Crops were important to the southern economy. Because they did so well farming, the southerners did not make many tools or household goods. They grew large crops of tobacco, corn, rice and wheat, which people wanted in England. In the 1600s, tobacco was very important. It was the most valuable export. The tobacco was put in barrels, shipped to England and sold. Most Maryland people grew tobacco on small farms. Sometimes, whole plantations depended on the tobacco crop. With money from tobacco, plantation owners could live a good life. The Southern Colonies primarily depended on cotton and t…
