The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-01-16

capable of yielding crops sufficient to
feed the world Quite 100,000,000 of
those. acres stretching from Virginia
to Texas, are adaptable to cotton cul
ture although less Liam third O,
them are so occupied, and theil
adaptability is enhanced by climate
logical conditions especially favorable
to cotton growing and unmatched b.
conditions in any other equal area o.
he world. The worldwide Importance
Of this fact cannot be overlooked
Produced upon 35.0OO,000 acres, or
devoted to L. leading crops OF the
country in 1912 the cotton crop, il
Guiding its seed, had in that year
value OF 900, 000,000, equal to 20
per cent of the aggregate value, $4,
906, Il 80, 000--Of those crops upon
something more than one-eighth o,
the land devoted to those crops in the
whole country the south produced
one crop, cotton, having a value more
than onchfth of the aggregate val~e
The twelve crops.
But Gotten contributes .sss than one
third of the aggregate value OF the
agricultural products of the south In
addition to holding practical monop
! oily in the production in this country
Of such crops as cotton, rice and sugar
cane the south can raise every crop
needed for mans food and every
direct or indirect product of agricn!
ture needed for his clothing.
In the midst of the lower end OF
the beautiful Shenandoah Valley OF
Virginia stretches for 40 miles an iso
lated fragment of the AppaIachi2n
range known as the Maesanutter
mountain. It's NORTHERN end is named
Powel's Fort, socalled because Of its
natural advantage as a fastness. II
was q refuge for the settlers in the
Valley against frequent incursions Of
hostile Indians in the middle of the
eighteenth century, ana tradition
has it that General Washington in
sisted, in particularly gloomy period
Of the Revolutionary struggle, that
with his army in possession of that
natural fOrtifcation, the Americans
could hold out against the British for
in indefinate time. George Washing
ton, pioneer in southern engineering
was taking the military view. But
the difficulties of nature, which would
have to be overcome in a successful
assault at arms upon the place are
the manifestations which suggest to
the modern engineer in production
the vast riches in forest and mine
and Water-poWers calling for his
prOwess, his ability to see things and
to accomplish a task. no matter how
difficult, in the quickest way and
with the most substantial results.
justified by the means at his disposal
whether he devotes himself TO a
specially or to a general development
whether he merely maps out the
mines or cruises the forest, whether
he builds bridges, establishes grades
lays the rails, spans streams and tun.
nels mountains i'll creating a railroad
q [SC. n hVIl hnl
ground up a city with sewerage,
drainage and water system complete;
whether he brings the land into fit
ness for crops by removing surplus
water or supplying a deficit of that
fertilizing element or saves the soil
from deterioration by chemical or
mechanical treatment, or whether he
prepares coast harbors for handling
increasing tonnage of merchandise or
straightens and deepens inland water
ways for traffic.
Only fguratively is the south to be
made level. No one would wish to
spoil the contrast of valley and noun
ColAH' louI tit SOulH has HldIly CIOOhcu
places to be made straight and rough
places to be made smooth; some com
paratively small areas are to cease to
be thirsty land, but great stretches of
wilderness and solitary places are to
become fruitful fields. The modifca-
tons will demand the engineer in
production, in distribution. in trans
portation and III conservation.
The tasks of the south are pressing
Among the papers belonging to the
late j. Pierpont Morgan is the will of
Martha Mashin otnn Tbs npnnla of