The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-03
That viii Be the Sweet Song
Heard by North Carolina.
PRES. WINSTON RETURNS
THE FINEST OF AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES
A Great Union in the A, and NJ. College.
Education at the Bottom Of
Wealth and Pro-

gleSs
President Winston Of the A. and Nj.
College returned to the city this morn
ing after an absence of three weeks on
tour of inspection among the leading
Agricultural, Mechanical and Textile
Colleges of the country. He says that
his trip was both enjoyable and highly
profitable, that he saw many fine ideals
to be striven for and he hopes realized
by the college. His trip extended
through the leading manufacturing and
agricultural portions of the United
States and Canada. The factories OF
New England, the truck farms of New
Jersey, the stock, dairy and fruit farms
of New York, the wheat fields of On
tario, the corn lands of Illinois, Mis-
souri, and Kansas, the cotton fields of
Texas the rice and sugar plantations
of Louisiana We're all passed through
and observed.
1T is not difficult" said he "after
seeing the wealth produced in New
England factories and mills and after
seeing the wonderfully fertile lands
around the great lakes and in the Mis-
sissippi basin to understand along what
lines the future prosperity of North
Carolina lies. Our soil is not as fer
tile as that of any State in the great
Mississippi valley, and therefore we
cannot compete with those States in
the production of such crops as must
be sold in the markets of the world.
1t is therefore ruinous for us to con-
tend with them in struggle purely and
entirely agricultural. They have a
very fertile soil which we have not.
But we have many other sources of
wealth which they have not; forests,
mines, fisheries, a healthful and tenn
perate climate, pure, wholesome drink
ing water, abundant water-power, in
short almost eXhauStleSS material for
manufacturing, with such climatic and
natural conditions as make it possible
for laborers to work ten hours day
every day in the year. A regular, mild
and equable climate reduces to q min
imum our necessities of food, clothing
and shelter, while at the same time
supplying sufficient stimulus for men-
tai and physical energy.
Mature has given us nothing ready
| made, but she has given us the ma
terial out of which TO make everything.
under such conditions as permit the in-
| tellectual and physical activity requisite
| to its making. We are intended by na-
| ture to be mainly a manufacturing
| State. lit has taken us q long time to
| find it ont, but we have at last discover
| ed it and are learning the lesson very
rapidly Within ten years the number
OF cotton spindles and probably of cot
| ton mills in our State will be doubled.
| Gradually finer and better fabrics will
| be made. We will stop raising cotton
at five cents a pound, but we will man
ufacture it and sell it by the pound at
| twenty, thirty or forty cents. Texas
will soon drive us out of cotton culture,
| but about the same time we will drive
| New England out of cotton manufac-
| turing All that Texas needs to drive us
| out is more people to bring more land
| under cultivation, and all we need to
drive New England out Is more people
with better training to work in our
mills.
Twenty years ago nearly the whole
population of North Carolina was en-
plOyed in producing food. Fifty years
from now one half of our population will
doubtless be employed in some form
Of labor other than food producing.
This is the result for us to aim at. We
need more food consumers, furnishing
better markets, home markets for our
farm, dairy, orchard and garden pro-
ducts. We need more cities and towns.
For miles around Charlotte In every
direction the country is thoroughly cul-
tiyated and blossoms like garden.
With fifty such cities, North Carolina
would be a different State.
"rhere is no end to the manufactur-
ing enterprises that may be carried on
successfully in our State. All that we
need is training and more accumulated
| capital. Cotton is still king with us, not
in the field, but in the mill. In our
flight from agriculture, this was the
easiest road to take. but it will branch
out into others. There is no reason
why every form of textile industry
should not be carried ON by our peg
pie.
1.-The transition of our State from
agricultural to manufacturing indus
tries is going on with great rapidity
and will continue to go on until at least
half the population is otherwise EN-
ployed than in farming. This transit
| tion is necessary, not only for the pro-
| duction of wealth through manufac-
lures, which bring in money every day
| in the year, from every country in the
WORTH, out Is equdHy necessary 10 the
| improvement and even existence of our
| agriculture We are finding it difficult
to produce at "a profit any crop that
must be sold in the markets Of the
world. | do not refer, of course, to
exceptional cases of fertile farms or
unusual thrift and economy, but to the
| average farm and farmer as they ex-
| list in North Carolina today. A change
must be made, and with home
markets furnished by large
manufacturing population dwelling in
cities and towns and producing
no food, but constantly and literally
consuming. the change in agricultural
methods will become easy. Poultry, cat
tie, sheep hogs. bees, fruit, gardens
will take the place of cotton, tobacco,
wheat and corn. Only 50 much grain
will be produced as is necessary for ami
NAL support and home consumption. I'M
proved methods of culture more intell-
gent economy, natural methods of ferti-
| lization, rotation of crops will doubtless
double or treble the grain-producing ca
nacity of our soil and Though we NAV