The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-01-29
THE GOLDEN STAPLE.
TOBACCO AS AN UPBUILDER OF
TOWNS.
What it Has Done for the Growth and
Development of Number Of
North Carolina Towns.
Rocky Mount Argonaut. ]


ginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama,
and other Southern States, and making
rapid growth as the result of the de-
velopment of their mineral resources.
So vast are these resources, and such
will be the development that hundreds
Of other places now unmarked upon
the map, will become thrifty towns
and large manufacturing cities.
North Carolina has mineral resources
equal in variety and extent to any
other Southern State. Indeed it has
the lest steel making ore to be found
in the South, and equal to any on the
American continent The develop
ment of our iron, coal and copper, as
we'll as our vast deposits of marble,
building stone, mica, corundum and a
score OF other valuable minerals has
been commenced and will necessarily
be attended with the same results of
town building as in other States. All
these properties as well as many rich
and valuable gold mines, are in their
virgin state and can be had at prices
far below what similar properties are
bringing in those States where the de-
veloping process has been going on
longer and prices corresponiingly ad
vanced, and consequently North Car
olina is now the best State in the South
in which to make investments in min
eral properties.
But in addition to her mineral re-
sources, North Carolina has another
clement of wealth which the other
States do not possess at all, or only to
a limited extent, and we refer to its
golden Leaf tobacco. As a town build
er, it possesses power but little, II
any, behind coal and iron. The truth
of this is fully illustrated in the extra
ordinary results of the tobacco trade
within the past ten or fifteen years.
Only few years ago and the city oi
| Durham had no existence. 1t was SIM
ply an insignificant railroad station
surrounded by worn out fields grown
up in sedge grass and sassafras bushes.
To-day it is a thrifty business place OF
10000 inhabitants, electric lights.
street cars, telephone exchanges, and
all the conveniences and appointments
of a city, with thousands of operatives
employed in the various factories.
What made Durham? Golden leaf
tobacco.
Only. a few years ago and Winston
scarcely had an existence. 1t was SIM
ply suburb of the little village Of
Salem. To-day Winston Salem form
a city of $1,000 population with all
the usual appurtenances of a city. with
fifty manufacturing establishments for
converting leaf tobacco into plug and
smoking tobacco and cigars. What
made Winston? The answer is, to-
baCco.
i Only about a dozen years ago Nor
timer Oaks built the first tobacco
warehouse in Reidsville, which was
then a little station on the railroad
from Danville to Greensboro. To-
day it is thrifty growing place of s.
900 inhabitants, and it owes its exist
ence and growth to tobacco.
In few years Henderson and Ok
ford; only 2 miles from each other,
have grown from little sleepy villages,
to be prosperous business places of
about 5000 population each, and to-
bacco did it.
Durham and Winston have added
other manufacturing enterprises re-
Gently, the constantly accumulating
capital of the places naturally seeking
other industries for investment, but
tobacco has been the only basis Of
their prosperity until now. And a
striking and important feature of the
matter is, these towns are growing now.
faster than they ever have in the past.
They are increasing their factories
and enlarging the output of manutac-
tured tobacco and the stimulating ef
feet upon the farmer has been such
that the quantity of leaf tobacco to
be handled is becoming greater every
year.
Those towns which like Durham
and Winston, have gone more largely
into the manufacture of the tobacco
have realized the greater benefit and
grown the faster.
There is no crop cultivated which
has the same effec, in building up the
towns in the sections where it is grown
as tobacco. This is particularly the
case since the custom has obtained o.
selling the leaf in warehouses as is now
universally done.
In all the towns mentioned and
many others, the tobacco trade /:
conducted by active business men. the
highest prices paid and every facility
furnished for the proper handling o
the weed, and it is matter of note
that these tobacco towns do not gel
| their growth, but continue to increase
in size and to enlarge their busines:
operations.
Desiring to make this paper more
useful vehicle of thought and communi-
cation among our readers in the
! country, we renew the invitation sc
often given before, for farmers and ALI
ance men to contribute to its column:
! and feel at liberty to use it to expires:
their views and opinions on topics o
local or public interest. Will you do it
We can sock it to you in hosiery