The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-01
SOUTHERN BANKERS On fh1>Ni-
Frs PROSPERITY.

terc from Southern bankers on Tic
condition of farmers In h Soutn. ne
IKE know better than any otiei
class whether the farmers have money
on deposit and whether they are III
debt to the banks. The reports gen
orally show that the are III
better condition than ever before 'ha'
MANY farmers have money TO invest
and that most Of those VINO nave
surplus money are investing II IN o'iie1
lands. In finer grades OF STOCK III nc"
houses and barns. in improved na-
chinery, in more mules. In wire ieic-
ing. in clearing new lands. ana ~
other ways that show that the lathA-
ing in 1910 is to be better than IN
any previous year.
The price of cotton is the baronl-
eter of Southern farming CONDITIONS
With high cotton, the South goes
with low cotton, the Sou'h
stands still. This does not refer alone
to farmers. It is true of every pusl-
ness and every industry in the Soulh'
With high cotton, the are aplt
to do things necessary to raise more
than q bale Of cotton to the acre ana
otherwise put into practice the bet
ire methods they have learned. When
cotton is low, they have no surplus
money to spend in directions neces-
sary to increase the yield per acre.
This year they have some money to
diversity and intensity and the year
1910 promises to be q good one. Ihe
farmers generally will not increase
cotton acreage, and the feeling now
is to raise hog and hominy and to
raise the cotton on fewer acres.
In that direction lies the hope for ag-
ricultural prosperity.
The letters in the Record from
North Carolina are interesting and IL
Eliminating. These bankers write sell
entitled to weight. They are as fol-
lows:
Beaufort.
It. +. swami cashier Beaufort Bank
ing & Trust Co., Beaufort, N. G.:
''The financial condition OF the far
mers in this section is better than 1t
mas Ocen 1OI several StdIS- VI 40"
are in debt. Some are about even
and some have surplus money in the
banks. Our farming are
not very we'll developed, but some I'M
proVementS have been made during
the past few years, which have mad
the effect OF increasing he price OF
arnin lands. The outlook in the
trucking business is very bright, AS
trucking crops can be grown here as
| early as in Southern Georgia on &C
count of the nearnesS OF n Gut
Stream to our coast. Several settlers
have come into our county ecently to
engage in farming. and as they real
ize what a garden spot is found in
this section they are beginning to de-
Velop our farming resources.
MANY people are now considering
lSeveral Northern interests have invest
ed in hunting lands near here, and
our outlook as a resort is very flat
tering. Greater preparations are be-
ing made to care for both the sum-
mer and winter visitors. The inland
waterway from Beaufort Inlet to Nor
folk will be finished this year, which
will make this an important point as
g base of supplies for shipping inter
| eStS.''
Charlotte.
W. II. Wood, secretary and treas
urer American Trust Co, Charlotte,
N. c.:
The financial condition OF the far
ners Of this vicinity is greatly i'm
proved this year, on account of the
good prices we have received for cot
ton and other farm products. They
owe less than ever before and have
more surplus funds on deposit in the
banks than in any previous years. 7
believe the amount of money on de-
post with the banks in our city from
the is so per cent. greater
than five q ago. With one excep-
ton The general business conditions
here are very satisfactory, this ex-
ception being the cotton mill industry
which IS suffering considerably on a.
count of the unstable condition of
prices, both the raw Drodu ana Tho
manufactured goods. Generally sneak
ing the cotton mill industry has not
been satisfactory for the past 1e
months, but we feel sure that 40 80
time is not far off when this state Of
affairs will change and the cot+aa
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