The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-08-17
HENDERSON, N. c., THURSDAY, AUGUST II, 1893.
ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR STATE?

ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR STATE?
If You are Not Read This Brief Ac-
count of the Fine Record She Has
Made at the Worlds Fair, and
You Will Be.
The various exhibits of North Carolina
show so much good management as to
deserve a special description. Only $685.
300 was appropriated and that did not
become available till March IA, last. A
State board OF managers was created,
of the board of agriculture
aud the national commissioners OF North
Carolina. OF this board Col. W. T.
Green is president; Miss Florence kidder,
P. NJ. Wilson, executive
and L. X. Bruner, secre-
tary and commissioner OF exhibits.
There was not money enough for a
State building and for adequate exhibits
in the four great departments in which
North Carolina stood ready to compete
with the world, namely the Agricultural,
Fisheries, Mining and Forestry. Accord
ingly every energy was bent upon pre-
pairing displays in these departments
which collectively would stand chance
to win the prize, and which separately,
each in it's way, would Indicate existing
and future possibilities.
In the forestry exhibit made by North
Carolina, the plan adopted was to show
thick; the upper half highly polished, the
is a photograph, 22x3O inches, of the
Identical tree from which the plank was
sawed, and above this another photo
graph of the same size showing section
of the forest in which the tree grew. Over
one hundred OF these planks are in the
display, each labeled with it's proper
scientific and popular name. To each is
attached a map showing the portions of
the State in which that particular kind
of timber occurs. There are also in the
exhibit full Photographic illustrations of
the turpentince industry in allits phases.
There is besides a wonderful collection
of medical herbs made by Wallace Bros,
of Statesville. Palmetto trees from
Smiths Island shade the four corners of
the space containing this forestry dis
play from the old North State" North
Carolina has the advantage of a double
exhibit, as there is q very beautiful and
unique display OF timbers and photo
graphs sent by Mr. Vanderbilt from his
BiltmOre estate.
North Carolina s mineral exhibit occu-
pies a large and conspicuous space at the
corner the two main aisles in the Mining
Building. 1t attracts constant attention
alike from technical and plain every day
people on account OF the great range and
variety of it's contents and the perfect
system shown in classification and ar
rangement. The exhibit embraces both
economic and precious ores, stones and
metals. There are iron ores, copper
ores, building stones, marble, gold ore,
gold nuggets and 1SO varieties of gems,
including diamonds, hiddenite, sapphires,
rubies, beryls, rose garnets, topaz, anne
thysts, emeralds and quartz crystals.
These were collected under the special
direction of Mr. T. X. Bruner, commits
sioner OF exhibits. One of the most strik-
ing features OF this mineral department
of the North Carolina exhibit is a display
of mica, one crystal among the many
weighing over 300 pounds. The sand
stones, the cut and polished specimens
of granite and marble are we'll worth in
vestigation on the part of builders. A
column of ASHER work five feet in diameter,
from the Mount Airy quarries, is another
attractive feature of the display. 1t
would be difficult to call for mineral
not to be found in this exhibit.
The Southern State exhibits, which
causes the greatest surprise to sight
seers at the Worlds Fair, is that from
North Carolina in the Fisheries Building.
All the food fishes of the State are shown,
not mere casts but mounted specimens.
There are aquatic birds and game water
fowl; pen of living diamond-back ter
rapins; models Of all the different kinds
of nets and appliances for catching fish,
among them one OF the enormous seines,
a mile and half long by thirty feet deep,
used on the North Carolina coasts.
The agricultural department of North
Cardinals exhibit embraces probably the
largest variety of products shown by
any State or nation. The portion of it
devoted to tobacco contains the finest
and costliest kinds grown in the United
States. 1t is made up largely OF what is
known as Virginia Bright" of which as
much as so per cent. of the total pro-
duct OF the two States of Virginia and
North Caralina is grown in the latter.
1t got to be called Virginia Bright be-
ginia cities. There is cotton in every
stage OF growth, with cereals, grasses
and truck garden products in infinite
variety. There are even live tea plants.
Soils from various portions of the State
are so arranged as to show the strata
from the surface to q depth of several
feet. There is a complete assortment
of North Carolina s phosphate rock.
The horticultural exhibit of North
Carolina now contains only fruit in glass
;oro on1 th;rtv riotioc nf pafiva wiuoc
the principal vineyards represented be-
ing Hoyt's of Buncombe county, "Tht
Tokay' at Fayetteville and " The Medoc''
of Halifax. The wines include cham
pagnes. Fresh fruits of every kind will
be shipped from the State and shown in
this exhibit as they mature. Later on
one of the features, which will be q
novelty to most visitors, will be scupper-
nong grapes, discovered and made
famous by Sir Walter Raleigh. Pro
fessor Saunders, of the United States
Pathological Department recently, said
that North Carolina was the best apple
orchard in the Union.
haveth thus given special prominence tC
the display made by North Carolina, be
cause it shows how much may be dom
with very little money: because it is il
every respect significant ond representa-
tive: because it embodies a correct idea
1t says so much and says it SO well that
Mr.. Wilson, the Executive Commissions
and the experts in the several divisions
who helped him prepare it and install it
deserve the need of praise not only from
the people of North Carolina but of tn
whole South. Good Judgment and econ
Omy were exercised even in designing tn
| caSaS tahlaS and rscES which ara a
of oak and which, instead or being de
stroyed after the Exposition, will b
museum at the State capital.-T Z
Grasty in Southern States Magazine.
Specimen Cases.