The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1899-02-23
FARMERS Of THE SOUTH.
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson Points
Out Some Defects.
NEGRO LAB0RER AND HIS WORK.
The South's Marked Advantages Over
the North Pointed Out by the Secre-
tary-Suggestions That May Be
Valuable to Southern Planters.

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson in
discussing Monday the productive pos
sibilities of the south and the problem
of negro labor, made the following
observations:
"The pressing question is, what is
the laborer down south, who has been
growing cotton and is not getting
enough for his product, to do in the
future to enable him to live comforta-
bly,, not to speak Of improvements in
his condition, education and all that.
The cotton crop leaves very little that
is valuable for domestic animals after
the picking is done, thus differing from
the corn crop of the Northwestern
states. There is a by-product, the
cotton seed, that is exceedingly valua-
BILE as nutrient, and much good work
is being done by scientists at expert
ment stations to show how valuable
cotton seed is for feeding purposes.
''The great cotton growing industry
of the south is not up-to-date. The
nitrogen contents is greater than that
of any grain; it is richer in nitrogen
Gus matter than peas and beans,
richer than gluten, meal or oil cake.
The northern feeder and the Euro
pean feeder have been using this by
product of the cotton fields with glad
advantage to them while the loss OF
it's fertilizing qualities to the south
has been very great.
"The south has more marked ad-
vantage over the north with regard to
production. 1t has more heat and
moisture, the two great factors of pro-
duction, and if the cotton grower IS to
diversity his crops, he must use those
natural advantages. The dairy COW
and mutton sheep would succeed ad-
mirably in the south, but something
for them to eat must be provided hrst.
Mss sans il aaa hs gahes SSgth can m
sown in the fall, grow abundantly
through the winter, upon which the
dairy COW and mutton sheep may
thrive and produce.
"From fifth to fourth of all the
fat of all the milk on the farms of the
United States is lost by people who
do not thoroughly understand when
to churn cream. The churning pro-
cess is an art having much science un'
derlying it. But the cotton grower
of the south only needs to learn the
way, while the man who teaches him
can understand the science.
"Much yet remains to be discovered
in the art of breeding animals, but
enough is known to indicate to the in
structor of the colored cotton grower
of the south, who is to be diverted
into work of this kind. to enable him
to breed his herd intelligently.
"The South can prepare the spring
lamb much earlier than the North can.
The southern land owner understands
horse raising. There is always greater
demand for saddle horses than is sup
Piled. The world wants carriage and
draft horses and good roadsters. Early
spring chickens-the broilers-can be
produced down there because they
have milder winters and milder springs
than we have, and the northern mar
ket can be supplied. Should the mar
ket become over-supplied we can send
this product abroad in their refrigerat
ed compartments of our steamships.
'There is diversity of opinion in
the south as to the ability of the col
ored man to be used in diversified
labor. The colored man is learning
the trades at Tuskegee, he is minln9
coal and working the manufacture OF
iron at Birmingham. Some southern
men with whom we meet will say that
they have the best labor in the world
in some respects, and l am inclined to
think they have.
'The south has reached the point
that most of the states of the north
west has reached. Years ago section
after section devoted itself to corn and
wheat until the land refused to yield
them crops, and the farmer was driven
to diversifcation. Prosperity came
to the northwest through diyersifica-
ton of industries on the farm. l know
of no other way through which it can
come to the south. 1t seems to me
that the necessity of the occasion is
up to the intelligent land owner. he
should inform himself on these lines.
He should have done it years
ago. The sciences which relate to
agriculture would stand him in good
stead, while his diploma from a litera-
nv institution is worth very little to
him. 1t is not too late. Improve
ment along these lines cannot be ex-
pected to originate with the laboring
men of the south, it must begin with
the men of education.