The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-10-12

All :. ;. $3.50. .S19, $685. $50 S2S.393, VoS
The South did not maintain its rec
ord in exports of provisions, which IN
| creased hardly more than Sl,OGOcoo from
all ports, while there was a decline IN
all OF nearly 81, Q00, 900 in exports of miner
! al oils; but it is interesting to note that
| the South contributed in cotton and
breadstuffs nearly 50 per cent. OF the
whole amount Of the August increase
SOUTH a. PRODUCER.
From the earliest days in the history
of the United States the South has been
an important element, not only an q
| large contributor to the country,s ex-
port trade. but also as q taker of its
Imports During the last quarter OF
century, though, il has been rapidly gain
ing in Importance as q producer Of min
erals, timber and ether raw material for
manufactures and as a manufacturer it
self. y striking illustration Of this
progress is given in this weeks Manu-
facturers' Record by DR.. Charles w.
Dabney president of the University of
Tennessee. at the conclusion of an arti-
Gle in which he cites West Virginia as
typical of the wonderful diversification
OF the resources of the Southern Appa-
lachian region and the occurrence there
of coal and iron, oil, gas, limestone and
fire-clay in mountains and hills covered
by great forests of the finest timber or
extensive pastures of beautiful grass. He
trying for the first time to teach the
elements of mineralogy ana geology to
n class of earnest boys at Emory and
Henry College in. Washington county,
Southwestern Virginia In those Gays
few colleges possessed any illustrative
material or equipment fcr teaching these
subjects, and this college was no ex-
ception. The teacher was constrained
thus to take his class as much as posi-
bic into the field, where we collected
many minerals and fossils which we
worked up later in q simple improvised
laboratory. In this manner the teacher
and his class were led to begin the study
Of this wonderful! Appalachian country
What the teacher learned during these
excursions has at least brought him much
pleasure and some health; what the
class got may, perhaps, be indicated by
the present occupation OF some of its
members,
.'One snow State GeoIogist of Georgia.
one an assistant in the Smithsonian In
stitute. and a third has been an engineer
in the United States Geological Survey.
All have contributed something to the
development and Improvement of their
country. We can see now that the
restitution of the college was a blessing.
Perhaps If we had had large cabinets of
specimens and a complete laboratory we
would not have studied natures cabinet
or worked in her laboratorv
KICKED LUlIPS OF COAL.
"After learning a little about the mar
Vicious mineral wealth of this region and
had with his foot kicked Jumps of coal out
of the great beds in the New River bluffs
and walked over acres of iron ore in
Potts Valley, it was natural that the
writer should try to draw the attention
of investors, miners and railroad builders
to the vast possibilities Of this country.
He had no capital and little Influence,
but he talked and wrote about them and
even brought a few people to look at
them. The stupidity and prejudice of
people in those days was crushing; it is
depressing sometimes now. In vain did
he write reports and exhibit specimens,
ard even take their experts to see these
things. The almost uniform answer was
that there never had bean any great
coal or iron mines in the South like those
in Pennsylvania and the north, and if
there were a little coal and ore here,
there was no way 10 get it out, and
certainly there could not be enough to
make it worth while to build a railroad.
BEGGED IN VAIN.
'In vain die, he poin out that these were