The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-12
COMING MONEY.
The Tobacco Industry Making Robe
son County Kfch-Lands Specially
Adopted TO Bright Leaf-KObescn
Goes UP Ahead of Any County In the
Colder Tobacco Belt.

With his heels cooked up on banlsters
at The Orton piazza yesterday was Cap
tain r. 7. Fawcett, of Lumberton. He
was here on his way to the North Car
DINA and Virginia tobacco markets TO
hunt buyers, SO they can be kept on
the string when the tobacco sales open
at Lumberton in August.
Captain Fawcett is manager Of the
Lpmberton Leaf Tobacco Warehouse.
@of which Messrs. Colwell and Carlyle,
A1r. L. H.. Colwell and Captain Berry
Goodwin are proprietors. Just three
years e the farmers in Robson coun-
ry found out hat they could raise to-
bacco, and judging from what Captain
Fawcett says, it is destined to become
the greatest tobacco county in North
Carolina In 1886 a quarter of a mil
lion pounds Of tobacco were raised in
Robson, but since then tobacco Gull
ture has made great strides in that
county. Even last year the production
of tobacco in Robson county amounted
to only th~ree-quarters Of a million
pounds, but Captain FaWcett informs
US that the crop this year Will yield
from 4,000,0 600 ito 5000, 900 pounds.
The armer in the county
themselves trying to make a living
with cotton and corn, so they tried to-
bacco culture in an experimental way.
The result opened their eyes, and they
nave found that it is the most profita-
bile crop nat they can grow. Captain
FaWcett tells US that he is underestl-
mating the facts when he declares that
every farmer who planted tobacco last
year did not net less than 800 per
ncro Tvhj11 ha knows of Some who have
made from $3.50 to $500 per acre on to-
baccO.
Captain Fawcett is a tobacco man
from who laid the rail-" and from his
youth has been engaged in tobacco Gull
ture and the handling of tobacco in
Caswell and Orange counties in Golden
Tobacco Belt of North Carolina. He
declared therefore, that he knows what
he is talking about when he say Robe
son has the finest tobacco lands in the
world. By long odds, it is the best to-
bacco district in this country. The
culture, and that for quality Of pro-
duct and the yield per acre it goes up
head of all the counties of North Caro-
lima. The lands produce what is known
as the very best quality of bright to-
baccO and in all the tobacco anufac
turing centres Robson county tobacco
mas acquired a great reputation. Some
Of the farmers sold their crop last year
ait SAT per hundred pounds. They have
their crop for this season planted and
it is growing finely and looking we'll.
In view of the great increase in pro-
duction the warehouse at Lumberton
is doubling it's capacity, increasing the
floor room so as to provide for 100000
pounds at a time, instead of $4,000
pound
Speaking of the adaptibilty of Robe
son county lands for tobacco culture,
Capital FaWcett says their point of SUI
periOrity is that they are level, easily
cultivated and fertile. In the hill cOun-
ties the plants are set by hand and the
hoe is used in c~ultivating tobacco,
whereas in Robson the farmers sit
on sulky plows n set out their plants
by machinery.
Eastern North Carolina is bound to
become the great tobocco belt of North
Carolina, declares Captain Fawcett.
Many of eastern counties have lands
similar to those of Robson, notably
Bladen and Columbus, where the farm
ers are also making a fine success in
it's culture. The climate here is also
one of the advantages. In the old to-
bacco belt the crop is planted in May
and harvested in October, while in
eastern North Carolina the farmers
plant their crop in April, harvest it in
July and pocket their money in Au-
gust. 1T also requires less fuel to cure
tobacco in this section, and as to yield
we are informed that the average pro-
duction of tobacco in Robson, for in
stance, is 1000 pounds per acre, while
in the old counties the average is GOO
pounds
The great advantage this section pos
sesses for agriculture is that in mid
summer the farmer pockets his money
for his tobacco crop, get it out OF the
way in time to pull fodder and in turr
to gather his corn and cotton crops.
Nature has simply smiled all over
this part of North Carolina and lavish.
ed her choicest blessings on it. This
people in the country are going tC
gather in wealth from their tobacco
cotton, corn and peanut crops and from
the strawberry n trucking industry
and the towns and cities are going tC
manufacture to keep up with the pro
cession. ISM it a pity that people al
over the world who want homes dc
not know of the measureless resources
of this section, and are not aware that
this is the garden spot of the earth,
with it's healthful climate added to its
other advantages?