The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1904-09-27
SEEN AND HEARD IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

purpose of purchasing the Greenvllle cotton
Plant, as explained in the Announcement else
where in this number. And while IN this an
nouncement we have referred to our Expansion,
it should be understood that this is not imperial
ism but merely benevolent assimilation" 1t IS
our aim to extend very greatly our circulation IN
Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia as well, and
we hope our present readers in these States will
assist us in this effort.
PALMETTO FARMERS PROSPEROUS.
The farmers in South Carolina, except the rice
planters, are in better condition than at any time
for twenty years. The advance in cotton prices
has brought about an almost marvellous improve
ment. and better methods of farming are also
coming into use. The rice farmers, however, are
not prospecting at this time. The large areas in
Texas and Georgia recently planted to rice under
the direction of great syndicates has resulted in
lowering the price, and the middleman also fig
ures in the matter absorbing a lions share
of the profits. Hon. E. J. Watson the efficient
Commissioner of Agriculture and immigration,
is now endeavoring to bring about more modern
methods of growing and handling the crop, giving
especial attention to cooperation in cleaning and
marketing.
Cotton everywhere is opening earlier and more
rapidly than the writer has ever known before.
The United States Government report, printed
in last weeks Progressive Farmer, and showing
39O,414 bales ginned to September 10th this year
against only 1857 bales ginned to same date
last year, is explained when one takes any ex-
tended trip through the Cotton Belt. In upper
South Carolina there will be little of the crop to
gather after October 10th. Farmers and crop
correspondents should emphasize this matter of
early opening, for the bulls are certain to use
the present heavy receipts as an argument that
there is an enormous crop.
IMPROVING THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
South Carolina is making most creditable prog
ress in public education. Fifty years ago one of
her Governors declared in a famous message that
if the State had to choose between supporting
higher colleges OR the public schools, she should
choose the higher colleges. "Better one sun than
a million stars" he declared. But the people have
now come to see the fallacy of his argument. In
%tellectual wealth, like material wealth, must be-
widely diffused if a State is to prosper. Even
as a State is stronger with a hundred thousand
independent middle-class home owners than with
a great body of paupers and a few multi-million-
aires, so as Thomas Jefferson declared: "Were
1t necessary to give up either the primary or the
university, I would rather abandon the latter be-
cause it is safer to have a whole people respectfully
enlightened, than a few in a high degree of sci
ence and many in ignorance. This last is the
most dangerous state in which a nation can be.
All the nations and governments of Europe are
proofs of it."
The average length of school term, we believe,
is now a little longer in South Carolina than in
North Carolina. The State tax is three mills, and
hundreds of school districts supplement this by
local taxes not exceeding four mills. In many