The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-30

THIS years cotton crop, including (CI the seed, will bring to the south
 over $700 100000, which is about $3O0, ,0OO,0 GOO more than the total gold pro- duction of the world last year. In fact Europe will during this crop season pay to the south for cotton more than the worlds gold output for twelve months; the balance of the crop, or, in round fig ures, say, 40 per cent, being consumed in American mills and about equally divided between northern and southern mills. In the last six years the south's cotton crops have aggregated in value about s1,- 25O, ,OOO, GOO more than for the preceding six years. As this difference in value or gain over the low price period when cot ton sold at cost and sometimes below, is largely profit, it is safe to say that dur ing the last six years the profit to the south on it's cotton crops over the preced- ing six crops has been more than the total national banking capital of the United States, which is less than $10O0,ooo,ooo.
 Under these conditions, we can easily see why the south has been able to pay it's farm mortgages, and get on it's feet finan- cially. Now that it has done this the profit on it's cotton crops henceforth will largely go to bringing about vast ac- emulation of capital. Even now, the country banks throughout that section are carrying very heavy deposits largely owned by farmers, and it is becoming a serious question in many communities how this surplus money can be wisely in vested at home But cotton by no means represents even a half of the south's ag- ricultural productions. More and more attention is being given to diversified farming, last years grain crop having been over s000O0,OOO bushels, while truck ing and fruit growing are becoming great factors in southern wealth. A recent re- port shows that of such perishable freight the Pennsylvania railroad hauled out of southern gateways over 67,00O carloads last year. Other roads likewise hauled enormous quantities, especially to the west, and the amount carried by coast wise steamship lines is indicated in the fact that during the trucking season three or four steamers day leave Norfolk for Baltimore, Washington and New York, loaded mainly with fruits and vegetables
 During 1906 the value of property in the
 
 south increased s2,600,00O0O0 over 1905. or an average daily gain of s7,0ooooo. The in crease is assessed value, which repre- sents about 40 per cent of the true value, was S1, ,000, GOO, ,000 as compared with si6o,- GOO coo for the ten-year period ending with 1899. During the present year the gain should be equally as large, for there IS a great advance going on in the value of all properties. While farm lands nave advanced on an average from 50 to 70 per cent during the last two or three years a still greater increase is seen in the value of timber land and coal and iron and other mineral properties. The increase, es- pecially in coal and iron properties, is creating many large fortunes, but as com- pared with northern values prices are
 
 iron ore properties are hardly ranked as being worth over few cents ton in the ground, as compared with a dollar a ton in the Lake Superior region. In Penn sylvanIa, coal lands command from s100 up to 5000 an acre, the latter being quoted for some Connellsville properties, while in the south good coal lands can be had at from s25 up to $1Oo an acre. With the wonderful development now in progress in the south, values of such properties must move up nearer to a parity with values in other sections
 With an increase in the assessed value of property last year, greater by 25 per cent than for the ten years from 1890 to 1899, with such profitable prices for cot ton that this crop now commands not far from twice as much as the worlds gold