The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-12
STEADY ADvANC cement

A New Era in Lumber Industry. Agri-
cultural Expansion. Shipping Of
Early Vegetables and Truck. New
and Bigger Factories. General Pros.
perity Touching Every Line OF De-
veIopment in Eastern North Car
DINA.
"A good land. a land of brooks, of
water, of fountains and depths that
spring out of valleys and hills; land
of wheat and barley, and vines and
fig trees, and pOmegranates; land OF
oil olive and honey; a land wherein
thou shalt eat bread without scarce
ness, thou shalt not lack for any
thing."-(Deut. Will. Z, 8, 81
1t is the object of this page to direct
attention to what has been appro
priately called 1.-THE Market Garden OF
the South" The name is suggestive
of fertile lands and frequent streams,
of growing crops and prosperous
homes, of peace and plenty. These
anticipations are in every respect fully
justified by Eastern North Carolina.
From the tidewater section of the.
State-the lowlands lying parallel to
the Atlantic Coast-embracing an ex-
tensive territory, comes such an album
dance and variety of products as can
hardly be equalled anywhere else il
the Union. "As a matter of fact" say;
the Chattanooga Tradesman, March
1905), sit is one of the most fertile
not only in this country, but probabl,''
in the world
During the period from Dec. /, un
til April /, and frequently for long
er time, it supplies very large pro-
portion of the vegetables consumed in
both New England and the Middle
States, and even in the Northwest,
while from the standpoint of the fruit
crop it is of the utmost importance.
BY far the most extensive fisheries on
the Atlantic coast of the United States
are comprised in the sounds and other
bodies of water embraced in this ter
ritory. while the shipments of oysters
form a source, of great revenue.
But it is of the wide range of crops
i'm the territory traversed by the At
lantic and North Carolina Railroad
that we wish to speak more part1cu-
larly. Not only are vegetables raised
for market in immense quantity and
greatest variety. but the agricultural
products of the territory under con-
sideration comprise cotton, tobacco,
corn, wheat, oats. broom corn, peanuts
and melons. Both cotton and corn
are staple crops of all this area. To-
bacco is also an important product in
most of 1t. The wide bottoms OF
: the rivers and swampS furnish some
of the best corn lands in the country,
and the production of corn in different
localities is in proportion TO the extent
of these heavy lands, which are used
almost exclusively for this crop Cot
ton tobacco and peanuts are grown
on the higher lands. Nearly the
whole region is undertake with mari
very valuable fTrtilizing material
that abounds in sufficient quantity to
keep the land fertile and productive
fer centuries to come.
Grows Vegetables For The World.
Statistics which have been COM
piled by the Government relative to
agricultural development CT the United
States give an idea of the great I'M
portance of this tidewater section OF
North Carolina in this respect. In
1900 Southern farmers devoted 267.-
900 acres of their cultivated land to
vegetables alone. OF this area nc
less than $4,000 acres in North Caro-
lima. With such a broad expanse de-
voted to this division of farming it Is
not surprising that the returns in a
questionable if any one could eSti-
mate the extent of this revenue with
ont thorough canvass of the country
In 1900 the total valuation of the
products of vegetable farms in the
Southern States, including Delaware
was actually $1S,00O,OOO. North
Carolina contributed $1,657, 900, as its
Share.
The last census showed that fully
cne-ifth of all the vegetable growers
in the United States resided in the
South. which accounts for the signi-
icance of the figures quoted, but the
profits which resulted from this phase
"f Southern activity have been such
that within the last three or four
" especially there has been a very
eSter sive movement of settlers int
tho egion. and the acreage of truck
far, as well as other farms has beer
v~ry 'argely increased. 1t is safe t.
saw hat the present annual value o.
rell';'~ products from the territory
'"cr toned is from 80 to 40 per cent
rcatsr than in 1900, when the above
lures were made by the Government
Rapid Development of the Industry.
To give a further idea of how rapid
J. the truck farming industry has ex
'snded in this section, d few statistics
~'ay be quoted relative to the produc
''Hn Of various staples, Taking swee
rntatoes as an example, it may be sale
thnt the Southern States and the State
- New Jersey yield nearly all of the
@rld's supply of sweet potatoes, OF
per cent. Nine counties in NORTH
Crrnlina have an annual harvest o.
about 200. 900 bushels each.
IN word. so wonderful is its sol
n - favorable the climate that East
orr. North Carolina leads all thu
states of the Union in the extent ant
variety of vegetables grown. In thu
growth of fine Strawberries it easil,
takes first place. 1t also ranks frs