The farmer and mechanic., 1913-12-09
WANTED THE WORLD TO KNOW
ABOUT ADVANTAGES OF BLADEN
Were These Understood By Crowded Populations of North
and West County Would Soon Have Plenty of Rail-
roads and People.

changing exhibit of entertaining
city.
Magnificent Forests.
Some of the most magnificent pine
forests in the world originally Gov
cred all OF this country. | was in a
big pine forest on the old Jessup prop
erty few years ago with Pennsyl-
vanla lumberman of experience in the
timber country from one ocean to the
other, and he was enthusiastic over
the Jessup pine. He said that in all
his experience he had never seen a
more magnificent display of large and
handsome clean pine or other timber
trees. Many of the stately giants
looked as though they would cut not
less than two thousand feet of lum-
ber to the tree, and they stood SO close
as to almost wholly shut out the sun
Another lumberman who looked at
this forest said that while he would
like to have the trees at his mill it
would be Sacrilege to cut such Splen-
did forest treasures.
Pity that all lumbermen are not
actuated more by such a sense of ap-
probation. Unfortunately the COM
mercial spirit is the one that is upper
most, and the forests Of Bladen have
been stripped of large proportion of
| the fine primeva? growth, and the rest
Charming Lakes.
Bladen is unusual in a way among
| the scounties Of the State in having
within it's borders number Of charm
ing little fresh water lakes. These
lakes abound in fish, and because the
inha bitants are not many it is likely
they will be good fishing places for q
long time. Some Of them are almost
inaccessible. except by foot paths. but
when cnce reached they are worth
all the trouble.
| Blaoen is O. big county. 1t has YET
many thousand acres of good timber
The swamps abound with juniper thai
will make telegraph and telephone
poles for years, and If the small ones
are permitted to grow the crop will
continue to bear profitable return:
steadily. In the low grounds are mil
lions Of feet of gum and cypress, tht
trees growing to enormous size. Over
the higher land is still a lot Of pine
although nothing like the original for
eSts. The turpentine man Is Still
finding a little Of his peculiar product
But the main prospect Of Bladel
county is the vast acreage Of unused
land, and the possibilities Of fertilit.
that will come when the swamp,
ground is drained, and roads and rail
roads bring the lands in touch will
the markets, so that men may max
/. things to sell, and be able to bu,
things that are to be sold from othe
places.
Well Watered.
Bladen is we'll watered county
:. On the east boundary is the Soutl
: river, stream that occasions a lOn
) strip of swamp land. The Cape Fea
, runs through the center. Cold Cam
r bounds the entire west side. On tn
To-
. creek, Turnbull and COlly creek, an
t these streams are lined with swan
e and bottom land. covered with thicks
and Jungle that so far is given owe
4 to bears deer, timber thickets an
huckleberry bushes.
r Bladen is hardly a swamp count,
/ neither IS 1t an upland county.
shares the advantages of both. 1t ha
a large acreage Of land that is capabl
y of reclamation at not very grea
Y cost, yet which is low enough to max
n excellent farms when it Is put in cor
: dition The yield Of cotton and cor
a in some of the Bladen county bottom
Il is evidence of what that territory Wi
e do some day when the ground IS IN
It proved.
The climate of Bladen is admirabl
d and the water of the best qualit
: William Pridgen, who died at the az
o Of 122 years about sixty years ago,
r cited as evidence Of the healthfulne:
(, Of the county. as he was the olde
n man in the United States for sever;
! years.
Close to Nature.
Is have not been looking at Blade
IS county as a possible farming count
It nor a possible lumber county. nor
e possible anything else that is pract
= CAL The thing that has struck II
l. about this section of the state is
e charming appeal to the man w
l. wants to get close to nature.
IL | stood one DAY among some OF II
a big cypress trees in the Turn4oll cree