Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-04-14

build up North Caroliua cities. North
Caro!IDians. in their contri utiUns TO
the cities. and iii their praise of the |
leading men, of other States, to often |
forget that III our own invItln4 borders t
and upon our own historic soil we have |
material elements for the production |
of large cities, and that while our |
own statesmen are unsurpassed oar |
heroes never falter and our women |
never prove false. Had this neglected |
ruth been more justly observed WI tn
III aud without our Legislative halls the
whole State would have been vastly
the gamer. The growing, prosperous
city of Wilmington, the rising empOri-
I'M of North Carolina. would have
doubled If not ga tdru oled It's popula
ton and wealth. That sro@ wing dcvo-
ton OF our business men aud capital
lists 20 homo manufactures and direct
trade with Europe, SO long wanting
here an which has built up other
States now ahead of ours, would hay.
added millions of treasure aud other
vast benefits TO our now Impoverished
State. Ii is szlf-ev dent that in the
great irl5e Of progress railroads are
powerful au trlia,jes. IT cannot be too
often repeated IN tins progressive a&a,
when time is dOubly important, and
when science, with almost superhuman
power for good has, IN its marvellous
advancement, annlhliated distance,
that every mile of railroad helps the
farmer as we'll as the manufacturer and
merchant. Not until it has reached
the farmer does he p 'operly appreciate
its advantages or justly reallza the
ruinons system OF transporting his
heavy and bulky products TO distant
mark ets by means of his old fashioned
| wagon and team of mules. Well there
| fore may Ne congratulate ourselves
aud our fellow citizens Of the upper
| and western counties up-n our great
increase of railroad facil ties. These
iron rails, always pioneers of educa-
ton and general Improvement, will re-
| main, as the engine speeds its western
extension route, enduring bonds OF
union and channels of trade between
the Cape Fear and the mountain
But few now remain to oppose judi
cious internal improvements. The
great care devolving upon this genera
ton If active and influential men-to
direct them judi ,iously--is not likely
to be disregarded in this section, at
least, of North C.ro.ina.
But ither the friends of Internal
| Improvement, nor our Legislators an
statesmen, aided by enterpri1Ing mer-
chants, mechanics and manufacturers,
can remove the buidensome load OF
poverty from our struggling people
except by a system OF successful dgrj-
culture Unless Turning is prosper
Gus and reLnuueraIIve no community
can continuously prosper and their
material interests will langulsh, whether
expansion or contraction OF currency
prevails. That tiilin9 the soil, as now
conducted III a large portion of North
Carolina, especially III that portion OF
the Atlantic slope asst of Raleigh ana
lying between the Cape Fear aud the
! Virginia ll1e, IS Improbable and agri-
cultural pursuits in sta of pros ra-
ton, is a fact of lily observation and
stares Us all painfully in the lace. And
yet this Is the most critic PARTON OF
the State Is easy of access to 5ha best
markets III the world, roads running
convenient to the very doors Of most
of the citizens OF this vast extent 4
cOuntry. 1t Is equally certain that
this Improbable condition of our sgrI
culture has prod ucod Ii very general
depression aud discuurag ment III the
mluds OF our Farmers. 1t is proper
therefore that, leaving the line Of de
su!tOTy rem arks thus far pursued, !
should mainly cOntiue myself III thi.
address To the subjt OF 0urjctt{ttE0t
jIfUStritt5OR in eastern North Caruilni,
W. II some suS9caUiO t!S Il, t. the fGHLGCIY
To direct pubic attention 10 same a
/ tie c1'iSGS OF this iameufaUIc condition,
witt hints as TO the means for remOy-
ing them, Is more needfut and likely t.
tend to their removal than by ThetOri
Cal figures and captivating staten ent~
to please the fancy and to. hold the
| Ha teflug uLctlou To our sous that W;
are successful farmers and on the higiI
roud to prosperity. Presenting my
views from stand point above party.
politics | shall not lug Into shc discus
sl0n any Of those mooltI points IN pD-
lIticai science OF those exciting ques-
tinE- of the political ureua wh.oH max
up the issues be cen III. political
par les of the G putty,
Higher authority than my own can
b., adIuced to show that, wlth ali Its
improvements. agriculture Is sadly in
perfect and that tins is largely owing
to tie exlau -tlOn 0f tue generous so:
by our bad systems Of farming The
gross ana long continued violation of
tue natural laws Of husbdudry Is Uur
potent cause of cur Unsucc esstuI :.gri
culture. At the time of the passage Of
the bill III Congress for Tia, establish
mHut Of an Ayr cultural College in eacl
State by donation Of the public lands
the public mlnd was astouuded ut tie
pninfut exhibit made upon this subject.
| The author # this great measure OF
relief, Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont, backetl
1t up 10y an able speech III which be
Lob, 81 III A.
soi's of the older Stutes Were rapidly
! gong to exhaustion and that unless
means were instituted to recuperate
them the time would not be far distant
When there would be stqgnation and
ruin III business, followed by famine
in the land. That gigantic scheme for
Improving agriculture would not have
succeeded, uHtried and somewhat du-
b:Ous as WAS the experiment, but for
the overwhelming facts and arguments
OF this sort then brought forward. Ii
was shown that in single decade, the
production of wheat. had fallen off ilr.
the six New England States from TWO
millions Ground numbers are given) to
one million bushels, that potatoes had
decreased in the same States from
thlrty-ive to nineteen millions of
| bushels. And in the States of Ken
lucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Ala
bama there had been decrease OF the
production OF wheat from twelve mil
hons to six millions Of bushels. That
tue wheat crop of the State of New
York from the year 1915 to 1860 had
d@lndled from Ghlr.een to six millions
OF bushels. That Western New York
had shipped her vtiua Die wheat crops
to other countries, containing the in
valuable principles of nitrogen, phos-
phoric acid, and potash, until tie
average production per acre WIS re
dueed from twenty-five t. twelve
bushels. That the tobacco crop of
Virginia was eighteen millions of
pounds less in 1850 than in 1910.
That tbe cotton lands of the Southern
States had been exha listed ON an
average production OF one bale to two
acres, to one bale to five acres. That
as IA consequence of this general de-
t0rIpFatlOn of the soil oe r.. o,,,,,,4