Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-05-11
SOUTH BETTER IN
1872 IS REPORT
BABSON SEES SOME GREAT POS
SlBlLITIES OFFERED IN THE
COTTON COUNTRY.

Continuing his personal survey Of
business conditions of various parts
Of the country Roger w. Babson,
economist, in this third exclusive
article to The Alma Record outlines
conditions in the south as follows:
Have travelled these last two
weeks from Maryland to Florida and
then westward thru Georgia, Ala
bama and Mississippi. left Wash
ington in two feet Of snow and ar
rived in Florida to find the rose
blooming and the trees laden with
oranges. Truly this is a wonder
full country. Altho l have been to
Europe many times / fail to see why
any American has to go to Italy,
France or any other country to get
fine climate. However, the pur-
pose Of this review is not to talk
climate.
Conditions are surely better in
the South Atlantic States than they
were a year ago. At that time it
was truly pitiful to see distress
among both the rich and the poor.
Like an epidemic the business de-
preston when it struck the south,
showed no favoritism. Rich and
poor, young and old were all hit to-
gether. Virginia, North Carolina,
and northern Georgia show more I'M
proyement than does the rest Of the
3, c,1,c
are Richmond, Va, Greenboro and
Charlotte, North Carolina; Charles
ton and Columbia, South Carolina;
Columbus, Augusta and Atlanta,
Georgia. Each one of them will
show much better business in 1922
than 1921.
Florida is not included in the
above list as-with the exception of
the northern part-there has been no
real depression in Florida. If Flor
ida were in the western part Of the
country | should say it will surely
be hit by the depression wave some
time within the next two years. But
considering the fact that the present
depression started in the east and
that the south has already received
its blow, the southern part of Florida
may escape this time without being
hit This, however, doesn't mean
that Florida will always be immune
from business depression. Some
day there will be a real estate col
lapse in Florida just as there has al
ways been in every state after a
period of great prosperity. Central
and southern Florida today, however,
is one Of the most prosperous sec
tions of the country. 1t is truly a
wonderful state with superb climate,
very strategic location, while its
drained lands are wonderfully fer
tile. Florida would be, the Empire
State of the Union, capable of feed
ing the entire country if its soil were
TILED efficiently. Why its people
fail to grasp their great opportunity
is beyond my comprehension. Miami
some day will be big city. Tampa
has great commercial possibilities and
some large places will also develop
in the center of the state. The CEN
ter Of Florida with its high altitude,
rolling country and vast quantity Of
lakes. lies almost unknown to the
average American.
"When a statistician visites the
south he comes to the conclusion that
cotton is a weed and not crop. Cot
ton grows naturally and easily in the
south as q weed would grow in the
north. If the southern planter at
tended to his work as does the north
ern farmer, the south would be to-
day the richest part Of the country.
The boil weevil which is fast making
the raising Of cotton unprofitable
may turn out to be the South's best
friend by forcing the southern plan
ter To break up the land into small
holdings and diversity the crop.
"The south has many advantages
over the central west. IL possesses
great natural resources, such as coal
and iron, unlimited water power, and
splendid means of communication.
In addition the products will be in
greater demand as the country be-
comes more prosperous. The per
capita consumption of wheat, the
main product of the northern agricui-
tural states, does not increase much
as the people become prosperous. The
demand for cotton, sugar, beef and
legumes, increase very much with the
Prosperity of the country. AS the
people become better off they ca,
more vegetables and less corn bread
and bacon. Hence, the great oppor'