Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-08-28
H1istellaneults geading.
WEST AFRICAN COTTON.
Beginning to Look as II the German
Experiment VIII Prove a Success.

Beginning to Look as II the German
Experiment Will Prove a Success.
The New York Commercial says Ger
many has a bigger cotton country in
Africa than we have in the United
States, and with encouragement many
of the American Negroes will go there.
The Daily News was the first paper
to call attention to the Importance Of
the cotton growing experiment started
in west Africa last winter by the Ger
man government through American
Negroes selected by Booker Washing
ton.
One crop is nearly made and it has
been heard from. The New York Com
mercial prints the following:
A brief account of the efforts of the
American pioneers can be given here.
Superintendent Galloway bought In
New York plows, hoes, cotton planters,
cotton gin, a press and American cot
ton seed, ties, ETC.. and sailed with them
on November 3, 1900. reaching Togo
land nearly two months later, after a
brief stay in Germany. The following
letter has reached Tuskegee Institute
and will be read with interest, as it
sums up the present situation:
LONE, TOGO, West Africa,
May Is, 1901.
"Mr. Booker T. Washington:
"My dear principal-We left America.
as you know. on November 8, 1900, for
the above named place. After many
hardships on the ocean, we at last got
to the g-looked-for place, where we
saw and are still seeing strange things.
GAS to my work here: I am getting
along very we'll. 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 sawmill. the cotton gin
and in fact. all modern machinery, 1s
chinery we hope to have In operation
before our time Is out here.
when we reached LONE. we thought
we were at the end Of our journey; but
we had yet 100 miles to so in the
| bushes as they call 1t out here. 1t
may sound hard: but we had to walk
this distance. carrying with us such
things as we thought would supply our
needs until we could get settled. The
trip was made In four days. BY the
14th Of January, we had about settled
where our farm should be. We began
work, clearing away with the help OF
the natives and In a short while the
site for our new home was selected.
eve have cleared more than 100 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 1t now than many
Of the farmers will make on their whole
crop in America. There Is no doubt
about the growing Of cotton here, for
it has been demonstrated already. Six
months ago men passed this place
without paying any attention to 1t. for
| 1t was nothing but field of bushes
and elephant grass; but today one fs
ATTRACTED by the number Of buildings,
the growing Of cotton and other prod
ucts. also the pulling Of the plows by
horses and men guiding them.
while Mr.. Burke and Mr.. Robinson
are busy with their farm. I am at work
trying to get the ginhouse ready to gin
the cotton when 1t Is gathered. 7 find
the natives like to work. and will work
If they get plenty Of chop Good.) as
they call 1t: but they are not able to do
I remain, yours truly.
S. L. HARRIS"
Superintendent Galloway writes:
1.-THE natives do not differ very much
from the uneducated Negro Of the
black belt of the south. I believe the
Africans have a better disposition.
Color is about the same. If I did not
know that am in Africa I could easily
believe myself in Alabama. The ma
tives 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 cannot do great deal Of work
on the food they now eat, which Is
principally rice. There Is at LONE a
native who runs seven-room boarding
house. He also conducts a large busi-
ness for a German who lives In Ber-
lin."
Whether or not Germany succeeds In
becoming a rival to this country in cot
ton raising, some Afro-Americans be-
leve that the German emperor has
/ pointed the way to solve the American
Negro problem. There are thousands
Of expert cotton farmers among south
ern Negroes. and if encouraged by Of
fers of transportation and subsistence
till their start in Africa was made.
they would readily leave the black belt
and the congested districts of this coun
| try.
With these letters before it. The
Commercial remarks:
According to statistics of the state
department, Germany imported from
the United States in 1899. 1,16S.351 bales
of cotton, for which she paid s37 ,4O7,-
500, and in 1900 this had increased to
| ], ,4S3, ,4S3 bales, costing Germany $6S,s22,-
915. This was nearly seventh Of the
total American product.
Now it happens that Germany has
an African dominion amounting to $685.
900 square miles, which Is a third larger
than the total area of the cOtton-pro-
ducing states, 7O,415 square miles. This
African territory is said to be fertile,
we'll watered and not too hot for cot
ton. Hence, it Is apparent that Ger
many might become the rival Of the
United States in growing cotton If she