The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-01-13
North Carolina Literally ...
-, xv,., -
Sloppy With Opportunity
Difficulty Is That People Generally Throughout the Coun
try Don't Know the Wonderful Advantages That Are
to Be Found in This State.
(By BION II. BUTLER.)

(By BION II. BUTLER.)
ttaeford, Jan. 10.---Within the past
tow weeks it has been my fate TO get
around over a considerable part of
North Carolina, and one thing con-
stantly presents itself to me. That
one thing is the vast and unrealized
unused resources OF this State.
This thing is brought to my mind
by two things, the one drift through
aome Of the forests of Sampson coun-
ty, and the other Bit Of information
concerning the how Of settlers from
the United States into the Canadian
Northwest.
If 7 did not know the West and
The Northwest so well the mystery
would not be so great to me. But
here is possibly the most perfect
claims TO be found in any part Of
the world, taking 1t the year through.
Here are soil and rainfall, here is
convenience Of access to markets Of
the globe, as we'll as to the pOpulous
communities Of our own country.
Here are settlements, railroads
schools, churches and all the things
that go to make up human com fort,
fhe things that the West and the
Northwest must carve out Of the will
aerness-
Yet the development Of the West
and of the Canadian provinces in the
Northwest is remarkable, while the
development of rural North Carolina
ss moderate in comparison. and al
most entirely the work Of people ma
tive to the State.
Too Little Improved Land.
North. Carolina has over thirty -one
million acres within the boundaries.
but OF that land less than nine mil
lion is rated AS improved farm land.
A certain amount of the land OF
North Carolina must be counted out
of the farming possibilities, yet il is
worth while to remember that it is in
such counties as Allegheny, Ashe,
Camden and Pasquotank, that the
highest percentage Of improved land
~ TO be found. Allegheny and Ashe
are TWO mountain counties, high on
the summit OF the backbone Of the
Appalachian continental divide, yet
they are credited with over sixty per
cent of improved farm land. Cam
den and Pasduotank are two OF the
low counties at the other extreme
- of the State, bordering on the sound.
and containing much swamp surface
yet they too are rated with over sixty
per cent of improved farm land. These
-FOUR are the only counties claiming
50 large an area as improved. Eight
cen counties are reported as having
between twenty and thirty per cent
of their land improved. while only
sixteen counties are given the rating
Of fifty per cent of the land improved
Thirty counties report from forty &c
fifty per cent of their land improved
and the rest report FROM thirty to
forty.
BY improved land is meant land
mat has been brought into some stage
II cultivation or Use, and the range
nf Improvement is a flexible one. Some
'aud that ia rated AS improved is no,
rrowded much by cultivation. The
"ntire State claims TO have only about
tWcnty-eisht per cent OF the entire
acreage improved.
b OF the land in the State twenty
two million acres IS rated IA farms
New York and North Carolina have
about the same acreage set down a,
farms, yet New York processes to have
fourteen million acres improved a
against the eight million acres - i'm
proved ia North Carolin1. And New
York; hes cli,0ate that is fierce.
Michigan, with four Iuiiiion acre:
less III farms, reports four ,niilio,
more acres or improved land thar
North Carolina, and Michigan sees th'
thermometer in a,iI.ter get down I,
fScnty-seven below nero. climate
hat tl,e, inhabit;tnt Of North CG.roiin;
'ol!d not Imagine and would no
tand
]NinoiS has about four million acre
core land than Ncrth Carolina. ant
.""hty ndllion acrns more OF iroprovet
tar'rs. low. Ea3 Z and acreas
'podt t'@eiye por- cent greatnr tnai
%or'i carolina and IN tl- census YEA
h.s4 % C~aN :l.rc.s n u~trf.- rorr h,1,l