The Grenada sentinel., 1904-01-02
COTTON PRODUCTION.
MANUFACTURERS DEcoRD IN
TERROGATEs PROF. HARDY.
rs THERE DANGER OF A DECREASE?'

rs THERE DANGER OF A DECREASE?"
The Alarm Over the Matter Of De-
cline In the Production Of the
Staple Crop Of the South With
out Foundation.
Through the kindness Of Prof. ].
c. Hardy, president of the Agricul-
tural and Mechanical College, we are
permitted to publish his letter In re-
ply to the interrogatory Of the editor
Of the Manufacturer Record con-
corning the cotton production OF the
South, and the adaptability of this
section to a general diversification OF
crops. as Prof Hardy's letter con-
tains much that should be OF interest
to the readers of this paper, we give
it below in full:
Agricultural and Mechanical College,
Starkville, Miss, Dec. L., 1913.
Hon Richard H. Edmonds, Baltimore,
Md:
Dear Sir-In reply to yours OF recent
date, asking for All expression OF my
opinion as to whether the South can
largely increase it cotton prOductlon'
or whether there is danger OF per-
manent decrease in cotton production
in the South, due to certain causes
will say that in my judgment, the
South has ~le capacity to still 1urtner
diversity it's agriculture and INDUS
tries, to raise every bushel OF corn
| every pound of meat, and every work
| animal needed in our section ana az
than donnie
| it's cotton production. In my opinion,
there is nothing in the contention
that there has been g. deterioration
| of the seed by reason of the best SEED
being sold to oil mills. No one be-
| lieves more strongly than l 90
in the possibilities of plant breed
ing and in the careful selection or
the seed. was reared on
than 25 per cent by the CAREFUL selec-
ton of seed from year to year. l be-
lieve that the cotton production in tae
South under all the conditions that
now exist, could be, increased 70 per
cent by a wise and careful SELECTION
of seed for series of five years
Many of our farmers appreciate the
Importance of this class of work, and
more of them are now selecting their
seed than at any time in the history
/
is being emphasized more and more
each year by our agricultural colleges
experiment stations and farmers In
stitute3, and a radical Improvement l:
taking place. and will be felt 1mmedl
ately in increased production. Were
the contention true that our seed have
deteriorated by reason OF selling tn
best to the oil mills, this would not b.
permanent danger, as 1t would re
Quire only a few years OF careful Sc
lection to bring them back to the 1or
mei standard.
. That there has been a decline II
the fertility of our soil by reason q
bad cultivation under the tenantry sys
!, tenn. there can be no doubt This dc
cline is not of recent origin, but ha
, been going on for years, even just
: rapidly under the slave and One-cro
system of agriculture, as under tn
present tenantry system. l think
: close observers of rural conditions
the South will agree with me, that th1
;, decline is less rapid at this time tina
0 at any period since the war IN othe
words, a better system of agricultur
l. is now being practiced in this sectlo
l., than at any time since the war. MOI
peas, more vetch, more alfalfa, MOI
l. melilOtus, more clOvers, more or ever
/, thing that tends to improve the SO
is now being planted than ever b
s fore. More fertilizers and better 1e
t. tilizers are being used each year, AZ
the indications are that the lowe
:, point of the decline has been reache
0. and that from now on there will be
t. steady improvement. l have gre
h, confidence in the ability
the agricultural colleges al
e, experiment stations to solve eve
3, problem that may arise in the field
agriculture, and in the capacity OF Il
30 farmers Institutes, to carry the sol
;,--I ton out to the people and to indu
them to apply the remedy. .Whatev
20 | decline in the fertility of the soil tn
D. may have taken place, and 1t mas pc
great, yet this has been met and mo
l.. than compensated for by better met
D. ods in the last few years in prepa'
ton and cultivation.
o. The alarm that the decline in
h, fertility of our soil offers permane
menace to cotton production IN
". South is useless and without fount
90 ton. as may be seen from stat1st1
given in the Manufacturers Record
,s December 10. These statistics sh'
RS that, beginning with the year 1871
the average yield per acre in the
ON ton belt the following ten years
90 1867 pounds Of lint cotton; Tor
next ten years 1858 pounds per acl
and that during the next ten ye'
ending with 1900-1so1, the AYERS
aw was 2032 pounds per acre, an tncres
~ of nearly 20 per cent during the p
&c ten years. This negatives the cont
re ton that there is danger in peri
tn rent decline in Southern cotton p
ck duction.
While it is true that the industl
development OF the South has dri'
OK many hands from the country to
lin cities and to the railroads and leve
vet there has been q compensate
to q certain extent, in the large NJ
bers who have come in from the No
=. and West to supply the places Il
A6 Il two ornf RI