Evening star., 1926-11-06
SOUTH HAS BIC TILL
IN COTTON SLUMP
Turns Away to Diversified
Crops and Industry and
Sees Record Cash.
BY ROBERT T. SMALL.

ST. LOUIS, November 6.-The low
price of cotton has been a tremendous
disappointment to the South anC
Southwest, and In some cases has re
| suited in hardship to growers and the
| hackers. But after travelling during
| the past three weeks in all but two
| of the great cotton producing States
this writer was unable to detect the
feeling of depression which the coun
try at large generally has attributed
to the cotton belt.
steadily Is falling behind in it's i'm
portance to the South. This does not
mean that the cotton crop is not q
very material factor in the prosperity
of the country below the Mason and
Dixon line, but there has been ar
overwhelming change in the relative
importance to other products of the
South.
Industry Goes South.
No longer Is the South a purely
agricultural section. The industrial
development has passed from theory
to hard, solid fact. Today the value
Of the manufactures and mineral
products of the South Is more than
twice the value of the agricultural
output-and this despite the fact that
agriculture in the last Is years has
leaped forward beyond anything the
South ever anticipated. Between 1910
and 1925 the value of agricultural
products in the South doubled. Yet
the industrial output raced far ahead.
In the State Of Georgia the stats
ticians have figured that the cotton
crop this year represents but one
tenth the combined agricultural and
industrial output Of the State. It rep
resents but one-third the agricultural
output. Therefore it is easy to see
the low price Of cotton has no very
widespread effect upon the people in
general.
In the State of Texas a remarkable
change has taken place, rejecting the
may be called the new or industrial
South. Within Is years the value of
Texas agriculture has increased from
approximately $43O,000,000 to more
than $945, 100000, with a 1925 estt.
mate of $1,000, ,000. 900, despite the low
cotton-selling levels.
Oh Aids Prosperity.
Where agriculture values doubled,
however, minerals and manufactured
products increased fourfold and to.
day outvalue the enormous agricu1-
turai values by approximately $780,
100000. A great deal of the mineral
value Is due to the vast Texas oil
fields, but these fields, as well as the
cotton fields. spell the prosperity of
the South.
Cotton no longer is king. He has
been reduced to a mere prince Of the
realm.
What is true of Georgia is true of
the entire South. Cotton represents
through the South at large less than
80 per cent of the agricultural values
agricultural, mineral and manufac-
tured values. The figures are:
Combined value of agricultural,
mineral and industrial output, $16,-
905, 100000.
Total value Of cotton crop, 81 $780,
0O0, 900.
There Is the story of the South to-
day in a nutshell. The people Of the
country so long have thought Of the
South in terms Of cotton 1t Is difficult
to get the impression out of their
minds. The same thing is true of
certain sections Of the South. There
are those who cannot see beyond their
own cotton fields. This is natural.
They are a part of the old South,
still raising cotton and nothing else.
still having to buy all their food and
other supplies ''in town." In the
strictly cotton areas there is detection.
Some of 1t is expressed by the un-
picked cotton in the fields. A con-
siderable percentage of this bumper
crop will never be gathered.
Georgia Raising Chickens.
In Georgia they give you a very
homely but impressive story of the
changes which are occurring to de-
prive cotton of its reign. In Georgia
this year the value of chickens and
eggs will reach $3O,000,000. This is
nearly one-third the value of the
cotton crop of the State. 1t Is esti-
mated chickens and eggs will go to
$50, 5000 within the next few years,
and equal one-half the cotton values
of this big producing State. Already
Georgia has reduced within recent
years her cotton acreage from 5,000,-
900 to 100000. Like other Southern
States, Georgia has gone in for crop
diversification. Forty thousand cars
of perishables have been shipped from
the State this year to the consuming
centers. with the apple, pecan and
sweet potato crops SllIA 10 H!o'o' LII
addition to her corn, peaches and
melons, Georgia has become tobac-
co-producing State.
Newspapers of the South are urging
still greater diversification. The tre-
mendous increase in the chicken-and-
egg output in Georgia was stimulated
by an egg-laying contest organized by
the Atlanta Journal. The present
oVerprOductiOn and low price of cot
ton is leading to further campaigns
for greater diversity.
The Industrial situation seems to
be taking care Of itself.
The price of cotton may be low this
year. but the South's income in 1926
will break all records.