The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-16
FARMING LANDS ARE RICH

New County Stands to the
Front in Splendid Farming Land
1t Offers Some of the Best II Big
gest of Inducements.
(By D. l.. Gore in wilmington
Dispatch.)
The county Of New Hanover runs
from Fort Fisher on the South up
Cape Fear river to a short distance
above Castle Hayne on the North East
branch Of the Cape Fear river. thence
a direct line East across to the ocean
and then in a southerly line to Fort
Fisher; thence bounded on one SIDE
by the river and on the other by the
ocean. It is about IA miles wild at
the northern end and runs to a point
at the southern end.
This is the county that Mr.. Giles
Westbrook, a we'll known trader, sald
was the best truckers climate in three
States. Give him the climate and he
would make the soil. The Gulf Stream
runs so near the lane here that we are
from 10 days to two weeks earlier with
our truck crops than people 40 or 80
miles either north or south on the
railroads out of here.
We have six railroads centerlng
here; only three systems but six
lines. The last and newest Of these is
the line now partially finished from
here to Southport. We have first class
macadam roads extending in every
direction; the last one being built
is running from this place to Fort
Fisher, to the south of this city. We
also have an up-to-date trolley line
from here to Wrightsville Beach and
large and commOdiOus hotels there.
We have four other trolley ines con-
templated and to be built in the near
fuure, I hope. Namely: one to run
from here to Castle Hayne on the
North; one to SCOTS Hill on the East,
one to Sound on the south
east, and last but not least one to
run to Fort Fisher on the south.
And here in this land made by our
Creator especially for truck crops we
have some u~p-to-date truck farmers.
We also haye cotton farmers who
make over a bale Of cotton to the acre
and are destined to make more cotton
han that when they get more used to
growing it. But our truck farmers are
sin lover If they did but know it,"
Just walking over diamonds daily but
they just can't see them.
Lettuce has made as high as $4,000
per acre; IRISH potatoes as high as
5000 to $500 per acre; grapes at the
rate of $500 per acre; asparagus from
500 to $3.50 per acre. Asparagus is
only planted once in about Is years,
SO you see it is a perpetual crop for
Is years continuously. | think aspara-
gus as safe a crop for a reasonable
revenue to make one year after an
other, as any crop. The growers tell
me there always is a good demand for
It and the crop never was known to
fail, SO it pays we'll. We have beans.
onions, radishes, eggplant and many
other crops, but like lettuce, you can
almost if not always grow them in
profuse quantities, but the market is
sometimes glutted and the net profits
are at times small We AVE raised as
much as 100 bushels of corn to the
acre and 400 bushels Of sweet pota-
toes to the acre. Our shipping facili-
ties are the best; we a ship all per-
roads, and the nOn-perishable we can
ship by steamer either to the north or
south Of US, or if you prefer, you can
ship these on the railroad.
Nature las done a great deal for us
In the way Of soil and climate, and the
captains Of industry have don much
in the way of railroads, trolley and
to-date faremers, but like Oliver Twist,
we are actually asking for moro of
them. Our lands are as susceptible to
improvements as any in the world;
what we need is people that will work
six day each week and do it intelli-
gently and all the family work, includ-
ing father, and then take care of
what they make. If this idea is ear
ried out | would be willing to guarantee
success in the end.
Each man is an architect of his
own fortune, and as I am both mer-
a n farmer I talk much with
the farmers Of this State and South
Carolina. I can say the farmer who
does it intelligently is making more
money, according to capital invested,
than any other calling I think in this
I know he is beating the gro
Gerry merchant and especially the
wholesale grocer.