92 FOOD FOR PLANTS 



America needs the products of our manufacturers as 

 we need the Nitrate and copper of Chile. These 

 products of All-America thus interchanged would be 

 of mutual and reciprocal benefit. 



Thirty-four per cent, of our population now resides 

 in our sixteen southern states — the South is becom- 

 ing a region of great development. Small holdings 

 are increasing in number. 



In the early days of our country the southern 

 states were producing more manufactured products 

 than the rest of the country and it is conceivable that 

 a more brilliant future is yet to come for the 

 Southland. 



The growth of railroads has developed the South 

 more than any other single factor. In the Cotton 

 Belt there are 96 miles of railroad to every 1,000 

 square miles of land compared to 79 miles for that 

 area for the rest of the country. The South pro- 

 duces 58 per cent, of the American tobacco crop. 



Fortunately diversification of farming is being de- 

 veloped and the Purnell Bill passed last winter should 

 open opportunity and encouragement for the proper 

 economic development of our individual farm homes. 

 Our agricultural colleges have for years been plead- 

 ing for diversification of crops. A recent official 

 study of two million five hundred thousand cotton 

 belt farms made by the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture shows that 23 per cent, have no gardens; 37 

 per cent, have no milk; 58 per cent, raise no sweet 

 potatoes; 79 per cent, raise no white potatoes and 33 

 per cent, have no chickens. More than half of these 

 raise no forage; 5 out of every 100 have no stock of 

 any kind. If in any season cotton should fail, these 



