The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-08-31
CROP NOTES FROM NORTH CARO-
LIMA.
The Outlook ENCOURAGING and Farm
ers in Better Shape than They Have
been for Years.
TCOuntry Gentleman.i

favored localities, threatened 10 be as
disastrous as that of last year, was
broken by good rains on July %.
Since then there has been just enough
rain to thoroughly wet the soil With :
out washing. Though the drouth,
owing to the great heat, seemed to be
peculiarly blighting while it lasted, its
duration of less than three weeks was
too short to do very great harm.
The corn crop will doubtless be the
largest ever made in the State; the
low prices of cotton and tobacco have
caused much land to be planted in
corn that has heretofore been held
to these two Southern kings
or rather gods, from the way they are
worshipped. The wheat crop, while
not quite up to the rather extravagant
of many, is very good
indeed. The cultivation Of sorghum
and ola superior variety of sugar corn,
of which l made mention last year,
has extended considerably this year.
Nearly everybody in this section,
even the smallest tenants, have a
patch of it. 1t has the reputation of
bieng extremely exhausting to land
in fact, only very good soil will make
it at all. Still, as it helps to keep the
dimes at home-a practice we have
long been too little prone to-cane-
growing is to be commended.
AS a rule, our farmers have this sea-
son incurred less debt than usual-this,
too, despite the shortness of last years
corn crop, which forced many to buy
or largely do without. There are now
serious apprehensions that the strin-
gency in money matters may seriously
interfere with the marketing of the
cotton crop this fall. 1t is stated on
good authority that under present
monetary conditions hundred bales
could scarcely be disposed of in any
cotton market in the South but we
have so long been used to hard times,
have had to sail close to the wind tor
SO many years, that we can stand these
set-backs better than any other section
of the country.
Cotton is now looking we'll tobacco
is better than in five years. Flue
curing has begun, and some little of
the product is already marketed.
Prices must keep low until money gets
easier-in fact the hey day of bright
tobacco-growing has departed, never,
I fear, to come again. Crops of from
$500 to $500 an acre, all, at an outlay
of less than $50 an acre, could not but
create competition and widely in
creased acreage as soon as it was
found that the supposed golden belt
was really no charmed circle or girdle,
but that the precious stuff would do
fairly we'll over region ten times as
large it might seem that this once so
highly favored section, should remain
in another sense golden belt. But
men are too sanguine; good luck
intoxicates them and blinds their
better judgment. Because fortune
favors them to-day, they think that
she. must favor them still more TO-
morrow so they grow extravagant
and improvident. And when the
tickle goddess turns the cold shoulder,
they are in many, perhaps most
instances, worse off than if she had
never smiled on them at all. This l
fear has been the rule rather than the
exception with the bright-tobacco
men.
In the main, our solidly prosperous
men have been those who never fell
entirely, if at all, under the dominion
of this vegetable gold-tor this is both
a tobacco and cotton region-but
stuck to cotton, grain, and above all,
to careful and economical farming.
Their lands are in better plight, and
their condition better in all respects.
One good sign, especially among
the cotton men, is the increase in
pea-growing. The peas are picked at
a cost of about 3oc. bushel, and find
ready sale at 81. Last spring they
sold at S1.5o. When the excellent
pea gatherer invented in this State
comes into general use, ea-growing
will be vastly more extensive. They
are destined to be the salvation OF
the South, especially the sandy
districts, where they flourish best, and
where vegetable matter in the soil is
the great necessity. 1t is impossible
to over-estimate their value. Accord
ing to my observation, peas and
poverty of soil or pocket rarely go
together.
Not only we're the cut-worms and
such pests terror to farmers this year,
but the potato-bugs have beaten even
their former black record. On a
small potato patch grown for home
use, l kept them down with Paris
green till the potatoes were about
matured. After that, being busy
about other things, I, as usual, gave
the potatoes no more thought, and for
week failed to 60 there at all, the
patch being nearly quarter of mile
from the house. The other day l
noticed a string of potato bugs in the
path near the house, following this
thickening stream l traced it to the
potato patch. Here l found that in
this short space they had not only
demolished the potato vines, leaf and
stalk, but in some places had actually
reached and were eating the tubers
themselves, while several rows OF
tomato plants on the way had also
been eaten, tomatoes and all. Ineyer
knew before that they ate tomato
plants. Next year shall give them
no truce or chance to repeat their
exploits Of this season.
0. w. BLAcKNAIL.
Varro Cor~kv, NJ