The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-20
NEW COTTON FIELDS.
The Effort to Raise the Staple in
 Africa.


 many to cultivate cotton in Germany's
 West African possessions.
 l Cotton raising has been attempted
 before this in Africa, and there is saio
 to be no trouble with the soil and climate. Efficient labor has been lack ing. During the war between the
 States. when Southern cotton could not
 be shipped freely to England, serious
 attempts were made by the English to get cotton culture established on the
 slave coast. but without success. The
 Germans. however have hit upon the
 idea of employing American negro la
 bor. skilled in cotton raising. and this | skilled labor is expected to teach the | natives and direct them. Germany has
 an African dominion amounting to
 925.O00 square miles. which is a third | larger than the total area of our cot
 ton producing Gtates. 670.415 square
 miles. This African territory is fer
 tile. well watered and not too hot for
 cotton. Hence 1t requires no extraor-
 dinary statesmanship to see that Ger
 many can become our rival if she but
 conquer conditions, which are usual
 in introducing new crops, and also
 safeguard the health of those who are
 to serve as pioneers.
 | The experiment in cotton raising is 1 in Togoland, north of the Gulf of | Guinea. and 400 miles north of the | equator. It is a little larger than | South Carolina, and has an estimated | negro population of 2,500.000. The few
 whites there are Germans almost ex- | clusively.
 To start the enterprise. Booker T. Washington, principal of the Tuskegee
 Institute. in Alabama, was called upon | to name three of his expert graduates from the Tuskegee Institute, and also | a capable negro to serve as superinten- dent. J. N. Galloway, born ill Ten | nessee. 8 college graduate from Fisk | University, and for ten years inStruc- | tor in agriculture in the. TuSkegee h. stitute. was selected as sup srintendent. A salary was given him and all ex- penses. Sheppard L. Harris, John Rob inson and Allen Burks, all graduates ct the Tuskegee Institute, each knowing we'll several trades. including al chitec- ture. carpentry, agriculture. black smithing, dairying, etc. were the as- | sistants. Their salaries were also good. They all know cotton raising thoroush- ly. This party having made provision of ploWs hoes, seed planters, cotton gin and press ties and American seed, sail ed for Togoland in November, 190O, and reached their destination two months ldlCls Al IGdL dCdA Ol SSCISCy enjoined because of the desire of the Germans to get the start of Great Brit ain and France in this branch of in- dustry but news comes back that the workers are meeting with much sue cess. The following is quoted by The St. Louis Globe Democrat, as a letter from one of the Tuskegee graduates to Booker Washington. the letter being dated at Lome. Togo. May 15. 1901. The writer is s. L. Harris. He says:
 'As to my work here, l am getting along very well. I find it very hard, however. to get material to work with. This country, like all other unsettled countries. is yet without modern ma chinery. The saw mill. the cotton gin, and. in fact, all modern machinery, is yet to be introduced. Some of this machinery we hope to have in opera tion before our time is out here.
 When we reached Lome we thought we were at the end of our journey, but we had yet one hundred miles to go in the bushes" as they call it out here. It may sound hard. but we had to walk this distance, carrying with us such things as we thought would sup ply our needs until we could get set tied. The trip was made in four days. By the fourteenth of January we had about settled where our farm should be. We began work clearing away with the help of the natives, and in short while the site for our new home was selected. We have cleared away more than one hundred acres of land, and a part of the same is planted in cotton. corn, peanuts and other things, and some of the cotton has more fruit on it now than many farmers will make on their whole crop in America. There is no doubt about the growing of cotton here, for it has been already demonstrated. Six months ago men passed this place without paying any attention to it. for 1t was nothing but a field of bushes and elephant grass, but today one is attracted by the num- Der of buildings. the growing of cotton and other products, also the pulling of blows by horses, and men guiding them.
 While Mir. Burks and MT. Robinson are busy with their farm, I am at work trying to get the gin house ready to gin the cotton when it is gathered. I find the natives like to work. and will work if they get plenty of ''chop" ifood). as they call it, but they are not able to do much work; they soon give out"
 Superintendent Galloway writes: 'FThe natives do not differ very much
 
 black belt in the South. I believe the Africans have better disposition. Color is about the same. If I did not know I am in Africa I could easily be- lieve myself in Alabama. The natives are just as anxious to have clothes and to be educated as American ne- groes Many of them want to come. to America. They do not seem to be lazy. but they can not do a great deal of work on the food they now eat, which is principally rice. There is at Lome a native who runs a seven room boarding Ehouse. He also con- duets a large H1siness for a German who, lives3in Berlin" kIEAs enterprise is largely exper- | Itseu4el. 0g@eourse. Those engaged in it a$A nAtdrallyi disposed to take as hopeful view of the situation as pos sible; but. even discounting this fact, | there Is a probability hat something | will be accomplished. Heretofore the people sent to teach the natives were | either whites. who could not endure | the climate. or negroes with no real | with the line points of | the industry. In the present case. the | conditions are more favorable, especi- | ally in the matter of financial support | and the use of skilled labor. The Ger 1 mans have done wonderful work in