The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1918-08-02
THE SOUTH COMES BACK

= 10 world rs cJmmerce reached
out Of all Europe. to civilized and IN
civilized nations alike and FROM Nor
/ folk on the Atlantic 70 Galveston on
the Gulf her ports were crowded with
the ships OF every nation anxious to
trade with our kings Of commerce. The
south was prosperous beyond other
countries because she was making use
Of her fields. Her storehouse OF min.
erals, of oils. of metals remained IN
explored even.
For forty-fve years the great south.
land remained dead It sought TO
make its way BY following the lead
Of the north and 1t merely existed-it
got no place; its farms grew up in
bram5Ies and old field pine. an dts
farmers lived mostly from hand to
mouth, following antiquated methods
The prosperous farmer was the ex.
ception and not the rule. and he for
the most part was dabbijng in
banks or politics or other activities
deYotiug but scant attention to the
making Of money OUT OF the soil.
There used to be a story a5ou, a
southern farmer who bought his beans
in Boston mis- furniture in Grand
Rapids, his food in Cincinnati. and
his feed in st. Louis, and all he raised
or his farm was q pack Of dogs and d
family, but that story is, we believe.
past history-is in fact getting so
far from the truth that it hardly de-
serves a place in the widest fiction.
For the south is beginning to feed
itself. More than that, it is begin
ming to help feed other sections of
the country The south is di7orcing
itself from its dependence on the one
crop system. and is raising food and
feed as well as cotton in large guam
titles.
FUrthermore-and what is of imme-
diate 1918 Importance the south by
feeding itself is decreasing the drain
on the north AMI west and is releasing
products Of those sections to De ship,
ped across the ocean as liberty food
Here are some items that prove the
evolUtion-almost the reyolution-in
southern agriculture, for which we are
indebted to the department of agri-
culture:
Until four years ago not single
carloads Of hogs was shipped from II
counties in southern Alabama. In the
year that ended April l, 1918, the car
loads of hogs shipped from the same
II counties numbered 1852 The to-
tai value of these hogs is estimated to
be more than $4000,000 Formerly
this section produced very little ex-
ceDt cotton Now it is contributing
to the food supplies Of the nation 1t
is raising peanuts, velvet beans, corn,
oats and winter grazing crops and
has permanent pastures of Bermuda
grass and leSpedeZa. These forage
crops are transformed into pork by
the direct feeding route.
In the census year 1909 only r.
500 acres were planted to velvet beans
in the south Suddenly southern
farmers discovered the effectiveness
of this plant as forage and feed for
live stock ana in improving soil In
| 1917 the velvet bean crop covered H..
500, 900 acres, all in the south
Soy beans grew On only 1929 acres
in 1909. but this chop advanced so
rapidly in appreciation that its area
in 1917 was estimated at half mil,
lion acres. Cowpeas which have
been planted in the south for many
years are estimated to have trebled
in acreage since 1909
In North Carolina and Virginia the
area planted to peanuts remained
the same as in 1909, but it has in
creased skiold in the Georgia-Flor-
ida-Alabama field and eight-foId in
Texas and adjoining states. The total
acreage reported for the census year
was below million In 1917 it had
expanded to more than three and one
fourth millions.
The area Of velvet and soy beans
and peanuts in 1909 was $4,000 acres.
According to estimates OF the bureau
of crop estimates of the department