The gold leaf., 1909-10-07

in Eastern North Carolina
Whose Lead Might be Fol-
lowed by Others.
Wilmington Star.
This adjunct Of the Star has de-
lighted in calling attention to the
illimitable resources and opportuni-
ties of North Carolina-especially
Eastern Carolina-and we have not
failed to deplore the fact that we
have slept over splendid opportuni-
ties, such as few States can offer.
Thousands of North Carolinians have
gone from Central and Western North
Carolina to the West when if they
had moved East n hundred .Or SO
miles i'll their own State, they would
have found Il region that equals any
land under the sun
The far Eastern section of North
Carolina is terra incognito to many
people in the State. but the publicity
that the press brings is attracting
attention to a country which such an
able paper as the Washington Post
declares Twill surpass Iowa" The
Post has joined The Star in speaking
of the wonders of the Eastern section
OF the State, and this from our es-
teemed Washington contemporary
reads about as good of novel:
"John A. Wilkinson lives at Bella
ven, n c. He was born on IL back
woods farm Z miles from his present
residence. That was before Belhaven
came into existence, for Wilkinson
has built that prosperous town of
1000 people. That section of North
Carolina which lies between the Abe
marie and Pamlico sounds was prac-
tically a swamp in the early life of
Wilkinson, and wrestling livelihood
from his fathers clearing resolved it.
self into a battle against too much
moisture. The family victories were
often near defeats, with tragedy al
ways in the Offering.
''When Wilkinson had grown into
young manhood a railroad was built
into that section for the sake of the
timber it contained and the young
native son made fortune in lumber
in the fifteen years that followed.
Incidentally he sold lumber the coun-
try over and got the viewpoint of
the great outside. He began to think
of applying what he had learned to
the lands of his native heath. Scien-
tific agriculture, practical drainage,
offered opportunity for experiment.
He tried these on the farm of his boy
hood. The result was such crops as
Illinois never dreamed of. He grew
Is barrels of potatoes, and followed
with 3 bushels of corn the same sea-
son and sold the crop for $4OO to
the acre. He netted $4,000 on a
field of cotton containing $50 acres.
Such staple crops as corn and cotton
yielded regularly $50 to to acre and
better. Wilkinson determined to
bring the possibility of this yield to
that 100000 acres of land that
skirted ITO coast between the two
sounds.
"He called upon the National De-
partment of Agriculture to investi-
gate it's soils, establish it's levels, and
tell him the manner in which it
should be drained and farmed. The
soils were found to be 10 feet deep
with the vegetable deposits of ages;
the lands high enough for drainage,
and the matter of farming merely
the application of the principle of
thoroughness.
"Wilkinson secured legislation
which authorized the formation of
drainage districts to bond them
selves for their own improvement
upon a vote of three-ffths of the
acreage He gained control of the
necessary amount of land to drain
the whole region, and today his
dredges are plowing great canals
through the forest-covered swamps
10 feet wide, 8 feet deep, and but a
mile apart. His men are telling the
timber in tracts of 5000 acres at a
time, a match being set to it when it
| is dry, and without cultivation corn
is being planted in the loose loan
and a crop is raised among the char
red logs and stumps that pays for
the whole operation.
This accomplishment is multiplying
the value of the land by 20 and its
productiveness by 1000. 1t is con-
verting the most despised region in
| the United States into a farming
community which Wilett NJ. Hays,
Assistant Secretary of Agriculture,
says will surpass Iowa. 1t is making
wealthy the coon-hunting compan-
ions of the youth of the man who is
doing the work 1t is feeding the
multitude and building a monument
to its moving spirit that will endure
| forever Yet men have beeen growing
up in this section for 800 years and
missing its opportunities. The pos
slblllties were not apparent. Similar
chances rest latent in a thousand
communities for the men who are
able to see them"
In the above the Post has contrib
uted an article of intense interest
concerning our part OF the State. 1t
will give wide publicity to the i'm
mensely fertile lands OF our swamp
region and it should bring to this
part of the State many people who
are looking for lands that tt e West