Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-01-31
FROM ALEXANDER COUNTY.
HER GOOD PEOPLE To HAVE RAIL
ROAD FACILITIES.
Her Tobacco Wrappers that Retain their
Color Better After the PriZing
Process.

Especial Correspondence Of the Sentinel)
TAYLoRsyILLE n. c., Jan. 81,
1SS4.-After leaving your little
giant city a few days ago, where
all is hustle and business and every one
seems to be in a hurry, and returning
to quiet country village, the contrast
is so great, that it reminds one of step
ping out of mammoth machine shop
into a country blacksmith shop, and
causes an Immediate adjustment of
the studying cap, scratching of the
head, knitting of the brow, to ascer-
tain the cause of Winston's rapid
growth and prosperity, which a few
years since was only small country
village. But the answer is not diff
Gull. Railroad facilities, pluck, ener-
gy and perseverance, backed by CAPT
tai, the necessary consequence is the
cause of such merited growth and pros
perity. There are other places in our
State, of equal natural facilities of
Winston, that need only her chances
to make themselves what Winston
really is, to-wit: the leading business
city in the State. 1t would be useless
to attempt to disguise the fact, that
Tobacco has made Winston what she
is, and promises to do for her more
than her most sanguino friends have
anticipated. Nearly all of our soil
east of the Blue Ridge and North of
the Railroad from Greensboro to Ashe-
Vile is peculiarly adapted to the culti
vation Of Tobacco and not cotton, and
the farmers of Alexander are fast be-
coming convinced Of this fact.
While in your city few weeks sinceI
was informed by a member of one Of
your enterprising Tobacco firms, that
Alexander county wrappers retained
their color better than all others after
passing through the prizing process
This fact within itself, should be a great
inducement to our farmers to foster SO
profitable an industry, which, in its in
fancy, promises to place Alexander
county first in the rank of the Tobacco
growing counties of our State. A good
many of our farmers patronize the
Winston Tobacco market, and are
pleased with the prices.
Aside from our Tobacco interests
we have another industry which is as
equally profitable and probably less
laborious. And that is the fruit cul-
ture, upon the Brushy Mountains di-
vividing our county and Wilkes. The
writer is personally acquainted with
several farmers on the mountain whose
farms have been valued at from three
to five hundred dollars, and they make
annually clear of all labor and expense,
from three to five hundred dollars
without even the expense or trouble of
marketing their fruit, as the apples
are sold in the orchard during the
Fall to wagoners from the lower coun-
ties at SOC per bushel. This industry
is rapidly growing and the acreage is
annually increasing, and taking in
consideration the fact that the fruit
crop is not failure on our mountain
once in ten years, one can readily see
the enormous profit which must accrue
to our fruit raisers in course of time.
One might think that with these nat
ural advantages, the hospitality and
generosity, so characteristic of our
people, we should be content; but we
are not. We have stood by and look
ed in wonder, amazement and pride,
(not envy,) at the growth and prosper
ity of our sister counties, brought
about by the advantages of Railroad
facilities. The pride of our county
has been stirred into active operation,
which took practical shape during the
last session of our Legislature in the
way of bill for the construction of a
Railroad from some point on the
Western North Carolina Railroad by
way Of Taylorsville to the Tennessee
line. By, and under authority of this
act, the directors Of the Charlotte,
Columbia d. Augusta RAILROAD, lessees
OF the A. I. & O., held a meeting at
Columbia in December, at which meet
ing several of our citizens were pres
ent, and resolution was unanimously
adopted, appointing several prominent
citizens in our county as agents of the
G. G.. & A. Railroad to take private
subscriptions to be used in grading a
road to connect with their line. These
agents have raised and secured by
mortgage on real estate something
near $4,000, and have employed Capt
Neeland, of Mooresville, to survey and
locate the road from Taylorsville to
L. f. Adams, point three miles east
of town. The agents Of the c. G.. &
A. Railroad propose to use the funds
raised by private subscription in gra-
ding to the point above named. In
the mean time preliminary surveys
will be made from the above point to