Brief Review Of The 1900 Agricultural Census In County
Many Changes Have Come About
But General Trend Is The Same
More Milk Cows Were in The
County Forty Years Ago
Than There Are Now
Forty years have brought vast
changes in many lines ot endeavor
and in the way of doing things, but
the general trend of things today is
not so very different from what it
was back about the turn of the cen
tury, according to a review of the
1900 agriculture census for this
county.
There were about 1,689 farms in
1900 or a few more than there are
now. Land was valued at $894,910 as
compared with an assessed value of
$7,582,548 forty years later. The value
of farm products in 1900 wets just a
little in excess of three-quarters of
a million dollars, but in producing
the crops that year farmers spent
only $113,020 for farm labor and
$68,680 for fertilizers. The use of
fertilizer has been materially in
creased, and its cost is a big item in
farm expense now.
Much has been said about live
stock in this county in recent years,
but in 1900 livestock held an im
portant place in the farm program
with an estimated value of $215,
929 or an amount representing more
than one-fourth of the farm income.
Numbering 1,264 in 1900, the horse
has almost disappeared during re
cent years, the 1940 census listing on
ly 231. The number of mules, howev
er, increased from 1,014 in 1900 to
almost 4,000 in 1940. A more mark
ed comparison in changes in center
ed around sheep. In 1900 there were
1,485 sheep as compared with only
106 in 1940. While the 1900 number
seems large, it is small compared
with the 2,230 sheep listed in 1880.
As for swine, why there were more
hogs listed in the county in 1900 than
there were in 1940, the number de
creasing from 20,289 in 1900 to 17,
181 in 1940. There were more milk
cows in the county in 1900 than there
are now, and the county produced
more beef then than now. Back in
1880 there were 1,653 milk cows and
3,199 other cattle. Twenty years la
ter the number of milk cows had
MEMBERS
In 1900 nearly every third per
son in Martin County was affil
iated with the church, the cen
sus for that year showing that 4,
338 out of 15,383 people were
members of some religious de
nomination.
The membership, according to
the census, was distributed as
follows: Missionary Baptist, 1,
547; Free Will Baptist. 267; Prim
itive Baptist, 391; Colored Prim
itive Baptist, 6; Disciples. 735;
Metho-Euiscopal. 613: Metho
Episcopal, South, 523; African
Methodist, 158, and Episcopal,
98.
Membership figures for late
years are not available, but
hardly more than oue out of five
people are church members now,
and as for attendance hardly one
out of 25 attend church regular
ly.
dropped to 1,476 and other cattle
numbered 2,924. During the past for
ty years, the number of milk cattle
dropped to 1,141 and the number of
other cattle was reduced more than
half or to 1,423 head. Sixty years ago
nearly 12,000 pounds of butter were
made in the county, and now two
men could just about carry the an
nual output on their backs in one
trip. More than 4,000 pounds of wool
were sold in 1900, and now sheep
raising is almost a lost art in the
county.
There were few or no corporations,
certainly none of any sire, in the
early part of the century in this
county. Now they are valued at
close to two million dollars in this
county.
In 1899, the farmers planted 24,
943 acres to corn and harvested 265,
940 bushels of the maize. In those
days corn bread was the staff of life
and not bread with sweetened icing,
and other foreign materials that
have helped to aggravate the cur
rent sugar shortage. Back in that
year the farmers harvested 12,510
Attention F armers
Regardless of where you sell your tobac
co, do your shopping in Greenville with
Blount-Harvey Co. We can outfit any
member of the family and at moderate
prices too. We have one of the largest
and best stocked department stores in
eastern Carolina. Whatever your needs,
they can be supplied in our store.
Blount - Harvey
IS MORE than a store ? it is an insti
tution, tliat has one aim?That of serv
ing the people of Pitt and surrounding
counties. For 25 years BLOUNT HAR
VEY has striven to one end?SERVICE.
We have always offered the very best in
quality and today maintain a large busi
ness by giving the best in service and
quality at the lowest possible prices.
Blount - Harvey
IS NOW ready to serve you and your
family with your Fall needs. Our store
is completely stocked with new Fall
goods and we await your coming to in
spect and buy them with a great deal of
anxiety. We want to assure you that
you will always receive prompt and
courteous treatment while in our store.
Let I)s Remind You Once Again
To Make Our Store Your Head
quarters When in Greenville
ille, N. C.
Peanuts Move Up The Scale
To Rate Next To Tobacco
As a Main Cash Crop
oushels of oats from 1,419 acres. The
268 acres produced 23,074 bushels of
rish potatoes, and 88,285 bushels of
sweet potatoes were grown on 919
teres. Three acres produced 436
lushels of onions. Miscellaneous veg
etables grown on 223 acres amount
ed to 14,650 bushels. There were 8,
114 acres of cotton, but production
lardly averaged half a bale to the
icre. The 138 acres of sorghum cane
iredueed 0.816 gallons of syrup, the
:weet juice serving in the place of
randy for the kiddies and grown
ips, too. r
Tobacco had a right good foothold
n 1896. but production has been in
Teased many times from 1,967 acres
ind 1.353.040 pounds during the past
10 years. Black-eyed peas, a main
tern in the diet in those days, were
iroduoed on 757 acres to the amount
>f 8,943 bushels. While cotton has lost
[round during the past forty years,
icanuts have forged ahead to rank
is a major crop next to tobacco. In
1899, 7,821 acres were planted to the
[oobers, production that year
amounting to 349,945 bushels.
The orchard, virtually forgotten in
he rush to cash crops in past years,
lad a rating in 1899. The products
iroduced in that year were valued
it $752. a small amount to be sure.
The census figures ure impressive
ly the sheer weight of numbers if
lot in cash. There were 15,778 apple
rees, but production was at a low
>oint of 2,697 bushels. The boys had
mough apples extra to make 66 bar
?ols of cider and one of vinegar and
lack away 20 pounds of dried fruit.
The census figures for the year show
here was one apricot tree in the
?ounty, but production was appar
ently so small it could not be meas
lrc Two bushels of cherries were
licked from the 83 trees listed. There
vere 5,903 peach trees with a pro
luction of 272 bushels; 553 pear trees
ind 66 bushels ,and 252 plum trees
ind 45 bushels.
There was a grape vine for nearly
?very other farm in the county that
rear with a combined production of
97,269 pounds valued at $2,592. The
rensus shows that 3,441 gallons of
vine were made from the 1899 grape
?rop.
Products from the forest were vai
led at only $40,959 in 1899, and the
lossibility that the section's timber
upply would be nearly depleted in
he next few score years was never
Ireamed of.
?
Lcntl-Lease Leaf
Totals $69,000,000
Washington, D. C.?The Commod
ty Credit Corporation made 37,333
ierces of tobacco available for Lend
..ease iterations in May, the United
itates Department of Agriculture
eports, at an FO B. cost of $933,
25. Total quantity of tobacco made
vailable for Lend-Lease operations
ince the institution of the program
s 277,599 tierces at a cumulative F.
). B. cost of $69,386,646.
Co-Eds To Journey
"Back - To - School'
In Cotton Clothes
From Velveteen Date Dresses
To Cotton Cardigan
Suits
New York City?From the Park
Avenue debutante at Smith to the
Southern planter's daughter at Ole
Miss, the gals are going back to col
lege this year dressed in cottons.
And what smart gal wouldn't have
a yen for cotton? To hear the de
signers in this fashion capital of the
world talk, cottons are simply a
"must" in every girl's college ward
robe. From velveteen date dresses
to cottun cardigan suit* cottons rep-!
resent the "ultra-ultra" in college
styles.
More beloved this year than ever
before, cotton corduroys will certain
ly 1 llld aL basic i> 1 ace in Mary Jane's
wardrobe. These corduroys stand out
in toppers, in separates including cu
lottes. in coats and suits. They are
colorful, too, appearing in vivid red.
vivid blue and royal blue, all colors
which will still be available this fall
and winter.
The men's wear corduroys will get
a big play from college girls They're
especially good in trench coats and
short top coats. And the girls are
asking for-these heavy duty cordu
roys in the browns and tans which
have long found favor among their
brothers on the campus.
Velveteens, too, will be hard put
to meet the demand. Growing num
bers of requests are being made on
college shops for hollow cut velve
teen coats in smart, bright school
colors. The plain velveteens, so soft
and warm to the touch, will be worn
on every campus in date dresses that
must be a bit better than the ordi
nary to please the man who soon will
join the fighting forces.
In the early fall when so many
Taxation In This
County About 1880
The'centralization of cash in the
State treasury is no new thing in
North Carolina. To be sure the
amounts did not run into the tens
of millions and there .is no doubt
but that the surpluses today are far
greater than the total collections back
yonder.
According to the 1880 census re
port, Martin County raised in state
taxes $7,194 that year, $3,759 for
schools and $3,435 for other pur
poses. At the same time the people
paid into the county treasury $0,287
for other purposes.
Property that year was assessed
at $1,529,807 and carried a tax rate
of about $1 per $100 valuation. Farm
property was valued at $1,431,193,
the real at $952,639 and the personal
at $478,554. Town property was val
uel at $01,950 real and $30,724 per
sonal.
?
Lead in Sub Batteries
?
A Navy submarine requires as
much lead in its storage batteries
as goes into the batteries of 4,600
autos, and uses as much lead for
ballast as is used in 3,600 autbs?a
total of about 450,000 pounds of lead.
Debt Has Plagued Farmer
Dozen Through The Years
There was possibly a time when
Martin County farmers were free of
debt, but according to old records
debt has plagued them almost from
time immemorial. And the bad part
about it all, debt had gradually but
steadily tightened its hold on farm
ers and others, too, until the lender
dictates policies and acts and even
influences the lives of many. Possi
bly the outstanding debt staring in
dividuals in the face at this time is
not as great as it was at other times,
but there are few who hold a clear
title to everything in their posses
sion.
In the old days, a man's word was
recognized as his bond and the little
amount of borrowing was recogniz
ed by a signature supported by a
solemn?promise. The?old-ilrtuTS ?
worked as hard to meet a contract
ed obligation as some people work
today to worm from under a just
obligation. The day of the real estate
>rtgago gained a foothold hack in .
campus organizations are planning
informal outings and picnics, cotton
denim slacks are going to be seen
on every hand These slacks are in
the new shorter length known as
Huck Finn" slacks. They're espec
lally clever when teamed up with
the late seventies, and by 1880 there
were 84 such papers in existence in
this county. Ten years later, nearly
one-third of the cleared land in this
county was under mortgage. It is
true the amount was not large, but
in 1890 there was an average debt
of $5.23 against each incumbered
acre with an assessed value of $6 23
per acre.
The following table reviews the
growth of the mortgage in the eigh
ties:
Year No. Amount Acres
1880 84 $ 38,504 11,037
1881 80 48.889 9,098
1882 113 77.888 18,004
1883 157 82,890 13,297
1884 138 97,523 15,743
1885 168 114,437 14.421
Tffll 191 84.404 14.850
1887 167 74,906 16,945
1888 191 80.770 18,877
1889 186 103,360 18.059
1475 $801.631
a cotton bandana slurt to. wear with
shirttail out and tied at the waist
line in front.
Cotton cardigan sweater dresses
are destined for college popularity
along with velveteens and cordu
roys They're being made especially
for the college girl in solid colors or
(lotton Canvas Bag
Keeps ^ ater Cool
St. Louis. Mo.?A cotton canvas
vatcr bag, designed to keep water
:ool even in the open on the hottest
iay has been introduced as a boon
o workers who cannot have iced
innking water where they work.
The secret behind this remarkable
tiscovery from King Cotton's realm
s called controlled exudation and
"vaporation. Tiny bits of the water
nside the bag slowly seep through
he pores of the cotton canvas, wet
ing the outside. The wind and air
n turn evaporate this water from
he outside. Automatically, more
vatcr seeps out and as a consequence
he bag is always cool and damp,
evaporation is a cooling process, and
jy this continual evaporation the
vater inside the bag is cooled ? and
tept cool
vith contrast in the ribbon which is
ometimes striped. These sweater
Iresses are decidedly one of the most
?asual two-piece styles of the year.
True enough, these new cottons are
ill done along simpler, more severe
ines than last year to meet with
tfirr?Production? Board?require
nents but designers here say that
ottons are so adaptable to simplicity
hat they're even more attractive
han those of previous years. Cot
ons are definitely "in" for college.
They'll be greeting you on the cam
)US
Call For Gardner's
VELVET ICE CREAM
Now is the lime to preserve your
health, lee cream is a health food
containing all the vitamins neces
sary ami essential for good health.
(iunlncr'n \ol\ol In- (>011111 is u? snintilli uh ilr>
naiiio. Soil tuliaooo in ^ illianistiin and Itolior
Hiinvillo anil rofrosh yourself willi (Jarilnor"* 1I0
licions Volvot loo Ooani. 'liioro in iiimo Itolior
anil our ioo oroam in 11110 of tlio most ooononiioal
foods In lio hail.
Gardner's Dairy Products
1'laiiln In
KOCKY MOUNT, N. U.
<;oij)sisoi?), in. c.
YOU CAN FIND IT HERE
Stock All Necessities for Home & Farm
TRAC TORS
FARM IMPLEMENTS
We buy and sell country produce.
If you are not in the habit of trad
ing with us come around to see us.
You can buy most all your items un
der one roof. Low prices, yes, and
the best service in town.
We well most everything from a mouse
trap to a tractor. We have in stock
thousands of staple items used every
day around the home and farm. We
also feature an unusually large stock
of staple and fancy groceries.
rOBACCO FARMERS
Sell With The
WILLI AMSTON
WAREHOUSEMEN