The Bulletin 9 



smaller places are important markets for the products of the Piedmont 

 region, as well as for the products from the other sections of the State. 



This particular region embraces a preponderance of all manufactur- 

 ing industries within the State. Perhaps 200 cotton mills are situated 

 in this belt, Gaston County alone having more than 60 of these within 

 its borders. High Point is one of the largest furniture manufacturing 

 towns in the United States, while considerable furniture is also manu- 

 factured at Lexington and other places. Durham and Winston-Salem 

 are known the world around for the manufacture of cigarettes, smok- 

 ing, and plug tobacco. Charlotte is situated in the center of probably 

 the best electrical power development in the United States. Many 

 cotton mills and other manufactories are operated by electricity, as well 

 as the lighting of a majority of the towns. 



The Piedmont region is favored in most parts with excellent railroad 

 transportation facilities, fairly good roads, and other conveniences. 

 The idea and importance of good public roads is being fostered through- 

 out the State. This region is more thickly settled than any other sec- 

 tion in jSTorth Carolina, due in a large measure to the general rolling 

 nature of the country, and its excellent drainage conditions as con- 

 trasted with a considerable portion of the flat, swampy lands of the east, 

 and tbe rugged character of much of the mountain areas to the west. 

 The farms as a rule are small ; that is, ranging from 50 to 300 acres, 

 with a few reaching to 1,000 or more acres in size. The large per cent 

 of the farms are operated directly by the owners and the immediate 

 family, together with a small amount of hired help. 



The soils of the Piedmont region are adapted to a wide range of 

 crops, such as corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, oats, clover, rye, soy beans, 

 cowpeas, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, sorghum, and garden vegetables. 

 The soil is also adapted to apples, peaches, and berries. On the high, 

 more sandy types near the cities, truck farming can be carried on profit- 

 ably ; while dairying and cattle raising can be extended on a much larger 

 commercial scale. There is now one large creamery located at Hick- 

 ory, and its products are distributed over North Carolina and cities 

 outside of the State. The heavy red lands are admirably suited to clover 

 and grasses, and excellent pastures can be maintained for grazing pur- 

 poses. A few of the rougher areas can be profitably used for forestry. 



The soils, generally speaking, are inherently fairly productive, some 

 of them being rich in potash, and are susceptible to high and rather 

 permanent improvement. The large yields of crops obtained by some 

 of the best farmers, are true indications of what these soils are capable 

 of producing wdien properly handled. Much of the scratched over, 

 abandoned, and so-called worn out lands can easily and cheaply be re- 

 claimed and restored to a position suitable for profitable agricultural 

 utilization. 



ORIGIISr OF THE SOILS. 



The Piedmont Plateau Kegion of the United States extends from the 

 Hudson River to east-central Alabama, attaining its greatest width and 

 being well developed in ISTorth Carolina. 



The soils of the Piedmont region are all of residual origin, that is, 

 formed through the processes of weathering and decay from the under- 



