The Colorado statesman., 1912-08-03


If thought photography ever be-
comes practical the world will learn
some astonishing secrets.
indicative of the south's Industrial
awakening We must consider the i'm
provement in southern stock raising;
for the stock raising spirit Is spread
Ing over the south, In Mississippi
alone we find four cattle breeders as
sociations. Almost every breed Of
sheep Is tried in the south today.
Within the last decade hog raising in
the south has been revolutionized. A
few years ago one could hardly see
anything but unmitigated Razor
back" The best that could be look
ed for was a little group OF grades.
But now this is all changing, the
south is supplanting the razor
backs with thoroughbred hogs, such
as the Essex and the Berkshire.
Not only has the south awakened
in the matter of stock raising, but
she is becoming just as active in fruit
growing. Within my own memory
the south has become the fruit mar
ket for the whole country, instead of
as formerly, importing fruit from the
north.
Neither is the south asleep in re-
gard to her opportunities and posi-
bilities in vegetables. Truck garden
ing has been given great attention in
the south within the last few years.
All along the coast from Norfolk to
Galveston, trains and streams are
well laden for months each year with
early vegetables.
Having briefly considered the awak-
enin gin regard to the stock fruit and
vegetable raising in particular; and
agriculture in general, l pass to an
other phase, and note the south s
awakening with reference to her min
eral resources, of which coal and iron
are among those of first Importance.
Extensive coal and iron mining opera
tions are of comparative recent ori-
gin, yet it is in the south that the
most rapid progress in opening of
new mines is being made today. She
has doubled her coal output in
the last few years. Alabama mines
nearly as much coal today as the en-
tire south did in 1885. History no.
where records such stupendous in
crease as we see going on in the
southern mining today.
Another phase of this awakening is
that of manufacturing. For years the
south regarded cotton seeds a nuis-
ance, and dumped them into the river
in order to get rid of them, but she
has long since awakened to the full
knowledge of the Importance of cot
ton seed. Today there is a great de-
mand for all cotton seed that can be
produced Having learned the econom-
c value of these seeds, the south is
now extracting millions of gallons of
OIL and using the residue as food for
stock and as fertilizers to enrich the
SOIL
Her So ice factories, 125 foundries
and machine shops, l Bessemer
steel rail mill, 40 miscellaneous iron
works, 80 stove foundries, 5 gas
works, 80 agricultural implement fac
tories, 40 cotton mills, 60 furniture
factories, 80 tobacco factories. 100
flour mills and 500 lumber mills are
incontrovertible evidence of the
south's industrial awakening.
Although the south's recent activi-
ty in productive industries has at
tracted worldwide attention, not less
so has her industrial awakening in
the building of railroads, which may
be seen and heard in "the fierce mete-
oric of thunderous and Gathering rail-
road trains" sweeping through the
length and breadth of the southland,
and exclaiming to northern travellers
that the south, the industrial RIP
Van Wrinkle" of this nation, has
awakened from long, long indus
trial slumber and today is delving in
the depths of the earth, in quest of
hidden coal and iron, multiplying fur
mace blasts in iron and steel factories,
developing natural resources, con-
verting forests into fertile fields, re-
claiming waste lands, stretching bet
ter highways over the surface of the
south, and causing a wilderness to
blossom as rose.