The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-09-15
UNION THE COUNTY OF GOOD
ROADS AND GOOD SCHOOLS
Nearly Eighty Special School Tax Districts-Progresslve
In the Adoption of Improved Farm Methods-Monroe
Thrifty Town.

II VIII 1NN ~ I
the rest of the State pretty soon.
Union is a good cotton county. II
is also good for a wide variety OF other
| crops. The county make annually
| a quarter of a million dollars worth
Of dairy and poultry products The
| grain and hay and meat crops VIII
| exceed a million in value. Corn yields
of fifty to a hundred bushels an acre
are not rare. Cattle raising is max
| ing such Roadway that the farmers are
| encouraged to embark in raising
mules for the market
Fine Stock Chances.
The mule seems adapted to Union
county farming methods. Here is
good grazing. and cheap winter feed
to bring the stock through. Grazing
and water, and short winters are ideal
for stock. Union county are
sanguine Of reaching out into that di-
rection extensively. and with reason
able grounds.
Already some progressive m
have gathered up herds of cattle with
gratifying results. The pressing beef
question has inclined these folks to
put a value on a bunch of steers, and
the sight Of grazing herds is becoming
common.
Union county has a big future
ahead of it," / yentured to renlark to
G.. b. Caldwell, who is in touch with
nearly every business and farm pro-
ject that is set on fot.
4 Weak Spot.
Just one weak spot in our lire of
development" Mr.. Caldwell replied.
Il can see it," 1 protested.
Il will show you and he brought
out that thing Mr.. Beasley mentioned.
There is a tendency for lands to
get too high to attract settlers" Mr..
Caldwell continued. w have been
enjoying quite a growth here, and
Union has come along at a flattering
gait. We have increased in popu-
lation, have been building good roads,
good schools, good business houses in
town, and all the c~onvenienceS that
come with increasing population. But
what happens? Land goes up as pros
perity comes. Then what? The peo-
pie who by coming into this county
to help stimulate things turn to one
side. For a time they were settling
down into Moore and Lee and that
section. But they meet that same
rising and value, and do you know
} what they are doing now? Well, sir,
they are heading for Florida. You
people have looked over Union coun-
ty, then taken a look at the Sand Hill
Country and then set out for Florida"
rs the county pretty we'll filled
. up?" l asked.
i FILLED nothing! 1t is not filling
up the county that is making high
= prices, but the prospect that settlers
will buy the unusued land where the
county is not filled up. That is the
e trouble. If we had a county full OF
n people it woul make no difference
Y what prices were put on land, for i
0 would be cultivated and made te
q produce. What hurts is that th&
d prices are put up and the prospective
buyers are frightened away and W.
d are held back to no good purpose"
l. A Prevalent Opinion.
v This seemed to be a rather prevail
d ent opinion. A few years ago Unio1
a commenced to catch the favorable
i, attention Of people in other sections
ir and considerable of an immigration
movement started. The home peopl
put in some good ticks for progress
and it was thought that the munifi
So cent of the county were t
If see speedy development. A gratifying
movement Of newcomers was inaugur
Of ated, and there are plenty of inquire
ne now for farms and homes, but tn
1g advancing prices of land rather ten
S. to encourage people to loo else
re where.
ty A Thing Tha Threatens.
Incidentally l might mention thu
this same thing is at work in othe
sections of the State, and it is or
Is thing that threatens to make MOI
y Va ASSS OdD u III dIllDtilOI1
p settling the State and developing i
his resources. For five or six years
lot have been hearing that warning ne
IL. people are putting their lands Il
high, and they will keep settlers on
Two prominent cases come to mir
that show Union county is not alon
No county is making more rapid pr
ng gTess thar Hoke. The traveller on II
TIC Aberdeen and Rockfish road comiI
'as over to Aberdeen from Fayettevil
notices all along the line to Raefo,
n from Raeford to within eig
vas miles of Aberdeen the continual su
cession of new ~clearingS and bui1dil
I'VE farms. But just after he passes {
put Montrose Sanatorium he comes in
foa a tract of forest, and the road I'll
through a block of five Thousand acr
with not an acre of clearing in sig
bic in the four miles. That is a tra
ing of land Fought a few years ago +
the about ten thousand dollars. It