During and after the civil war, agricultural was the primary source of income for the southern states. On the other hand, the north focused on infrastructure and factories as a primary source of income.
The reason the south was so dependent on agriculture was their opinion on slaves, a large amount of land with perfect farming conditions, and the environment in which many crops grew.
They where very into slaves, and this allowed them to get free or very cheep labor to keep their farms going. This gave many southerners a constant income, where as they where not so willing to switch to factories.
The south also had a large amount of land, spanning from the long length of Florida to the vast landscapes of Texas. In Georgia they could easily grown apples, in Florida they could grow oranges, in other states of the south it was cotton, wheat, and corn. They just had all the right conditions for many plants and agriculture to thrive. The southern states also had the perfect environment, the weather and elevation was great.
I hope this helps! :)
