The age-herald., 1902-01-05

L2A not support itself in food pro-
 ducts. It leads all the South in mineral products. Its cities are grow ing tremendously. It's manufacturing en- terprises are producing with phenominal rapidity. Millions upon millinos of capi- tai is going into the development of mines. furnaces and plants for producing finished products from minerals. No state in the Union, from manufacturing point of view, has progressed like Ala bama In the past Ave years No state is progressing so rapidly today.
 In the products of the farm. however, Alabama is almost at standstill. The cotton plantations of South Alabama are, in large measure. being cultivated by tenants. and thousands of acres of rich agricultural lands in the Birmingham dis trict are lying absolutely idle because of the fact that the people are turning their attention almost entirely to the minerals beneath the surface. iYf
 was down on Morris avenue the other day. There I saw chickens and turkeys and celery and lettuce and tomatoes and corn and oats and hay and salted meats and hams and sausages and all manner of edibles for both man and beast, and yet I did not see single product of an Alabama farm. Almost everything came from Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan. Minnesota, Illinois, and Kansas. A few products came from Georgia, some from Virginia and some from Florida, but not single shipping tag was there bearing the Alabama date line. In the spring, it is true, some chickens come from Gull man and Hartselle and some from Gads- den and Attalla- But Alabama, and es- pecially the Birmingham district, is sad ly deficient from an agricultural point of view.
 Mineral and manufacturing growth will now take care of itself. Agricultural growth needs >encouragement. , I don't know of but one man in Alabama who Is giving any attention to this. I under stand that Major Frank Y Anderson has located 7S5 families of people on agricul- tural lands along the line of the Alabama Great Southern Railroad within the past year. Everyone who realizes the agri- cultural situation in this state can appre- ciate Major Anderson's work. Others should give their attention to this mat ter and the lands of all the Birmingham district, as we'll as of all Alabama, should blossom with fruits and vegetables and materials for the markets. There is no better land in all the South than that up and down this valley in which Birming- ham is located. Instead of going to Mich igan for celery 1t should be grown here. It should not be necessary to go to Ohio for Irish potatoes, nor to Florida or South Georgia for lettuce tomatoes and okra, nor to Kansas for hay and grain. Alabama should produce practically all 1t consumes. The railroads of the state should encourage the farmers as they have encouraged the miners.
 I well remember fifteen years ago when the little town of Marshallville. in Geor- gia, shipped something like 100 crates of peaches one summer. The Central of Georgia Railroad encouraged this ship ment, and the then commercial agent of | the road, who was a very bright fellow, talked at length to the people of that | section about what they could make if 1 they would grow peaches instead of cot ton. Last year. understand. nearly 1000