The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-06-04
Living Issues.
"pEFECTs IN a AGRICULTURAL SYs-
TEN OF THE COTTON STATES"

ton and Education.
Looking over some old papers last
week, we came across u copy of an
address with the above title. 1t was
delivered by the founder Of The
Progressive Farmer, Col. L. l.. Polk,
before the Interstate Convention of
Farmers, held in Atlanta, Ga in
August, 1887. In it were mentioned
five causes of the impoverished con
dition of Southern agriculture, and
these were so accurately and lucidly
set forth that we offer no apology
for reproducing herewith that por-
ton of the address. Fourteen years
have passed since the address was
delivered the speaker and many of
those that heard him have passed
over the river. Now let Southern
farmers of 1901 pause for a minute
and take their bearings let them find
out what were the sore evils that
beset their section fourteen years
ago, and inquire as to the progress
that has been made in wiping out
these evils. And if it appears that
there is still room for improvement,
if we are convinced that ''there re-
maineth yet very much land to be
possessed, let US quit ourselves like
men and begin the task. In the ad
dress referred to, Col. Polk said
But are we of the cotton States
laboring under the aggregate evil of
accumulated individual error, or the
more important and serious trouble
of inherent defects in agricul
tural system? Representing a coun-
try of such vast and immense capa-
bilities as are found within the limit
of these ten States with it's great
variety of climate and fertility of
soils, with it's wonderful adaptability
to the successful cultivation of all
the leading agricultural products
known to the civilized world, with
it's admirable and inviting conditions
for diversified husbandry, with its
accessibility to the markets of the
world, with all the inherent cOndi
tions to make it indeed a mighty
agricultural and industrial empire ;
why should any Industrious owner
of its fruitful soil, work hard, live
hard and die poor?
UTI0-4 =, +l1 4-NrI1n9 -,0-kSlv,
first:
THE GONE CROP" OR GALL COTTON
SYSTEM.
The close of the war found Us with
our sons slain, our fair fields devas
tated, our homes desOlate and house
hold goods destroyed, without money,
without food, withOug implements
with which to work, our credit gone,
labor utterly destroyed, our systems
wiped out, the accumulated wealth
of generations swept away as by d
breath, and we were left friendless
and unaided to depend on those high
qualities of true manhood which are
always evoked by terrible emer
gencies.
We cheat our spears into pruning
hooks and our swords into plow
shares" and turned, with a faith
and devotion that was sublime, to
the solution of problems so graph
ca1ly described by your eloquent
Grady this morning, and which would
have appalled, any hearts but those
that had been educated in the terrible
ordeal through which we had passed
For four years our ports had been
looked against the world. The de
mands of commerce were hushed
amid the thunderings of internal
war, and our feeCy cotton fields were
appropriated for supplies of bread
for our struggling and beleagered
armies. The world wanted and
needed the cotton of the South, and
the South in turn wanted and needed
the money of the world, and in that
supreme hour of our extremity We
yielded to the seductive and delusive
promise Of speedy relief, if not fabu
lous wealth, and turned u deaf eur to
the wholesome lessons and admoni-
tiOns of a prosperous and indeperd-
ent past. Every interest of the farm
was subOrdinated to the production
of cotton. We said to the Northern
and Northwestern States, MAKE
everything we need-our meat, corn,
flour, hay, fertilizers, fruits, butter,
potatoes, and ten thousand things
we don't need-put your price on
them, and we will raise one crop
with which To nnr for Il oil and nnn