The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-15

health-less adapted TO the production
of the low rate Of sickness and OF death
that prevails in North Carolina. outside
of those localities of malaria, alluded 10
| as less salubrious and which, under the
increasing application and dominion OF
the spade. axe and hoe, are steadily be-
| coming more and more healthy, as cul-
t~ivation increases. So far as that prev
alent and fatal scOurge, consumption, Is
concerned. 1t has been found that one
Of the two small areas of total eXemp-
ton in the whole country from this
dread destroyer Of the human race. IS
found in North Carolina. Nature,
whether in the magnificence and wealth
of our climate: the fertility and adap-
tation of the soils as well as climate to
the production Of the various industries
that are most conducive to the prosper
ity of the people and the welfare Of the
State; or in the vast wealth ct the I'M
DERIVING geological structures OF the
State. everywhere asserts, as statistics
prove. that there is no State III the
Union more healthy than North Caro-
lima. With the natural conditions OF
insalubrlty existing only in a local and
| exceptional degree, and giving way, a.
they will. before the great work OF re-
moval of preventable causes and pre-
| ventable diseases, now happily %inaugu-
| rated in North Carolina, by State au-
thoritv. In the organization By the last
LEGISLATURE of a State Board Of Health.
we can but cherish "a lively and reason
able hope that the average rate of sick
| ness and mortality will steadily decrease
under the operation Of the benign ntiu-
| ences of sanitary science. -Iiready it az
| less than tie 0gerGge IN tie United States.
Sanitary statistics. such as we have
been able to obtain in the prosecution
of the official labors and duties assigned
to the Board, combined with other IN
formation obtained from reports and
data IN our possession. In justifying the
operation that sickness and death Ill
North Carolina presents a rate less tAon
one per cent. Ggainst an 0CerGge Of moye
than one and q quarter per cent, taking
all the States into the calculation III de-
ducing an average rate.
NATIVE PRODUCTS.
As before remarked there Is not an
equal extent of territory, on the contin-
ent that eXcels ours for a variety of
products. The widest Investigation
in crops is practicable, for We produce
successfully almost everything grown in
the United States. Corn, wheat, oats,
rye, barley, buckwheat, rice, cotton,
hemp, flax, .iute, silk, tobacco, peanuts,
sorghum cane, broom corn, mlllet.
l%uccrne, clover, orchard, timothy and
herds grass, sweet potatoes, Irish po-
tatoes, hops, peas, melons, strawberries
cranberries-can all be cultivated and
grown profitably in our State. In a
large portion Of the Piedmont region
strawberries and cranherries grow wild.
Experiments in the culture of silk have
been sufficiently prosecuted to demon
strate beyond all question that it could
easily be made a great and profitable
industry with our people. Jute too, Of
which enormous quantities are being an
nually consumed. has been found. b.
experiments recently made under the
direction of the Agricultural Depart
ment, to be we'll adapted to the eastern
section of the State. Early fruits and
truck farming are engaging the a<ten-
ton of our people especially of the cas-
tern section, a it is found that owing
to climatic influences they enabled 10
reach the northern markets from two to
four weeks earlier than those Of Nir-
ginia, Maryland or New Jersey. Dur
Ing last year peaches ripencd in differ
ent portions Of the State as early a. the
Doth of May. Thousands Of acres are
being devoted to this industry. 0ae
man in Craven county has planted dar-
ing the present season 225 bushels Of
peas for the northern markets.
Apples, peaches, pears, cherries,
apTicots, rinulS, ounces, grapes and
figs grow to great p r%tection in nearly
ali portions OF the State. Improved
varieties ale being introduced and pro-
pagated, and a growing interest ana APP
probation marks the progress Of our
people III fruit growing. For a list Of
the principal fruits best adapted to ouu
State, the reader is referred to an arti-
Gle on the subject il Part " Of this
volume. Apple grow we'll IN almost
every county i'll the State ard ripcn
from May to Novcubev. Besides the
Scuppcrnong, the Catawba. the Lila
coin, Isabella, which are native grapes
foreign varieties are cultivated with
success. The rapid transit Of our fruits
to northern markets, placing it as We
did during the past season IN New York
city, within Is hours from the time il
was plucked IN our orchards, AMI com
mandlng 10y is superior excellence the
highest market prices, VIII greatly
stimulate this important and rapidly
growing interest. The m;Idncss an
uniformity of our c~li,nate ana the length
OF oar growing seasons an the inc.eas-
ing demand, Will without doubt, / n a
few years build up for our State an ex-
tenSiye fruit trade. For information as
t. the productive capacity Of our soil
III various sections Of the Statc, the at
tention OF the reader IS directed toitems