The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-09-03
Correspondence Charlotte Observer.

| Correspondence Charlotte Observer.
ST. LOUIS, Aug. ia hunter S
lodge, abounding with trophies of
the chase, standing where the pro-
duct of forest and stream meet, will
be one of North Carolina'e e attractive
features in that States exhibit in the
palace of forestry, fish and game at
the Universal Exposition of 1904 at
st. Louis. There will be other ex-
hibits, equally valuable. in the agri-
culture, horticulture, mines and man
! ufacturing departments, but no one
will appeal to all classes more than
the hunters lodge and it's surround
ings.
The hunters lodge will be typical
structure standing in the center of Il
parallelogram prominently situated
in the forestry palace. On one side
will be the forestry features and on
the other will be the natural history
display, the lodge being on neutral
ground and partaking Of all the
characteristics OF both. North Caro-
lima timbers will be used in the con-
struction OF the lodge. The aoors
will be covered with rugs made from
the skins of animals slain in the chase
in North Carolina forests and noun
tains The walls will be decorated
| with mounted specimens OF all the
wild animals and birds that are to
be found in this State, whose extreme
length is 5O3A miles and whose great
est breadth is 1917 miles, extending
from the Atlantic ocean West to the
Smoky Mountains that separate it
from Tennessee. The streams of the
mountains, forest and ocean all con-
tribute fish from their waters to en-
rich the exhibit They are beautifully
mounted and used for decorative
purposes and appear as natural as
when they were in their native ele-
| ment.
In a great hollow tree in front of
the lodge the visitor may take peep
and see the den of an opossum with
the dam surrounded by her young
The taxidermist has faithfully treated
his subject and it is difficult to con-
ceive that the animals, IN their
various attitudes, are not really
alive.
The walls and ceiling are decorated
with the weapons used in the chase
and the tackle used for catching fish.
The bows and arrows used by the
Indians before the advent of the
white man with his more deadly rife
and shotgun are artistically grouped
with the arms used by modern hunt
ers. Suspended from the high ceiling
are the seines and other apparatus,
while on the walls are rods and fish
ing outfits OF all periods. In the
| centre OF the lodge is a desk and
chairs and cosy corners abound in
all parts OF the lodge, which is meant
as headquarters for North Carroll
mans and other visitors who may
| want q place to rest while. in the
great palace.
| When Columbus discovered Ameri-
ca in 1892 there stood in q mountain
gorge in Cherokee county, North
Carolina, a tulip poplar tree that
was then 400 years old. For four
more centuries it grew and flOurished
and was recently felled in order that
it might enter into an exhibit for the
Worlds Fair at ST. Louis. The
great tree was 13 feet in diameter at
the base when cut The gorge in
which it grew was SO inaccessible,
being forty miles from a railroad,
that it was impossible to obtain Il
section near the base. Forty feet up
where the tree was little more than
six feet in diameter disk was cut.
This has been polished and will occu-
py place in front of the hunter S
lodge. On the polished disk has been
engraved the important historical
events of the North State from the
time that Sir Walter Raleigh, the
gallant cavalier from Queen Eliza
beth's court, took possession of the
land in his sovereign's name Oh July
4, 1888, through the colonial days,
during the Revolution and up to the
present time. Another section of the
wonderful old tree will stand like a
monument in the forestry exhibit
1t is ten feet high. A portion has
been dressed, polished and varnished
while the lower portion is covered
with the bark. Other trees are shown
in equally attractive and in different
forms.
North Carolina, occupying com
mon ground between the sub-tropicaI
growth of the South and the hardy
products of the Northern ATTITUDES
produces crops of almost endless
varieties. In the Eastern section o.
the State the soil is mostly of allu
vial formation and cotton, corn
tobacco, peanuts and potatoes are
leading products. Stone fruits and
pears, small fruits and garden pro
duets yield abundantly. Toward the
mountain region of the West corn
wheat. rye, oats, hay, apples, sOr
ghum and buckwheat are profitable
crops. All these will be drawn upo1
to make a complete exhibit for the
agriculture and horticulture depart
ments. But it is in the tobacco ex
hibit that North Carolina will take
an especially commanding part il
the great universal exhibit of tobacco
arranged for the palace of agriculture
by Chief Taylor and Superintendent
of Special Exhibits Thomas K. Bru
ner, who is a native North Carolinial
and for 16 years secretary of th'
State Board of Agriculture. Will
her annual production OF 127, 900,
900 pounds OF tobacco she is easil,
the second State in the Union in th
quantity produced and in quality NJ
State is her superior.