The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-06-11


and the mum Der engaged in farming.
They have few more workers in fac
tories and in shops; we have more
farmers and farm laborerr.
Now to consider farming for a mo.
Iment-although We have more farm
workers and very near as large en- area,
their farm products are every year
worth tour times as much as ours are
worth. Here is difference that is
startling and that needs explanation.
Not only are their farm products
worth four times as much as ours are
worth, but their farm property is worth
eight times as much a. ours. Our
farm property has increased fifty per
cent. in twenty years, theirs has In
creased one hundred and fifty per cent.
It is two and half times as great as 1t
was twenty years ago. Here is start
ling and instructive difference.
| What has caused this difference?
We have rich land. Else our immi-
grafton bureau and our agricultural
department have many sins to answer
for. We have a greater diversity Of
soil than the Iowans. We are as near
markets as they are. We grow some
great staples that they cannot grow
such as cotton and tobacco and rice.
The key to the difference is the eff
cheney Of labor.
The average income of farm workers
in North Carolina is $146 year, and
in Iowa $611 year. In other words
farm worker In Iowa makes, earns and
gets nearly four times as much as
farm worker in North Carolina. In
other words he is four times as capable
a man-four times as good at his busi-
ness.
That's the whole story. It's the
difference between the men behind the
plows.
Here, then, we come to the economic
bottom of the whole matter-the eco
nomic bottom of our country, OF our
condition, of our failure. We may
have the greatest variety of soil on tn 9
hemisphere we may have the banner
county in diversity OF crops; the ban
ner county in the yield of corn we
may have the best tobacco land on the
continent small fruits and large fruits
may grow at one end of the State or at
the other to unequalled perfection
our climate may excel the Garden of
Eden's and all these things are approx
imately true.
It is fair land. Even our SAN d
have an agricultural and horticulture !
value that we have hardly yet diecov-
cred. Our very mountain slopes grow
apples that took prizes in Paris. God
has been good to us. Nature smiles
and blooms whether we bid her or not
But God doesn't do the blowing. The
matter is yet with the man behind the
pillow.
1 have made this comparison not for
our shame nor to praise the Iowans
but only tor our encouragement. 1t
sh ows what rich future awaits US. II
We are as we'll off as we are and yet our
farm labor is worth only one-fourth OF
what farm labor ls worth in Iowa, how
rich we shall be when we shall have no
clodhoppers behind the plows at all!
And the Iowa farmer is not the beat
tiller OF the soil in the world-far from
it. Iowa supports ger acre only a few
more people than we support, although
it supports them better than we are
supported. If you wish to see how
men can till the earth go to France.
The French soil feeds one hundred and
seventy per square mile. 1 mean the
the produce 1t raises maintains that
number. do not reckon the food i'm
ported. Now it North Carolina agri-
culture fed one hundred and seventy
persons per square mile, We should
support 5000, 600 instead OF less :han
100000.
But the French are not the best tillers
of the coil. Belgium feeds four hun.
dred and ninety persons to the square
mile If North Carolina fed four hum
dred and ninety persons to the square
mile We should have q population Of
nearly "a, 600, 900 instead of lees than
100000.
The province of West Flanders In
Belgium does better than that. If
our soil fed as dense a population as
West Flanders leeds, We should have in |
North Carolina 38,OOO,OOO of people
instead of 100000.
But even West Flanders is far be-
hind the Island of Jersey. It grows
food for 1900 persons per square mile.
1t North Carolina grew food tor 1900