The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-10-13
BION III. BUTLER.

to forget it.
Neither is it wise to forget that con-
ditions are constantly changing. The
war in Europe has brought out the
plain fact that kings do not sit so
snugly on their thrones as they once
did. Right now there is a lot of talk
of democracy in kingville before
Santa Claus fills the stockings again.
| have been looking over the corn
fields Of Lee county and ! can see in
the multiplying crops Of the good old
democratic product another intima-
ton that kings are not the whole
thing. Cotton is king in the South,
but it is a close gamble that in North
Carolina we will not have a king very
much longer.
Last year North Carolina made
fifty-four million dollars worth of ca.
corn. last year the cotton crop of
the State was worth more than the
corr crop. l think this year will see
the situation reversed unless cotton
prices materially improve. We are
safe to count on a cotton crop OF
about 500, 900 bales. and if that crop
sells for ten cents it means a cash
value of forty million dollars, or abOu
thrce-fourthS the value of the corn
crop. IhIS IL Hot counting
seed. and it is not counting corn fod-
der.
Apparently cotton is not king in
North Carolina.
OF. if cotton is king. the great
American democrat is Corn.
I am doubtful if cotton will ever
again be the principal crop of North
Carolina. n reason / think SO is
because corn is in such increasing de-
mand that it must be considered
henceforth in making up the crop
schedule Of the State. and the present
severe jolt given cotton will be n
that rebounds to the profit of the
corn crop.
Cotton is a great crop and one that
North Carolina will continue to grow
in increasing quantities year after
year. for it is a valuab staple, and a
profitable crop to till.
But North Carolina is on the verge
of az agricultural revolution, and
when the transformation has occurr-
ed corn the democrat. will take off it's
hat to no king of any throne.
Last year the States that make cot
ton crop made a corn crop worth over
six hundred million dollars. This is
the equal Of a tWelve-million bale
crop of cotton at ten cents, or if we
count the fodder value of the corn
1t is the equal of probably a fourteen
million bale crop, seed and all, at ten
cents. and il is likely the equal of the
cotton crop this year at the uncertain
price that is in sight.
Close to The Throne.
Corn, the citizen, has crowded close
to the throne already, and possibly
this is the year the king takes second
place.
Corn is a grand old factor. Las
year the corr crop of the United
States was valued at almost two bill
lion dollars. not counting the fodder
Including the fodder it was worth cas-,
two billion dollars. A third of tn
whole crop was raised in the cottol
States. The United States makes clos
to three-fourths of all the corn raise,
on the globe.
Yet when you come to count tn
kings Of crop production the Irish DO
tato is far beyond all of them tn
king. for the potato crop reaches al
most six billion bushels a year, Ger
many and Russia raising betwee
them over half of the whole quantity
Together those two countries raise al
most eight times as many potatoes a
the United States, which is somewha
of a farmer at h
Corn as a crop is also outclasse
by pats. although the United State
with over a billion bushels, raises a
most a fourth Of the oats crop Of tn
world. Potatoes, oats. corn. rice an
wheat are the big ones on the farm
of the world.
But Of all of them corn is tn
greatest I'm it's possibilities. Corn mao
meat a possibility for many Poop
who otherwise would have been con
pulsory v~egetarians. Corn is a gre;
cropper. 1t has mad a record
above two hundred bushels to t,
acre. Corn made the United Stat
a pork producing country.
Corn is the dependence of the ma
who wants meat. and because there
not more corn meat is high. B
cause corn will not be plentif
enough to satisfy the demand me
will continue to be high. and becau
of the want of corn North CarOlil
Is becoming a corn State.
Getting in The Corn.
When people talk about the CO
belt they at once begin to think abo