The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-18
The Agricultural Advantages of the
South

The Secretary of Agriculture, in dis
cussing the productive possibilities Of the
South and the problem Of negro labor
recently 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 hin.
10 live comfortably, not to speak of IN
provements in his condition, education and
all that? The cotton crop leaves very
little that is valuable for domestic ami.
mails after the picking is done, thus Diff
fering from the corn crop of the North
western states. There IS a by-product tha
cotton seed. that is exceedingly valuable
as nutrient, and much good work is he
ing done by scientists a. experiment sta
tons TO show how valuable cotton seed ia
for feeding purposes.
The great cotton growing industry OF
the South is not up to date. The nitro
gen content is greater than of any of the
grains. it is richer in nitrogenous matter
tnan peas or beans, richer than gluten
meal or oil cake. The Northern feeder
and the European feeder have been usins
this by-product of the cotton fields win
great advantage TO them, while the loss
of its fertilizing qualities to the SCUM
has been very great.
The South has more marked ADVANTAGES
over the North with regard to production
1t has more heat and moisture the twn
great factors of production, and if the cot
ton grower is to diversity his crops he
must use those natural advantages The
dairy cow and mutton sheep would sue
coed admirably in the South, but some
thing for them TO eat must be provided
first. The winters in the South are mid.
grasses, grains and legumes can be sown
in the fail and grow abundantly through
the winter. upon which the dairy COW and
the mutton sheep may thrive and produce.
From fifth to a fourth of all the fat
of all the milk on the farms of the United
States is lost because people do not thor
oughly understand when 10 churn cream.
The churning process is an art having
much science underlying it. But the cot
ton grower of the South only needs 10
learn the way. while the man who teaches
him can understand the science.
Much yet remains 10 be discovered in
the art of breeding animals, but enough is
known to indicate to the instructor 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 intelligenty.
The South can prepare the spring lamb
much earlier than the North can. The
| Southern landowner understands her sitl-
! tation. There is always a greater demand
| for saddle horses than is supplied The
| good roadsters. Early spring chickens
the broier-can be produced down there,
because they have milder winters and
milder springs than We have and the
| Northern market can be supplied. Should
the market become oversuppned we can
send this product abroad in the refrigerated
| compartments of our steamships
There is a diversity of opinion in the
South as TO the ability of the colored man
to be used in diversified labor. The COZ
ored man is learning the trades at Tus-
kogee: he is mining coal and working the
| manufacture of iron at Birmingham, Some
| Southern men whom you meet will say
that they have the best labor in the world,
! and in some respects 1 am inclined 10
think they have The South has reached
the point that most of the states of the
| Northwest reached. Years ago section af-
Ger section devoted itself to corn and
| wheat, until the land refused TO yield
their crops and the former was driven 10
| use diversficaton.
prosperity came to the Northwest
through the dversification of industries
on the farm. l know of no other way
Though which it can come to the South
1t seems 10 me that the necessities Of the
occasion are up to the intelligent land
owner He should inform himself on these
lines. He should have done ii years ago.
The sciences which relate to agriculture
would stand him in good stead, while his
diploma from a literary institution is
worth very little to him. 1t is not too
late. Improvement along these lines can
not be expected to originate with the Ia
boring men of the South IL must negn
with the men of education"