The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-31
R|CHESFORS SOUTH
IN M ANY CROPS
Cotton No Longer Dominates
Situation-Trucking In
dustry Profitable.

New York. July sO.-Richard II.
Edmonds, editor OF the Manufacturers
Record, of Baltimore. who is in close
touch with Southern business condi-
tions. was in New York Wednesday.
Speaking of the south, he said:
AS the South is now annually rails
ing about soo,ooO,ooo bushels of grain,
mainly corn, it is Of interest to know
that at present the indications point
to very heavy yield this year, much
the largest that the South has ever
produced. 1t is quite possible that this
years grain crop in that region may
reach i,ooo,o0o,oO0 bushels, for nearly
every Southern State reports increased
acreage and exceptionally good con-
ditions. The yield will probably be
100000 bushels more than last year.
while the cotton crop condition
as whole is not favorable, the out
look for grain In the South was never
SO promising. In diversified agriculture
generally that part OF the country is
making such remarkable progress that
cotton no longer dominates the situa-
ton. Notwithstanding its vast i'm
portance to the world as we'll as to the
South
TRUCK growing, which is spreading
over the whole South, is becoming an
industry of national Importance
Around Norfolk trucking is OF such
great extent that the value of this
year Is estimated at sl5,00O,oOO. Some
10000 to $4,000 packages (crates and
IN, nI.. Ia,t ,.,l,,
that port. Daily stea mship service
to New Yor.. Baltimore and other
ports Is needed to handle this stun.
while the amount that goes by rail is
so great that last week one road
handled more than 500 carloads in ono
day. -
THE sweet potato growers of East
ern Virginia, who formerly grew poor
err on almost every crop because of
the lack of organization and the
Cutting of some markets while others
were bare. are now getting rich rails
ing annually hundreds of thousands
OF barrels, which are all marketed
through grocers' association. Every
carload is closely followed and ordered
to market according to daily reports
as to the supply and demand in Diff
terent cities.
1.-THE peach industry of Georgia is
now being handled the same way, al
though the growers organization is
comparatively new, while Florida
orange growers last year perfected
similar plan for handling their crop.
Under better handling methods the
vast trucking and fruit industry OF
the South is daily becoming of more
Importance to that region as We'll
as to the whole country, which now
depends so largely upon the South FOR
early fruits and vegetables.
Trucking land has risen rapidly in
value, until in many places the best
land, much of which was waste or wet
land or counted of little value, is now
worth several hundred dollars an acre,
In the Norfolk region, as we'll as at
many other places, number of truck
ers have made fortunes of some hum
dreds of thousands of dollars each in
the last few years In fact, the whole
South is getting rich. Cotton is no
longer king, impoverishing its subjects.
1t is now subject, and the independ-
ent farmer is king. If cotton does not
pay him a good profit for growing he
turns to diversified agriculture. The
world may call for an ever increasing
supply of cotton, and the. South will
supply 1T when the world pays a good,
big profit on it's production, but the
world will call in vain for cheap cot
ton. The South has found something
jelse better to do than to raise cotton
to be sold at cheap prices. 1t no longer
has to do It,"