The farmer and mechanic., 1913-12-09

not make our hands touch around the /
trees, one of us standing on each side !
OF the tree. | never saw larger tim
Der east Of California in any quantity !
1t is worth going miles TO get into
SUCH forest as some Of those that
line the swamps. The juniper forests
are the densest ! ever saw 1t seems
as though the trees stood SO close that
it is hardly possible to pass between
them, and with the underground that
comes up not much but bear or
Noccasin snake can progress very far
"Se juniper tangles.
70, IT operations are still in prog
Il ~VPr den county. some of them
on So 2. Ohio. Pennsylvania
and ", 't8 sinia folks have been
carrying o.- Imbering, and more is
to be made by these people. When
they have finished they will leave be-
hind them vast tracts of denuded land
| that will mean the making of great
plantations that will follow, and which
will bring to Bladen county wealth
and development.
n Fine Prospect.
In the valley OF Harrison creek is
one Of the finest prospects on earth.
| There is a broad fiat scope of land
| that only needs clearing off and ditch
! ing to make a principality. Corn.
cotton, garden truck, hay and grain
| can be made in the Harrison creek
country almost without limit. Prob
ably large percentage Of the land is
good for tobacco. Over on Turnbull
| creek is another similar opportunity.
Farther down is Colly creek, where all
| the conditions are quite similar.
The construction of railroad from
st. PauIs on the Coast line, down to
Eliza abethtown, the county seat, has
made the west side Of the Cape Fear
| accessible. The Seaboard traverses
the south side of the county. But the
big east side. with it's three hundred
thousand acres Of land, is still out Of
the world.
A few years. ago the Indian Lake
Lumber Company, composed of a few
| venturesome spirits Of Sanford, pro
jected a plan for the opening Of this
section with a railroad from Stedman
on the Coast Line between Fayette
vile and Wilmington, but the projec,
was so big it was difficult to handle
can imagine what transformation
railroad from Stedman to the hear
Of Bladen county would bring about
There is on the east side Of the river
enough undeveloped land to make
three thousand farms. Timber en-
ough is here to afford employment fol
a lot Of people, while the farms nigh
be in the making. Fifteen Thousand
people could settle in this half Of thi
l
covered. Two or three thrifty towns
could thrive between the northern ant
. the southern boundaries of the county
SlackWatering the Cape Fear.
Bladen is somewhat concerned a
, to what the slackwatering OF the Cap
Fear is going to do. Sure it is tha
the river will afford transportation 70
that section, which is within an cas-,
: wagon journey. Boats on the Ohi
and Mississippi have carried enormou
crops of cotton away from the lOca
ports, and boats on the Cape Fea
can carry enormous crops of cottol
and tobacco away from Bladen count,
ports if the land Of the county is tille'
. | to make the crops that can be made
\ Boats can carry visitors to the bea II
z tiful little lakes Of Bladen county
r the people of the county will max
D hotels or fishing grounds at the lake
e and provide a way Of getting TO an
s from the river. The lakes will affor
d a variety in the landscape that shoul
D make delightful outing spots for tn
t farmers and the people who will liz
r in the towns that might spring up
d Bladen county awakeS to its oppOrtu
nity. as it probably will before ione
7, The trouble in Bladen county is nc
I the lack of railroads. 1t is the lac
S of knowledge on the part OF the pee
e pie all over the world that Blade
e ed population of the North and Wes
! realized what is possible here on tn
II Cape Fear, in desirable land, desirabl
IS climate, river navigation, lakes a
II clean and interesting as the lakes {
! Ireland. forest and field around an
about, Bladen would soon have raj
e. roads and people. and towns an
j. school houses at every turn Of IN
e roads and mills and cotton gins an
is factories, and all the acquisitions {
SIS crowded modern communities.
st Historically Interesting.
al Bladen county is historically inte
esting Although the battle OF Elize
bethtown is not included anOng th
II decisive battles of the world, IL is NJ
Y, too much to say this affair was r
a reaching in its influences, for small Z
i il seems il practically restrained IT
e British influence in all the territof
Is from Wilmington to the CataW pa.
10 IN the revolution this section ot II
State manifested a great deal of y II