The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-01-31
THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.

equal in fertility and richness the best lands OF
the Mississippi Valley and OF far greater extent
1T is the opinion OF of the eminent scientists OF
the world that the Congo basin will become the gran
AIRY of the world. The producing power of the soil
is almost Incredible; but let me give the statements
of a writer, who, for u number of years, a resi-
dent of the Congo Valley:
The staple article of diet in that country is the
manoc cassava plant. This is made into the
flour of the land. The whole plant is valuable for
food The leaves tender and succuent, and
make excellent salad. Each plant supports
dozen tubers, each large peck measure
so that plant will furnish about 100
pounds of food stuff per year Under good cultiva
ton, will produce about 100000 pounds of
food Even with poor SOIL scant attention and
poor cultivation, twenty acres will support thous
and people. 1t is not necessary to house this plant
in the climate of that section. The tubers gath
cred daily from the living plant whose life of active
production is about ten years.
Another remarkable food plant is the plantan
This resembles the banana, and can be cooked i'll IA
variety of ways. This with meat makes complete
diet. This, like the cassava, is in at all
times, and will produce about 100000 pounds
of farinaceous food in year. The vegetable gar
den produces continuously and fruits ripen every
day. Two crops of corn produced annually, and
rich is the soil that each stalk will produce from
to four ears The heat and humidity make
plant life very uXuriant. Sweet potatoes ought to
produce four hundred bushels to the Rice
yields abundantly, and most of garden vegetables
flourish. This writer sums up the farm products
follows: cassava corn millet, plantan, potatoes,
peanuts, peas, melons, oranges, pineapples lines,
lemons, guavas, mangoes ctron cotton coffee cocoa
kola and the palm oil nut.
Food is so abundant that the animals necessary for
food, such sheep goats and hogs, may be raised
with ease. The result is that the native African,
where they freemen and have been enslaved
are larger, stronger and of greater endurance than
the American negro.
The vast possibilities of wealth may be seen i'm a
single product. One of the most valuable and neces-
sary gums of commercial value to-day is rubber. In
Africa the rubber is produced from vine which
grows to be thick as IL mans body and to the
height of two hundred feet. single rubber vine
will produce thirty pounds of rubber annually. An
acre OF forest will average 800 vines equivalent to
three tons of rubber, worth gross about So 600 These
rubber forests of enormous extent. These state
ments from residents in that country give us some
idea of what Africa is and what it offers to the negro
OF our own land home 1 can hardly imagine
conditions more favorable.
The next question is what response lpiH he make
to these Inducements VIII the American negro 90 to
Africa9
The negro is creature of impulses He readily
responds to inducements to go elsewhere. The
eXoduses of few years since show us what he is
ready to do The fact is that any proposition look
ing to any change of residence, throws the masses
Oh the race into fever of hopeful excitement. Eff
teen years since, movement was started to COLOMBO
the colored people in South America. The leaders
IN the movement prominent colored men in the
west and South The plan was enthusiastically re-
ceved by the colored people, and they eager for
the change The president OF the organization said
mat II ships could have been secured he could find
oOoOOO colored people in the South ready and an
NOUS TO embark for new home. Another stated
'hat they could send away million if they had the
means wherewith to send them. L mention these
thngs to show that from the Negroes standpoint will
iigness to go is not an insuperable difficulty.
campaign OF education, showing what Africa is
ana the inducements it offers, would arouse an en-
,huslasm that would sweep away all opposition |