The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-12
LOPMENT IN
 NORTH CAROLINA Dr. s. A. Knapp Outlines Plan to Benefit the Farmer GREAT STA7E RESOURCES pr. Knapp Tells How Much Good Can Be Done By Irrigation and What Kind of Crops Will Be Most
 Profitable.

Charlotte, N. C., January 11.-"Men of North Carolina, do you realize what a wonderful state you have?' exclaimed pr. Seaman A Knapp in addressing gath ering of farmers here today. This ad- dress was in connection with his lecture tour through the southeastern states which he is conducting in conjunction with the efforts made by the Southern railway to attract settlers along it's lines. Dr. Knapp, whose work in the depart ment of agriculture has attracted wide at tention, then unfolded a plan for the de- yelopment of agriculture In North Caro- lima that seemed almost like story from the Arabian Nights.
 Both drainage and irrigation were prom inent themes of the speaker. The total area ot the state, he said. was 31,193,Oco acres, while the cultivated area was only 5,769, 1854 acres. The number of acres re- quiring drainage was 2,74.00O, or nearly one-half of the total area cultivated at the present time.
 Let us take a little inventory of our estate" suggested the scientist. lover one-half is timber, but mostly poor tim Der. A great deal of the best timber has been selected and sold for trff1ing amount. One-fourth of the land is i'm proved One-sixth is cultivated. That is, one-sixth of the entire area must pay the taxes on the five-sixths and support your entire population"
 Although North Carolina has an unus- ually good rainfall and mainly evenly distributed at the same time there are seasons of the year, he said, when certain crops would do great deal better if there was a little more rain. For that reason irrigation would be extremely val uable in the Old North State. He ad- yised following the plan adopted by some of the western states by which the main cost of drainage works would be assessed to the adjacent lands, because such lands reap the immediate benefit. These lands, he said, once properly drained, would be worth from $50 to s100 an acre. They would be excellent for rice and for truck farming purposes.
 T apprehend also" added the doctor, that in North Carolina the making of the reservoirs in the mountains, the will lowing of the small streams to prevent silt and the daming of the rivers where necessary to secure waterfall would create sufficient power for all the purposes of the state, heating, lighting, transporta- ton and manufactures. That is a strong statement, but I think it is correct"
 pr. Knapp declared that in the western region of the state, if the reservoirs were made and the steep hillsides reforested, a remarkable region for the growth of fruit would be created. A variety of crops relating to general farming could be raised.
 Practically" he said, you are using abo1t one-sixth of your state and you are getting about one-third of the crop out of the one-sixth or only one-eighteenth of the crop you ought to get, and you are trying to get rich by using one eighteenth of your resources
 Summing up the character of work to be done for the development of the state. Dr. Knapp continued:
 Thus equipped, North Carolina would become one of the greatest producing states and one of the greatest manufac- turing states of the union. It would be possible under such conditions to produce sl.0oo, 0o0O00 worth of products upon the farms and $1, ,OO0, ,0O0O00 from factories in a single year and support a population of ID 0D0 OOO neon1e 'f