know to-day of
one cotton mandatory where, out OF
the l5O employees. 125 are from the
neighborhood, and the foreman who
has charge of all the machinery is a
young man who was farmer boy ten
wears 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 I investigat-
ed as carefully as possible in this Sec
tiou this economic question. AS q
politician I had discussed the New
England abandoned farm question,
and whilst there | determined to see
for myself the actual condition of the
New England farm. I found a great
deal of New Hampshire utterly unfit
for agriculture. A great part Of ii
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 bad 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 raisiDglof beef,
hogs aud sheep, and wiseley they have
gone to new fields of agriculture. The
teeming manufacturing towns demand
America n poultry, eggs, butter, fruit,
vegetables and the thousand small
fruits which can be proftably grown
adjacent to great population. What
is the result? T read from the. exact
figures. In 1865 the beef product of
Massachusetts, was So, 1873, ,564 in 1885,
$71S,932, loss of over $4,000
CHANGED CONDITIONS BROUGHT PROS
PERITY Eo THE FARMS.
These figures seem to betoken great
destruction of the agricultural interest
of Massachusetts,, and an argument
against my proposition. Such, how
ever, is not the case. AS / have said
before, they found that the heavy
farming would not do. and they turn
ed their attention to the lighter branch
of this industry, and in order to make
up for the loss of the beef industry,
and supply the immense demand of
the manufacturing population, the
Massach usetts farmer. among other
things, turned to making milk. In
1865 the value of the milk product was
81, 1856, 1877; in 1885 it was $lO,312, 762, a
gain of SIS, s,356,575, making up the loss
of the beef account and having ST.
600, 900 to spare. Last year the milk
account ran to upwards of SIS, 100000,
or 81 100000 more than her beef came
to In 1865.
STRAWBERRIES AND CRANBETRKIES.
In the earlier days of the manufac-
tory in the East, as is well known, the
people were FRUGAL. lived close and