The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-16
SOURCES OF THE SOUTH'S
PROSPERITY.
lThe TradeSmanl


stitute the South's sources OF pros
perity.
Agriculture is volume TO ltsell
and has literature OF lts own
Modern methods are gradually max
ing the yields larger. Historically,
this has been brought about by the
course OF events. From colonial
DAYS. after the question OF labor
was settled by the introduction OF
"blackamores' by the thrifty ship
owner of the New England ports,
the Southern planted held posltloh
of his own. Land was easily &C
ouired and with careless improvi-
dence of soil, crops were produced
The negroes knew nothing OF soii
ANALYSIS or soil exhaustion. Thelr
foremen or "overseers" knew noth-
ing more and as land was worn
out" more land was cleaned up
by denuding it of the native forest.
It was living on principal ana
accommodating neither interest nor
sinking fund" Political events eA-
tinguished the question. lhen came
the next question as to the most
practical method of improving eX-
| isting conditions. The new owners
who dealt with this many sided
prcblem. had, as a rule, little cap
ital. Land had largely chahgeu
hands. Some by deaths consequent
to war, some by foreclosure OF uepts
that war had prevented being cared
for Consequently the new owner
had relatively few acres. lie hau
to make them yield and with limit
ed capital and labor conditions an
solutely revolutionized, he had no
easy task He had to learn a new
business. Scientific fertilization on
the lands of the south had It's start
l1nen. u has received considerable
impetus from the discovery OF natu-
raj supplies of natural phosphate in
South Carolina, Florida and Tehhes-
see. A somewhat myoplc decision
of the German authorities seemed 10
have made the necessary potash lot
the soil impossible by prohlDltiVe
cost, but il was a blessing, though
very much disguised for the home
sources are being investigated ana
with most Unexpectedly flatterih8
results. With proper fertilization
drainage, and, in word sclentlllc
farming the conditions are lmproV-
ing and will continue doing so.
Next as to climate. All this is
covered by carefully recorded gov
ernment statistics that nothing ne"
could be suitably added to their fig-
ures, unless possibly the suggestion
that the horse never gets lts iuli
symmetrical development unless uh-
der special conditions OF herOaSe'
The states of Tennessee and Ken
lucky have the soil and the exact
humidity to bring the native grasses
to such perfection as to develop the
horse. And it is more the climate
/ than the feed, for with entirely dlf-
ferent feed but at its highest lux
uriance, the Arabian horse has been
quoted as perfection of the animal
So, further east, though less known
is the island OF Timor in the east
ern seas. where the same or similar
conditions have produced similar re-
suits. And California is in the same
belt.
The reason for introducing these
facts here is that owing to climatic
conditions. food is easily produced
labor is not enervating, and these
are valuable assets in the grown OIL
the South.
Minerals again, with coal, lron'
copper. zinc. lead, bauXite phosphate
rock. potash marls, clays, dolomites'
and a dozen more. development
certain, and it has largely arrived
AT Ducktown. Tenn. the cheapest
copper in the world is produced and
at birmingham Ala. the producing
price of steel is lower than else
where. even in competition with the
cheap labor of Germany. Timber Is
here in the South in wonderful aDuh-
dance and with the scientific con-
seryation now being installed. the
timber areas can produce the needs
of the United States or course.
it would not be so diverted. To
choose an illustrative but extreme
example. it would net pay to send
pine from Alabama into Oregon, but
( it can be safely left for each dis
trict to supply its own needs, as far
as it can. and buy what it requires
from the cheapest and nearest ship
ping point.
The surplus Of the south can then
be exported in manufactured form
to the foreign trade. How will 1t
go? In sewing machines. bugies.
automobiles, spokes, axe handles,
shocks. boxing and Grating for man
ufactured goods and thousands of
other forms. The same climate that
raises the horse raises cotton. And
the thousands of bales that now are
shipped as bales of cotton to Eng
land. will gradually have their des-
tination changed as new cotton fields
whiten the far east
It may not be generally known
that the cotton plant grows naturally
in India, and was manufactures
there and the name calico is deriv-
ed from the town Calient on the west
coast OF India. Naturally the plant
grows there in abundance, and witf
Fnglana's natural policy of develop