The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1853-07-13

dwell upon this subject. will only |
add that believe that nearly million
Of dollars will be added to the work
ing capital in the mining districts, and
that this capital will, by no means, be
sunk or lost, and | also fully believe
that this interests will be placed on
basis from which thecitizens will de-
rive continually increasing profit for
years to come.
| am, Sir, your most ob't serv't.
Z. EMM0NS. !
Salisbury, Nay ~. 1883.
To his Ereelleney Dfrid S. Reid:
Sin: I am often surprised at the
amount ofexcellent lands which / meet
with every day. The cotton lands are
not confined to Edgecombe, Wayne, /
or exclusively to the Eastern part of
the State; the vallies of the Yadkin
and Catawba are equally good for cot>
ton-equally fertile and productive in |
all the great staples of this latitude.
Prom the Jersey Settlement to Salis> !
bury, from Salisbury to Charlotte. and
then south to the State line, excellent
and productive lands are never out Of
sight for any length Of time. With
attention and cultivation, but little be.
yond the ordinary routine, large tracts
may. be made to produce continuously
1000 lbs. Of seed cotton to the acre.
This is the product Of the plantation
of ID. B. PEBBLES, Of Providence Dis
trict, in Mecklenburg- county. The
expense Of cultivation to produce
this result is by no means great; in
this yield Of seed cotton there is 600
lbs. Of lint. This result appears still
more remarkable when it is known
that there are no natural fertilizers; no
marks of lime; and also that these
lands belong to the oldest cultivated
lands of the State. Indeed, one is al
most inclined to fall into the common
opinion that they will never wear out.
! This idea, however, is delusive. When
we find such results may be obtained
by ordinary skill in cultivation, or
with ordinary tillage, we are led to sur
mise what might not be affected by adj
ditional attention and skill, combined
with a free use Of such fertilizers as
the successive crops require. These
lands are distinguished from others by
their dark brown color--they are cal
led mulatto lands. / have spoken of
their adaptation to cotton. Now it
would not be right to regard them as
adapted only to this crop, for if there
are soils which are universal in their
adaptation, these dark red soils of Ca
barus, Mecklenburg and Rowan are Of
this description. 1t is true that there
are degrees Of excellence with those
. which bear the color | have spoken of.
The Providence soils are looser than
those of some other tracts, for the latter
are sitter and more liable to bake un-
, der the sun than the former. tits not,
, however, to be concealed that these red
f soils are impatient under drought
! The crops are liable to fail when the
; rains fail-in this respect they rank
: below the sandy soils Of Union. The
/, latter are based upon and derived from
: the states; while the former are posed
3 upon and derived from certain varie
i ties Of granite. This granite contains
e a large amount Of iron in the state .
E a protoxide, which, on exposure to tht
e air becomes peroxide, which has thu
red color of the soil. The iron, how
: ever, may be in combination with sui
!. phur, which in decomposing passes in
It to state of peroxidation. This latte
J. state Of the iron appears from the colo
n of the soil, where the roots of the oal
k are found, and especially when the
: are wounded. In this case, the galli
e acid exuding from the wounded root
l. finds in the soil sulphate of iron. In
i will, therefore, be formed by this com
it bination, and the purple black streak
l. which often appear in our railroad cut
n are due to the formation of ink. In
n soils require for correction line, mas
: much as any considerable quantity
e this astringent salt of iron,
is Gus to vegetation; yet this,
n phate Of irony is useful in sr
(. titles in the soil. 1t seems
i vegetables as it acts upon a
le as a tonic. These astrlnge