Newspapers / State Agricultural Journal (Raleigh, … / Aug. 14, 1875, edition 1 / Page 2
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S3 THE STATE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. Crops in Halifax and!. Edge- CQmbe Counties -The Grange Clingman on Bread Re- form- Makson, Warrkn Co., K. C, August 9th, 1875. Editor of tlie State Agricultural Journal: 5j ! - i -; - I have just returned from visit ing parts of Halifax and Edge- compbe counties, and have been both pained and plea$e4 with the crop prospects. v Those portions of thelcouutry visited, have, soie of tfan, been, blessed wifh abundant rains, while over others' the: heavens have been like brass the whole summer. Going! East fi bm En- field, after leaving Sheriff Parker's, one reaches a stretch of!-country six miles in length and extending to the Beech Swamp bridge, where the' cotton will not average more than twelve inches in! height, everything is burnt up. I presume an 'acre of such cotton would not make more than one-tenth of a bale. The corn is in even a worse condition. The Scotland Neck A A. "Vw -- V r r olriA O 11 . I co miry, jus. auuv uaa aiu om leimagiwiuwu that the river lands East of iiaii- fax, will this year involve their owners in considerable loss in con sequence -of drought. I was in formed by a gentleman J from Northampton county, that the leaves of cotton Virginia, plants in that region were burned to a crisp. lhis prospect is dreary enougb, but as we go south and southeast irom ieech swamp, tne crops iook more and more luxurious,. When perhaps so little known and seldom wd reach Edgecombe county we spoken of as Western North Caro haVe already got accustomed tp lma. Being almost entirely cut extensive neias or cotton, reacning far back from either, side of the road, which promises a yield of thee-fourth3 a bale per acre, and even more, xne crops pi joi. J. T T- 1 m i i .tl onagers, near i aroorp, are tne admiration of every behplder. His cotton on the Lloyd farm is just theiht height about wais high, locjking in the row and with bolls and blooms. crowded In Halifax county, I have been pleased to observe a fair amount of enthusiasm among the Patrons, The Patrons" of Indian Branch trrange have a neat building on the premises of the late Vm. K. Cherry, to "whose liberality they nainly owe its possession. Elmaj prege, with headquarters on the J also di of pr. M. S. Savage, is its own. ;ned to have a house of most enthusiZadies are about the atrons. While speaking of the ladies permit me to say that 'I have 6een "y""". V & . . y-- acceluauuo 143 luJl v ClingmanV letter which urged a revolution in the matter of bread making. I heartily concur with him in his views. As a people, we devour, too much grease, and the consequence is the universal pre valence of dyspepsia. The women of the North West recently rose against the dram-shops ; the women of the South would effect far more for good were they to rise against grease and soda.. It has struck me with surprise that Mrs. Spencer, ... . tf x ng umn in the North Caroluui Pres byterian, who has abounded vith many valuable and practical sug gestions with reference to the education of girls, has never yet remonstrated against the almost universal ignorance of the art of cookery. In these days of incom petent household servants, the mistress of the house should knoAV how to prepare wholesome food. I would make a suggestion : How would it do for Ceres of the State Grange to inaugurate a warfare for reorganization of the table. Broad is the stnff of lifp Tho i s .;t . . . , . . , ' , . her mar,hall the Sistcrsof the uiuuupionsmp is ners oi rigm: iei order in strong rebellion against the tyranny of grease and soda. Yours fraternally, Warren. Western North Carolina. Raleigh, N. C, July 31 1875. There is no part of the South off from railroad communication until quite recently it has been seldom visited, and yet when seen, there is no prettier country under the sun. Lying on the upper verge of the cotton belt, it is an abundant re gion for corn, wheat, rye, tobacco. grapes, nuts, and fruits of all kinds. The country is quite broken, being penetrated by several mount ain ranges. Along the sides of highest of these, occurs the "no frost" section; in which fruit and crops pass to their natural period of maturity without injury from cold, while both above and' below this belt on the mountain side, the usual early and late frosts are ex perienced as in all mountainous countries. There are very few of the lands of this region too steep for cuttiva- tion, and the mountains nroduce grass to their very summits, al most spontaneously. This fact renders this part of North Carolina eminently adapted to sheep grow ingor dairy business. While Texas and California are both profitable regions for stock-raising, yet owing to the intense heat of those States, and almost entire absence of spring wat(?r, they can never become famous for cheese and butter. , Western North Carolina oil the other hand, not only abounds in springs of soft, cool water,' but has less extreme heat than the best dairy regions of New York anc New. England. It is not expected that Western North Carolina could compete with those Northern States, in supplying, the Northern markets; but it is claimed that in- stead of relying upon New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, as we now do for a supply of butter and cheese for the cotton and tobacco districts, our mountains regi might more than supply ,this market, at a great saving to the planter, and a fine profit to the dairymen. A little enterprise is all that is needed. With large tracts of land to be had at a mere nominal price, say 75. cts to 5 per acre, many plantations with a good deal of cultivated land, beautifully situated in some of those mountain valleys, with streams . full of the finest trout, meandering throii! them, rich pastures extending from base to summit of the highest peaks, but little winter and a long, cool summer, this portion of the Old North State cannot- long re main unknown and undeveloped. Another great advantage of this section is its extreme healthfulness. There are no miasmatic diseases; chill and fever are unknown and the average age of people has fre quently been remarkably high. People who have visited Lake Superior during the summer, have been impressed with the similarity of the atmosphere of this mount ain region to that of that great in land sea, they find the climate of our mountains equally invigorating and the country comparatively free from insect pests. The immigrant who searches among the mountains of Western North Carolina for the broad, fer tile expanse of the far icest will be disappointed. If he goes in quest of a healthful land where he can raise wool and mutton, and make cheese and butter, he will find what he seeks. If, he has" a family of a consumptive tendency, lie may be morally certain' that the pure, dry, cool summer air will prove beneficial. In conclusion, I 'can only add that as soon as Western North Carolina shall become thoroughly known, that portion of the State will become as distinguished for its wealth, "resulting from the development of its agricultural, mineral and manufacturing capa city as it already is for . the grand eur of its scenery, andthe salubrity of its climate." '. ' JOHN HlNMAJS. . Cows vs. Cotton. We left our hero, the corton planter, in utter -despair: seeking some sensational item to drown his sorrows. Now let us review the situation perchance there is yet hope for him, and by taking a speedy "right-about" course, hp. may place his temporal affairs on a foundation safe and sound, and if he fails not to follow his old instincts, ever again, he may, wo hope, reach the coveted goal. It is well known that many of our best farmers who have raised cotton to the exclusion of other larm produce the past ten years, are now prostrate and in many cases unable to proceed success fully with the cultivation of their farms for the lack of means. This fact naturally calls forth the in quiry : will it pay to raise cotton, and to what extent ? The net cost of production in this section of the South is csti--' A 1 -J . - A A A 1 maieu at irom ten to twelve cents per jiound by themost economical planters, while some assert that it cannot be produced. at a less cost than fifteen cents. If there be any truth in these estimates, where lies the hopes of the cotton planter when his best staple only brings him 12 to 131 cents, with conjectures from those best informed, placing future prices far below this point. Before the war, farmers raised cotton from necessity they had their slaves to support, and what they produced, whether it brought them much or little money, was the only bridge that carried tliem over safe. Now they have only their own families to look after, and if they raise enough for the . support oft themselves, they are independent of all the world, anJ how much better off than if thev produce ten or one hundred bales of cotton at a loss of cent per pound. As an evidence that we may not expect higher prices unless the amount produced is materially re- luced, we presjpnt a table showing he average price of middling cot-
State Agricultural Journal (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 14, 1875, edition 1
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