The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1909-12-30
POSSIBILITIES OF SOUTH.
Secretary Wilson has Great Faith
In This Section.

~ 0G@tGbdAy W
son had this to say of the South:
THE cheapest thing In the
South today is land. Some OF
those farmers from the Northwest
who attended the annual conven-
ton of the National Farmers Con-
gress, Raleigh, N. G. this month,
owns farms at home that are worth
from 500 to $50 per acre. South
ern laads that will produce equally
as well Are held at a great deal less
The Southern farmer has yet much
Improvement to make IN the meth
ods of agriculture. The most
shrinking advances of the South
have been along manufacturing
lines. No farmer can leave his
Southern land to better his condi-
ton by farming anywhere else.
The meeting of the Farmers Con-
gress at Raleigh will result in many
farmers of the North selling their
dear lands and locating in the
South to buy cheaper lands. !"
Asked the question whether the
farm lands of the South can be
made as productive as the rich
lands of the Northwest, which sell
for $50 an acre, Mr.. Wilson said:
why, of course. What's the
hindrance? But the Southern far
mer must quit sending his cotton
seed meal over the world to enrich
other lands. He must use this
rich fertilizer himself. The South
has produced this year the heav-
lest corn crop it has ever grown.
This increase is due to the de-
monstration work of the depart
ment. Our campaign of education
is finally producing results The
next step will be for the farmer OF
the South to grow his own hogs
and make his own meat and his
own corn. DR.. Knapp has pre-
pared a circular showing them how
to do this. We have circulated
go, 900 copies of these, and l gave
authority to day TO print 90, 900
more.
''The farming industry i'll the
South is picking up. Right now
more progress is being made in the
South in improving farming condi-
tions than in any other section OF
the country.
Anybody who says the farm
lands of the South are played out
does not know what he is talking
about. The ruu-dow farming
lands can be brought back to their
original state and made fertile as
ever. There has already been a
wonderful improvement III the con-
dition of some Southern lands.
First 1t will be necessary to rotate
crops and make pastures. Elimi-
nate the cattle tick and feed the
cotton seed meal of the South to
the cattle, and the southern farmer
will grade three times as much to
the acre as he does now. And this
ratio of increased productivencss
will apply to all crops. The South
ern farmer does not fully appreciate
the situation, and he will not until
he finally begins to double and
treble his present crops on the same
acreage.
lone thing want to carry nome
to the Southern farmer. Get rid
of the cattle tick. If the farmers
of the South will cooperate with
this department they will soon be
rid of the pest. We have already
eliminated the cattle tick from 75,-
900 square miles in the South. In
course of time the tick will be en-
tirelv eradicated. but it is impor-
tant to the South to make a sue
cessful fight without delay"
Speaking of the work that is
being carried on in the South by
the department for the improve
ment of agricultural condition:
there, Mr.. Wilson said:
"We have an organization in the
twelve States of the South. This
work is under the direction of DR.
Knapp, who has a representative II
each State, and, through him, rep
resenatives in each county. Tbs
great object is to show the poore
class of farmers by demonstra-
ton how to grow better crops.
nThe Bureau of Animal Industr.
i az work to get rid of the cattl