Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-06-21
From the Monthly Report of the Agricultural De-
partment o. the United States, for April, 1851.
NORTH CAROLINA.


Commissioner for North Carolina, commu-
nicates the following:
Perhaps no State in the Union Is SO re-
markabe for diversity of climate, soil, and
productions as North Carolina, and no 9th
er has such variety of productions. The
breadth of latitude covered by its territory
is not great, being ouly 2 deg. 10 mln.; but
in its length. from East to West, it stretch
es from the sca-board to the highest sum-
nit of the Allegheny range of mountains,
distance of five hundred miles, and embra-
ceS three zones, greatly varied In character
and temperature by differences of elevation.
The lower zone is mostly fiat, sandy re-
giun, in inany places covered with swamps
OF - pocosou, which. however, are above
the sealevel, and therefore susceptible of
easy drainage. These swamps are all valu-
able for their timber, and some OF them for
the fertility of their soils. The dry land is
covered with timber, forthe most part pine,
which Is highly valuable for the yield OF
tarpehtine, rosin. and tar, as well as lum-
Der The soil is generally light or thin;
but there are many exceptions to this rule,
while there are in many places lnexhaustlbie
beds of mail underlying this region, which
can be drawn upon with facility for enrich
ing the surface. This eastern or lower zone
extends to the foot of the first range of
miles from the sea-shore, and comprises
about one third OF the State. There are
few portions of the Union which offer great
CT inducements to the capital, enterprise
and skill of the people of the North than
The eastern portion of North Carolina It's
agricultural productions are valuable. They
consist Of Indian corn, wheat, oats, Irish
and sweet potatoes, cotton, rice, peas, beans,
sorghum, grapes, and variety of garden
Products. This region is the peculiar home
of the sweet potato, which is produced in
10 other part OF the world in such album
lance, and OF snch peculiar quality. The
county of hdgCcOmbe, near the western
boundary of this Immense plain, is famous
ftr its cotton crops, which have been pro-
duced by the use of mari, found under the
soil. The Roanoke bottoms are unsur-
passed for fertility, and are cultivated chief
Iy in grain. Some of the largest grain
crops in the world are produced in this sec
ton of the State We have heard of crops
amounting to one hundred thousand bush
els Of corn. Great facilities exist for trans
porting the grain of this region to the
Northern markets. The vessels approach
the farms directly, and receive their freight
at first hand from the farm wagons, which
fact is OF the greatest Importance to the
producer. The Southeastern counties,
among other things, produce rice; but this
product belongs more peculiarly to South
Carolina.
1t is unnecessary to dwell upon the i'm
pOrtance of the cotton crop. The South
ern planters grew rich by its production
when the price of the article was scarcely
one-third what it is at present, after due
allowance is made for the deprecated cur
rency. There is no danger of an excessive
production for some years to come and
whoever employs capital with energy and
skill in the growth of cotton, in any proper
soil south of the thirty sixth parallel of lat
itudc, is sure to be richly rewarded. The
true gold field is the cotton field. In the
extraction OF turpentlne, rOsln, and tar
from the pines of North Carolina, and in
the saving of lumber for the northern mar
kets, there are other inexhaustible fields of
enterprise, which are sure to reward those
engaged in them with liberal profits. This
branch of industry IS peculiarly inviting to
northern capital AID skill. The pine re-
ginms are healthy northern laborers may
be introduced without risk, and the pro-
cCsSr, ;tro Of Il character to admit of i'm
prnvcm"nt. Yankee ingenuity could
scarcely fail to invent new and cheaper
methods than those employed by the I'M
skilled natives.
We must next notice the midland region,
extending from the district just described
to the mountains IN other words, from
The foot of the hills on the cast to the foot
of the mountains nn The west. This zone
is described by Professor Emmons, the
State geolOgi st as IL table land, with al
uuuulating surface, but with an average
elevation Of several hundred feet. Raleigh
is some POO feet above the sea level
GrcensburnuGh is SO feet above tide
water. The rivers which rise i'll the noun
talus. an. pass their waters to the ocean
through thu, elevated district nearly two
hundred miles i'll width, necessarily fur
nish great facilities for manufacturing
The falls of the streams are innumera-
bic, and " water power without limit is
distributed over every part of its surface.
The surface, where not cleared for agricul-
tural purposes by the sparse population, is
every where covered with forests of oak,
pine. hickory, walnut, maple, beach, chest
nut, aud other trees and, i'll word, the
traveller nowhere perhaps in the United
States secs so much forest as III North Car
DINA. The productions of tho middle re-
Slon arc Indian corn, wheat, rye, oats,
iouckwheat, barley, Irish and sweet pota-
toes, apples, peaches, pears, grapes Of sew
eral indigenous varieties, tobacco of the
best quality in the northern tier of coun-
ties, anu cotton IN all south OF them, be-
sides garden products of every kind and
many other articles. This midland region |
also has valuable mines of gold, coal, iron,
and copper; and no part of the world is
more blessed with health. The water
everywhere gushes pure and perennial from
the earth in all this upland region, and
majority Of the inhabitants drink it from
springs, without being under the necessity
of digging wells. The country is at the
same time beautiful, and abounds in groves
of white oak which are scarcely eqalled in
effect by any on the continent.
The soil is generally good, though not
equal to that of the Mississippi valley but
it amply rewards the labors of the hus-
bandman. The climate is delightful
mean between the extremes of cold and
heat north and south and, on the whole,
there is no part of the world in which
Intelligent, and free people may
enjoy greater happiness, or more uninter-
rupted prosperity, than in the middle re-
gion of North Carolina.
The following meteorological observa-
tons for a series of years, made at the uni
versity at Chapel Hill, near the centre of
the State, will convey general idea of the