The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-01-13
RALEIGH N C.. TUESDAY. JANUARY 49, 1892. t3o1
A TRIP IN THE
LAND OF THE SKY.

dence of Short Horn blood. But little
corn is grown, and to the passer by the
whole country seems in grass. On this
elevated section the people must always
be graziers and raisers of cattle for
others to finish; for corn is selling there
now for 81 % per bushel and they cannot
afford to finish beeves. / was told that
they will send many cattle to Illinois to
fatten this fall. The country east of the
Blue Ridge, where corn and cow peas
can be grown will always be able to beat
the mountain plateau in finishing beeves
if they once realize their opportunity,
which as yet they do not. The idea of
planting cherry trees in the street was
a novel one, and they told us that the
trees supplied all the town with all the
cherries they wanted We rather envied
them the cherries, since down in the
warm part of the State they cannot be
grown. But up here among the white
pines and hemlocks it was hard to real
ize that down in the far
corner of the same State
there were cabbage palms in the
forest. From Jefferson to Sparta was
another rough ride of twenty-five miles.
Sparta is a village in Allegheny county,
and is the county seat. The stockmen
turned out and we had there, as at JEFF
ferson, an interesting meeting The same
evening after the close Of the meeting
we drove eight miles to hotel at Roar
ing Gap on the crest of the Blue Ridge.
This crest is but a hundred or two feet
above the valleys through which we had
been travelling, and we there at once got
an idea of the height of the great Ale
ghany plateau, for on reaching the hotel
we suddenly came out on a crest and
no Of ht.
Yadkin River, which lay like a map
down below US in vast panorama, and
we could see towns from right to left
that are eighty miles apart by rail. The
view is far more extensive, though less
impressive in the nearby view than at
Blowing Rock, though the site is 1000
feet lower than at Blowing Rock. A
drive the next morning down the noun
tain brought to Elkin, and the Elk
Inn, where they show the horns of the
last elk killed in the valley. A short
railroad ride to Rural Hall and then
fourteen miles drive in to the foothills
called the Sauratown mountains brought
to the Wade Mecum springs where
there was a crowd of people drinking the
salty lithia water. We had a rousng
crowd the following morning in a sec
ton where Institutes have never before
Dee0 QelQ. he next Qay down TO lT-c
railroad again and off for Raleigh tired
and worn, but enjoying the trip and
hoping that much good has been done.
One popularity in the mountains of
North Carolina strikes the stranger.
This is that on nearly ali of these noun
tains, unlike mountains in general, the
soil is rich to the top. and there is
constant temptation to clear steep lands
for cultivation which should always be
left in forest. The magnificent forests
are rapidly giving way, and it is hop&d
that the Appalachian Park will be es-
tablished by the next Congress, and pre-
serve these sources of the rivers from
being cleared, and the lower country
from disastrous floods. In these noun
tains there is the greatest forest growth,
particularly of hard wood trees, on the
continent, and in looking out from the
mountain top one is impressed by the
| fact that the forest still covers by far
the larger part of the country as far as
the eye can reach. A wise system of
forestry Will preserve this forest for all
time and make it profitable TO do so.
Now the lumber men are wasting it,