﻿170 
  History 
  of 
  Durham. 
  

  

  pines, 
  with 
  an 
  undergrowth 
  of 
  whortleberry, 
  chincapins, 
  

   and 
  other 
  bushes, 
  the 
  pines 
  growing 
  to 
  two 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  in 
  

   about 
  twentj'-five 
  years. 
  About 
  fifteen 
  or 
  twenty 
  years 
  are 
  

   required 
  for 
  the 
  resuscitation 
  of 
  old 
  worn-out 
  lands. 
  One 
  

   field 
  was 
  planted 
  in 
  corn 
  in 
  1850, 
  and 
  the 
  yield 
  was 
  so 
  poor 
  

   that 
  the 
  fence 
  was 
  removed. 
  In 
  1876 
  it 
  was 
  cleared 
  of 
  its 
  

   pine 
  growth 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  tobacco, 
  which 
  brought 
  50 
  cents 
  

   a 
  pound 
  for 
  the 
  whole 
  crop. 
  This 
  field 
  has 
  been 
  cultivated 
  

   in 
  tobacco 
  for 
  five 
  successive 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  crop 
  was 
  

   better 
  than 
  the 
  first. 
  The 
  land 
  was 
  treated 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  

   with 
  200 
  pounds 
  of 
  a 
  commercial 
  fertilizer, 
  and 
  has 
  since 
  

   received 
  yearly 
  applications 
  of 
  stable 
  manure 
  and 
  fertilizer 
  

   in 
  the 
  drill. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  farmers 
  are 
  of 
  opinion, 
  liowever, 
  

   that 
  the 
  lands 
  are 
  exhaustible 
  and 
  require 
  years 
  of 
  rest, 
  and 
  

   assert 
  that, 
  although 
  the 
  first 
  crops 
  on 
  old 
  fields 
  reclaimed 
  

   are 
  better 
  than 
  when 
  first 
  cleared, 
  a 
  great 
  falling 
  off 
  occurs 
  

   after 
  the 
  second 
  crop, 
  the 
  soil 
  wearing 
  out 
  much 
  more 
  rap- 
  

   idly 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instance. 
  

  

  These 
  old 
  pine 
  fields, 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  gray, 
  sand}'^ 
  soil 
  

   and 
  a 
  yellow 
  subsoil, 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  tobacco 
  lands. 
  A 
  man 
  

   selected 
  a 
  few 
  acres 
  vrhieh 
  had 
  grown 
  up 
  in 
  " 
  bald-faced 
  

   Spanish 
  oaks," 
  scrub 
  hickor}', 
  chiucapin, 
  and 
  sourwood, 
  all 
  

   indicative 
  of 
  very 
  poor 
  lands, 
  and 
  the 
  crop 
  raised 
  sold 
  for 
  

   50 
  cents 
  a 
  pound 
  at 
  the 
  barn 
  door. 
  When 
  the 
  soil 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

   right 
  kind, 
  old 
  fields 
  which 
  have 
  lain 
  for 
  years 
  in 
  " 
  broom- 
  

   sedge" 
  or 
  broom-grass 
  {AvAropogon 
  scopariu?) 
  grow 
  the 
  very 
  

   finest 
  tobacco, 
  while 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  worthless 
  for 
  other 
  

   crops. 
  This 
  " 
  sedge 
  " 
  is 
  turned 
  under 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  before 
  frost, 
  

   and 
  tobacco 
  is 
  planted 
  the 
  next 
  s|)ring. 
  

  

  A 
  southern 
  exposure 
  is 
  generally 
  sought 
  for 
  fine 
  tobacco. 
  

   This 
  soil 
  is 
  drier 
  and 
  warmer, 
  and 
  the 
  plant 
  matures 
  earlier. 
  

   The 
  rich, 
  black 
  soils 
  of 
  northern 
  slopes 
  will 
  not 
  produce 
  

   fine 
  tobacco, 
  while 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  off, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  slope, 
  the 
  

   finest 
  may 
  be 
  grown. 
  

  

  Reports 
  show 
  a 
  general 
  average 
  of 
  33 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  preferred 
  

   tobacco 
  soils 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  new 
  lands 
  

   is 
  reported 
  at 
  45 
  per 
  cent. 
  In 
  Buncombe 
  and 
  Madison 
  

   counties, 
  in 
  the 
  west, 
  where 
  tobacco 
  culture 
  has 
  been 
  re- 
  

   cently 
  introduced, 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  new 
  lands 
  is 
  80 
  per 
  

   cent., 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  average 
  proportion 
  of 
  uncleared 
  lands 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  58 
  per 
  cent. 
  Since 
  fine 
  to- 
  

   bacco 
  lands 
  are 
  precisely 
  those 
  which 
  farmers 
  would 
  avoid 
  

  

  