Crops+in+the+South

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Crops Grown in the South __ During the Civil War, agriculture and farming provided the South’s economy. The South depended on slaves for help in the fields to produce crops. Though slavery was very, very wrong, the plantation owners would not be able to farm the large amounts of land without them. Unfortunately, most men in the South went to fight for the Confederates so they could not stay and work on the farm. Because of this they did not pay their taxes, would get in debt, and then have to sell their slaves. Without their slaves, they could not grow as much crops and not make as much money which would put them in debt even more. So, this was not a great time for the South. Cotton was one of the main crops grown in the South in the 1800’s at the time of the Civil War. Cotton was in great demand for Union and Confederates’ uniforms. The other main crop was tobacco. France, Spain, and even the North would buy tobacco from the South to smoke cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. Tobacco was also used as a medical product. They thought it could cure bee stings, sunburns, and they would rub it in animal bites or cuts. Other crops were peanuts, pecans and wheat. England was the South’s best customer when it came to peanuts and pecans. Wheat could and was used for bread, horse and animal feed, and other breaded items. Plantations, small farms, and even backyard gardens would grow carrots, beets, potatoes, and many herbs. As you can see, agriculture was and is a big part of the South.

http://danpram.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/the-new-release-blog-its-all-about-coffee-wine-cotton-bread/ http://www.cals.lib.ar.us/butlercenter/abho/photos/unidentified%20workers%20in%20cotton%20field.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Tobacco_field_cuba2.jpg/800px-Tobacco_field_cuba2.jpg __Building a Nation__ text book, Scott Foresman