The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-02
South's Food Supplies.


Adoo urges that they make every eff
fort to raise their own foodstufs and
thus make it unnecessary to TRANSPORT
foods from other parts of the country.
One Of the great tasks confronting
the American people," he says, "is
that Of improving and. making thor
oughly efficient their railroad trans
portation system. The people of the
South, and especially the farmers. are
in the habit of using the transporta-
ton system of the country to a. de-
gree that is highly uneconomic and
unnecessary for the purpose of trans
porting food and feed from other
parts of the United States because
they do not produce enough foodstuffs
and feedstuffs for themselves"
For years attempts have been made
to induce the South to increase it's
production of foodstuffs, but until two
years ago little success followed these
efforts. In 1916 and 1917, under
pressure of the war, the South made
notable increase lin it's OUTPUT of
foods. 1t is still very far. however
from doing what 1t should. There is
no reason why the South should not
raise nearly all the foods it needs.
Shiftlessness and laziness are the
principal explanations of it's failure
70 do so. Cotton is the great crop of
the South, helped along with sugar.
TOBACCO and rice. Southern thought
has revolved around these products
Ihey are of vast Importance, to be
sure, but that is not sufficient when,
with little trouble, the South can do
so much more. The land is there. the
soil is adaptable and the planters now
nave money from their rich cotton
crops Of the last two years.
The South should be self-su stain.
ing, If 1t were, great burden would
be lifted from the remainder of the
country, which would have the foods
thus released. Mr.. McAdoo's idea in
urging the raising of foodstuffs ia TO
save transportation facilities for use
elsewhere. That would be a great
gain for the country. but it would be
OF but temporary value. The import
ant thing Is to have the South develop
itself in this way so as to be g. per-
manent help to the rest Of the coun-
| try.-Buffalo Express
The foregoing editorial from the
Buffalo Express condescendingly sug.
gesting that "a great burden would
be lifted from the remainder Of the
country" If the South would be self.
sustaining in food, is so diametrical.
ly opposed to. the fact that, merely
IN order to reiterate statements pub
lished last week. we are printing a let
ter addressed to Secretary McAdoo
which, while repeating many of the
fgures given in last weeks issue
adds some few points which may be
interesting to our readers. BY this
constant reiteration. line upon line and
precept upon precept. we may even
tually be able to change the views of
the North and West as to the South
as food producer. 49,,
The great ignorance of the Buffalo
Express in discussing food prodr osion
IN the South is indicated in the fact
that 1t seems to think that nothing in
hat line had been done Of any i'm
portance prior to 1916 and 1917, when.
as matter Of fact, the production of
grain in the South in 1915 was more
than 50,000,O0O bushels larger than
production of 1917. and it was 34o,-
100000 bushels larger than the yield
Of 1915
Even in 1912 the production of
grain in the South was 10000. 600
bushels larger than the yield of
1916.
The large yields Of 1912 and 1915
were due to exceptionally fine wealth
er conditions, while the small crop Of
1916 was due to unfavorable weather
and the decrease in the, South that
year, as compared with the preceding
year. was proportionately less than
the rest of the country.
The charge made by the Buffalo
Express that the failure of the South
to raise foOdstuffs is due to shiftless-
ness and laziness is in keeping with
many of the absolutely false state
ments made by outside publications
when undertaking to discuss the
South, .... ..-
Cotton is not merely a great crop
Tor the South. but great crop for the
world, and without it the world