The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-23

This is a true picture OF The past ana 100
much in evidence now. but cheap cotton
has done for the South what cheap corn
( has done for the West, it is teaching us
diversity with a vengeance. improvement
in Southern agriculture has been delayed
by the mildness of its climate, the abun-
dance of its land and the ignorance of it's
labor With an easy method of gaining
| living, Of supplying our wants and COM
forts, the Southern farmer has formed
luxurious habit of self-eontent. He has
had no TigoTs of climate, density Of pep
ulation, or other harsh environments 10
teach him that true progress depends more
on the energy OF man than the bounty
of nature.
But the close competition of modern
times has awakened his energies, and there
is within his soil and climate not only the
resources 10 furnish the world its fibers,
but its food and there is within his brain
and Drawn the latent capacity TO present
it in the most approved form of manu-
featured product. Texas alone can feed
and clothe with both cotton and WOOD the
entire Union; she has through the CEN
trail part of the state black prairie land
region covering an area as large as the
whole of New England that is known to
be the richest uplands in the world, ev~
cry foot of which is available for cult
walton, there being absolutely no waste
| land except that required for drainage.
| the four leading staples of corn, cotton,
wheat and oats, in the same fields
The South has been and is still land
poor. We lean TOO much to big acreage
and TOO little to big yields. We have been
wasteful of the fertility Of our fields. be-
/ cause there were others available, but new
methods are coming in vogue. We aIe
learning to husband the fertility of our
soil, the value of intensive farming, and
to keep our lands busy the year round;
we are learning that idleness in land, like
that in man, is neither restful nor bened-
cial. but that change of crops aud occu-
patton is.
The preponderance of negro labor in the
South makes the average intelligence of its
farm labor very low; 1t is not mere eenri-
ment, but a sad reality with US that the
white mans burden" is hung about our
necks. The negro as farmer has not
progressed. To learn new methods, the
use of improved implements, or the value
of time are problems that are very lSnotty
for him. What education he has received
has not taught him how best 10 work, but
how to keep from work. Booker 7. Wash
ington understands fully the true condi-
ton of his people; he is the greatest and
grandest product OF his race and every
Southern citizen bids him godsreed in his
noble work. Cotton can be produced with
less capital and with more ignorant labor
than any other crop, and with our soil and
climate as well, and our capital and labor
better adapted 10 cotton than any other
crop, we nave been 10th to give it up, but
the low price of cotton is forcing us into
new and better methods.
Our agricultural and mechanical col
leges are turning out a number of young
men annually with improved ideas. Here
and there in our midst are settling the
thrifty German, Englishman and the
''downeaster'' with wheels in his head.
And while their new and novel operations
are viewed with contempt by the darky
and the old-time planter yet no man has
keener eye for improved methods than the
average Southern farmer. Texas has prob
ably the most cosmopolitan rural popula-
ton of any state in the Union. She has
| filed and is still filling up with citizens
not only from every state, but from every
country in the world. They all bring
along with them the ideas and methods
Of their various sections which are eX-
changed, and the man with eyes and ears
open enjoys perpetual institute work the
year round. AS a result the average Tex
as farmer is progressive; he can't run in
rut long if they want TO. Give him piece
of wire rope and rawhide and he can ac-
compish almost anything.
As evidence of improved farming in the
South, she is building here and there, silos
packeries, sugar refneries, canneres. flour
ing mills, wool and cotton oil mills. She
is organizing farmers state and county in
stitutes, horticultural, dairy, cattle, sheep
and swine breeders and truck growers as
sociations. She is agitating the question
of teaching agriculture in her public
schools. She is learning to irIisate her
arid lands, how to conserve soil moisture
by frequent aud shallow cultivation. She
is learning the use of the bes, improved
implements. Dallas, Tex, is the second
largest farm implement and vehicle mar
ket in the world, and by the way, if you
~ I,a To ir ar 81
las to-day you would agree with me that
there are no flies Gu the Texas farmer
TIE South is learning to grow early eye
tables fruits, potatoes and lambs 10 sell
TO her less favored blethten of the North
Sae he's learned tlat there is no Country
on earth that can grow more or bott + TO-
age per acre than her sorghum or alfalfa
with / g three and four cuttings per sea-
son. That a dollars worth Of her cot
tonseed meal will make more beef than
any other dry TODD. No species Of clover
Win furnish more food for stock or more
fertility 10 soil than her native peas. She
can feed stock on green pasture the year
round. When these natut al advan AGES
ere once combined with he ttr BIO d ana
the know how that comes with expert
ence no country can equal her in cheap
meat production. In my JUDGING Mt there is
no section on this continent so well adapt
ed to the product. on of beef, pork and NUT
Though in her infancy, Texas to-day is
first in cotton and cattle. third IN hogs,
and second in railway mi cage. Her mast
fed hogs, like all mast hogs, are delu-
sion and a snare, but her farm-grown hogs
are the tops in any market. Her range
Sheep like all range sheep, are inferior,
but her farm-raised lambs are models in
shape, fleece and we ght.
However, it is a W, Il kncwn fsc that our
average Southern catfe are Ioor in quail
ity as compared to Northern ca tie; the
reason OF this is because we have been
debarred from the use of improved breeds
owing TO the fact that imported cattle
coming in coatact with our natives arc al
most certain dea 0 the former by South
eIn fever. You can see a once what a
gre at disadvantage we have labor d u, der,
isolated as we have been from the worn IS
progressive achieve ments along The cattle
breeding line However with n the past
two years we have learned to overcome
this trouble, We have learned to immune