The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-09-25
right MAN FOR PLACE
LEVER is GOOD PREACHER OF
DIyERsIFICAuON.

LEVER is GOOD PREACHER OF
DIyERSIFICATION.
And Should be at the lead Of the
Congressional Committee Of Agrt-
culture.
The Anderson Mail some time
ago called attention to the fact that
Congressman A. F. Lever OF this estate
will be the next chairman OF the
House committee on agriculture, If
the democrats hold their majority in
congress as they probably will. It
will be of interest to know what this
committee does and what are Mr..
Levers ideals. The following are
excerpts from speech made by Mr.
Lever two years ago, and while con-
gress even this year has taken anoth-
or forward steps for the promotion Of
agriculture, yet the general princi-
pies as outlined by Mr.. Lever two
years ago give correct idea Of his
attitude toward his committee work.
Eighty percentum Of the popula-
ton OF South Carolina depend upon
agriculture, in fact is directly con-
cerned in all that goes to the upbuild-
ing Of agriculture. I have been a
member of this committee for tours
years and am now the second demo
crat on it and one of the i've mem"
bers who make up the appropriation
bill which keeps the department Of ag-
riculture going which in turn gives us
! our soil survey, our demonstration
| farm work, our dairy work, our cat
tie tick eradication work our dlvers1-
dcation interests and all Of the vari-
Gus lines of work being done by the
| department in the South. The ap-
propriations Of this department, dur
ug this year, 1910, amounted to near
ly 100000 exclusive Of the 49,
600, 100000 which We appropriated
for enforcing the meat inspection anh
pure food laws.
1t is not hard for you to appreciate
the responsibility that rests upon one
who has to vouch for the appropria-
ton of this tremendous sum Of mon
ey, which is nearly ten times as much
as the amount appropriated to ruI
your entire government.
| have had a deep appreciation o1
the possibilities Of southern agricul
Iture and am an enthusiast with re-
spect to them. 1t has been my ef
fort to interest the department in oul
Isection and to secure appropriation:
for the initiation of new lines o.
work and the development of the ole
ones.
First Of all you will remember thai
lit was my bill that secured the ap
preparation Of $4,000 for She teach
ing of dairying in the south. Wher
we remember that South Carolina i'm
ports dairy products to the value o,
three and one-half million dollars pei
iyear you can readily understand how
important it is to the state that thi!
tyoung industry be promoted and Civ
en- every consideration which is leg
ltimate.
| The experts of the department, mel
who have had actual experience, are
teaching cur dairymen the most i'm
proved methods of the business. The
result is shown in the report Of ths
secretary Of agriculture for 1907 il
(which the statement is made that the
herds with which the department ha!
dealt show an increase in value o!
production of s3.75 per month fol
each diary COW. This gives you some
little idea of the valoe OF expert in
formation as it touches our natura
resources. There is no reason why
the south should not be a successful
dairying country. It depends upor
the use Of improved methods in the
business. The department Of agri
culture is giving these. The re
, suit is certain.
! I expect to see the day come whe1
a great live stock industry will bt
. built up in the south. Dairy ant
beef cattle are at the very founda
i tion of spcessful agriculture the
world over. The trouble has beer
the slavishness Of our people to tht
one crop system-cotton- tht
presence Of the cattle tick, the latter
making it impossible almost to make
the cattle industry profitable.
Several yeare ago the department
began the work Of the eradication O.
the cattle tick in the infested ares
covering fifteen states, this state he
ing one Of them. am very much i'm
, pressed with the promising result:
and have my whole heart In the ef
fort to secure large appropriation
| to enable the department to conduc
a campaign against this southern pes
which it is estimated is losting thu
\ south not less than s1,000,000,00t
er year, and this state 100000. The
appropriation for 1909 was s150,000
(which was secured largely through
my efforts in the committee. Fo
1910 this appropriation was incseaset
'}s1o0,Oo0.
4 Your. state legislature appropriated
S5,000>to cooperate with the fedora
government in this work. 1t has al
. ready begun in several of the coun
ties in the northern part OF tht
state. It is my hope that during tht
present year the quarantine line viii
be moved as far down as Columbis
: and that the next year or so will SCI
> the quarantine lifted from the Soutl
Carolina cattle, and this you under
stand will give your cattle access t
all OF the markets Of the world.
have long felt that the solution
of many of the ills of southern agri
culture lies in the diversifcation o.
her agriculture. My observations to
gether with the history Of agricul
ture convince me that NO nation cal
reply with confidence upon one croI
system as the basis Of its agricultur
al welfare.
The story of the northwest with re
ference to wheat is ouly a repetition
of the conditions that have existed
iE the south for years and year:
The northwest depended entirely up
rr-I