The farmer and mechanic., 1915-08-03

Note.-Thirty counties OF the State
ralse no cotton whatever. and are
therefore not included in this table
lIie Cotton Situation Viewed In Its
Wide Aspect.
turning now to statewide aspect
OF the situation and considering the
ranking OF the State as a whole
among the other southern states
North Carolina presents a very credit
able showing, though even here there
is room for Improvement In per
capita wealth North Carolina stands
tenth. in per capita producing
power eighth, showing a deficit Of
more than $4,000, 900 in home-raised
foods. With her economic conditions
the facts ought to present a different
tale, for North Carolina is less de-
pendent upon cotton than any Of the
other states in the South. She is
economically more free than they be-
cause only one-third of her wealth is
the result of cotton production.
That she is economically more free
than the other Southern States is due,
| then, not to the production of cotton
but rather to the variety Of her eli
| mate, to the fertility of her soil and
| to the diversity of her economic con-
| ditlonS, facts which are not true in
| like proportion of her sister states
| When we reflect that more than sS6,-
1
| borders OF this State for food and
| feed, when We realize that our entire
| cotton crop will not pay for the food
| and feed that we import, can we not
see how imperative it is that we raise
| these things which our conditions so
| Well tit US to raise, and keep thereby
for ourselves this enormous wealth.
! What If we could annually keep this
vast sum at home! Draw for yourself
| the picture.
The Farmers Mistake
And SO in the light of these facts
[ say, our farmers are making a grave
mistake in continuing to raise cotton
to the almost exclusion Of other
| things, unless their barns and bins
pantries, cribs and smokehouses are
we'll filed With homeraised food ant
fcedstuff 1t Is first of all essentia
that the individual farm be self-suf
ticing, then the net income from tn
cotton crop becomes almost a fina
profit to the farmer; then the return
from the farmers investment, both il
capital and in labor, goes to the re
{ c!enishing of his own pockets
rather than to the filing of the cof
fers of the commission merchant
! and the northern and western com
, lnercial lords. Under this system eve
1 our own supply merchants and on
| bankers may accumulate wealth, bu
, not our farmers, ana II is 1OT IN
farmers that I am pleading.
2 It is the farmer who must write hi
own salvation, however. This saliva
: ton will come and can come onl
4 | through more well-rounded syster
: Of crop production than we no,
. have. Did you know, my farme
e friends that today North Carolina pro
6uces less corn. wheat, oats peas an
beans, potatoes, beef, pork and NUT
4 ton per capita than it did before tn
war? Did you know that this fallin
off in food production was accompe
l. MED by an increase Of 1900 per cen
III the production of cotton? Here lie
the problem, and to it you have tn
key. VIII you see it, or will you leaN
it rusting?
And now, in conclusion from tn
study one thing stands out preem
nently, and that is this: That wha
5 ever the condition Of county
state. whether it shows a decrease
an increase in the production Of CO
ton, or shows that it is standing stil
this fact is not Of primary importanc
That county or state is in the healtl
lest condition which first of all fee
itself, and then has in addition f
temporary and permanent improv
nents the proceeds from it's annu
cotton crop.