The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-23


 actually led by ss2s, s,ooo 900 the entire New England States.
 'The small state of South Carolina led /hdiana by s17.ooo. 900, and was also ahead of Pennsylvania and New York by goodly amount. Wisconsin. which is looked upon as one of the great ag- ricultural states, was led by Mississip- pi. Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota Nebras- ka and Michigan were led by Georgia.
 These figures give some idea as to how the southern states stack up against the northern and western states in crop values. The south has nothing to lose. but much to gain by such com parisons. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa. Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and other central states are wonderful ag- ricultural states. They produce won derful crops. but the southern states produce even more wonderful ltrops. SOUTHS CORN CROP
 The corn crop of the United States last year was valued at a little less than s4,ooO, Ooo.oo0. and the fifteen southern states produced approximately 35 per cent of the total value of this crop. And yet this is a section which some folks think of as being nothing but an all-cotton country. where lit- tie. if any, corn Is produced. Yet these figures show that more than one-third of the total value of the 1919 corn crop was produced in the south. NAs matter of fact, the south does not depend on cotton to nearly so great an extent many folks in other parts of the country seem to ina zine. Of course, cotton is m important crop and always will be, but the south is longer a one crop section. We find that in the ten states of North and South Car O1ina, Georgia, Florida. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Ar kansas nnd Oklahoma, which grow more than 36.4 per cent of their total reported crop area was in cotton last year. whereas the aver nge for the past five years was 3S.5 per cent. and for the five years be- fore that-for instance, 101O-1914 inclusive-44.5 per cent.
 Last year corn and cotton combined comprised TAI per cent of the total re- ported crop acreage, which compares with 776 per cent, the average for the past five years, and S54 per cent for the preceding five years. In other words, miscellaneous crops increased from 14.6 per cent of the total reported crop acreage in the five years-f91O- IJIf fHCluSlNc-lO AA.4 per cent III the past five years. and 256 per cent last year. This shows how rapidly crop di- versification is increasing in the south.
 IN SOUTHERN STATES
 @The crop values of the thirteen
 southern states in 1919 were great
 CT than they were in the whole
 United States in 1909. The crop
 values for these states in 1909 were
 $1,S27 ,764,O ,OOO; in 1906, S3.2-21O3,-
 900; in 1917, $4,9OS, ,536 ,006, and for
 the ffve-year average from 1911-
 1915 inclusive, 199,222,OO0. and in
 1919 S6,1S2,OOO,OOO. Thus we see
 that in the ten-year period from
 1909-1919 the crop values of the
 thirteen southern stntes jumped
 from s1,s27, ,7e5 ,OOO to $e,1ss, ,09s, 900.
 Thus we see that the increase in crop values in the thirteen southern states during the past ten years has been more than 300 per cent. Of course, the increase in value of the crops themselves has played a part in this, but production has also increa sed, and it is not due solely to the increase in the price of crops that this great increase has come about. The farmer is growing more stuff per acre than ever before.
 "NIany of our own people right
 here at home do not seem to realize
 that the average crop values per
 acre in the south nre much greater
 than they are in the north and east.
 The average per acre crop value
 for farm crops in the United States
 Inst year was $54.6S, and the aver
 age for the thirteen southern
 states was $57.13.
 AVERAGE PER ACRE
 The average per acre crop value for the five southern states of North Caro- lina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Ken lucky and Arkansas, was $69.17. while states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, N% braska and Kansas was s32.S7, This shows a difference of $3630 per acre in favor of the southern states or 110 per cent more for these five southern states than for the five great grain producing states.
 'To carry this comparison a little further, we find that North Carolina's S per acre crop value last year ws1 sse.6o. and Iowa's $39.63. In South Carolina it was $74.4S. against 1882 in Illinois. In Mississippi it was $6l 29, against $30.93 in Minnesota. In ArLan- sas it was $54.32, against $2s67 in Me- braska. In Kentucky it was $692o, against $26.96 for Kansas.
 WHAT SOUTH REALLY IS
 "This comparison is not made for the purpose of trying to belittle the great and prosperous grain states, but mere> E IL