The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-04-14
LINES FROM
GREENSBORO.
HOME INDEPENDENCE BEST.
Various Observations.

been quite favorable for farmers as well
as hopeful for fruit growers; but
though no disaster has overtaken the
fruit thus far, past experience has
shown that late spring frosts often blast
the fairest prospects of the fruit grow
er-so no one dare be confident OF
full fruit crop as yet. The wheat pros
pect is fine, and complalners seem to
be few. The past winter is regarded as
having been exceedingly mild, though
it gave us an occasional "snap" Of cold,
as at New Years, and the LAST week in
January, and even now, the 3Oth Of
March. The winds are so sharp as to
portend danger of frost. Nor do sup
pose that Halifax Is necessarily beyond
the reach of the same danger, though
the fruit crop with you is SO small in
comparison with what~it is here, that
what would be serious loss here is
lessened very much when it falls upon
the counties In the East. Since these
notes were begun there have been two
frosty mornings here-April End and
April 3rd-and the amount of damage
done has not been repo. ted as yet.
That much of the crop has been killed
here and there, there can be no doubt,
though this does not plainly appear to
one Woo is passing along the highways.
Frost does far more damage to the Or
chards which are situated contiguous
to low, damp places and water courses,
compared with those ON the higher
grounds. And, perhaps mostly because
so much OF the timber has been felled
in the clearing of farm lands, and the
supply of the lumber demand, the
winters have gradually become
more severe than they we're even thlr-
ty years ago. This is the testimony OF
some of the older inhabitants.
A few moments ago I accosted gen.
tleman on his way to Greensboro with
a load OF hay for market, and to my
question, what is hay worth ?" his an
swer was, "Forty cents hundred. .
But 1t was hay of the lowest quality
containing broom straw, weeds, etc.
In considerable proportion. Such hay
however, serves good purpose as bed
ding for the stalled animals and add'
much to the compost heap. Grass ane
clover have begun to grow in earnest
and the pasturage is good.
The public highways leading out o
Greensboro In all directions have bee1
greatly improved within the past lev
wears out as far as to the boundary line
of the county. though 1t must be con
tessed that the work has not been per
fected. What has been done alread.
will doubtless be followed up by NOR
complete system. AS to the improve
ments In the city-Greensboro-the.
are constantly going forward, in tn
shape of more streets, more paving
more and better sewerage, better light
and multiplied telephone connections
! say nothing of educational instltu
tlons, though Greensboro would seer
to be we'll supplied in that line-grae
: cd schools for whites, also for the col
. ored the State Normal & Industrls
: College for girls (and women whe
there are any Greensboro Female Co
: lege, which includes girls, young ladie
and young women to these add Bel
i nett College for colored youths OF bot
> sexes, and the State Agricultural an
/ Mechanical College for the same rae
Besides these there is fine school
: music Gnstrumental) which seems
flourish. The graded schools for tt
u whites are represented by two lar&
brick structures, one in North and th
other in South Greensboro.
Just now an effort, which so II
promises to be successful, is belr
made to create Library for the cit
Is and I think the sum of fifteen hu
/ dred dollars has already been pledgt
for the purpose. These, however, i
y clude only the fifty dollar pledges, OF
u OF which Is made by the leading sa'oe
keaper of the city. As the saloon {
Fl ready contributes no small part OF tt
v fund for our common schools, this m:
e. "a still able to do more, and "chlps II
to help on the public Library. Ii tt
'e cigarette manufacturer doesn't see b
III chance to put his name down next
. that of the saloon keeper, then
. can't appreciate the fitness OF sor
H. things, and simply throws away an
-. portunity.
Travelling about has given me an
portunlty to observe somewhat v
in one neighborhood recently wht
the people have only partially chang
the plans which governed their ope1
!s' tions for some time before the war, a
as among this class found unmistaka
lp- prosperity, not of that rapid and
no .orf hut we'll founded and or