The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-07-12
FARMERS OF FIVE SECTIONS.
v,r1S COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL
RECORDS.
,,orage Per Capita Production Per
AMMAN of Farmers of the Five
Geographical Divisions.

$opn
arriculture, gave the industrial COM
ns,ssiop the other day some facts aud
Grnres which deserve the most care
III consideration by the farmers o.
the south. Mr.. Holmes submitted
figures, compiled from official RECORDS,
showing the average per capita pro,
dnctioh per annum of the farmers in
the FIVE geographical divisions OF the
conntrv as follows: South Atlantic
states SUIT, South Central states
s211 North Central states 1852,
North Atlantic states $3.50, and
Western states $5l9.
During the course Of the examina,
ton of witnesses at Washington the
industrial commission had heard
nothing but tales OF woe tom the
soutb respecting the farming inter-
ests Hon. Pope Brown, Nr. Bar
rett and others have described the al,
most desperate condition in which
tbe agricultural classes fad them
seIevs. On the other band, no com
plsints have come from the north ana
west. The farmers of those sections
are getting along very we'll. They
are paving Oft whatever debts they
NAV have been laboring under, and
are putting money in the bank. MIR.
Dive, secretary OF the state board OF
agriculture OF New Jersey, told the
commission that the farmers OF his
state we're prosperous, and Mr.. Gales,
farmer and dairymsn OF Tie same
state, said the people had nothing to
complain Of.
1t appears from Mr.. Hlmes fig
ures that the northern tarmer makes
per gear nearly Sd to every 81 made
by the Soutbern farmer, and that the
western man does more than 81 bet
ter than his northern neighbor. |
there any good reason why there
should be such disparity between the
producing capacity of farmers north
and south? There is a cause, q
course. It is cotton. But is there
any reason why the agraeulturalist
in lbe north should discount the one
in the fruitful south by 4 or 5 t. /?
Indeed, ought not tae ratio of pro-
duciDg capacity be reversed in favor
Of the south, in many parts OF W oich
tits possible TO produce two crops to
one in the north?
The plain truth # the matter is
that northerners and westerners are
better farmers than we are in the
south. They study farming as pro,
tessioA. They farm on scientific
principles. They do not jeer at the
boOk'tarmer, and hold to the opinion
tina: the only way to learn to till a
farm is to follow the pillow, and to
SOW and hoe and gather as then
fathers and grandfatbers had done tor
generations. They do not, year after
4 year, devote themselves to one crop,
whether it pays or not, imagini e
tnat because they raised that crop ID
former years they can never raise
any other, The reason they are
Prosperous is that they study their
Solf and their crops, and the mar
!. 4 4eR for which they are planting.
iney do not do things by rule O.
numb; there is no guess work,
ABOUT the only chance taken is in
lae coming of the rains and the SUM-
'alne In proper season. They diver
s aly their crops, changing them when,
=, IL may be necessary tor the good
VI 'he soil or to reap the benefits of
&c" Or improved market. The west
aaS quick to carch on to the sugar
"eGl' Only few years ago it was
auAho ~, In this county; now there
are millions of tons of the beets raised
Snq sold in the west.
The south will have to come to the
aor'9ern and western system of farm
aus before it will enjoy permanent
4 ho al prOsperltys 1here must
s az more intelligence aud education
! o m;Pioyed on the farm. We must
I s 5m' sending to New York, Illinois
N.Y. ru indiana for our butter, cheese,
=. .eSe[vas, vinegar, evaporated fruits,
NIL 70 Chicago, Kansas City and
"a 4mneapphs for our meats and flour,
Il We We west Tor corn and hay, anu
mra Ne% England for leather. We
TO-; learn to farm scientifically.
NOV ing done SO, with soil and eli.
NitsbIni III our favor, we can farm prot
Icy. y' Intelligent farming, whic b
no ,'':arliy includes diversified farm
% H The solution of the agricul.