CLIMATES. 



We say climates rather than climate, for in North Carolina there 

 are various climates. 



In the high plateaus of the northwestern part of the State, where 

 the forest growth is white-pine, hemlock, and fir, one might imagine 

 himself in Canada. In this section the counties of Ashe, Alle- 

 ghany, 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 

 there is a series of climates all the way to the lower coast, where we 

 find the first tall palm-tree growth in the forest. From white-pines 

 and hemlocks to 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 northwestern 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 Eidge, 

 in which are found the highest mountain peaks east of the Rocky 

 Mountains. It is a region of fertile valleys and elevated plateaus, 

 with a climate very similar to that of the Northern Middle States. 

 The summers 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 cold, but shorter than those of the Middle 

 States North. In most mountain regions the mountainsides 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 "balds" have their slopes to 

 their lofty tops covered with fertile soil and rich grasses, on which 

 great herds of cattle are grazed in summer. The valleys in the 

 southern section 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 fruit of all kinds flourishes as it seldom does elsewhere. 

 It is destined to be the most noted apple-growing section in the whole 

 country. Apples from the mountain country have twice carried off 

 the first prize at the Madison Square Garden in New York City in 

 competition with the whole United States. Peaches attain a color 

 and quality there which they do not reach in the lower country. They 

 grow as handsome as the California peaches, and as to quality the 

 California product is hardly to be named in comparison with them. 



