The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-11-21

was pTdctlcdlly no luHfDer DuSlneSS. |
The mills that continued operating, |
did so at a loss; however, with few
exceptions they all closed down. We
have a large population in this con-
gressional district. The attention of
the people has been directed prin-
cipally to manufacturing, little atten-
ton has been devoted to agriculture;
when the depression came
we found our business gone In the
main, and with very limited local
production of food stuffs for man and
beast. We were consequently at a
great disadvantage in supplying the
necessaries of life. We have had a
great deal of live stock throughout
the country to care for, together with
the usual other fixed charges, all of
which served to act as continuous
drain on our resources, and the re-
suit is, deposits have declined i'm
Intensely in this section and the coun-
try got rather lean. However, dur
ing the month of July last, the pulse
of the lumber market strengthened,
in August there was fair demand,
in September the mills were running
at profit. Now profits are very fair,
and the prospects for the lumber bust
ness are bright. The mills are all
at work again, timber can be heard
crashing to the ground in the forests,
the hum of the saw is heard through
out the land, all kinds of labor usually
employed in the logging and sawmill
business have again found employ
ment. which gives all classes of our
people something to do. While the
depression has borne down upon this
section with severity, at the same time
our people have developed under its
discipline; they have been very reas-
enable in their transactions with each
other; great patience, much forbear-
ance and strength of purpose have
characterized them; they have been
philosophical, calm and thoughtful,
and as a result thereof have broaden.
ed in their judgment, have thought
more of the necessities and require
ments of our country, and have launch
ed efforts forth for the purpose of
strengthening weak places in our
economics, with view to developing
more perfect order of being, that
in time to come we may not. be so
susceptible to the ills of any one line
of business. During the past year
great deal more attention than usual
has been devoted to agriculture, with
Most gratifying results; crops in this
section have been larger than ever
before, they have been produced more
scientifically the people are proud OF
the success achieved in our agricul-
tural pursuits, and the accomplish.
ments of our agriculturists have been
a great inspiration to those engaged
in the business, as well as to collateral
interests. One of our farms has pro.
duced this year six hundred gallons
of ribbon cane syrup to the acre
Another produced twelve hundred and
four bushels of sweet potatoes (yams)
on three acres. Greatly increased
attention has been given by our peo
pie this year to the production of cot
ton. as a consequence our local re
ceipts have about doubled By the
way, it is a fact little known that gov
eminent reports show that the yielt
of cotton per acre in South Missis
sippi is above the average, the length
of the staple being only slightly be
low that of other upland cotton. Thu
cut over lands of this section are al
productive as any lands under thu
sun; we use fertilizer, but by usini
fertilizer can produce any kind o
abundance, and l think the expert
ences of the past eighteen month
are going to result in great good an
much profit to our people; l believ
the country is better grounded tina
ever before, and that we will develo
more rapidly along more substantis
lines than would have been the cas-
had we not had the hard times jus