Year: 1868




This proximity to the market of the At
lantic coast is alone a great advantage.
The farmer who plants away upon the Mis-
souri,, or Its tributaries, must carry his pro-
duce to Eastern markets over long line of
railroads at ruinous expense, or he must
employ the slow but cheaper mode of boat
ing for an immense distance by way of the
Gulf of Mexico, while we reach the same
point in less than one-tenth of the time,
and less than one half the expense.


Under such circumstances it is easy to
see that foreign emigrants would be eager
enough to take up our surplus lands if they
were properly assured before coming here
that it would be disposed of to them at low
rates and upon reasonable time


To the owner of land who had disposed
Of one-fourth or half of it to these en-
lgrants, say in alternate sections of fifty
acres, the profit would be immense in the
increased value of those sections retained.


10 devise some general scheme for the
furtherance of SO desirable an object, the
meeting we represent most earnestly re-
commend to the farmers and planters of
the county to hold primary meetings in
their districts for the purpose of consulting
and appointing delegates to county meet
ing to be held in Charlotte on the Sd Sat-
urday of July. The object is certainly one
we'll worthy of your immediate considera-
ton, for it is nothing less than the future
prosperity OF this country that is at stake !;
prosperity already meagre enough and in
IMMINENT danger of becoming further check
ed by the causes already alluded to. Should
the colored laborer, contrary to present ap-
pc arances, prove himself efficient in the
future, he will find ample employment in
the uncultivated land mere, and kind en-
couragement by you ; for there is land
enough for his employment when all the
emlgrants we can reasonably expect for
some years are provided for. But as We
said before, you cannot afford to stake the
prosperity Of the country upon his proba-
bic Improvement, and therefore you must
have the white man here either as an own
er of the soil or as tenant or laborer.-
They will not come unless you exert your
selves to induce them. A very slight effort
may accomplish your purpose, and, at all
events, you cannot do better than to make
an earnest determined effort.


The writer has before him copy of a
letter written to a gentleman in Pennsyl-
vania by an experienced farmer, resident
and man every way competent by reason
of intelligence and experience to form an
opinion of our soil and climate, and we
hope we will be pardoned the depression in
giving you the benefit of that opinion, as
follows


81 have visited and observed the quail
ty of the soil in the States of Pennsylvania
and Maryland east of the Mountains, and
think the soil in the South Western part
of North Carolina fully equal to that of
the section above mentioned. I have OBJ
served carefully the Counties of Mecklen-
bnrg, Lincoln, CASTOR and Catawba and am
fully convinced that with the same care
and system in cultivation used in that por-
tion of the old States East of the Noun
tains, far better results could be obtained.
[ have noticed, in particular, its adapta-
ton to the raising of clover, and in no
part of the world have seen better clover
produced under like cultivation. I am
fully convinced that with care in cultiva-
tlon and proper rotation of crops, and
good plo wing, the production of wheat and
corn could be doubled in quantity per
acre and instead of the scalping process
of scratching one half of the surface to the
depth of two inches, should good plowing
to the depth of six inches be adopted, the
yield would be doubled without the aid of
artificial fertilizers. The season is about
two months longer than in the part of
Pennsylvania and Maryland mentioned.-l
The climate and soil is we'll adapted to the
production of all fruits of this latitude
The peach, pear and plum can be raised in
the greatest perfection, and see no rea-
son why the vineyards should not be equal
ly productive with those of California
From the samples of vines and their pro-
ducts have observed, believe them fully
equal to any part of America"


In the opinion of the writer we certain
ly have soil we'll worth an effort to re-
claim.


H. G. JONES, JR.,


For the Committee