The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-12-03
NORTH CAROLINA PINE.

because it was written from this region
of the State in which many OF Our
readers are interested. We do not
a1ree with the writer in all his state
ments, but our readers cen take 1t as
they please.
"Editor Manufacturers Record:
"Before the war this field blossomed
like a rose. To-day it is vast forest
of pine timber, interpreted with small
cotton patches. Those who held it
lost their slaves, and, in the main, left
the country, and their former laborers
gradually scattered over the country,
leaving but comparatively few here
to till the soil. The result was that
pine took the place OF cotton, and the
former large plantations are today for
ests of second-growth pine, tall straight
and thick-so thick that frequently it
will cut 10000 to 10000 or 5000 feet
of lumber to the acre. The soil is
fine, and, properly titled, yields
bale of cotton to the acre, while no fin
er tobacco is produced on ears than
grows on those lands, underlain with
dense clays and, sapprolites which ad
NIT of heavy and successful fertiliza
ton.
"The neglected condition of the
country renders lands cheap, while the
standing timber is to be bought at
from 81 to $l.25 per acre stumpage, es-
timated by timber experts, hired for
that purpose, and who, in the nature
of things, do not overestimate. Ran
SONS Bridge, where now am, is near
the corner of Nash, Franklin,
Halifax and Warren counties, North
Carolina. 1t is twenty miles to Louis
burg, twenty-three miles from Little
ton, both upon the road of the Sea
board Air Line, while Nashville, upon
the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, is
distant eighteen miles.
We're there railroad here the pine
timber upon the lands would bring
the prices up from the present of from
SIS to $40 per acre to $50 Or $40 for
the timber alone, while the land
would proportionately increase in val
ue. Railway surveys have been made
through the section, while for the past
two or three years two lumber concerns
haye been buying an occasional tract
oil timber, and they propose to run
tramways in from the main line to re-
move what they have bought, but as
their deeds usually allow from ten to
fifteen years for the removal OF the lar
ger timber only, a wonderful opportu-
nifty lie open for broad-guage road to
tap ard redeem this fertile lied.
"Were tbs lands held IL large bound
aries and the facts OF the amount and
timber known, promoters would invade
the field and make known existing op-
portunities But as the holdings
range from so to 1000 or 5000 acres
and lie remote from railroad, the two
companies above referred to are practi-
cally the only buyers OF pine timber.
In addition to the second-growth pine,
considerable original growth timber is
encountered, but it is, as is the other,
neglected. Tar river, Great Fishing
creek and other streams traverse the
section and furnish ample and cheap
transportation of the timber to the
coast.
"The growth of the young pine il
wonderful, as within the period named
some OF it has reached a diameter o.
thirty to forty inches, and it is rapid,
Increasing in size. The natural in.
creasing demand for lumber aud it,
rapid growth assure the purchase,
large profits in holding, while active
operators will scarcely find a field tt
equal it. HENRY V. MAXWELL,
"Ransom's Bridge, N. c."