Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-01-14

In the year 1862 a small band of
French Hugenots planted colony at
Port Royal, South Carolina. They at
once began to build a fort for pro-
lection, and to search for gold, which
was, in their minds, the only thing
worth seeking in the strange land.
BY constant meeting with the In
dians they soon learned to grow In
dian corn in a very crude way. 1t
never occurred TO them that they
were living on the greatest agricul-
tural country OF the world neither
did the succeeding generations real
ize the unlimited prOduCtiVcnesS OF
our soil or even think that our peO-
pie would ever be able to tell the
world the solution of many of the
complicated problems that are now
confronting the agricultural people.
1t was not until recent years that
our people have come to realize the
possibilities Of our soil. or that agri-
culture was the foundation for the
real wealth production Of our coun-
try. But now the educator discourseS
upon "thc enrichment of rural life,
the business man has his eyes turned
longingly to the farm; the farmer
is no longer pitied, but rather envied.
and he who would despise the farmer
and farm life is the rarity.
Every State and Territory is begin
ming to realize that the basic worth
of the country rests on the progress
OF farming and farm life, and that
other problems are more or less sub
sidiary to the proposition Of making
the land produce enough food to feed,
and enough cloth to clothe the mil
lions Of people dependent upon it for
sustenance and clothing-the two
great primal needs OF civilization.
More than two thousand high
schools are now teaching thirty-seven
thousand pupils upto-date ideas on
agriculture and farming in the Uni
ted States. And the State agricultu-
raj colleges are annually turning out
hundreds Of qualified men that are
ho iih6 W lliS loi III w iSip
Others along the way of expert agri-
cultural knowledge.
No one is doing more in pioneering
this work, or reaping a greater har-
is the State Of South Carolina. SO
great has been the agricultural pro-
gress OF our State, that since the year
1900 she has more than trebled in
millions OF dollars her annual agri-
cultural production--now over 81 So
900; the value Of her farm prop
erty has increased 155 per cent, and
the value of her farm land has in
creased from $3.50 to $2,223, or
124.8 per cent.
Just what has caused this great
revolution among South Carolina far
mers might be answered with the fol-
lowing reasoning: Our agricultural
colleges and high schools are teach
ing the farmers the value Of know
ing how to run their farm on more
economical basis by the use Of i'm
proved machinery, and the knowledge
of scientific me .hods Of farming. The
agricultural papers, journals and
bulletins that are being distributed
by the thousands among the farmers
of South Carolina are showing the
possibilities of our soil, and the meth
DDS by which scientific farmers are
taking advantage Of them. The farm
demonstration work, the boys corn
clubs, and the girls tomato clubs are
creating a wide interest among the
farmers, and are destined to mean
much for the advance OF agriculture
in this State in the next generation.
1t is not sufficient to say that South
Carolina is an agricultural State, but
she is one OF the leading, and per-
haps the foremost in production Of
farm crops per acre, when compared
with any other State in America. a
few facts will Immediately ascertain
this statement.
South Carolina now leads the
world in the production Of upland
cotton per acre; in the production of
corn per acre; in quality Of sea s.
land cotton; in yield of rice per
acre; in the growing and shipping OF
cabbage, and in the growing Of
pecans. She leads the Southern
States in cheapness OF the cost Of liv-
ing; in yield Of oats per acre; in
rapidity of development OF trucking
industry; in climatic conditions. and
in variety Of opportunities for home
seeking agrculturists.