The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-19

Travelling out of St. Louis few nights ago I chanced to meet three gentlemen who live in Iowa. One of these gentle mer is owner of a large mill down in Mississippi and was returning home to Iowa. The other two had been spend Ing the winter in Florida and were re- turning home.
 The conversation, which lasted for three hours. was turned to a discussion of conditions in the south The three were united in declaring that the south was no stock grain grass country and the saw mill man went on to say that when the timber of the south was gone he could not see what was to be- come of the country.
 set out to enlighten these gentlemen as to the great progress the south was making along the lines of agriculture They said that they had seen none of these evidences. l happened to have in my pocket a clipping from the Southern Farm Magazine, which reads as folows We call attention to fact which has been somewhat obscured by the high price of cotton, and that is the great ad- vance in grain production in the south The year 1903 shows an increase of 13S,- OO0,0O0 bushels in the yield of corn over that of 1902 and an increase of $74,000 000 In money values. Such a showing is a guarantee of solid prosperity to this sec ton. Cotton may go on down with the see-saw of speculation but a bountiful food crop is the sure foundation of good times. This year has proved anew the possibilities of cotton a money crop. and it is backed up by abundant food crops, improved stock. well kept dairies. fine fruit crops. and proper utilization of all the opportunities that exist on a southern farm. Then the south will be- come the most prosperous section of the country. and the southern farmer the most independent man on earth.
 Jumps at Conclusions,
 Now every word of this is gospel truth and what see on every hand>as l go through the south. But these gentlemen, like many other northern men who travel through the south, see things from the car window and jump at conclusions, instead of informing themselves from the proper sources. Of course l was able to give them many valuable pointers on this line of agricultural progress in the south. Not only northern men, but there are many people right in the south that should have a more extended knowledge of what the south is capable of produc- ing
 There sis no question in my mind but that the south Is the coming country in many lines of agriculture and horticu- ture. The country only needs a fuller development along these lines. and croakers seem to overlook the fact that our agricultural colleges of the south, as well as many of our farmers, are fur nishing many object lessons of what can be done in the south. These colleges have demonstrated the fact that dairy cows can be fed in the south for 10 cents . per day, and no such results as this can be obtained in any other section of our country.
 Why, had a great dairy meeting here at Springfield. Mo-, today, and the dairy men here said that it cost them nearly 20 cents per day to feed their dairy cows. It is information and education that the people need. I know that the people of the south should furnish more of these object lessons; that there is great need of reforms on this line, and that If the k farms of the south were covered with Hfgrasst and winter pasture, as they should be, and if there were fat stock on these farms feeding on these pastures 1t would make quite a different impression on the stranger as he passed through the coun- try.
 People Are to Blame.
 But because the people are too indoent or shftless to have all these things is no reason for saying that the country will not produce them. Better condemn the peonle not the country. Then again. there are many men from the north who have moved south and have prospered and been benefited by the move, and can testify to all that l have to say on this subject
 The other day, while stopping over a few hours in Indianapolis. l visited a large canning plant and in talking to the manager about tomatoes he said: Don't YOU ever think it. The south will never grow tomatoes. They will not grow in the south" I said: This is quite new thing to me. Do you know that you are talking to a man who is better ac- auainted. perhaps. than any man you ever met on conditions in the south?" And I went on to show him section after 2 section in the south where tomatoes are grown in great abundance. Oh, yes, he said they may grow some tomatoes ksdown there, but they will never put them
 cans You can't can tomatoes grown in The south" "Well.' I said my dear sir, you remind me of story l heard down in Texas this winter. There was an old man down there some years ago who made his living by handling freight with an OK team from Houston to an interior town, about 100 miles out. When tho railroad cana through some one sajd to the old man: "The fast train runs from your town to Houston in two hours" The old man made fun of the statement; said he knew 1t was not so' for it took him four days with his OK team to drive to Houston and back and he knew no train could go down there in two hours. He and his wife were finally persuaded to go down to their town ana see this train. When they got to the sta ton the train was standing on the track. The old man looked 1t over and said: "You can never start her. She will never move. You can never start her off! teI1 vou she will never gov' Finally when everything was ready the engineer climbed up into his cab. pulled the lever the engine gave a puff or two and was off at a rapid rate. The old lady, who had said nothing up to this time shouted out: ..she is gone! She is flying! You can never stop her! You will never stop her! She Is gone!'
 True of the South.
 'sWeil. this is true of the south. She has started She is growing grain, stock, fruits, vegetables and tomatoes, and you croakers will never be able to stop her.