The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-10-02

Augusta Chronicle.

Augusta Chronicle.
| The priceless boon Of bread pro-
vided for the nations has been due
largely to American brains and inge-
nuity In inventing machinery that
has enabled farmers to obtain four
fold products from the soil and send
throughout the world something to
eat Likewise to America Is due the
credit for the protection Of raiment
and the South alone Is responsible for
this feature OF national achievement
Progress is cotton-growing has been
remarkable during the past half CEN
| tury. In other days when farmers
| devoted considerable time and atten-
| ton to producing something to eat
they averaged only about three bales
or cotton per plow and so universal
| was this view until everybody was
| judged by the number Of bales Of cot
| ton they grew, for it was understood
that thirty bales of cotton meant ten
plows and so on through the scale.
1
one had to know how many plows
and how many bales Of cotton was
made in order to judge the ability uf
the farmer. Later on-Quite lc-
cently-another change has been
made and now it is not the man who
grows so much cotton, or operates So
many plows. but rather do you max.
or lose in farming. This Is a question
which every farmer should ask ard
answer for himself. 1t is obvious that
the South is making a vast sum or
money for the products Of the cotton
belt hold the balance OF trade IN ia
vor Of this great country. The boom
of bread and all the attendant bless
ings dc not count for very mucn
when pitted against the immense im-
ports that are brought to Us from
the rest of the world but when, we.
place the value OF exported cotton
against the total the change puts us
on the right side Of the ledger, as il
were.
without the remarkable achieve
ments Anerica could never have-
made the wonderful strides in de-
lvelopment that have been recorded and
nowadays the greatest territory Of ALL
the cotton belt, is just being opened
up as a possible grain-growing sac-
| ton. as we'll as ScOttOn-producing ter
| r!tory. With the introduction OF
grain growing on "a large scale We
shall see great progress in the South.
While the record already made has
been remarkable and greater than
that ever scored by any other sec
tion of the country in the world in q
like period of time still the beginning
is just in sight
Improved farming implements will
he the cause of this Advancement The
labor situation in the South is such
that ii can do nothing but retari pro-
gress and modern methods must in
evitably come in order for the ad-
sources to be made. The progress of
the Middle West has. been more
largely due to improved farm ma
chinery than to any other one cause
and the introduction OF such labor
saving devices has only been made in
the cotton belt to any considerable
degree within the past decade and
all who are conversant with the sit
uation know that this period covers
2 the time Of real advancement in the
territory in question.
\ study of the conditions of this
country as compared with the rest of
the world demonstrates conclusively
2 that we are advancing on the right
l line. The United states has only one
twenty-iifth of the worlds population
s yet ii produces thirty-onc per cent
of all the agricultural wealth OF tn,
p world Still We are clamoring for
! greater returns from the land, we
e want more people to get back to the
soil and We must have them because
the world demands the products If
b the soil. The South has a virtual
p monopoly ON cotton for though we
have only the small percentage OF the
c"untry's population i'm the cotton
belt. the Southern States yield half
of the entire cotton crop Of the world.
Figures are of the most stupcndous
b character when used i'm cnumcrating
American crops. corn coming first
with 2,77G.00O,O bushels. cotton I'm