Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-04-27
slowing is the result of each precinct !:
Total,

The census of 1910 gives the crop at 1900 bales;
1850, 1907 bales; but in the year 1858 We make
116GS bales, averaging 400 pounds. Those who
are familiar with the agriculture of the county ex-
press a confident belief that the crop at no distant
day will be more than doubled. Large tracts of
first class land have their native forest growth and
others that have been exhausted have not yet been
renovated by the hand of Improvement
A considerable part of the country east of Fish
ing creek and Tar river few wears ago was covered
with swamp waste intcrspersed here and there
with oak ridges and islands. This is now drained
with fourteen leading canals, -four of them to be
finished during the present year. varying from ten
to twenty feet in width, and from three and half
to five feet deep, and about four to five miles in
length One of them is three miles long, thirty
feet wide and three and half feet deep; another
seven miles long, twenty feet wide and four feet
deep; the most usual size is fifteen feet wide and
four feet deep. Much of this country is covered
with its original forest growth; now the drainage is
nearly completed, the clearings will advance with
greater rapdity. Last year it produced f. 043 bales
of cotton of most intelligent and skillful
planters have expressed the opinion tina: it can be
made to produce three or four times the amount of
| the last crop.
Between Tar river and Fishing creek much valu-
able lands remains to be brought into cultivation,
ard doubt exists to the capacity of this part
of the county to double its crop. On the South
and West side of Tar river by far the largest part
! Of the creek river and swamp lands have been
brought into cultivation, and some neighborhoods
in very high state of Improvement; in this part
Of the county are tracts of piney lands well sup
piled with muck and mari, which, applied in suffi-
Gent quantity to the soil, gives good crops of cot
ton, both in quantity and quality. There are also
large districts of wet fiat pney lands with clay
subso of equal value when drained and treated in
like manner. stiff clay undertaking the clay sub
soil requires much labor to open the necessary
dtches and in consequence Of the winter freeing,
more to keep them in good repair.
During the present year one of our best and most
enterprising planters has introduced river plan
taton the system of tile drainage which, thus far,
gives indications of perfect success. If like sue
cess is had in the wet fiat clay subsoil pney lands
vast deal will be added to the cotton growing
! pacty of the lands of the county; much that
will not venture an estimate of the quantity that
would be increased by such system of drainage.
In the year 1853 many of our best planters made
supply of provisions. and from eight to nine bales
of cotton to the hand Other sections of Eastern
North Carolina, with the same system of cultivation
and manuring, will do as we'll as Edgecombe. Why
then emigrate to the new States to make cotton ?
They in their turn will be exhausted and require
manure; then we shall have the advantage of them
our crop requiring less time for cultivation and ma
nuring, will give more time for maturing.
EDGECOMBE