The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-19
PROSPEROUS
CUMBERLAND.
81 Large Trucking Interests Near.
Fayetteville.
1LyLANDS ALONG CAPE FEAR
0t Cumberland Il one Of the Largest
Counties In North Carollna-it Is 4
Shaped Much Like the Sunken
III Crater Of, a Volcano. W ID z, r.

n 1ts (Spocful To The Times. Dis atch.)
~ FAYETTSVlLLE,i April led oubtleas
9 there are districts OF greater extent and
\ larger output In garden products between
D the Northern markets and Florida. than
i that Immediately tributary to Fayette-
vile; but certainly none shows Y more
rapid and profitable development than
Cumberland county.
! l. IT is one OF the largest counties In
North Carolina, In area rs we'll as pop
\ nlaton. comprising 49. 300 acres or about
! fs0 square miles, a stretch Of territory,
IL Which,Fi II square, would measure twenty
4 eight miles on the side. The county is
y sshaped much like the sunken crater OF
y volcanic mountain. with the northernt
j western and southern wallis upright and
] Intact, and the eastern wall prostrate..
The basin includes Fayetteville (ncarly
all OF Cross Creek Township across
] Cape Fear River. on to the county lines
OF Bladen and Sampson. taking IN Black
River, 3 Flea ELL. Cedar Creek and
Beaver Dam Townships. The northern.
western and southern wallis are Of great
Il breadth, reaching to the borders Of Hn ar
q nett, Moore, Richmond and Robeson
River, ouewhiffie, Seventy First. Pearces
Mill R0ckhsh and Gray's Creek Town
ahins AliTthis extent OF country is very
E yyeil swatercd, tho principal streams be-
sides the Cape Foar. being Black ana
Z Little Rivers and Beaver. RocK lInsn,
n Cross, Locks and Flat Creeks.
or course, the most productive Ianos
lie Immediately along the Cape Fear,
with the alluvial deposits OF centuries,
reinforced BY the annual oyerfiows. BRING
Inn wood s-1nold and other vegetable
and animal matter. on substrata OF
blue mari. II is said that the river bot
tom farmer can. well afford to cultivate
his land IL the yearly freshets VIII spare
\ him ono crop in four. The land across
4 the Cape Fear for few miles is 81 M
81 lar to that along Its banks, but furthcr
east and southeast 1T becomes lighter
with an admixturc OF sand. Still II pro-
d,loes great crops OF corn. one thrifty
J, farmer being known as Corn John
ahIIair,, who, 1t Is said, nevcr bought a
Il bushel OF corn, q pound OF bacon. or q
/ Ton OF forage in his life &. /,
4 Except Immediately contiguous to the
\, streams, the soil OF northern. western
4 and southern Cumberland did not IN the
past ran high az productive land, until
+ the system OF intensive farming devell.
oped in It valuable qualities Independent
al more fertilizing-ease q OF cultivation,
capacity for withdrawing drou ght and
n tho reception OF much water, adaptation
v to rotation OF crops. etc. The farmers ra1
were fairly good livers. raising corn and
cotton, few sheep. and the average
number OF hogs. In the curing OF which
n Into bacon they wore adopts. But until
tho round, long-leaf pine was exhausted,
leaving great stretches OF almost desc.
81 late country clear on to the Seabonrd
Air Line Railroad, naval stors oper a.
tjons--tree- boxing and dlsttlllns-contri-
i buted the main money producer OF that
section.
Es Ii was not until some years after tho
Civil War that market gardening tools a
foothold in this county, and It Is only
within few years that It has become
a prominent industry. Cumberland sweet
potatoes and watermelons have always
ranked high for excellence, hut, except
for these stand-bys, the market Ere
duce was meag gre. It was oven thought
for long time that, at least west ct