Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1905-01-11
Notable Increase Shown During The
Past Pear
A STEADY INFLUX OF CAPITAL
The Remarkable Gain in Diversified
Agriculture NotabIe-The Increase
in the Taxable Value Of Property
40 Per Cent-As Great AZ the Iu--
crease in the Preceding 20 Years

Baltimore. Md, Special.-The Man.
ufacturers' Record presents this week
the approximate figures of the assess
ed valuation of the property in all thef
Southern States at the beginning OF
1905. publishing a table showing by
States a total assessed valuation OF
S4.5l0925, 237 in 1890. of SIS, ,266, ,594, ,O44
in 1900 and of $6,196.69 ,S13 in 1904.
Commenting upon these figures The
Manufacturers Record says:
These figures. subject in part to re-
vision-and, it is believed in the case,
of two or three States. several million
dollars below what will be shown by
the final returns on assessed values
indicate the remarkable advance i'm
material wealth in the South between
1900 and 1904. During that period, as
shown by these figures, there was n
gain of more than $3.50 00O, 600, or at an
average rate OF $23O,0O0, 900 a year.
The magnitude OF this increase is
strikingly illustrated when impaired
with the progress in the decade be-
tween 1880 and 1900, when the total
increase in assessed valuation was
100000. 900. or at the rate of SIS .OOO.-
ooO year. 1t was during that decade
that me price of cotton fell to its low
est point since the war, but during the,
last four years there was n steady ad-
TaHcc 80 the exaggerated snecnIatiues
value of the early part of last year.
IL may not be possible to connect with
eXactness the increase in the price OF
cottcn and the enhancement in the as
sessed values of property in the South,
but that higher prices do have a ma,
terial bearing upon the prosperity.
goes without question.
In studying this question. however.
1t should be borne in mind that during
that last few years the increase in
diversified agriculture in the South
mas been almost as marked as the in
crease in the value of cotton and ad-
ded to this is the really wonderful in
dustrial development. The remarkable
change from the low price of cotton OF
SIX or seven years ago is hardly more
striking than is the increase in the pro-
ductiOn OF grain, fruits, vegetables
and other farm products. The total
increase in the assessed value Of prop.
erty in the South in the 2O-year per
iod from 1850 TO 1900 was $23IO 600
600; or. in other words in the last four
years the gain in the taxable value I'm
the South has been 40 per cent. az
great as the total gain of the proceed
ing 20 years
Bearing on the increase in the as
SeSSe1 yAlna nf h.
iacturers Record gives i'm detail statis-
tics showing the great development OF
uiVerSlhed farming in the South, which
III connection with industrial develop
meht mas been potent factor in the,
enrlchment of that section. and says:
by reason of the short crop and
hlgh prices of cotton in 1903 and the
large crop and lower prices in 1904.
the world s attention has been so close
~ cehtered upon cotton that the re-
markable development in diversified
agriculture throughout the South now
one OF the most marked features OF
Southern farming operations. has been
10 considerable extent overlooked
IN lJV3 the South produced such an
exceptionally large grain crop that il
was hardly to be expected that there
would be further increase in 1904
although there is practically no limit
10 the South's capabilities in the de-
velopment of diversified farming. In
1913 the production of corn showed an
increase of l3S,000.O00 bushels over
l903. The aggregate production of
corn in the South for the last two
years was 1900 100000 bushels.
against 300 900 900 bushels for the two
proceeding years, an increase in two
years of nearly 100000 900 bushels.
The total value of the corn croD OF
the last two years was 1920. .0OO. 900
against $3.50. 900. 900 for the two pre-
ceedlng years, or a difference in favor
OF thc last two years Of 1854 ,OOO. 900.
which was added to the wealth of the
South by the increase in corn alone
mere was no material difference in
the wheat production bpt the higher
prices or wheat in 1904 made n differ
ence or nearly 5000. 900 to the South
as compared with the wheat cron of
lJo5 and difference of $31 900 O0O s,q
compared with the wheat crop of 1892
ne total value of corn, wheat oates
i'lSn potatoes, rye and hay produced
III the south last year was $542 600 OO0
Il gam or $36.000,000 compared with
I9O1 and of $40. 900 compared with
l9o2. Outside of these crops and of
cctton, the value of other farm pro-
ducts. including rice, sugar, tobacco
sweet potatoes. vegetables, fruits and
I'VE stock products. was about $3.50
Ooo. 900, or total value OF Southern
agriculture outside of cotton in 1904
OF about 81 ,092. 100000. The aggregate
grain production in the South last
year was 10000, 900 bushels. against
0O1O0O,000 bushels IN 1902.