The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-08-29
rather undesirable for private owners
who must pay for their labor.
MILES OF CORN.

rather undesirable Tor private owners
| who must pay for their labor.
MILES OF CORN.
tween the. dykes and the sand ridges
on the Northampton and Caledonis
farms is in corn, and finer would hardly
be found on the prairies of Iowa or the
black lands of Illinois. Standing SC
thick as to he as impenetrable to the
eye as cane jungle. it forms a contin
nous ribbon along the river to the rim
Of the horizon in either direction. The
corn this year is trifle late and is just
now maturing, but il it Is spared by the
floods will yield magnifcently.
All these lands would lend them.
selves excellently to farming by ma
chinery. The soil, in cultivation for
over a hundred years, is entirely free
from distractions and is as fine and
workable as -four. Year after year the
Roanoke has been a Nile-mother to ii
and has brought it fresh food from the
mountains and hills where that rive.
takes its rise.
THE SEMI-UPLANDS.
The semi -uplands here are I'm cotton
and peanuts for the most part this
year, with corn only ON the hips of the
ridges and the wet dips of the soil here
and there. The cotton on all the farms
has fruited fairly well, though
the ultimate yield has per-
haps been oyer-estimated. The
cotton on the Caledonia farms appears
to be better than on the Northampton
tract and is Still fruiting The pea
nuts everywhere are producing magnii-
Gently and the Roanoke lands alone
almost seem able to supply the market
If the price holds it will be far and
away the most remunerative of the
crops. The lands of General Matt Ran
som, almost the only old time planter
left us, join the Northampton farm on
the eastward side.
THE CALEDONIA FARMS.
Eight miles south of Halifax and on
the same side of the river lie the Gale
donia farms Nos. / and 2. Between
the towns and the farms there Is a wide
reach of country known as the ''slashes"
and it would be hard to draw a sharper
contrast than between these lands and
the river farms. Impervious to water.
the country is succession stagnant
ponds and soured fats that produce
nothing but scrub pines, debilitated
negro cabins and, during the late war,
a few breastworks.
The Caledonia farms are not so pro-
ductive as the Northampton farm, but
they make UP in extent what they
lack in quality. The committee spent
the better part of half day driving
over these farms, but saw hardly more
than third OF them. The timber has
all been cleared from the farms and the
land opened up to cultivation. 1t is es-
tinated that on these farms, all one
farm really, 500 convicts can be kept
employed during the busy farming sea-
son.
The general opinion Of those best ac-
quainted with all these farms is that the
State option on the Caledonia tracts
is more favorable than that on the
Northampton farm, the option price or
the latter being nearly twice as large
1t should be said in this connection
however that the investigating commit
tee has not as yet decided to recommend
to the board of directors the purchase
of any particular farm, despite published
reports to the contrary. 1t will, if it
full examination of all tracts held under
option.
BETTER FOR CONNECTS.
One strong argument in favor of the
purchase and continued operation of
farms by the State. from a humanitarian
point of view, is that it is great deal
better for the convicts than confinement
IN, hn nd s.f,s
may seem the number of escapes from
the farms is perhaps less than from the
central prison.
OF course the statement that farm
work is better for the convicts is based
on the condition that a man and not a
brute is put over them as supervisor of
each farm. Such a man, for example,
as Capt Rhem of Caledonit No. 2, or
Capt. McIver of Caledonia No. /, against
whom nothing has been urged by any one
here.
PROFITABLENESS OF FARMS.
In regard to the proftableness of the
farms, former Supervisor Dixon said
that he was confident his farm, Gale
donna No. 2, paid last year from $780,
600 to $4,000 above expenses, though
he had no accurate means of estimating
it. The farm formerly under private
management paid more than that sum
and many improvements have been
made in the way of dyking and draining
the land since the State took charge.
ACREAGE DISTRIBUTION.
In this connection it may be observed
that the acreage under cultivation al
the various State farms is as follows:
Cot Corn Pea
ton. nuts.
Caledonia No. 1..... 900 1000 $50
Caledonia No. g.. 900 800 $50
Northampton. :. :. 900 800 100
Tillery.. !. :. ..... 800 -. 325
Halifax. :. 49,. 600 200 $50
AnSOH.. HUI
Castle Hayne. ...... -. -. $50
Total. I. !. !. .4,5o0 $500 1,175
The estimated yield is:
Cotton. -. -. ...... 5000 bales.
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