144 The Dawn of a New Constructive Era 



considerable areas from which her animals would be excluded 

 from such markets because of Federal restrictions imposed on 

 account of the presence of that most expensive pest, the cattle tick. 



It is gratifying to know, however, that total extermination 

 The Tick a q£ ^j^jg parasite is a question of only a few more years of co- 

 Disappearing ^. „ ^ , . i- i ^ ,• ^ ^u r 



Menace operative effort; and its accomplishment lies at the very foun- 



dation of our general agricultural prosperity in the future. 



True, the cattle tick has militated very seriously against our 

 progress in the production of improved cattle; but our chief ob- 

 struction, which I believe is now generally conceded, has been 

 our almost universal system of single-cropping. 



Doubtless, and on account of the world-wide need for cot- 

 ton, this system has, temporarily if you will, brought large re- 

 turns to our people. 



But, under such a system, in which every other necessity of 

 the farm and home has had to be purchased and paid for out of 

 those returns, has the fertility of our soils been increased; has 

 it increased their power to produce, or otherwise enhanced their 

 value? I think not! 



On the other hand, had our general farming system been 

 more along the lines of diversification and crop rotation, includ- 

 ing cotton, necessarily, and, of course, live stock, and with in- 

 telligent fertilization, with increased yields of both cash crops 

 and those for consumption by our farm animals, and with a suf- 

 ficiency of the latter crops to bring to prime market condition 

 the meat-producing animals, such as cattle, sheep and hogs, and 

 through them to market the farm feeds and forages at enhanced 

 values, conditions might have assumed a very different aspect. 

 In short, had such conditions prevailed, these many years, and 

 with the South on equal footing with other sections of the coun- 

 try, with reference to our great markets, is it reasonable to pre- 

 sume, even under present abnormal conditions, that the cry 

 about high-priced necessities would have had to be so vigorously 

 proclaimed all over the land? 

 Now is Time But up to the present time it may be said that the South has 



for South to scarcely been reckoned as among the purveyors of the nation's 

 food supply. 



This condition, however, has got to change ; in fact, is doing 

 so gradually, if not as rapidly as perhaps one could wish. At 

 the same time, it is our humble, but candid, opinion that by 



Act 



