The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-31
NORTH CAROLINA is NOT SELF
SUPPORTING.
More Thar $50. 0 600 Spent Outside
Of State For EEn0i Supn!ies Alone.

More Than 8 o GOO spent OutSiUc
of State For Food Supplies Alone.
The North Carolina Department Of
Agriculture has issued a special bull
letin that ought to open the eyes OF
every farmer in the STATE and Of
thousands Of theirs who are not
farmers. j. l.. Burgess. State Agro-
mist. and his assistant. Mr.. Garren,
We're instructed to investigate to de-
ternline what par Of our food sup
plies came from outside the. State
and what part Of them were home
made. Six hundred letters accom-
panied by blanks for Information We're
sent out to all parts Of the State,
making inquiry as to the quantities Of
various goods shipped in. and while
there we're less than two hundred re-
plies. the result OF the Investigation
was really startling. The bulletin
shows that the State. once able to
supper itself, has lost that ability
through the growth Of the manufac-
turing Interests. Since 1916, when the
first cotton mill was built on the Tar
river. the drift Of the rural population
from the country to the town has
been marked. The manufacturing
towns have grown larger every year
and it l. only Of very recent years
that there has been any marked back
to the farm movement
The bulletin is of especial interest
but there is space here for only the
conclusion which the careful COM
pliers draw from the results Of their
investigation, which follows:
The State has, roughly speaking.
five agricultural divisions, namely, the
cotton district. the tobacco district,
the grain district. the trucking dis
trict and the fruit district. Of course
these districts all merge into each
other more or less but to most peo-
pie of the State these districts are
pretty Well defined.
We urge that every farmer raise all
Of his staple food products at home:
but after this demand has been met
it would not, III all probability, be
economy for each OF these districts to
try to produce all Of the supplies it
consumes. Generally speaking, the
cotton district is not adapted to wheat
on a commercial scale, and it would.
therefore, If most cases, be unWise to
replace cotton with wheat. Again,
the tObaccO district is o we'll suited
to wheat. corn and meat production
on a commercial scale, and there the
money crop Will continue to be to-
bacco. The cereal district is not we'll
suited to cotton. tobacco INC fruit,
hence its main crop Will continue to
be grains and meat. The great fruit
sections must continue to grow fruit.
But what we rye is that each dis
trict. after raising its home supplies,
eXpioit to the fullest extent its own
natural so that the other
districts may have their needs sup
piled by homegrown products. We
hardly Expect PasqUOtank and New
Hanover and other similar counties.
with large cities, to grow enough for
their needs. but we do eXDect them
to be able to buy from AIalnance,
Davidson. Randolph or one of the
other grain and meat-produCinS
ties, and not be compelled to ship This
product from the West.
A number Of replies received gave
per centa2e estimates rather than ac-
tual figures. The concensus Of opin-
ion among the men Who submitted
percentage was that in their
towns and some of these were among
the largest we have. fully - per cent.
Of the food products were shipped
in from Without the State.
We feel outraged to think Of hay
ing % per cent. OF u yearly food
supply grown in other States. But
average person to live. basinc the cost
on the market value Of the food he
consumes. and but one-third of this
mount Is shipped from without the
State. We are annually sending ont OF
the state sS0.300, 600 for food sup
plies.
s. Following are the totals. with esti-