Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-10-09
Regaining Its Own After Years o Labor.

increase in grain production and Ill
 cattle raising. Even as late as 19o0
 the South produced only 476,O00,o0O
 bushels of corn, the yield in nearly
 all of the central states being very
 much less in that year than in lsbo.
 In 1860 Alabama produced 32'100,006
 bushels of conn; in 1900 it produced
 29,355 900 bushels in 1860, or 4,oVo,-
 900 bushels more than in l900. Noftl
 Carolina produced 1,00000O bushels
 more in 1860 than in 1900, while
 South Carolina produced 20OO,000
 bushels more in 1860 than in 1900.
 Since 1900. however, there has been such a rapid development of grain growing in the South that from 476,- 00O,0OO bushels in 1900 the corn of that section rose in 1908 to 7S6,S00,- | GOO bushels, and this year the South S enormous corn crop will in all proo- ability be between 900,000,000 and l. COG, 100000 bushels.
 Increase of 42 Per Cent in a Year.
 Tt is an interesting fact that the production of wheat in the South in 1910 shows a gain of over 25,O00,000 bushels compared with 1909, or an in crease of over F per cent. while the winter wheat crop of the entire coun- try showed an increase of only 2.2 per cent, and the spring wheat crop shows a large decline. Outside of the South there was an actual de- crease in the wheat crop of the Uni ted States in 1910, whereas in the South there was the great gain of 42 per cent.
 Improvement in 10 Years Remarkable
 The improvement made in South ern agricultural conditions i'm the last 10 years has been remarkable. With the development of diversified farm ing and the growth in live stock greater attention has been given to increasing the fertility and produc- tivity of the soil This is illustrated in the fact that in the old States, such as North and South Carolina, the average yield of cotton per acre is now in excess of the yield in Texas, with all the virgin fertility of it's soil. There is a marked improvement not only in the number of live stock but in the breeding. This is especial ly true as to hogs and cattle. In sheep raising the South is not mak- ing much progress, though admirably adapted for sheep.
 Small Farms the Nations Hope.
 Secretary Wilson is unquestio- nably correct in taking the ground that the production of live stock has not kept pace with the growth of the country, for it is true in the country as a whole as we'll as of the South. , that the increase in live stock has not been proportionate to the increase in population. He is also correct in his statement that the cutting up of the great ranches of the West and Southwest has changed the conditions of cattle growing.
 "The country can no longer look to the prairies of the West nor of Texas, for nearly every big cattle ranch in Texas is being cut up into small farms which are being bought up by of nf for it's supply of live stock. The only hope of an increase commensurate with the increasing consumptive re- quirements of our growing popula- tion will be not on ranches, but on small farms where the individual far mer increases even, by a few head the number of cattle, sheep and swine Rapid progress is being made in great many portions of the South and razor back hog formerly held sway, a better breed is being introduced, and the number is being largely in- creased. In the Central South the same conditions are true. From ev- cry part of the cotton growing re- gions the reports show a very great increase in live stock this year over last year; just as this year will show such a phenomenal increase in grain production over last year.
 Reclaiming the Wet Lands.
 Another factor of far-reaching importance to the whole country, es- pecially in this day of decreasing food supply is the reclamation work now under way to reclaim the 50,000,- 000,000 acres or more of over-flowed or wet lands in the South. North Car olina will let the contract i'm a few