Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-04-20

scription given by distinguished writer of what
the Romans considered their best soil is THAT it is
of backsh color, glutinous when wet and easily
crumhled when dry" &c. Lands answering to this
description abound in all portions of this section Of
the State, and no where else more abundantly than
in Duplin county. A large portion of them, how
ever lie either covered with water or so nearly so
as to make them worthless for purposes of husband
ry. Much of this vast area might be easily drained
by means of small bitches, and all of it by means
of canals and bitches and made the most fertile and
productive lands in Nortli-( 'arolina 1t is indeed
astonishing how little attention has been paid to
this highly important subject, until within a few
years past earnestly and candidly believe, and
not without reason, that Dupln county possesses
the natural elements of being of the very rich
est counties in the State. Yet, the census of 1850
shows that though Dupin contains fifty-6ve thous-
and and ty-fve acres more of land than Edgccombe
county, the cash valuation of the farms in Edge
combc exceeds that Of Duplin 1922, $50. Why this
disparity? l will tell you. 1t is because the poo
pie of Dupln have permitted turpentne, or as some
would say, tar, pitch and turpentine,' to occupy
too much of their attention. and their farms too lit
tic. am fully purslatlcd that If there never had
been barrel of turpcntinc made in the county, the
people would have been much letter of, and the
county would to-day have been recognized and just
ly So perhaps the richest agricultural county in
North Carolina. But, now, how is it? Why there
are seven counties, to wit: Chatham, Edgecombe,
Guilforl Halifax, Sampson Wake and Wayne, the
cash valuation of whose farms is greater than that
of Dnplin. Elgcconbe makes seven hundred and
fifty-nine thousand three hundred and scvcnythrec
bushels of corn, while Duplin only makes three
hundred and seventy-two thousand five hundred and
thirty bushels; three thousand nnety-sevcn bales
of cotton to four hundred and siXty-one and other
things in pretty much the same proportion. These
facts not enumerated for the purpose of discour-
aging, but rather to stimulate the people of Dup
lin to action and to honorable emulation and compe-
ttion with her worthy sister county, who was
snccred at until few years ago, when her farmers
went to work and are now fast making their county
what it ought to be. You have the soil and the
population. Then why can we not, by cXerting onr
energies in improving upon the lessons of the past,
make our county what it should be? | am persuad-
ed from the evidences of improvement that meet the
eye in every section of the county, that there is
determination to make county the very first in
every respect, and it rejoceS my heart to witness
it. We are certainly making praiswortfy efforts in
every department of industry, both in our towns
ard in the country, to place ourselves in the front
ranks. Here in our pleasant little town of kenans-
vile, the evidences Of Improvement are visible IN
every direction. \ more beautiful building for
Female Seminary of learning can scarcely be found
in any town of the State and there is in charge Of
the school 4 competent and accomplished corps of
teachers, whose qualifications consist, as well i'll
practical! substantial education rs in the literary
reiinementS and mll;ShmentS of modern times.
No parent need fear hut that his daughters educa-
ton in morals, refinement and literature, will he
well attended to at the 'kenansville Female Scmin-
airy. Such, al least. is the opinion of dSintercSt
cd friend of the institution. 1t is well worthy of
the patronage of the public. vi our Male School,
under the charge Of the Rev. Mr.. Sprunt need
not speak. The best evidence of its efficiency is its
l., e
morals and enlightened refinement, our conmuni-
ty will compare ftvorably with that of any town in
the State. We have, also most excellent schools in
every section OF the county. In the country we see
every indication of Improvement. The farms are
generally neat ard appear to be well cultivated
We are, however, rot making as much ON them rs
ought. Let us but learn to take the same inter
est in ctr farms that the Old Romans did, in the
palmy days of that glorious old Empire and we can
lie Is successful the circumstances that surround
us would seem to suggest that we ought to be. 1t
Is said the ancient Romans were so devoted to az
ricu!turc that their most ill,l>trious commanders
were sometimes called from the pow; thus Cincn-
natUS. The Senators commonly resided in the
country and cultivated the ground with their own
hands, and the noblcSt families derived their sur
names from culivating particular kinds of grain"
80 be good husbandm,n accounted the high
est praise" They digniticd labor, and taught their
10 respect anu Ill tilS
the farmer was elevated to his true position. They
thought it as necessary for man to be educated in
order to make a farmer and occupy his proper posi-
ton. as to make anything else. by identifying their
calling and respecting themselves, they became res
rccted. Farmer cmuatcd farmer and sought to re-
dcc husbandry to regular scientific system. Not
only were their lands drained properly, but they
p'p@cd them thoroughly The depth of the fur
row IN the first piowing was usually three-fourths
of foot, or nine inches" Pliny calls blowing four
fingers or three inches Deep "Scarificatio" Under
this course of cultivation, I mean the system of
deep blowing, the yields of the Roman farms were
remarkably large, and the farmers realized perhaps
as large or larger profits than any other citizens of
this ancient and mighty Empire, great and powerful
tor its commercial and agricultural wealth.
Much attention was also paid by this ancient peo-
pie to raising manurcs and tertllizins their lands
by proper attention to this department of Agrcul-
turc, in connection with the Others already advcrcd
to- every foot of land in the county of Duplin could
be made exceedingly fertile. Material for compost
heaps is abundant in every direction; and it is well
known that the almost invaluable fertilizer, mari,
exists IN large quantities in many sections of the
county; so that it appears that our county can be
made rich even without the aid of foreign manurcS
Swamp lands, as rich no doubt as the best of the
Mississippi bottoms, abound in almost every section
OF the county. One single swamp, the Goshen, if it
were canaed, as it might be- is capable of support
ing, it is believed population of eighteen or
twenty thousand inhabitants at least Take the fig
ures and make your OWL calculation, and see wketh-
CT this is so or not. Suppose the swamp eighteen
or twenty miles in length and one mile in breadth,
and average the yield at eight barrels of to the
acre. There are many other swamps in this and the
adjoining counties that might, ought to lie canaled
drained, reclaimed and put into cultvation-indeed
that will be put into cultivation Tell me not that
it is impossible Perhaps the ancient inhabitant Of
Holland would have laughed at the suggestion of re-
claiming her swamps, and making fertile fields out
of what nature seemed to design for the abode only
of the amphibious creation. But how is it now
| Those lands have been reclaimed, and now rival in
productiveness the rich bottoms of the Nlle or tho
beautiful valleys of the Mississippi. The Goshen
Swamp, if drained, would be capable of making over
four hundred thousand bushels of corn-much more
than the whole county made in 1885, according to the
census. What then could not be made in the county
|