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NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

RALEIGH, N. C.

TV. A- GRAHAM, Commissioner.

ELIAS C'ARR. Secbetabt.

B. "W. KILGORE. State Chemist.

H. H. BRIMLEY. Cvbatob of Mcseum.

FRANKLIN SHERMAN. Jr.. Extouoi

W. G. CHRISMAN. Yetebinabia*.

W. H. EATON. Daibttman.

W. N. HUTT, Hobticultcbist.

T. B. PARKER, Demonstbatob v* Chabge of

Fabmebs' Institutes.
W. M. ALLEN. I'itbe Food Chemist.
O. I. TILLMAN. Botanist.
L. B. LOCKHART, Oil Chemist.

J.Li J.0N0MI6T.

Collects and disseminates information about tbe State,
idles all phases of its agriculture, horticulture, d
Mi monthly bulletins from results of investigations,
.ducts test farms and test acres in various parts of the State.
litrols infectious diseases of domestic animals.
Investigates diseases of plants, trees, etc
Conducts quarantine for tbe suppression of splenic fever.
Investigates ravages of insects and Inspects nurseries.
Inspects fertilizers, guaranteeing protection to purchasers.

ects and analyzes foods, feeds, seeds, condimental feeds, soils, waters,
minerals, and illuminating oils.

Identifies specimens of minerals, plants, and animals.
Conducts Farmers' Institutes for men and women.

jdocts soil sun
Manufactures bog-cholera serum.

Assists in dairy work and in tbe building of barns and silos.
Gives demonstrations in spraying, pruning, and in tbe packing of fruit and
vegetables.
Tests tbe viability and purity of seed.
Conducts tobacco experimental farms.

••rlments in all sections to find the adaptability of certain varieties and
crops to certain soils, also to find the elements of fertilizers most ne< •
the best method of culture of each crop in the different localities.
Conducts Boys' Corn Clubs.

Assists in judging stock and farm products at the various fairs.
Maintains a Museum of resources and natural history.

Writ* for information.

NORTH CAROLINA

CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO

FARMING. TRUCKING.

FRUIT GROWING.

STOCK RAISING. Etc.

OLD NORTH STATE

WRITE THE

NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOR INFORMATION REGARDING ANY PARTICULAR
SECTION OR INDUSTRY

TiDi:wATrr.
ii Caboliha.

AGRICULTURE.

MARKETS.

Till any agricultural communi good local

market. There was a time when the North Carolina farmer
Looked in vain for a home market, bul thai time has passed.
In reaped to local markets. North Carolina Le unexcelled and rarely
equaled by any State in the Union.

We have do greal city Like Atlanta or Philadelphia, but we do have
a large number of smaller thriving cities — Asheville, Gastonia, Char-
lotte, Winston, Salisbury, Greensboro, Monroe, Durham, Raleigh, Wil-
mington, Goldsboro, New Bern, Wilson, Rocky Mount, Tarboro, Kin-
stun, Greenville, Henderson, High Point, Elizabeth City, Fayetteville,
and a number of others ranging in population from 3,000 to 30,000 and
ered broadcast over the entire St ate. It would be practically im-
possible for a farmer to locate in North Carolina and not be in easy
reach of some good local market.

There was a time when no one seemed to care for anything we had to
sell, but economic conditions have so changed thai nothing short of a
mal calamity is likely to reduce the present demand for the prod-
i the North Carolina farm. The day is fasl approaching when
the North Carolina farmer will need to h»»k nowhere outside the State
for market- for his staple product-. This statement can hardly be
called prophetic when Ave note the phenomenal increase in the number
of manufactures of every kind within our borders and the large towns
and consequent good markets that necessarily attend these manufactur-
ing enterprise - England is coming South with her mills and
mark

These industries are constantly calling for mure labor, and since only
white labor is wanted, a large percentage of the white families that were
on the farm twenty • • are now working in the mills. The

former producers of farm products have been transformed into consum-
ers of farm products and producers of finished mill products. Tn other
weird-, the mills have collected men. women, and children from large
extent- of territory and thus made good markets for those of the rural
population who have preferred to stay on the farm. It i- i
say the-e towns are rapidly growing larger and new one- are yearly
being built.

When we come to think of North Carolina as having a population of
hundreds of thousands more than Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina,
. Alabama, or Mississippi, and more than the 8 I

Nevada, [daho, Montana, Wyoming, Vermont, and Delaware
combined, with a very large percentage of this in the different manu-
facturing town-, it should emphasize the importance of our local markets.

4

TRANSPORTATION.
RAILBO.-.

South has n facilit:

railroad systems are rushing through the State to reach
: of the Atlantic B for the

Panama Canal when completed. Besides these, there are over forty
other short lines and feeders thai ramify the State like so many blood
- - _ at industrial system. Every farmer is 1 - :it in

■h with _ norne market ami a few hours from

Charl< •■••• : . Atlanta, Memphis. Chattai. ga, S

burg. B shington, -:. and

>n.

COUNTRY

.ddition to our superb railway facilities - I munched -

- _ a general movement for better country roads ii Caro-

lina. As ■ result of that movement there is hardly

which has not \ a; of good

. . I ty-seal

town in the county into the rem - _ricultural do-
main of g - - which
are also graded and made good. In a word. both the railroad and dirt
road- 11 facilities :th Carolina are simply unsur -
by any State in the South and hardly equaled by S in the U

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

In addition I - - ties :.ones

vwhere. thus putting the farmer in immediate communica-

ith the markets in his locality at ; - \

r month.

PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.

rth Carolii - - -hool

:h>e it to Bay here, however, that good public school buildings
bed in every county and that every far: s firs

-

RECENT GROWTH.

ral and nianufac-

s

9 me of th- --

imate hi ited for ages . but the

:" utilizing them has onti-

rtile field for the •

and we are
are malt

. and

A.GBK n.i i 1:1 .

The three ami a half million horse-power found along our -

1. and not only are our cities lighted, our streel cai -
over eighty of onr large cotton mills run by this hydro-electric power,
l»ut even the cobbler in his ~ 1 1 • n » uses this water-generated electricity -
burden.
Perhaps a better insight may be had into the real conditions exist-
ing in Xortli Carolina from the following:

During the lasl thirty-six year- — lialt* the lifetime of a man— land
values in North Carolina have increased over $109,000,000. City real

has increased $l<>l.n<)<MMio. P< rsonal property ha- incj
$134,000,000. Ir will rims be Been that the increase of land values in
the State during this thirty-six-year period has been al the n
$3,000,000 per annum. The value of all property in the State during
this thirty-six-year period has increased $468, 1,000, which i- an in-
crease of $16,000,000 per annum. During thi years the value of
land has increased over s^.iiihi.ihmi p,.r annum, and during thi

a rn-arly $7,000,000 per annum throughout the State. It is found
that the increase in value of all property in the State during thi

five years has been at the ral &26, ».000 per annum. In 1^73 land

valui - $56, 1,000 more than city real estate values. In 1909

land valu< but $55,000,000 more than city real - alues.

Thi- shows a gradual increase in the value of city property over the
value of land. It will he seen that the two values are remaining
to each other, however, with a slight increase in favor of the city real
• the increase of manufacturing enterprifi -
During the twenty-year period prior '" 1900 there were built an
age <»f thr. mills per annum. In L910 North Carolina had

331 cotton mills, whereas in 1900 she had but 177. Thi- -hows that
there were over fifl ton mill- built ]>er annum during the las

There are now about ' - 9 iter than

From the al- e that North Carolina i- rapidly coming

to be a leading manufaeturi] 58 . with all the demand- made by such
- ate upon the crop-producing capacity of i?- agricultural distr

LABOR.

In North < larolina a nan.

ally the farmer, who i- willing t.. work. You frequently hear the

cry .. labor, but tl man who

has been accustomed t" OSe one man for every horseon the farm. With

: farm pi be labor problem is it

rapidly approaching when there
gricultura] method- in this &
condition invi rotation. Our fields are broad and in 1

sufficiently level t" permit the use of in •

AgRK n. i l i: 1 .

man : - - three or four art- at present, [ndeed, ir

is one of the m - ful Bigns in favor of [ arolina agriculture

• 'Ik- ni">- | gressive i rmera art- installing imp]
machinery, and it - - - ificant that where farmers have introduced
>ved machinery, labor is not 30 hard to command. The laborers are
forcing the landowners to adopt new method-, greatly to tin- bent
- - parallel with the recent labor problem in the <••
the buskers ret";- uric until tin- farmers bought portable

elevators by which the ears could easily be lifted into the crib. Xot
only in Xortk (.'arolina. but in every agricultural section in the country,
if the farmer hopes to command his labor he must make the

for his men. because it is man'- disposition to seek employment
where the lab r - csome and wages are highest. Moreover, by

the installation of improved machinery the farmer can bo increase the
efficiency of his workmen a- to be able to pay tin-in such wages as will
attract them to his farm.

SOILS.

th Carolina has a great variety of soil-. Indeed, a good soil type
may be found in North Carolina for almost any kind of farming one
ght want to follow in this latitude.

If one ■:• - - raise cattle or go into the dairy business, the Porter's
and Toxaway -oil- of the mountains offer unusual inducements. Here
one finds - - suited to _ - :,d clover, and wide pastures may be had
with ease, off of which fat cattli - at direct to the slaughter-houses.

This section also supplies the farmers of the rest of the State with
rs when these farmers are disposed to feed cattle for a few months
in order to clean up a lor of cheap forage and to market their surplus
md cotton-seed meal. Dairying and cattle raising are being devel-
oped in the piedmont section, also, where the red clay -oil- of the I

- produce good - . corn, clover, and grass, and where

the local markets for cattle and dairy products are unusually good.

In ' - g _ .1 genera] farming is preferred, piedmont

Xorth ('arolina i< unsurpassed in the South. Here the Cecil ami Meck-
lenburg - - Luce the best oi at, corn, and clover and are
ii contour as to permit the use of the latest improved farm machin-
ery. (,,.(,.1 corn, wheat, and oats can be grown on the heavy soils
funic >ut rlii- i- the recognized wheat, corn, and clov<

. i- to be made the money crop, there are no better -oil- in
this latitude for this plant than are found in Robeson, Scotland, and

North Carolina. The-.' soils are of the

1 ' _ Norfolk types, the former of which i- the best upland

Soul I ■ ••! cotton is grown also on the sandier

The above-named -oil- a tally men-

- b »1 on them. But very _

Agbicxtltube. 7

yields of cotton are gathered each year from even the heavy clay soil- in
and aouthern part of the State, where the climate suits the
crop best.

The Norfolk Is in the extreme eastern and northeas

part of the State are especially adapted to the production of the peanut.
thousands of acres are planted in peanuts every year. Halifax,
Bertie. Chowan, Perquimans, Edgecombe, Washington, Martin, etc., are
noted for the production of large crops of the different varieties of
peanuts.

Both the soils and climate of tin- extreme eastern part of North Caro-
lina are especially suited to trucking. The soils especially suited to the
strawberry, celery, union, lettuce, and potato are of dark color and
belong to the Portsmouth series. < Ihadbourn, X. < '.. is said to ship more
strawberries than any other point in the world. Here the berries are
grown almost entirely on the dark, moisl soils of the Portsmouth -
All along the coast from Southport t" Norfolk are found excellent -
adapted to the production of almost all kind- of fatly truck suitable
for the northern markets. While the trucking business is already
developed to a very high degree on these soils, there are thousands of
acres that are yet uncultivated, but may be purchased for a nominal sum.

We generally think of the Porter's Beries of soils in the west a- the
apple soils, and the sand-hill portion of the Norfolk series of soils in the

- as the peach soils 0f the State. While both peaches and apples
are grown more or Less on all the soils in the State, most ,.f tin- large
commercial orchards are located on one or the other of these two -
•

The bright tobacco belt of the State is located on the Durham and
Norfolk series of Boils. This belt includes Rockingham, Person, Gran-
ville, Caswell, Pitt. Edgecombe, and part- of other counties in the
north central Bection of the State. Here the bright tobacco industry is
quite well developed locally, but large areas of choice tobacco land is
either not farmed at all or planted in son tnunerative crop. The

heavy -hipping types of tobacco can be most successfully grown on the
heavy soils, notably in the far western part of th S However, in

piedmonl North Carolina, on tin- rod (lay lands of the Cecil -
Mecklenburg series, tin- heavy tobacco may bo grown also.

Perhaps the besl corn soils in the world are found in Hyde, Beaufort,
Washington, and othei - i - are deep, black, peaty

which when drained produce very large yields of corn for years
in succession. The drainage of the-.- rich land- i- generally quite
feasible and large areas are now under the ditch and are being farmed
with great profit. The soja bean i- also at home in this type of soil —
:i being thoughl of a- the corn and soja-bean - :" the

Sfato.

When the -oil- b >me arid, as they may in tin- course of time, they

may !«■ easily marled "i- limed from marl beds that underlie that part

A.GBI4 I LTUBI .

of the State : - ally. This marl not only has the usual power

to correct acid, bul carri< - - a appreciable amount - and

phosphorus which adds to the mineral plai supply in the surf,

soil. These black soils belong to the Portamonl which are

every where recognized as - _ irn lands when properly drained.

CROPS.

COTTi'N.

The cotton crop is not only one of tin- moat valuable in the .v
ranging in value between $50,000,000 and $60,000,000 per annum, but it
i- a notable fact that the average yield per acre in the S( - - ater

than that of Georgia, Alabama. Mississippi, or T>

The type of cotton best suited, at present, to all but the extreme
-outheastern part of the S Known as the King type of cotton,

which there are a number of varieties. Other typ - tton ontyield

the King son - 3, but our * - - are rather short for the big boiled

cottons and those that make a big yield from the "top crop" late in
summer. It is always safe, therefore, to use the cotton that has been
developed in this latitude and is adapted to our short e - as.

But the King type yields splendidly under proper condition -
cultivation and fertilization. The cut on opposite page shows a field of
this type that made 31 fc bales to the acre last year. At prices then pre-
vailing, this yield would bring a gross return in seed and lint oi $315
acre. Tlie average cotton yield per acre in the S - very much below

:]': bales, but good yields are always obtained where sane methods of
production are followed.

The cotton plant needs humns or vegetable matter in abundance and a
liberal application of phosphate. The first can be gotten easily by p]
ing under green crops, such as soy beans, crimson clover, rye. etc.. the
year previous. Stable manure is unexcelled as fai as it goes, but Ave do
not have enough to affect any extensive an 3. G s can always

be brought into Bervice and the lands thus made rich in organic mat
in the absence of the desired number of live stock. Phosphate cai
obtained either from phosphoric acid or floats, the latter of whicl
relatively cheap. There are other source- of phosphate which
howev.-r. more expensive. The floats should always be mixed with
-table manure and composted for a few month- or applied with g:

crops plowed under.

Notwithstanding we are on the northern limit of the cotton belt, a
large amount of this staple crop is produced ev.-ry year — indeed, we
have a few counties that are unexcelled in cotton production. 1. -
it was -aid thai Rob - ' ae of the largest in th S ; re-

duced a bale of cotton to every man. woman, and child in it.

Many of theft nicker- g - >rt of double profi* from their fertilizers

by following early truck with cotton, which i- plai
rows of truck, notably, Iri-h pot) radishes, before

the truck crop is harvested.

]•• Agri< i 1. 11 1:1 .

WUKAT.

Wheal i- rapidly gaining in importance :>- a staple crop in North
Carolina. We have a Qent wheal lands in the State, Inn on

account of low prices of all farm products, until comparatively recently,
the wheat crop has not been pushed, cotton having largely taken its
- wheat lands in tin- State.
We can grow wheal and in large amounts. Every man recalls, as a
►lboy, to have had his especial attention called to California on
account of ns phenomenal yields of wheat, sometimes as high as "'(|
bushels to the acre having been reported. It is interesting to note that
while tin- wh.-at crop of California has always been good, the av(
yield in that State has frequently fallen below the 1 verage yield in No I
Carolina. There have been as large yields of wheat obtained in this as
perhaps almosl S in the Union — nor yields from individual

-. but front whole farms. There is a large farm in Halifax County
on which there were grown last year an average of -^1j bushels per acre
on a 140-acre field. In Jol - I >unty, a gentleman grew an average
of 42 bushels per acre on a 50-acre held, with individual acres running
a- high as 50 bushels. In Randolph County, a gentleman grew last
: 27 bushels per acre on a 40-acre field. In Davidson
County, a farmer grew an average of over 30 bushels per acre on a 130-
ract. But we need not multiply example-. Suffice it to say that
- yields v. _ d by practice of common-sense methods on lands
adapted by nature 0* by preparation to the growth of wheat. The-'
yields may be duplicated by any farmer who has good heavy clay loam
or silt loam soil and i- willing to treat it properly. Further instructions
for the handling of the-.- wheat land- may be obtained from the Depart-
ment of Agriculture on reqi

I OBN.

1 _ J in all parts of the State. It i- our leading crop and the

yield is yearly increasing. It will be interesting to note that in 1910 the
corn crop of North Carolina was more valuable than the corn crop of
either Wisconsin, Michigan, New York. Pennsylvania, Virginia, Weal
B ilia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, or Louisiana, and
worth considerably more than half as much as that of tie- S
Nebraska, Kansas, Indiana, or Ohio.

1 I _ ial climate, long growing season, and the rapidity with which

the plant foods become available in the soils of the State throughout the

. all combine to make this crop one of especial importance both in

yield and ease of production.

The demand for corn i- very greal iii North Carolina. Notwithstand-

e have increased the yields ■<( corn from 29,790,180 bushels in 1900

,000 iii 1910, there an- -till million- of bushels -hipped into the

from tip- W( Bl 1 ach year to supply the ever-incr oiand for

this cereal.

12 AgBK I I. ri l:i .

soils in the I - - than are found in

Hyde, Beaufort, Was - and other counties along the Atlantic

deep, black, peaty ><>il? thai have been for thousands

3S of formation from the intermingling of decaying

etable matter with the fertile teachings brought down by the streams

from more elevated areas of the State. Nol only bo, but in the pre-

■ lagoonal area-, that now underlie these peaty lands, -warmed
millions of fishes and various Crustacea that left their remains in the
form of marl beds which now furnish lime for various purposes
throughout this section. Thousands of acres of this black land are
already under cultivation and large drain - - re yearly

opening up thousands of additional acres for the growing of corn.

we have the highest average yield in this S Indeed, this

on is famous for its corn crop.
Organic matter and well-drained land are prime requisites to sue-

I corn growing in North Carolina. As we proceed westward from
ion. we find the soils growing more Bandy and lighter in
color, due to the evident lack of humus. But one will he surprised to
Bee the large crops of corn that can be grown on this relatively poor soil
by a liberal use of crimson clover, cowpeas, rye, .. plowed

under a- ;i green manure, supplemented by a limited amount of

.il fertilizer. The former furnishes the necessary organic matter
at a nominal cost, which in itself supplies nitrogen and renders avail-
able-quantities of otherwise inert mineral plant foods inherent in the
soil. The latter adds plant food and corrects certain deleterious -oil con-
ditions. Finally, we come to the mixture of red and gray soils of the
piedmont section. Here in Wake County, near the city of Raleigh, was
produced in the year 1009 the world's greatest yield of corn up to that
time. The accompanying cut shows tin- farmer on the acre that made

bushels of corn. The unprecedented yield was made, of course,
under intensive me; hods of cultivation. Inn when we note that only eight
bushels of wheat grew on this acre the year before, it shows us what
can be done on the poorer lands of the State by sane methods of agri-
cultural practice. In this connection it will he inter - _ • note that
there were made by mere boys la-: year — hoys between ten ami eighteen
yields ranging from 39 to over 146 bushels to the acre,
with a general average of over 58 bushels to the acre. These yields

made by 364 hoy- in about sixty different counties. This shows
that good yields can be made in North Carolina by simply putting into
practice methods already known to the man of average ability and
emphasises the great possibilities that will Burely be realized in this

should tin- mosl approved prai - followed by -ay 50
of the farm<

red land- in the piedmont section grow excellent corn when pro-
I in connection with clove]-, peas, or some Othi g manuring

crop plowed under in the fall before or even with rye plowed und

14 AOBK : I. II RE.

re planting-1— provided the rye is <-m with a
few t In. _ in and the eorn planted rather

deep below the surl t the cutting off

of tl supply i: il during the _ _ - -on.

In the mountau cially well on the bottom-

- along tli . Broad, Swannanoa, and othi

early maturing varieties are selected.
G speaking, - tion of the State fa - "best vari'

n. A large one-eared corn seems to be the favorite on the black,

- in the east. In the coastal plain a prolific con. - _

the I- -. This i- also trne of the piedmont section, but there

number of good local varieties that make good yields of high

quality. The Department advises, further, that each farmer breed up

•rn on his own farm and adapt it to his own soil and climatic

conditions.

OATS.

1 • d winter oats are grown in all of North Carolim
rain-. Sere the oat crop is sown in the Bpring. In the -action

- one of the leading hon . 1>ut we do not grow nearly

gh to supply the demand and hundred- of thousands of bushi
Bhipped into tl S y year for the teams used on the far -

Oats will grow and make good yield- on -"il- that will not grow wheat
commercially. The sandy land- that are well supplied with organic
r make very good yields of oats. Due to its wide range of adapt-
ability. <>at- may he grown in all parts of the State. A- a horse feed
nigh val\ rywhere recognized.

POTATO

potato land- >>t' North Carolina are unsurpassed anywhere in the
1 nited States. ndy loams of the extreme east, the

idy loam of the op] rtal plain, when supplied with

humus; ti _ sandy loam of the piedmont, when properly supplied
with humus; and the dark. Bandy and -ilty loam of tin- mountains,
cially along the French Broad, Swannai and other ri

dm-.- heavy yield- of of the finest quality'.

ad Irish i or white > j ■ |] in all but the moun-

■ the Iri-h potato finds condil to it-

rthern climati latitude

- in the piedmont and eastern section of the
Hundreds of thousands of bushels

hern markets
.■A trade.

arly inci

AqRK i LTUEE. ]5

FORAGE < BOPS.

1" '1"' mountains the farmers want to depend on red clover, sapling
clover, crimson clover, soy beans, Canada peas, timothy, orchard grass
blue-grass, rye, and native grasses for their pasture and forage crops

In the pi,, Inmn, section the fan, in- wants to make large use of red
clover, crimson clover, cowpeas, soy beans, Canada peas, and oats rye
tell meadow oal grass, nerds' grass, orchard grass, and the native grasses
To tins may be added the Japan clover, a plant found wild on nearly
every farm in this section.

In the coastal plain the most useful forage and soil-improvement
plants are the crimson clover, bur] Hover, hairy vetch, cowpeas soy
beans, and rye. rhese grow especiaUy well in the sandy soils of the
Atlantic seaboard, and some or all of them should- be on every farm
whether that farm is given over wholly to stock raising or is engaged
in a mixed husbandly.

On the rich lands of the extreme east all of the above plants do well
but the burr clover and crimson clover may be replaced to some extenl
by red clover, as they are primarily soil-improvement crops, and these
rich lands are all full of organic matter and need, as a general rule,
only phosphate and potash, with an occasional application of lime'
to correct possible acidity and to break down the existing large amounts
of organic matter in the soil, thus rendering available organic nitrogen.

INTENSIVE AND EXTENSIVE FARMING.
We advocate only intensive farming in North Carolina. But we ad-
V'M':I,(' " "" ;| large scale. When we can. by sane and simple methods
That every man can pul into practice, produce a bale or bale and a half
of cotton to the acre on a 50- or 100-acre farm, we farm intensively on
a large scale. When we grow 60 or more bushels of cor,, to the acre
on a 100-acre tract, we farm intensively on a huge scale; but when we
produce one-fifth of a bale of cotton to the acre on a 10-acre tract we
farm extensively on a small scale. When we grow 15 bushels of com
to the acre on 10 acres of Land, we an- farming extensively on a small
scale, and n is easy to see that the more of this kind of farming we do
the P°orer wiU we be a. th,' ,.,,.! of the year. As above aoted it bas
been demonstrated beyond the possibility of a doubl that we can. by
proper methods of cultivation, and the liberal use of green manure and
-table manure ami a judicial application of commercial fertilizers, make
good yields of all crops suited to this latitude, and the reason why many
are not making the mo., profitable yields lies either in their lack of the '
proper information or their unwillingness to pul proper methods ii
practice.

FINALLY.

The prices alone on farm products in Forth Carolina Bhould engage
I1"' serious attention of any farmer anywhere in the United S bo

18 seriously contemplating a change of location. Lasl year when corn

It". Agbi< n. ti 1:1 .

- a bushel in Illinois, it was worth 76 cents a bushel
in North I arolina; when Indiana markets \wn- paying 40 a
bushel for corn. Xorth Carolina market- were paying 76 cents a bushel;
when the Ohio farmers were selling their corn for 36 cent- a bushel, the
Xorth Carolina farmers were Belling their- for T *» cents. When Illinois
wheat was worth v~ - a bushel. Xorth Carolina wheal was worth

$1.10; when Indiana wheat was worth v7 -. Xorth Carolina wheat

was worth $1.10; when Ohio wheat was worth 90 cents, Xorth Carolina
wheat was worth 20 cents more on the bushel. When 111:: - were

worth 30 cents a bushel. Xorth Carolina oats were worth 60 cents; when
Indiana oats were worth 31 cents, North Carolina oats were worth
60 cents; when Iowa oats were worth 27 cents. Xorth Carolina oats were
worth 60 cents; when Xebraska oats were worth 2S cents. Xorth Caro-
lina oats were worth 60 cents : when Michigan potatoes were worth 31
- a bushel, Xorth Carolina potatoes were worth 73 cents a bushel :
when Wisconsin potatoes were worth 3S cents a bushel, Xorth Carolina
potatoes were worth 73 cents a bushel. When Kansas hay was worth
a ton. Xorth Carolina hay was worth $14.60 a ton; when Okla-
homa hay was worth s^.40 a ton, Xorth Carolina hay was worth
S14.60; when Minnesota hay was worth $9.10, North Carolina hay was
worth $14.60; when Iowa hay was worth .$9.60. Xorth Carolina hay was
s 14.60.

FRUIT GROWING.

THEKE is probably no branch of agriculture that has developed
in the past twenty years so strikingly as has the fruit industry.
It has grown in a quarter of a century from a more or less gen-
eral and relatively unimportant line of agriculture to a highly special-
ized line of great importance. Owing to the great range of climatic
and soil conditions in the State of North Carolina, unlimited opportuni-
ties are here presented for the successful and profitable cultivation of
most of the fruits of the Temperate Zone.

That fruits of superior quality can be grown in North Carolina was
shown at the National Horticultural Congress, Council Bluffs Iowa
in 1910, when the Sweepstakes Trophy for the best general collection of
fruit m the United States was won by North Carolina against the
keenest competition. At this great exhibition there were fruits from
Canada to Mexico and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, thirty-
three States in all competing. Besides this magnificent trophy,' several
other first premiums were awarded individual exhibits of fruit from
this State. All this goes to show that there are unlimited possibilities
for the development of the fruit industry in this State.

APPLES.
The leading orchard fruit in North Carolina is the apple. While this
fruit can be grown, at least for home user in every section of the State,
the production of apples for commercial purposes is largely confined to'

Apple Tree in Wilkes County, N. C. This is the Largest Apple Tree in the
United states. The tbeb is apparently sound and measures 16 it 5 i\ circum-
ference AT THE crsor.\I>. 11' it. 0 l.\. JUST BELOW llltsT LIMBS. Tills TREE will BEAR
A GOOD CROP OF APPLES THIS IEAR.

Fkiii Growi

the el< sections the Blue Ridg id in the mountain
country beyond. This wonderful region of valley, plateau, and moun-
tain-side is • of the finest apple regions in the 1 Statet I is as

yet largely undeveloped. Sere a rich ><>il. combined with high •

afford- ideal conditions immercial apple culture. It is in this

!i. where altitude guarantees a cool climate, that tl.
and thrives and prod.. than it does in the reii

apple region of the North. Here, too, th< air and abundant

sunlight put the rich colors on the outs lie fruit and the tine

flavors within. It is not generally known to appli _ - that a

mountain region in the South, by virtue of its altitud
• •".,1 temperature that a northern reg - es and has the advantt -
sunlight and along _ _ - ■

While the apple industry in this State has by no means reachi
highest point of development, there are at present more than S
orchards containing approximately 1,000,000 trees. Tl • iharda

from 500 to 30,000 trees, many of them yielding their
owners a very profitable income. The South affords ample mark -
good ] - r all the apples grown. All that is necessary to make the
apple business a paying one in western Carolina is to give the orchards
tlltivatioD and care necessary to produce clean fruit.

PEACHES.

Peaches are grown pretty generally over the entire State. From a
commercial standpoint, this Industry has become most highly developed
in what is known as the sand-hill country in Moore and Montgomery
counties. In • - - on there has never been a total failure of the crop,
and the fruit produced on these sandy soils is of high color and excellent
quality. At Southern Pino, in Moore County, tl gie orchard

containing 60,000 - A- Candor, in M j < -

orchard of 30,000 tree-. ; -ides these, th< numerous smaller

orchards containing - ads of trees. Tn the mountains many

mercial apple growers are planting peach trees as fillers in their apple
orchards. Here tl, - ejtow well and bear heavy crops of fin<\ highly

colored fruit that finds a ready sale both on the home market and when
shipped to distant marl

PEARS.

own in all parts of thi State, I the rav-

i pear blight there are very few commercial orchards of anj
Owing deadly work of this fatal diseas - if the high-quality

lisappearing from cultivation. The v;
largely in a commercial way are those of the Chii

_ -'/.<■ and ripen their fruit more peri
than they do further north. For canning purposes, Kieffer

blight when grown

Fruit Growing. 19

slowly in the clay soils of the piedmont section, although they have
been grown successfully in the sandy soils near the coast and also at the
higher altitudes in the mountains.

PLUMS.

Native and Japanese plums thrive well in all parts of the State. Jap-
anese varieties are especially valuable for the coast region, where they
grow in the greatest profusion and with the most ordinary care. Un-
fortunately, the European plums do not do well except in the cooler
mountain regions, where they grow abundantly. Plums would be more
extensively grown were it not for the fact that peaches grow so well
everywhere and produce fruit for which there is always a greater
demand.

QUINCES.

Quinces are of less commercial importance than the other fruits, but
in all parts of the State a home supply can be easily grown. On ac-
count of its natural habits, the quince requires a deep, moist, fertile
soil. Locations of this kind can be readily found from along the coastal
plain to the elevated coves in the mountain sections.

CHERRIES.

Cherries will thrive in a great variety of soils; the sweet varieties,
however, cannot be grown to any extent in the warmer parts of the
State. The trees grow and are perfectly healthy, but they fail to pro-
duce crops. Morelloes and other sour varieties, characterized by a slow,
firm growth, thrive in all sections. The English or sweet cherries are
large, rapid-growing varieties that grow to perfection in the rich soils
and cool climate of the mountains. They do fairly well in the piedmont
region, but are almost invariably unsuccessful in the coastal plain.

GRAPES.

Almost all of the cultivated varieties of grapes produce well in every
section of the State if they are sprayed to protect them from fungous
diseases. A considerable industry in commercial grape growing has
been developed at Southern Pines, in Moore County, and at Tryon, in
Polk County. The soil and climatic conditions in North Carolina
seem to be admirably adapted to grape culture. DelaAvares and Xiag-
aras grown here are unsurpassed in beauty and quality by the same
varieties grown elsewhere. In the neighborhood of Southern Pines over
1,000 acres are cultivated in the production of this fruit. No wine of
any amount is made. since i' is more profitable to market the fruit in the
fresh state.

The Rotundi folia type of grapes, of which the Scuppernong and
James are the most important varieties, La native to the sandy soils of
the coastal plain region. These grapes are practically free from the
attacks of insects and fungi and produce enormous quantities of de-

4

Fruit Gbowh

is fruit with only the most indifferent tillage. Owing to the fact
that they do not stand shipment well, these grapes are almost unknown
to northern people. However, experiments are now under way to de-
velop market varieties of this valuable native fruit.

STRAWBERRIES.

So far as the growth and perfection of the fruit is concerned, there
is no section of the State where the finest strawberries cannot b _
The main point to be considered in the cultivation of this fruil
market is the fact that the strawberry - g n commercially in all
the country, and that each section from Florida to Mail.

in the market. Hence, to make strawberries profitable
shipment north, they must be grown where the climatic oondil
warrant an early ripening of the fruit, so that it can be placed on the
market before localities further north come in with their berries. For
ason the culture of the strawberry as a commercial crop has been
confined to the lands of the coastal plains, where soil and climatic con-
ditions combine to make this business very profitable. The first really
fine berries sent north are from Columbus County in this S
Earlier in tin- - - strawberries come from more Bouthei

IfOU THAN 100 -

raoM Ch S. < is a £ ' ,v.

of them are equal in quality to those produced in the eouir -
Columbus, Duplin, and "Wayne. Around the towns of Mount 01:
Wayne County, and Faison. in Duplin County, the strawberry industry
had its beginning. From a small start a fen - the bu&im -

strawberry growing has increased to vast proportions and hundreds
of car-loads are annually shipped north. Chadbourn, in Columbus
County, has the n :i of being the largest - rawberry shipping

point in the world. In the height of I reason whole trains of iced
- of berrii - ipped daily from this station.

1 I ;t improvements have of late been made in the marketing of the
berry crop. The frail Id at th< the buyers,

who distribute the cars to the various northern markets. T

found to be much n than when individual

growers shipped to commission merchants in the cities and took all
the ri

While the coastal section will always be the region for profitable
strawberry growing for northern mai the increasing number and

Fruit Growing. 21

size of the towns and cities in the State will create home markets for a
great deal of fruit. This will result in the development of the straw-
berry industry in other localities, making their culture for home use
profitable. Home markets are apt to be overlooked and poorly supplied.
The demand for berries of high quality is always good and is ever in-
creasing with the annual increase in population' Even with an excess
of fruit, there would be room for the development of canning industries
to compete with similar establishments in other States.

DEWBERRIES.

The dewberry crop is one that is annually assuming increasing propor-
tions. While this fruit is grown to some extent in the coastal plain, the
sections where the development of the industry has been greatest are
along the lower piedmont, at Eidgeway in Warren County, and at
Cameron, Southern Pines, and Aberdeen in Moore County. Soil and
climatic conditions produce here large, fine-flavored fruit that can be
placed in the northern markets at a time when it will command a profit-
able price.

BLACKBERRIES.

The later and upright-growing blackberries are also grown to a consid-
erable extent and over a wider territory than the dewberry. In fact,
there are numerous varieties of wild blackberries in all parts of the
State from which as fine sorts as those in cultivation could be selected.
This is particularly true of the mountain and upper piedmont sections,
where blackberries of the finest quality grow so profusely that little
attention has been given to their cultivation. In many localities these
wild berries are canned and marketed to profitable advant

RASPBERRIES.

Raspberries, like strawberries, can be grown in practically all pans
of the State, but they do not thrive so well along the coastal plain as in
the piedmont and mountain sections. In the eastern section the rasp-
berry will never be of commercial importance, since the climate is too
warm for the largest crops and the fruit does not bear like the straw-
berry and dewberry. Here the plants need to be grown in rich, moist.
clay soils. They should be carefully cultivated, and shaded to carry
them through the long summer. In the moist clay soils of the piedmont
the raspberry thrives finely and can he made a profitable crop for local
markets. In no part of the country, however, does this fruit grow better
than in the rich soils of the valleys and plateaus of the mountain coun-
try, where the cool climate gives the same conditions existing further
north.

CRANBERRIES.

The cranberry grows wild in two sections of the State, bur up to the
present no attempt has been made to develop a commercial cranbeny
industry. The conditions necessary for success in cranberry culture

L

.*+> »0!ty :%*

*#•»

****(fe

*a «

IM

r~

Fruit Gbowing.

23

are soils of a peaty or alluvial nature provided with an amide and easily
available water supply and an easily accessible supply of sand. These
conditions are found in tbe territory between Albemarle and Pamlico
sounds, and in several localities of higher altitudes along the Alleghany
Mountains in the northwestern part of the State. The successful de-
velopment of a cranberry industry has been in localities where the fruit
occurs as a native plant. The commercial cranberry bus? or meadow
should combine as many as possible of the elements which characterize
the natural habitat of the cranberry.

WHORTLEBERRIES OR BLUEBERRIES.

Xo attempts that we know of have been made to cultivate these ber-
ries, but the wild crop is of great importance in the southeastern part
of the State. In some counties the fruit has a great reputation and
forms an important crop frond the swamp lands. The annual shipments
amount to perhaps $100,000.

The Eastern Section oe North Carolina is Adapted
to Growing Pecans.

TRUCK GROWING.

NO STATE in the Union offers ;[ broader or more complete field
from a horticultural standpoinl than North Carolina. The
various climatic conditions, ranging from thai of subtropical in
the easl to almost Canadian conditions in the mountainous sections of
the west, give to North Carolina an interesting and favorable place in
the trucking industry of this country. The high, cool mountain regions
an- well adapted to growing late vegetables for home and southern
markets; while the coastal plain, with its level, mellow, sandy loam.
easy of cultivation, retentive of moisture, and abounding in decompo-.-d
vegetable matter, is admirably adapted to the production of early vege-
tables for northern markets. With these unsurpassed natural conditions
and the use of frames covered with cloth or glass, and, in some case-, t he
installation of modern steam-heating and irrigating Bvstems, the truck-
ing industry has made wonderful strides in late years, ami t he production
of vegetable crops in winter and early spring is carried on with great
success. With the present facilities for rapid transportation, the
tables grown in eastern .North Carolina are but a comparatively short
time from the best markets in America. All indications are that the
business of supplying early vegetables, especially of the finer sort- to
the rapidly groAving northern cities, is certain to increase in size and
profit beyond its present large proportion-.

IRISH POTATOES.

Among the truck crops of eastern North Carolina, the Irish potato has
taken quite a prominent place, particularly so for early market, and, to
a less extent, a second crop for late markel and for "seed." Potatoes
are also grown to a certain extent in the mountain regions for late
market. In all, the Irish potato crops bring to the truckers of North
Carolina an annual income of between a million and B halt* and two
million dollars, kike other truck crops, the potato has had its fluctua-
tions iii price; bul this has become less marked since each section main-
tain- its place in the procession of the early potato season, from Florida
to Maryland. Thousands of barrels of potatoes are planted every year
for the early crop. They are planted in February and go to markel in
June, thereby giving time to grow a crop of cowpeas on the land until it
is needed to plant the second crop of potatoes in August; or corn may be
planted and cowpeas planted at the 'laying by*' of the corn. In either
case, three crops are grown, one being a leguminous i rop, which i- very
important in vegetable culture. In Borne sections cotton i- planted

between the row- of early potatoe- at the hist working, and when the
potatoes are dug and shipped, the cotton is given the entire land; but for

Truck Growing. 25

the welfare of the truck crop, this practice is not to be encouraged. It is
always better to arrange the crops in such a way as to get in a crop of
cowpeas. On heavily manured soils the native crab-grass grows rapidly
in warm weather, and this mixed with cowpeas makes an excellent hay.
The second crop of Irish potatoes is planted in August from "seed" of
the first crop, and is allowed to grow until frost. They are then lifted,
placed in piles and covered with earth, which keeps them looking per-
fectly fresh and good. During the winter they may be barreled and
shipped to the northern markets, where they will often bring from $4
to $7 per barrel.

SWEET POTATOES.

Sweet potatoes are grown more or less in all parts of the State, as a
quantity sufficient for home use can be grown under a wide range of
conditions. For market purposes they are grown principally in the
lower piedmont and coastal sections. The varieties used for trucking
are different from those planted for home use and local markets; for
northern markets demand a dry, starchy potato, while the potatoes
planted for home consumption are largely the so-called yam, or moist,
sugary varieties. A Northerner coming South usually brings with him
his preference for the dry potato, but after a time realizes the superior
quality of the yam varieties. Eastern markets are usually well supplied,
bul there are sections where the sweet potato is not fully appreciated as
a food. Hence the field for the production and use of sweet potatoes is
very broad and the crop promises to become one of very great importance.

The culture of sweet potatoes is not so intensive as the culture of most
truck crops, as they thrive best on only moderately fertile soil; will
even yield a good crop on poor soil. On very rich soil they grow too
much to vines. The lighter gray soils of the piedmont section and the
sandy lands of the coastal plain will yield at little expense abundant
crops of sweet potatoes. With careful cultivation, a yield of as much
as 500 bushels per acre can be attained. Other conditions being equal,
the heavier yields arc from the plants which are set early from the
bedded potatoes; but potatoes grown from tips of vines cut and set in
July will keep better through the winter than the earlier crop. Sweet
potatoes are inexpensively cultivated and rather cheaply harvested by
means of implements for the purpose, or, on small areas, by means of
an ordinary turning plow. As soon as dug they should be graded to
uniform shape and size. For market they are packed into ventilated
barrels with burlap covers. When care is exercised in cultivation,
harvesting, and marketing, potatoes are usually profitable. Sweel
potatoes are also a valuable crop for the growing and fattening of hogs.

CABBAGE.

The cabbage grown for northern markets is the early cabbage pro-
duced in the trucking regions of the coastal plain. There it occupies
quite a foremost place among early truck crops. Tin- seeds of early

Teuck Growing.

varieties, such as Jersey Wakefield, Charleston Wakefield, etc.. are
sown in beds at intervals from the first of September to October. The
plants are transplanted to the field during the latter part of Xovember
and the first of December. To be on the safe side, truckers usually make
several sowings; for the p.. - lid be jm - planting

they are put out, or they may. as a result, run to seed before he.
Of course, by this method more plants will be grown than will really
be needed; but this fact does not necessarily mean a serious ae
expense, since the seed is cheap and has excellent vitality. Cabbage is
packed in crates holding about a barrel, and shipped north in March and
April. The northern markets have learned to depend upon the N
Carolina cabbage; and when it is placed upon the market in good c
lion it rarely fails to sell to advantage. Cabbage yields heavily and as
a whole is one of the most profitable truck crops of eastern Xorth I
lina. What the early cabbage is to the coastal section the late summer
and fall cabbage is to the mountain region of the west, where : _
to supply home and southern markers. In the mountain section late
cabbage is an important crop, as climatic conditions there are very
;.ble to late cabbage culture. A ready market is found in southern
where the climatic conditions are not favorable to the growth of
late cabbage. ^Notwithstanding its present proportions, this industry
has not nearly reached the limits of its pose

Lettcce Gbow-

LETTUCE.

the area planted and the time the land u
probably the most profitable crop of thi plain. Ow: _

mild climate, the warm, r - !. and bright winter sunshine.

lettno wfully grown during the fall, winter, and spring

ling to the location, climatic condi:
growing in Xorth Carolina is carried on under three different methods :

Truck Growing. 27

(1) Steam-heated and irrigated frames; (2) Cohered frames without
artificial heat and irrigation; (3) Open-field culture. The open-field
culture is practiced in the warm southeastern part of the State. By
the frame method earlier lettuce can be grown, and 1 his usually finds a
better market than the later crop. It goes to market in competition
with that grown in Florida and in the greenhouses of northern cities.
Market records show that North Carolina frame-grown lettuce com-
mands a high place in the best markets. The spring lettuce, which is
the most important of the lettuce crops, comes at a time when the
Northerner is hungering for something green ; and, if good lettuce is
put on the market in first-class condition, the grower can rest assured
that it is going to sell to advantage. Lettuce being a rapid-growing
plant, maturing in from seventy to ninety days from the time of
planting, and growing more profitable under intensive culture, lends
itself well to a rotation with other quick-growing, high-profit crops,
such as cucumbers, eggplants, cantaloupes, beets, radish, beans, etc. By
proper rotation three or four crops can be grown on the same ground
in the course of a year. As the methods for successful lettuce culture
are very intensive, they are necessarily costly; but the profits are cor-
respondingly large. A good crop of lettuce usually brings $1,000 to

$1,500 per acre.

ONIONS.

Good onions can be grown on a great variety of soils if well enriched
and in good physical condition; but sandy loams and reclaimed swam])
lands are preeminently the onion lands of the country. In eastern
North Carolina are found thousands of acres like the lands of the great
onion sections of the North and West. But in the coastal plains the
onions in Avhich the truckers are mostly interested are the green onions
for bunching and shipping in early spring. Therefore the sandy lands
are used, as they are warmer and "quicker" than the peaty lands. How-
ever, the ripe onions grown on these swamp lands are models of perfec-
tion. The green onions are groAvn from "sets," which are small onions
forced to ripen prematurely by having been sown very thickly. The
"sets" are planted in September and the green onions are ready to bunch
and ship from February to April. There is always a demand for early
onions in all markets, and usually they bring good prices. For ripe
onions the seeds are either sown in beds and tin- seedlings transplanted
to the field, or are sown directly where the onions are to grow. The
large Prizetaker onions can be grown to perfection in the rich, mellow
bottom-lands of the mountain sections. They come in during the early
summer before any northern-grown onions are ripe, hence these early
ripe onions invariably sell to advantage. Notwithstanding the fact
that millions of bushels of onions are produced in America every year,
the supply is not sufficient for the demand; for more than a million
bushels are annually imported from Spain, Egypt, and elsewhere. In
view of these facts, the excellent field for the production of first-class
onions is readily seen.

Tki CK ( rBOWING.

WATERMELONS.

For home consumption and local markets, watermelons are grown in
all parts of the State. For shipping to northern markets they are pro-
duced in the warm, light soils of the coastal section and on the Bandy
lands of the lower piedmonl region. On the sandy soils of the long-leaf
pine section melons are grown unsurpassed in size and quality. The
varieties grown then- for market are the smooth, firm melons, that ship
well. The round kinds are preferred to the long ones, as the former
pack better in ears. The counties of Scotland and Robeson alone ship
annually to northern markets something like 1,500 iced cars of melons.
At the height of the shipping season whole train-loads of melons leave
from different stations along the Seaboard and Coasl Line railroad-.

s«.\ii: Tbcckebs in Nobtb Carolina Plant prom 7.".
to i<»i Acres in Cantaloupes pjj a Single Farm and

ARE [NCREASini; 'linn: A' i:i:a',i: I'.ac ii Ykak.

CANTALOUPES.

Like cucumbers, the early cantaloupe- are profitable. They are
planted and treated very much as cucumbers are. Although they are

more often grown in the open, they are sometimes grown in frames
after lettuce, Coming as they do. they fit in well iii rotation with
lettuce in frame or field culture. Lettuce comes off in March and April
and cantaloupes occupy the ground until July, when they in turn vacate
the land in time for a crop of cowpeas, or a second crop of Irish pota-
For shipping to northern markets only the small early varieties,
such as the Netted Gem or Etockyford, are grown, as these are more in

demand and will pack and -hip better than the larger varieties. Canta-
loupes have been found from experience to be a very profitable crop. In

the neighbor!] 1 of 1,200 car- are grown in North Carolina and

-hipped every season to northern market-.

Teuck Growing.

29

CUCUMBERS.

The cucumber, giving best results on warm, quick soils filled with
sufficient vegetable matter to hold a good supply of moisture, naturally
finds an important place among the truck crops of the coastal plains of
North Carolina. When they are grown early, they are profitable; in
fact, earlmess determines to a great extent the degree of success of the
crop. It will usually warrant the market gardener going to some extra
trouble and expense to attain this end. The plants are started in
frames and hotbeds; but, as they transplant with difficulty, it is better
to start them in pots and transplant to the field when all danger of frost
is over. They are grown to a large extent in frames after lettuce, in
which case they come off in July in time for a crop of cowpeas or a
second crop of Irish potatoes. They can be shipped north till the price
tails, then the remainder can be sold to the picklers. Early cucumbers
will bring as much as $2 per bushel bask,,, and a thousand baskets per
acre is not an uncommon yield. They, like tomatoes, can be success-
fully "forced" in the greenhouse.

Peas Are Perfection in Noeth Carolina.

ENGLISH PEAS.

The early crop of English peas is a very important one to the market
gardener in eastern North Carolina. The main crop of the extra earliea
i- usually sown in January and goes to market late in April and early
-May. Single growers will often plant a hundred acres in pea^. They
are a cheaply grown crop-and are soon oft' the land, and the rines turned
under are valuable for the improvement of the soil and can at .nice be
followed by some later crop, such as cucumbers or melons.

30 Tki ' K < rBOWINO.

TOMATOES.

Tomatoes are grown in the home garden in all parts of the State, but
for shipment 1<> northern markets the growing is confined to the early
tomatoes of the coastal section. When sufficient trouble is taken to get
them early, they arc profitable; but later the crop i- seriously damaged
by sun-scald, the plants arc liable to blight, and they arc forced 10 give
place to tomatoes grown in localities farther north with ahorter haul-
ami cheaper freight. T<> get them as early as possible, they are 3I
in pot- and afterwards transplanted i" the field. The greenhouse culture
of tomatoes offers good possibilities to the market gardeners of North
Carolina; for here the climate is so mild that not much additional heat
is necessary, and they may be grown more cheaply than in the colder
North. A ready market and fancy prices can always be had for green-
bouse tomatoes. Tomatoes grow luxuriantly in the cool mountain sec-
tion of the western part of the State. This section offer- an excellent
field for tomato culture for canning purposes.

STRING BEANS OR SNAPS.

These are very largely grown by the market gardeners, and, when
early, they pay well, as they are cheaply grown, need lighl fertilization,
and arc out of the way in early summer, so that a hay crop of peas and
crab-grass can be grown on the same land, the dead bean tops helping to
fertilize the land. Muskmelons arc sometimes planted between the
row- in alternate rows and the bean vines turned under for their benefit
after the beans arc shipped, and these followed by a volunteer crop of
crab-grass hay or by the second crop of Irish potatoes; for no market
gardener is satisfied with Less than two crop- annually on his land, and
often gets three or four, for the second-crop Irish potatoes can be at

once followed by the early cabbage crop from plants se1 in December.

CAULIFLOWERS.

These, like the early cabbages, are set in the fall, but arc not so

largely grown. Sometimes they are set in the frame- and the remaining
-pace filled in with lettuce and the cauliflower given the full room as
the lettuce i- cut out. Grown in this way. they conic into head in
.March and can be made quite a profitable crop.

LIMA BEANS.

The large lima beans which we often find on the market and which
bring such good prices cannot be profitably grown in North Carolina

except in the cool mountain -oil- of the western part of the State. On

account of the general humidity of the climate, the huge beans arc too
unproductive in the warmer part i<\ North Carolina to warrant their

cultivation, though the small lima, or butter bean as it i- more often

Truck Growing.

31

called, can be quire successfully grown in any parr of the S . pro-
vided rhe land is well enriched. It is u- -- try to grow lima beans
on poor soil. The value of these small lima beans is not fully appre-
ciated. They are extremely productive, and if well handled keep up a
supply of beans until the first killing frost. The cultivation of the
large lima beans in rhe mountain region and the small limas in the
east could make for North Carolina a significant and profitable industry.

BEETS.

As is necessary for all root crops, beets want deep, mellow, easily pene-
trable soil, and for earliness they need a "quick." warm soil — two condi-
tions conspicuously present in the trucking region of eastern North
Carolina. Very early beets are generally grown in well enriched lettuce
frames following cur rings of Xovember and December lettuce. They
are also grown to quite a considerable extent from - - n in the

open about February, producing beers ready for bunching in May.
Since earliness is an imporranr facror. Those sown in frames give much
berrer resulrs: for beets in frames will be ready for bunching and ship-
ping by the time those in the open field are showing above ground. The
open-field culture is less expensive, but risky, while the frame culture is
more expensive, bur at the same time more assured. In either
when beets are produced comparatively early they are profitable.

Celery a Populas Trt^k C*OP, Bspbcully in

Western NOBTH I'aKoI.INA.

CELERY.

Celery is naturally a cool climare planr, thriving best in v< ry rich.
moist soil. It therefore grows to perfection in the rich cove lands of
rhe mountain counries of Xorrh Carolina. Celery can be grown bu
fully in rhe reclaimed swamp lands in easrern Carolina by Betting The
planrs berween corn rows so rhar rhe planrs will get shade in the hot

32 Tim. k < rBOWlNG.

Practically all the celery grown for oommercial purposes, both
ihigan and Florida, is grown on reclaimed awamp lands, the like
of which thousands of acres can be obtained in eastern North Carolina,
peaty lands will produce celery of equal quality to tin- Michigan
and Florida celery and at very much less expense. In the moist bottom-
land of the piedmont section celery grows excellently, and in the cool
valleys of the mountain country it attains a quality that cannol be
excelled anywhere. Since many of the home markets are poorly -ap-
plied with celery of first-class quality, a very profitable industry could
be carrii d on in the mountain section of this State, supplying the home
and southern markets with fine celery. As celery is no longer looked
upon as s luxury eaten only by those who can afford to pay a fancy
price for it, but as an excellent, wholesome vegetable of general fare,
a ready market can always be found for good celery.

ASPARAGUS.

Asparagus is quite an important erop to the market gardeners of the
coastal section, where the warm, mellow sandy soil produces early

[uality. A- North Carolina asparagus is a well-known
article in the northern markets, it rarely fails to bring a good price when
proper care has been exercised in its production, harvesting, and market-
ing. As this is an old and popular vegetable, the demand is always
good. Due to its earliness, of course, the eastern part of the State is
preeminently the asparagus-growing section for northern markets. A-
local markets are often meagerly -upplied with this wholesome vegetable,
a profitable industry could be made in many parts of the State in pro-
ducing asparagus for the home market.

EGGPLANT.

handsome and wholesome vegetable annually becoming

common in markets. It requires a long growing season, a warm.

and fairly dry soil, and a guaranty that they will nol be forced to

stop growing from the time the seed germinate to the time the fruit is

The demands relative to the soil and season are found typified in

d North Carolina, while of course the latter demand depends

largely upon the individual grower. If sufficienl pains are taken they

can be grown admirably in the warm sandy loams of Xorth Carolina.

To gel them early, they an ad transplanted to the field

when all danger of frosl is past. They can be worked well in frames

from which lettuce has been cut. Although they are rather a bulky

article to ship, if they are gathered at the proper time and well packed,

this is nol a greal disadvantage. When eggplants are put on the

market relatively early and in good condition, they always sell to

Truck Growing. 33

kale and spinach.

Kale and spinach, are sown by market gardeners in the fall for ship-
ment during winter and early spring. During severe winters when
these crops are killed in the north, the southern-grown crops sell to
advantage. Spinach, being the more delicate of the two, usually sells
for the higher price. They are both hardy, yield heavily, are cheaply
grown, and occnpy the ground only during the cool season. They come
off in sufficient time for the spring truck crops. Therefore, when they
sell well, they are exceedingly profitable. Even in those - when

they do not command a high price, it pays to grow them as a cover
crop to turn under in the spring. Kale and spinach are grown in
eastern North Carolina as cheaply and to as great perfection as the
crop in the great trucking region around Xorfolk, Va., where hundreds
of acres are planted to these crops every year.

LIVE STOCK.

LIVE STOCK can be grown to as good advantage in this S
in any other State in the Union. The western portion or
mountai 11 of the State is especially adapted to the grow-

g nd handling of beef cattle. The natural bin- -_ _ . with

the large nnmber of Btreama of clear, pure water, and the abundance of
shade, provide the best of pastures. In this section of the State are
d numbers of herds of pure-bred animals of all beef breeds — Short-
borns, perhaps, taking the lead. From these mountain counties many
hundreds of cattle find their way to the export trade each year.

With all the advantages, both natural and artificial, this -
should in a few years be one of the best beef-producimr - s of the

Eastern States.

The piedmont section, while not so well adapted to the growing of the
blue-grass, does grow some other grasses which are admirably suited to
the handling of cattle. Winter pasturage crops art- grown and
grazed all the year.

All through this section dairying has been developed to a considerable

extent. There are a number of herds of grade •'• :- ys and Holsteins

which are producing nicely. Many pure-bred herds of both breeds are

■ 1 in almost every county. Many individual Jersey cows can be

found which have a butter record of 400 pounds or more per year.

have been established in different localities and have
proven of great benefit to the farmers.

The eastern or coastal plain section of our S bounds in natural

make their entire living for the whole year on
Along the banks of the streams the reed pastures
throughout the year. With care and attention this industry can
be developed to a wonderful degree. The class of cattle has been mate-
rially improved. There are numbers of herds of pure-bred beef and
dairy cattle throughout this section which have given very satisfa
results. There i^ a breed of horses known a- Hanker ponies which run

Live >

wild in the extreme eastern section along the coast and mature into i
- od animals well suited to light driving. Once each vear these poi
are driven into pens and branded. Numerous ttle,

and hogs are als - I in this section without any feeding or ol

attention.

The Department has taken up the manufacture of Anti-Hog Chi
am. We inoculate hogs throughout th Si ad find that now 1

Really under our control. With the natural r -
and thi- 'Utrol. this industry certainly will develop

to large proporti
Two things which are alw - -- .. are markets and

dipping facilities. The shipping facilities st-class ro-

lina is a consuming rather than a prodm _ - t bacon and the

by-products. With all these advai are for bacon production

in this S - tactically -

^lieep raising can be carried on with success, 1
being specially adapted to this indusl

ultry can be made profitable in all - - State.

Horses, cattle, gs - been much improved recentlv.

u Carolina Department . ilture has been

- able pure-bred - - to various sections of the State. Th. - -
are owned by this Department and placed in the hands of
for the benefit of the eommunitv.

CLIMATES.

WE SAY climates rather than climate, for in North Carolina
there are various climal
J ii the high plateaus of the northwestern part of the State,
where the forest growth is -white pine, hemlock, and fir, one mighl
imagine himself in Canada. In this section — the counties of Ashe,
Alleghany, and others — the farms lie generally over 3,000 feet above the
sea level, and grass and live stock are the leading interests. From these
lofty elevations the State slopes to the sun and the sea, and ther<

of climates all the way to the lower coast, when- we find the first
tall palm-tree growth in the forest. From white pines and hemlocks t<>
palms indicates a wonderful range of climate, and hence a wonderful
range of capacities for the production of different crops, from the blue-
grass of the northwe.-tern corner to the palms and sugar-cane of the

southeast section.

THE MOUNTAIN SECTION.

This is the region west of the great escarpment of the Blue Ridge, in
which are found the highest mountain peaks east of the Rocky Moun-
tains. It is a region of fertile valleys and elevated plateau-, with a
climate very similar to that of the northern Middle States. The sum-
mers are cool and pleasant and the whole region is an attractive one to
the summer visitor and is becoming a great summer resort. The winters
are eold, but shorter than those of the Middle States north. In most
mountain regions the mountain-sides are rocky and sterile, but in the
mountains of North Carolina, as a rule, the mountain slopes are covered
with fertile soil and in some parts of the mountain country the treeless
"halds" have their slopes to their lofty tops covered with fertile soil and
rich g d which great herds of cattle are grazed in summer. The

valleys in the southern .-ection of the mountain country are less elevated
and the climate is mild and pleasant, while the snowfall is very light.
The clear streams of water that flow everywhere and the natural growth
of fine grasses mark this region for cattle and the dairy, while on the
uplands fruil of all kinds flourishes ;>~ i' -eldom docs elsewhere. It is
destined to Ik- the most aoted apple-growing Bection in the whole country.
Apples from the mountain country have twice carried off the firsl prize
.•it the Madison Square Garden in New York city in competition with
tin- whole United States. Peaches attain ;i color and quality there which
they do not reach in the lower country. They grow as handsome as the
California peaches, and ;i- to quality the California product is hardly to
lie named in comparison with them. In short, the mountain country is
admirably adapted to dairying and fruit-growing and home- —

"Where the wing of life's best angel,
Health, is on the breeze."

Climates. 37

THE PIEDMONT SECTION.

This section properly extends from the foot of the Blue Ridge to the
line of hills some hundred or more miles eastward, which make the falls
of the rivers that run from the mountains to the sea. This eastern limit
is a series of elevations rising in some places to over 1,000 feet above
the sea and known by various names, as the Uwharrie Mountains.
Hickory Mountains, Occoneechee Hills, and Kougemont, and it extends
from the South Carolina line to the Virginia line. Between this line of
hills and the Blue Kidge is a rolling country of hill and dale and river
and valley, with their fertile bottom-lands. In this section the two
tiers of counties south of the Virginia line are mainly devoted to the ['in-
duction of the famous gold-leaf tobacco, which is produced in Xorth
Carolina better than elsewhere. Southward of these counties the leading
crop is cotton. The whole section is evidently naturally fitted to diver-
sified farming, with grass, grain, and cotton, with cattle to consume the
abundant hay crops that can be produced. The climate of this region,
sheltered from the northwest blast in winter by the high mountains west,
is far milder in winter than the mountain country west of the Ridge.
The snowfall in winter is light — even lighter than the sections east of it,
because of the lesser humidity of the climate — and there is hardly a
day in winter when farm work in the soil cannot go on. The soils of
this section are largely the result of the decomposition of granitic rocks
forming the deep beds of blood-red clay. Here and there this red clay
is overlaid by a gray and lighter soil, the tobacco soil of the country.
The red-clay lands are admirably adapted to the cultivation of wheat,
and when well improved grow great crops. On the red-clay soil of this
section the late Governor Holt made on an 80-acre field 461^ bushels of
wheat per acre, and the same well-improved farm makes great crops of
cotton, corn, and hay. Thousands of acres of similar lands are waiting
for the systematic farmer to go to work to bring out their capacities.
There is no section where deep plowing and subsoiling produce greater
results than on these red-clay uplands, for the piedmont red clay is all
good soil down to the fast rock, when once aerated and frosted by the
winter, and there are thousands of farms nominally worn out that only
need a man with energy enough to break into the fertile farm thai lie-
right under the scratch made by the little one-horse plow of by-gone
days. TVith careless cultivation and shallow plowing these hills are a]>r
to wash into gullies, but with deep plowing and proper level and shallow
culture there is less danger of this. "With one of the most delightful of
climates, and blessed with health, there is no reason why the surplus
lands of this section should not become the homes of many thousand- more
successful farmers than now, when the large farms are divided up and
properly cultivated. The main line of the Southern Railway runs
through this section, with branches east and west in all sections, so that
railroad transportation is excellent. At almost every station one sees

cotton mills in operation, and at High Point, a town which has grown
in the past fifteen years from :i hamlet of 300 people t" :i city of over
7,000, there is the Largest woodworking industry in the whole South.
All these factories are taking men who were formerly on the farms,
:in<l are opening markets in all sections for garden and farm products
d these people : for i very cotton mill means quite a village to be fed
by the surrounding farms. The piedmont Bection is a high rolling
plain, rising from an elevation of about 600 feet on its eastern border
next the hills to about 1,500 feet at the foot of the Blue Ridge Moun-
tains. It has the finesl water-powers of the State, which are -lowly
being utilized for manufacturing and electrical power for the cities
around. The soil is naturally good and retains the improvement thai
sily added by good farming. It- chief lack is farmer — men who
will take up and make home- and improve the surplus land-, which as
yet are low in price, hut rapidly advancing.

THE CENTRAL SECTION.

This comprises the undulating country extending from the hill- that
mark the outline of the piedmont country proper to the falling off of
the upland- to the level coastal plain. This is sometimes called the
lower piedmont. In general character of soils it resembles the true
piedmont country, hut the soils are more generally sandy and gravelly
over the red (day. though in many sections the -ame red clay forms the
surface soil. From it- Lesser elevation the winter climate is slightly
warmer than that of the upper piedmonl section. On the southern end
of this section we come to the great long-leaf pine belt, the sand-hill
. which, beginning in North Carolina, run- southwest through
South Carolina, G _ia. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and into
_ on of sand-hills supposed to he the ancienl dunes
of lie si when the lower country was tea elevated above the

Atlantic. This was for gen< rations regarded only for its product of tur-
pentine and tar. and later for its lumber. But of late yen i - grown
gion for winter n I firsl by consumptives, who found
the balmy air and dry -oil favorable, and many of whom, finding that
they could live in comfort there and could not do so in the North,
settled permanently and buill up the town of Southern rims. .Making
- there, these people naturally wanted to grow something. The
sandy -oil had always been considered too barren for any cultiva-
tion. But it was Boon found that with proper fertilization the soil was
admirably adapted to the production of fine gri pi 3. Later on. large
enterprises were started in the cultivation of peaches, and now immense
vineyards and orchard- ate found in various sections, ami their number
is im- . - the cultivation of the peach especially ha- been found
Later on, the sand-hill country attracted the attention of

Mr. Tufts Jton, who assumed that the mild winter climate and

('r.iMAi 9.

the pure water would make a resort for people who were simply tired

and not sick. He therefore built the town of Pinehurst in the mi
thousands of acres of pines, and it has grown into a very popular winter
resort, as consumptives are excluded. There are a number of hotels of
different sizes and prices, and many con ages that are rented, and the
visitors in winter now number thousands. At Pinehursr. too, out of
the needs of the winter guests, there has been developed the fact that
winter forcing greenhouses under glass could be made a very profitable
part of the horticulture of this section. The surplus cucumbers from
the Pinehurst forcing-houses have sold during the past winter in
Kaleigh at 15 cents each. "With our abounding sunshine in winter, the
forcing of vegetables and small fruits in hothouses can be made far
more profitable than in the Xorth, because of the greater sunshine and
ss mount of coal needed. Every gardener knows that sunshine under
glass counts for far more than fire heat and costs less. In fact, the
beginning made in frames by the gardeners of the eastern section in the
winter culture of lettuce is but the entering wedge that will introduce
regular winter forcing in Xorth Carolina. The upper part of the
central section has for generations been mainly devoted to the one crop
of cotton, and. as a consequence of this clean and constant culture and
shallow plowing, the hilly lands have washed badly and need protection
by tei-race banks, at least till by deeper plowing and subsoiling and the
rotation of crops adapted to the increase of humus in the soil the incli-
nation to wash is lessened. The soil is naturally easy to improve and
to keep up if proper farming is done. Cotton and tobacco will always.
probably, be the leading money crops of this section, though on some of
the lighter soils the cultivation of watermelons for shipping is increas-
ing. Fruits for home use can be easily grown, but the conditions outside
the sand-hill country are not favorable to commercial fruit culture. But
the climate favors the production of the finest forage crops in the
of cowpeas, soy beans, and alfalfa. Alfalfa has been very successful in
this section, and its cultivation is rapidly extending. Few eat tie have
been kept in this section heretofore, but with the increase of forage
crops there will naturally come more attention to stock. The markets
in the towns and cities are not well supplied with butter of fine quality.
and there is a constant demand for beef in the larger town-, a part of
which has to be supplied from abroad, though as good beef can be grown
here as anywhere, with the proper attention. Tin' winter climate is
peculiarly mild and less humid than that of the coastal plain. I
sionally the temperature in cold waves falls down in the teens above
but the mean winter temperature is far above the freezing point and
zero is unknown. This section was originally covered with a vi
of oaks, remnants of which are still found here and there in gianl
especially in the capital city of Raleigh. But the Becond growth follow-
ing the destruction of the original oak forest i- largely of pine, which
has been Nature's cure for man's waste. All thi north of the

-.

well adapted tog 1 farming with grain in rotation with

: and with good tanning i: - o money crop in the

Unit S d compare in profit with cotton. Good farmers in

an make a bale or more of cotton per acre, though the gen-
era! - - - N .«rn men coming South are too a\r
want to ignore the cotton crop, thinking that the deterioration of
has been due to the culture of cotton, when in fact there is no crop that
maki - lemand on the soil when properly cultivated in a good
rotation, and none that admits of a more rapid and profitable improve-
ment of the soil through the growing of legumes and the feeding of Li

sk. In this climate th<- expensive barns of the North are not needed
to protect cattle, for they can run out most of the time and find pasture,

pt in the coldest weather, and then open sheds furnish all that i-
needed. As has already been stated, on all the red-clay soil of th B
the Lespedeza striata, known as Japan clover, has spread and furnishes
an admirable summer pasture on lands otherwise waste. Mr. French,
who came and settled in Kockingham County from the blu - sa pas-
tures of Ohio, and has gone into the breeding of Polled Angus cat t It-
wit: _ ited recently in a public address that he found that
the Japan clover gave him a better pasture than the blm - in Ohio,
for it is at its best in the hot weather of summer when the blue-gra—
parched and dried. With abundant summer pasture and the wonderful
forage crops that can be grown for hay in the shape of cowpeas, vetch,
and soy beans, it should be an easy matter to raise the finest of cattle in
all the upland country of Xorth Carolina. County after county in the
piedmont section is being cleared of the fever ticks and being admitl
north of the National quarantine line, and as this is done the rai- _
of cattle for northern trade is becoming more profitable. For general
grazing the grassy plateaus of the northwestern mountain section are
equal to any in the whole country, and thousands of cattle of high
grade are now raised there and sent west as feeders, the great elevation

he farms there precluding the profitable cultivation of corn. But
in all the southern part of the mountain section the milder elin
admits of wonderfully fine crops of corn, while the mountain bald- fur-
mmer pac 1 The markets southward for the finished

exhaustible.

THE COASTAL PLAIN.

This Bed --ward from the Beacoast for a hundred or

lea. I" is a level and generally a sandy -"il elevated but little
ab- sea and blessed with a winter climate of peculiar mild]

from the proximity of the gulf stream, whose warm waters skirt the
coa- to II this section are found the great swamp- or

po- the Greal Dial il Swamp on the Virginia line

to the southern extremity of the State. In this section cotton was for
many yean aim* . but in n the cultivation "t

tobacco has lar- ded. The - lopment, however.

Climati S.

41

we have seen, is in the great market-gardening industry that has
sprung up and is rapidly growing both in the culture of vegetables
and of small fruits, especially the strawberry. The Atlantic Coast
Line Railroad and Xorfolk Southern Railroad run through tui-
tion, and, with their branches, furnish rapid transportation for the
perishable products of the gardens. With a climate that is below

Red Drum. The Largest of One Day's Catch OH
OCR Coast.

Sections of North Carolina auk a Paradise for
the Fisherman and Hlnter.

the freezing point in winter only occasionally, the work of the
farm and garden can be carried on continuously, and with the inten-
sive methods we have mentioned the winter cropping is becoming
a feature of great importance. Where the lands adjacent to the greal
swamps have been drained they have been found of great fertility. In
Hyde County many years ago the cutting of a canal from Lake Matta-
muskeet to the Pamlico Sound opened up a body of land surpassing in

O.I.V

fertility the black prairies of the West, and all over th there are

lack and - 'il underlaid by ;i oompaci clay which makes

ntive of any improvement that is applied. In addition to the

lit in the market-gardening line, theii a this Bection,

allied industry which is unique in its way and found

d the country. This is the cultivation of flowering bulbs

for th< era florists.. It was found - - thai the soil and

climate were peculiarly adapted to the production of the tube-rose bulbs.

perfection that a limited Bection along

:. of Magnolia, now supplies

all the tube-rose bulbs for the northern and European markets. Of

- the tub growers have turned their attention to other

_ bulbs and tuber?, and there is a large acreage now devoted to

the gladiolus, canna, caladium esculentum, dahlias, nai nd Etonian

inth, and it is believed that the lily known as the Bermuda lily.

and which i- now imported in immense- quantities from Bermuda, can be

profitably produced there. Experiments in this line are in pn -

Bulbs are also being produced on Roanoke Esland, and the industry is

ling. The level character of the Boil of this whole Bection, the

• rocks and hills and the generally lijrht nature of the soil

n nder cultivation easy, and. while there are poor and sandy soils, the

al character of the soil i- one e natural fertility. On the

black h - spontaneously and in great variety, and

on the heavily manured lands of the trucking BOCtion wonderful volnn-

- of hay are made from the crab-g r an early crop of

bles has been Bhipped; and b the cowpea, "the clovei of

South," flourishes a> it does nowhere else. Cattle winter without

at all in the great Bwamps, feeding on the evergreen reeds of

oebrakes, ut in the Bpring in jrood order and are

market. Many hund lie common -'-tub cattle of the

■ii are thus pastured in winter, and with improved cattle and the

abundant forage that can be grown there Bhould grow up an export

trade in cattle raised righl near the port- from which they are Bhipped.

TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, FROST.

IN THE following tables, prepared by the United States Weather
Bureau, entries are made for selected stations and for the State.
The mean annual temperature for North Carolina La 58.9 degrees
Fahrenheit. The lowest monthly mean is 40.7 in January; hig -
77.1' in July. The mean temperature in winter is 41..".. spring 58.3,
summer 75. S. autumn 58.8. Considering the various parts of the State,
there is a range in the annual mean from 48.2 a; Linnville (ele
•"o<n> feet) in the Blue Kidge Mountains to •;:*,.:; ar Beaufort on Tin-
southeastern coast. About half of this difference is confined to the
mountainous region, the change becoming more gradual toward the
coast. Zero temperatures occur annually in po] - the mountain
district, but are seldom recorded east of the main ridge. The lowesl
record fur the State is 19 below zero al Highlands, Macon County, on
February 13, 1899. This was during the severe cold wave of record
in the southern portion of the country. The lowest temperature at
Asheville was G below zero, Charlotte 1 below, Raleigh 2 below, and
Wilmington .". above zero. The highest record of temperature i- h '7
at Chapel Hill on July 19, 1902.

Tbe average annual precipitation i- 50.58 inches. Tin- greatest
monthly amount is 6.19 in August; least, 2.54 in November. It is
heaviest in the southern portion of the mountain district, especially in
Macon. Transylvania, and Henderson counties.

The average date of tbe first killing frost in autumn ranges from S
tember 30th at Linnville to December 8th at Beaufort; average date of
last killing frost in spring. March 15th at Beaufort to May :3d at
Linville.

Additional data in detail will be furnished on application to Section
Direet-r. 1". S. Weather Bureau. Raleigh, X. C.

44

i i: \ I OK] 1 ':. • [FITATION. F» »S1 .

MONTH] ^ IND ANNUAL MI AN TI Ml'l.RATURE.

Stations.

Jle...

Beaufort . . .

• 1 Hill.

Char;.

Edenton

I

z —— z -

- -- -:

2 ~ -

-. -. <

i 1 i 1

£ - :

o i o j

: z a

2.255
10
500

m

30

Greensboro H I

Henderson 490

Henderson ville 2,167

Lenoir 1.188

Linville 3,800

Mount Airy 1.048

New Bern. 12

■ 390

1,000

.ry

Southern Pinee mc

Tarboro 50

• -ville "

Wilininntdn. 7^

32 35 4

8 48.3

25 38.9

30 40.4

15 39 9

15 39 4

13 36 4

28 36 9

13 30 6

19 36.7

25 45 5

22 40 4
15 37 5

23 41 0
18 43 4
23 41 6
15 37 2
38 46 7

38.fi 44 9

46 7 53.8

43 0 49 2

44 1 50 .8
40 9 51 6

40 S 50 3
38 2 50 6
37 5 46 2

41 0 46 4
30 0 40 3

37 9 46 4
1S.8J

43 3 50 4

38 3 49 8

41 8 .-.1 1

42 3 51 5
88 8 4^ 8

48 3 54 8

53 9 62.6
59 7 69 5
58 .8 68.0
59 2 68 4
57 9 68 3

57 8 68.2
56 5 67 9
53.3 63 7

58 K 64.8
45 9 57 4

54 9 64 6
59.6 69 2

59 0 68.1
56 6 67 9

61 3 71 0

59 0 69.4

B.J . .

61 3 70 1

«o i
75.6
75 5

74 7

75 0
74.5
69 9
71 5
63 2
71 7

76 0

75 1
73 5
71

n -

78 4

67 9

76 6

71.7
80 0

- :
8 1

8.1
8 l
. -
'5 0
65 9

79.0
8.5

7 6
79 0
79 4

8 '.'
0 4

79 6

70 5 65 0
9.9 76 1

77 0 71 5
6 6 70 7
8.3 72 1
6 6 71 0
7.X 72.1

2 5 65 9

3 7 66 7
65 1 59 3

3 8 68.2
8 2 73 6

- "
• ■ I -

77 5 71 7
S 6 73 9

"- ■
0 2 64 7

78 8 74 8

55 3 45 1

65 2 56 2

59 9 49 9

61 1 50 4

61 4 51 6
80 1 4^ 8

59 7 49 5

55 9 46 5

56 5 46 0
48 6 40 1

56 1 46 4

60 5 50 2

57 7 48.8

59 3 50 5

62 2 53 0

61 1 51 1
53 5 45 7
64.0 55 0

48 6 63 3

42 2 59 5

42 9 59 9

43 0 60 1
40 9 59 0
10.7158.7
3S 6 54 9
38 6 56 1

3S 7 55 9

42 7 59 9
3S 9 57 8

45 6 62 1

43 0 60 9
3S 4 54 0
48 3 63 2

including
all stations)

40 7 41 7 58 " - 76 1 70 7 59 1 49 9 42 0 58 9

Temperature, Precipitation, Frost.

4.--

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE.

s •=

Asheville 72

Beaufort 73

Chapel Hill 80

Charlotte 77

Edenton 74

Greensboro 7s

Henderson 77

Hendersonville 74

Lenoir 72

Linville 61

Mount Airy 75

New Bern 80

Raleigh 79

Salem 7S

Salisbury _ 79

Southern Pine- 84

Tarboro 81

Waynesville 76

Wilmington 80

including

all stations ... 85

74

86

84

90

90

91

BO

88

82

74

70 91

71

83

83

87

92

96

92

93

87

75

73 %

76

92

97

98

104

107

105

102

92

85

78 107

79

91

94

97

102

102

100

99

92

80

76 102

79

90

90

95

98

100

99

98

85

81

75 100

75

93

92

97

100

101

101

101

90

81

74 101

74

92

98

9S

100

101

104

103

92

80

74 1114

73

88

85

93

94

95

95

94

84

79

75 95

74

83

88

96

97

98

96

93

87

83

76 9S

63

75

79

83

83

89

85

82

74

67

60 89

74

90

94

95

98

103

98

98

89

7s

73 103

80

92

92

99

100

100

100

100

90

86

78 100

80

94

95

98

102

103

99

100

89

82

75 103

73

91

98

96

98

100

101

101

90

77

73 101

75

92

94

100

101

102

102

100

94

85

75 102

81

100

101

101

103

106

106

103

93

83

80 106

76

96

97

99

104

105

105

106

93

87

79 106

oe

89

86

90

92

92

93

90

»••:

80

74 93

so

94

90

97

100

103

99

96

92

83

78 103

82

100

101

104

104

107

106

106

06

88

86 107

[PITATIO] - .

EST TEMPERATURE.

-

_

|

-;

"

-

f

i

5

X

4

z

^

5

-

—1

-4

■

23

32

41

51

47

36

22

13

7

— 6

-

15

13

30

32

43

56

69

62

50

4

_-

20

13

— 1

— 6

13

.

.

41

52

52

35

-

13

6

— 6

— 1

1

14

26

37

45

55

53

•

30

1*

— 5

- 5

n

12

5

19

.-

-

46

55

50

■-

-•

-•

12

5

6

- 3

14

26

33

H

54

"-

4

-

17

7

- 3

4

- 2

-

-

37

43

55

53

40

-

17

6

•>

— 9

5

-

.

41

a

44

33

20

12

2

- 9

—

—15

- -

•

19

35

42

51

49

.

a

12

-16

-16

1

—15

—16

— 4

11

26

33

-

37

■

14

0

-7

-16

— 15

— 4

■

19

|

40

47

44

34

.

10

2

-15

Xew B n

6

_

17

fj

36

54

53

-.

a

16

12

-■

_

2

16

-

46

54

52

39

31

17

1

_ 2

-

3

0

9

-

31

49

49

-

24

14

_

0

6
6

— 1

— 4

16
15

25

■
37

41

54

■"
■ -

41
40

23

-■

12
13

5

— 1

South-

— 4

Tarboro

- 1

2

13

26

34

46

18

-.

36

u

16

_

_

-12

-10

.

15

30

34

45

.

9

— 4

-12

s ■

1

"

20

--

51

56

32

20

10

5

iding

all -

— 19

- 7

6

-.

30

-

-"

11

0

—16

—19

Tim perattjre, Precipitation, Frost.

47

MONTHLY AND ANNUAL A\ LRAdK I'll L< I PIT ATI< »X.

Stations.

i-s >£<

i lie 4.67

Beaufort 4.07

Chapel Hill 3.82

Charlotte... 4.06

Edenton 3 52

Greensboro 3.14

Henderson 3 27

Hendersonvill.- 4.83

Lenoir 4 01

Linville 3.49

Mount Airy 3.27

New Bern 4.09

Raleigh... 3.12

Salem 3.26

Salisbury 3 46

Southern Pines 3 48

Tarboro 3 89

Waynesville 4 19

Wilmington 3 48

including
all stations).. 3.52

4 56
4.50
4 12
4 37
4.69
4 57
4 82
6 03
4 29
4 91

3 89

4 21
4 24
4.82
4 25
4 58
4 15
4 40
3 43

5.08
4 97
4.51
4 41
4.24
4 19
4.70
6.35
4 43
5.72
4 02
4 13
4 19
4 63
4 56
4 21
3.92
.", 71
3 58

4.04 3.78

4.26 4 22

3 85 4 52

3.53 3.89

3 26 4 98

3 32 4 39

4 05 4.08
4 18 4 57

3 56 4 5S

4 25 4 4 4
3 17 3 53
3 56 4.76
3 41 4 57
3.11 3.63
3 29 4.28
:! .17 4 32
3 20 4 89
3.85 3 88
2 74 3 98

4.35 4.86

4 17 5 46

3 75 4.88

4 32 5.16
4 24 6.97
:, 27 5.11
4 36 5 72
6 25 6.20

4 72 5 50

5 61 6 91

4 85 5.78

5 40 7.64

4 57 5 43

5 02 5.61
1 ".7 5.04
5 13

4 25 6.35
4.30

5 65 6 81

4 79
6.20
5.25
5.89
6 12
5.34

6 45

7 91

5 89

5 15

6 10

7 91

8 14
5 51

5 33
7 01
6.73
4 42

6 95

3D

3 04

4 25
3 54
3.28
3 31

2 97

3 53

4 00

4 40

5 69
3 77

t-'

•—

-

>

0

I

z

-

2.94
6 40
3.25
3.13
4 4:5

2 91
3.25

4 09

3 32

5 02
2 69

4 92

3.81

3 71

3 12

2 97

2.68

3 20

3 25

3 41

3 47

3.59

2 64

2.38

5 10

3 76

3 30

2 74
2.78
2.89
2.85
2.67
2.68
2.92

3 03
3 52
2.63
2 93
2 42
2 56
2 63
2 71
2.55
2 49
2 31

4 00 49 56

4 66 55.90
3.81 48.08
3.84 48.83
3*56 52 17
3 41 47.59
3 91 50.82

5 63 62%
4.05 51.78
5 52 60 23
3.56 47 26
3.70 57.06
3.18 48.10
3.9S 47 7^
3 75 47 61
3 61 53 02
3.75

3.81 46 90
3 08 50 88

4 49 4 22 3 41 4 47 4 98 5.94 6.19 3.78 3.44 2.54 3.60 50.58

3

Temperature, Precipitation, F

HATE OF KILLIN-. i 51

&TATIOXS.

of FirM Killing
-: in
Autumn.

Killing
Spring.

Earlief

of Killing Frost Killing

in Autumn. Fro>t in

.Spring.

ille ._. October 13

Beaufort December 8

Chapel Hill . October 13

Charlotte.. November 4

Edenton November 2

Greensboro October 25

October 31

ille October 13

Lenoir October 18

Linville 9 -;>t ember 30

Mount Airy October is

Bern . Novemt.

... November 3

i ... October 17

illiy . October 21

Sou i! . October 30

Tarboro... . October

. October 10

Wilmington. . ... Novemt'

April

20

October

3

May 10

March 15

November

25

April 15

April

8

October

1

April 2 1

March

-

October

-

April 26

April

3

October

12

April 26

April

7

October

11

April 18

April

7

October

10

April 24

April

07

-mber

_

May U

April

18

Oct"

1

May 7

3

■mber

14

.May .'7

April

20

October

1

April

5

October

10

April 24

April

4

Oct"

8

May 6

April

21

Oct"

11

May 10

April

October

3

May 1".

April

7

Oct"

11

April 21

April

11

October

10

April 30

April

10

•mber

2fl

May 14

-

hex

May 1

NORTH CAROLINA THERMAL BELTS.

The Great Fruit and Vegetable Zones!— High. Dry, Healthful Region.

MOKE than forty years ago Silas McDowell wrote in the Agricul-
tural volume of the Patent Office Report an article relating his
observations in Macon County. Be was a man of much intelli-
gence, and had been in youth a companion of John Lyon, the E: _
botanist, exploring with him the Black, Yellow, Roan, Grandfather, and
Linville ranges, and caring for him until his death in 1814.

Mr. McDowell was also a companion of Curtis. Buckley. Bernhardt,
and Dow, the latter of whom perished among the mountains, and his
remains were never discovered. Dr. Gray was in communication with
him more than forty years ago. He wr

"When I commenced business it was as a farmer iu western North Carolina,
in a wild valley and amid lofty mountains, and for nearly fifty years my house
was an open, free home to the scientist, particularly the geologist and botanist
i my own specialties). But now the light begins to burn dim in the binnacle,
and is nearly out."

He died in 1882, at the ripe old age of 87. Honor to his memory !
A description of the phenomena observed by him is given in his own
words :

"Among the valleys of the southern AJleghanies sometimes winter is -
ceeded by warm weather, which, continuing through the months of March and
April, brings out vegetation rapidly and clothes the forest in an early verdure.
•"This pleasant spring weather is terminated by a few days' rain, and the
clearing up is followed by cold, raking winds from the northwest, leaving the
atmosphere of a pure indigo tint, through which wink bright stars; but. if the
wind subsides at night, the succeeding morning shows a heavy boar ' -
tation is utterly killed, including all manner of fruit germs, and the Ian-:
clothed in verdure the day before now looks dark and dreary.

"It is nnder precisely this condition of things that the beautiful phenomenon
of the 'Verdant Zone1 or Thermal Belt" exhibits itself opon our mountair
commencing at about 300 feet vertical height above the valleys, and traversing
them in a perfectly horizontal line throughout their entire length, like a vast
green ribbon upon a black ground.
"Its breadth - • vertical height, and from that wider, accordh -

jrce of the angle of the mountain with the plane of the horizon. V< _
tion of all kinds within the limits of thlfi - untouched by frost; and

that the Isabella, the most tender of all our native

produce abundant crops In twenty - utive

n«>r has fruit of any kind ever been known within these limits

- killed, thongb there have been Instances where it has been so from a

severe freeze The lines are sometimes so sharply drawn that one-half of a

shrub may !>«• frost-killed while the otli«-r half is unaffe.

"This belt varies in the height of Its rang different valleys. I will

name - • point. I made my observations in relation to this belt in

Macon County, whicb is traversed by the beautiful valley of the Little Ten-

- _ '.iter. Here, when the thermometer is

down to 2 si reaches vertical height A small river, bavins

Is 6 trees in a bigb plateau 1.900 e this, runs down into this valley.

Nobtb Carolina Thermal Belts.

breaking through three mountain barriers, and consequently making three

Bhort valleys, Including the plateau, rising one above tin- other, each of which

a own vernal zone, traversing the hillsides that inclose them. the tirst

of which takes n much lower range than that of the lower valley, and each

taking n lower as the valleys mount higher in the atmosphere, and in the

- one the range of the i«'lr is not more than l < m i feet above the common

level of the plateau, a beautiful level height containing 6,000 acres of land

and lying .■;.:•""' feet above tidewater.

••The country on the Atlantic side of the Blue Ridge sinks rapidly by a

ssion of long sunny Blopes reaching down Into the plain or level country.

Along these slopes the air is pure and dry. a refuge for the consumptive, as

lis* sea the lungs have never yet been known to originate among the Inhab-

- dry, fogless mountains; and here also does the grape find a

- salubrious climate and congenial home."

Another similar belt is found along the eastern -lope of the Tryon
Mountain range in Polk County.

Said Dr. L. R. McAboy of Linn, in this county:

•The belt along Tryon Mountain is seme 8 miles long and extends from 1,200
feet above tidewater to 2,200 feet, thus being about 1,000 fed In width. This
begins at the very base of the mountain, and extends up till you have attained
the full height of the Blue Ridge, say of Asheville, Buncombe County, with
an e]evati.»n where the belt is most perfect of about 1,500 feet.

-The observed facts of temperature are truly strange. The mercury falls
in summer and rises in winter, when compared with either the top or the base
of the mountain, so much s<. that travelers on the highway through the belt
perceive the difference without the aid of a thermometer. This difference is
greater at night than during the daytime, being 5° to 10° on the summer
nights, and 15c to 20" on winter nights. There is very little dew. generally
hi. ne perceptible, which accounts for little or no frosl

"The flora is grand. The azalea there, instead of being a shrub I
high, attains a height of 10 to 20 feet, and exhibits every shade ni" pink and
orange.

"We are in latitude '■■■ . but for all practical purposes, •". south of our
geographical position. The leaves of plants. shrubs, and flowers remain
untouched by frost until the latter pari of December, and sometimes till the
middle of January, when they are killed by snow or sleet. The early Bpring
in the belt admits of planting any vegetables the tirst of February without
risk from frost. Tomatoes, tobacco, and other tender plants remain green until
after the middle of December. Pig trees live through the winter onproti
and bear full <-ro]is. while in the valley they are killed to the ground every
w inter. < Irapes never mildew nor rot. and are of large Bixe and 1 1 • d i < • i < > 1 1 s flavor.
This belt is confined within dlstlncl and well-defined limits, which remain the
same from year to year, and in the middle stratum of air or land on the
mountain-side."

Another writer says :

i- a snowstorm not a particle of snow will exist in the belt (it melts as
if falls i. while the tops and the mountains above, and the valleys

below, will b<- coi -I'd."

Prof. John Le < 'onto said :

"I wish t«> put .>n record the results of observations made by me many years
ago on tin- 'frostless /ones- of the thinks of the mountain spurs adjacent to the

valleys in the Blue Ridge. My observations were made at Flat Rock, near

Hendersonville, Henderson County, a well-watered, fertile, mountain plateau-
like valley, which is about 2.200 feet above the sea level.

Xortii Carolina Thermal Belts. 51

"My own observations, and the information elicited from residents, seem to

indicate the following tarts: The zones in question are not exempt from frost

during the whole of the cold season; in fact, during the winter the ground in

belts is frequently frozen to a considerable depth, but during the spring

mouths they are conspicuously and uniformly frostless."

It seems, then, to be an established fact that, at these three points, in
three different counties, there are some noteworthy meteorological condi-
tions prevailing along this belt of 400 to 1,000 feet of perpendicular
height, and it seems probable that a similar state of things exists in kind,
if not in degree, on all the southern and eastern slopes of parallel
mountain ranges in that latitude where protected against wind.

Respecting the explanation of these phenomena. Mr. McDowell the-
orizes as follows :

"Heat is ever radiating from the earth, and in cold, clear, still nights it
mounts upward through the cold, damp air. taking from it its caloric, while the
latter rushes down in a cold, frost-producing current, and hence tin- lowest
ground in a valley is ever subject to the hardest frosts.

"The warm. dry. light current keeps mounting upward like cork in the
water, until it reaches a stratum of atmosphere too thin and light to support it.
when it consequently falls back and pours its warm. dry. genial stratum upon
the top of the lower or frost stratum: and hence, on cold, frosty nights, is
produced the phenomenon of the "Vernal Zone.' "

Of course such a phenomenon must be explained in general upon the
theory of the nocturnal stratification of layers of the atmosphere, having
different amounts of moisture and caloric, of which we so often see
examples when the mist settles in the valleys at a given level, which, if
the temperature be sufficiently low, would also be the frost line, or when
often, on a summer's day. from a mountain-top the white cumuli may
be seen stretching away in long lines at a well-defined altitude. But in
these cases we have no such visible and exact demarcation of the warmer
stratum on its upper side.

Professor Le Conte, already quoted, ai

"The 'frostless zones' coincide with the nocturnal and morning fog belts' of
the spring months. The uniform pressure of these white circumscribed belts
of fog on the flanks of the mountain spurs during the early morning hours
imparts a strikim: feature to the scenery of these valleys. When Illuminated
by the bright morning sun they appear like girdles of cotton-wool of moderate
width, encircling the peaks at the height of 200 or ."im> u-,-t above the adjacent
valleys: and their cumulus-like whiteness, contrasted with the verdure above
and below them, is no less striking than it is beautiful."

The latter circumstance seems to furnish an explanation of the physi-
cal cause of the so-called "Thermal Belt"; for the constant fogs at
night and in tin- morning not only prevent refrigeration by obstructing
-•rial radiation, but, during the condensation of vapor in 'lie proc-
:' fog formation, there musl be developed an enormous amount of
ust at this zone. Why this condensation of aqueous vapor should
be so persistently restricted to a licit of only a \'<-w hundred foot in
vertical thickness is ;l question much more difficull to answer. The

X.'iMii Carolina Tn i i:\iai. Belts.

observations of intelligent residents of the mountain valleys in the
southern divisions of the Appalachian chain will doubtless verify or dis-
prove the general coincidence of the "frostless zone'* with the "fog belt."

This piedmont region, not merely that section technically so-called.
Inn the zone along and around the southern Appalachians having an
elevation from 1,000 to 2, 500 feel above Bea level, possesses attractions as
regards beauty and grandeur of scenery, fertility, and variety of soil,
equability and salubrity of climate, not to he surpassed in the Union.

It', in addition, these thermal belts exist and extend generally among
those ranges, offering exemption from certain forms of disease, with
exceptionally favorable facilities for fruit culture, a knowledge of the
tacts should be more generally diffused.

These facts point out this region as the best place to be found for
the cultivation of celery, cauliflower, tomatoes, and other vegetables for
canning; raspberries and strawberries for shipment and preserving; for
peaches, pears, hue apples, cherries, quinces, and currants; also, for the
finer table and wine grapes. All of these are known to flourish in the
mountains, and are distinguished for crispness, flavor, and color, [rish
potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, beets, parsnips, carrots, and the like also
grow to perfection.

Grass Grows to nn:
vi n Top of

I SI MOl MAINS IN
NOBTB • ' \KMI.INA.