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

up for the loss of the beef industry,
and supply the immense demand of
the manufacturing population, the
Massachusetts farmer, among other
things, turned to making milk. In
1865 the value of the milk product was
81, 1866, 1877; in 1885 it was 0,3l2, 1872, q
gain of $s,356,575 making up the loss
of the beef account and having ST.
000, 900 to spare. Last year the milk
account ran to upwards of SIS, 900, 900,
or 81, 7,O0O, 900 more than her beef came
to in 1865.
STRAWBERRIES AND CRANBETRRIES.
In the earlier days of the manufac-
tory in the East, as Is well known, the
people were frugal, lived close and
raised the heavier grains entirely, CIV
ing comparatively little attention to
the vegetable products. Last year the
vegetable product of Massachusetts,,
the entire creation of the manufactory,
amounted to more than SIG, 1000, 900.
Straw berries and cranberries amount
ed to nearly $2,0O0,0O0.
WHY THERE ARE NO ABANDONED
FARMS IN NEW ENGLAND.
would trespass upon my valuable
space did I continue this statement to
further show that New England, the
seat of the mandatory, Is making
money out of the small farming to a
greater extent than she ever did in the
0lden days. The abandoned farm I'm
five years will be thing Of the past
in New England. Without the manu-.
factory the rocky farms Of that section
could not exist, and there is no posi-.
bic comparison between her thin soil
and hard climate and the soft climate
and rich soil of the South.
WHERE YOU ARE NEVER OUT OF THE
wHIR OF THE WHEELS.
Twill be pardoned for another illus
tration. In all of this broad country
where would you think would be the
highest acreage value Of farm products
of improved land? It is found In
Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
New Jersey, three States where you
are never out of sound of the whir of
the wneels, and where the brightest
sky is darkened by the black incense
from the manufacturers chimney.
Where do we find the lowest value Of
the farm products per acre of improved
land In this country? In South
Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska, purely
agricultural States. Again, the high
est value in dollars of the farm pro.
ducts per acre Of cultivated land il in
the States eff Massachusetts,, Rhode
Island and Connecticut, New York
and New Jersey. and Eastern Pensyl-
vania, the respective seats of the high.
est type of manufacturing towns and
cities. ... -.
FRUITS.
I will call your attention to another
virtal and germane proposition to our
discussion. It Is this-that the only
other region competing with the above
six States in value in dollars of the
farm products per acre Of cultivated
land is the Gulf section, which pro-
duces fruits for the market. I would
be trespassing upon the patience of
my reader were I to further amplify q
subject which Is plain to the point OF
demonstration.
DIvERsIFICATION. .'.
If such is the case, then our true
source of prosperity Is the diversifca-
ton of our crops and the location of
railroads and manufactures among US.
The question then arises, How can we
succeed in this economic progression
By earnest individual effort mucE will
be accomplished. but in great enter.
prises similar to the ones we have dis
cussed individual enterprise is of small
moment. The first thing that the
South will have to realize is that the
old ideas must 20. I speak plainly,
because love the South. The farmer
must go into the legislatures untram-
meled with the old narrow ideas. He can
control the legislature of every South
ern State. He must open his eyes to
the fact that he is the virtual king of
Southern politics: that he holds obso-
Iutely within his hand the law-making
of every State in the Southtfrom West
Virginia to Florida, and he must be
the one who will mark out the line of
change broad and clear. He has al
ready accomplished much, I bow my
head to his vast endeavor since the
war, but much has yet to be done.
NO FEAR OF CoRPoRATIoNs-THEY
ARE A CoUNTRY's SALVATION.
Let him 90 into the legislatures of the
South and do away with the old bug
bear of fear Of corporations and corpor-
ate power which has been at all times
the fear of the farmer. The fact must
be looked at that the only way to get
these industries into the South is by
broad, liberal, open-handed and far
reaching legislation. Let him adver.
tise to the world that the South will
offer the most liberal laws for the
location of railroads or corporations.
T do not mean that the farmer should
bow his neck and shackle his hands at
the behest of the corporation, but l
mean to say that the best and quickest
way of inviting railroads and incorpo-
rated capital to the South is by allow
ing the most absolute liberality to cor.
porations and ofproviding absolute fl.
nancial safety in order that
these great works may be carried
on successfully. The statutes
of the South are filled with all
sorts of crude legislation, binding up
corporations of every kind with all
sorts of restrictions. This frightens
as we'll as hampers capital. Among
others, mo municipality shall lend its
credit or its aid to any corporation by
nop-taXation or otherwise" /" "making
corporators liable as members of part
nerships," providing that suit may
be brought against incorporators who
were stockholders at the time of the
dissolution of theincorporation," "that
they shall not exist longer than ten