The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-17
A Possible Effect of the War


 Occasionally the comment is made that one effect of the. European war. and pos sibly an immediate effect will be a con siderable change in our agricultural in- dustrs Communications have been re- ceived confidentially from some parts of the south by bankers of this city intimGt-
 ing that a good many of rhe cotton plant CTS are seriously thinking of curtailing
 cotton planting and cultiVating their
 farms for the purpose of raising food
 products The federal government and
 the bankers acting in cooperation, sup
 pleinented by the support given by the manufacturers of cotton goods, will un-
 doubtedly make 1t possible for the plant
 CTS, who are understood to have raised the second greatest crop of cotton on record.
 to be protected. But it is essential tha.
 the American farmers. and especially the
 planters. decide to raise more and more food products
 That for long time has been the view of James J. Hill While he has spoken
 with natural pride of the great develop ment of the cotton-g growing industry of
 the south. he has in many public ad- dresses. and often in private conversation, said that it was his conviction, and 1t Is
 a conviction that grows stronger and stronger with each year, that 1t is vital to the prosperity of the United States and
 to the maintenance of the high position We
 
 tion be given to the cultivation of food
 products.
 It Is more necessary to feed people even
 than it is to clothe them. for with care
 clothing can be made to serve its purpose several years. but people require food every day.
 How much of American industry is de- voted to cotton raising may be illustrated by few statistics. Cotton stands fourth in the acreage devoted to its production, corn being first, wheat second and hay third. The acreage devoted to oats and to cotton is practically the same. But iG money value the cotton crop stands sec ond. and, including It's by-products, such as seed, the money value of the cotton crop last year was nearly $1,100 000, ,O00 The money value of the corn crop, was ap- proximately s1, 700, 00oo00. There is a larger money value in the production of wheat, potatoess garden truck tobacco and sugar cane per acre than is received per acre for cotton. and in view of the extraordinary demand which the world Is going to make upon the United States for food products accompanied at the same time by prob able falling off in the demand for cot-
 ton, the presumption Is strong that the
 cotton planters of the south will be per suaded in the year 1915 to devote a con siderable portion of their fields to the cul- tivatian of food products. This will lead to a diversification of crops and it may create g condition which will to a certain extent become permanent.
 Keeping Step With Cotton The great increase in the market price Of raw cotton which began about the first year of the present century tempted the southern planters greatly to enlarge their industry, so that at last they were able to report that they had harvested in a single year 15,00O000 bales.
 But the planters were not slow to oh- serve that while they were getting better and better prices for cotton notwithstand- ing the enormous increase in the yearly harvest the farmers who were raising food products were, also receiving ccrre- spondingly large increase for their har- vests.
 The high prices received for food prcd- ucts and the probability that these will be
 maintained long time because there is
 good reason for the increase based largely
 upon the drift of the population from the farming regions to the city will, it is con-
 monly thought here. be followed ny q gradual growth of the agricultural com l munities of the United States. Mr Hill in one of his addresses. perhaps
 the most profound of any of those which he has from time to time delivered, pointed out the gradually but surely in creasing danger to the American people which is to be found. in his view. In the 1 phenomenal growth of American Indus 1 tries. Our industrial progress has drawn l from the country to manufacturing cen- ters millions of young men who nave
 been tempted chiefly by the prospect oc permanent employment. of advance fr.
 their employment and of steadily increas- l ing earnings
 l If this were continued, the time. m Mir. l Hills view is not distant when the pop