Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/714

NORTH CAROLINA. for the two regions are 77° and 72°, and the winter temperatures 45° and 40°. The normal maximum is about 100°, and the minimum for the central part of the State 10°, though such cold is rare. In the mountains the winters are more severe, but the Blue Ridge protects the rest of the State from the cold northwest waves. The rainfall is abundant and very evenly distributed, both in regard to seasons and localities, though the central region receives somewhat less rain than the coast and mountain regions, and the summer somewhat more than the other seasons. The annual average for the State is 53.3 inches. The average snowfall is about five inches, but snow rarely remains on the ground more than one or two days. The prevailing winds are from the northeast and southwest. The State lies outside the path of the cyclonic storms, and tornadoes are extremely rare; but the sub-tropical storms from the southwest sometimes endanger navigation along the coast.

. North Carolina, being the meeting ground of the temperate and sub-tropical floras, and having all varieties of climate from sub-tropical to sub-arctic, is unrivaled by any State cast of the Mississippi in the variety of its plant life, and is probably surpassed by no region of similar area elsewhere. In the swamps along the coast the prevailing tree is the bald cypress, with the white cedar and live oak. Here also are numerous bulrushes and several species of carnivorous plants (Sarracenia and Drosera). In the sandy parts of the coastal plain the long-leaf pine (Pinus Australis) is predominant, together with the loblolly-pine (Pinus tæda) and scrub oak. Composite and leguminous plants are here abundant, as well as blueberries, sumacs, alders, a profusion of wild grapes and other vines, and, in the south, palmettos. In the Piedmont plain the indigenous species have been largely supplanted by those introduced by settlers. Oaks, hickories, and elms are predominant in the forests of this plain. In the mountains the forest of the common northern trees covers a remarkable and typical northern undergrowth of gorgeous shrubbery, magnolias, rhododendrons, and similar species.

For Fauna, see that section under .

. The main geological surface formations are coincident with the topographical belts described above; in fact, the latter are a result of the former, and the coastal plain is a geological rather than a topographical division. It consists of Cretaceous and Tertiary sands, gravels, clays, and marls covering the underlying bedrock of granites and limestones. The remainder of the State, the Piedmont plain and the mountains, has as its principal feature an immense belt of granites and gneisses running across the State from southwest to northeast, and flanked on the east by a narrower belt of crystalline schists and other slates. Between the latter and the coastal plain deposits is a still narrower belt of more recent formation—the Triassic red sandstone. The great Smoky Mountains in the extreme west and the southern portion of the Blue Ridge consist of rocks of the Ocoee formation. The red sandstone formation contains coal deposits, and also yields the most valuable building stones. The crystalline rocks, which are much folded,

tilted, and broken, are penetrated in many places by quartz veins, some of which are auriferous. Other veins are impregnated with copper ores, and valuable iron deposits are also found both in the granite and slate belts, while ores of silver, lead, and zinc are also found, sometimes associated with gold.

Gold-mining began early in the nineteenth century, yet the industry shows little signs of extensive development, and the annual output remains small. The State is noteworthy for its production of corundum and mica, there being few other regions in the country where these are found. In 1900 the corundum mined for the year was valued at $102,715, and represented all that was mined in the United States during that year. Both corundum and mica are found in the counties west of the Blue Ridge. In 1900 the ores mined included the red and brown hematite and the magnetite varieties of iron ore, their respective outputs being 55,844 tons, 259,863 tons, and 20,479 tons. Coal-mining has been carried on in Chatham County since 1889, but the output is small. Granite quarried in 1900 was valued at $257,962—much in excess of any other year between 1890 and 1900. The production of talc and soapstone is rapidly increasing, the value in 1900 being $75,308. Some sandstone and phosphate rock are also obtained. In 1900 the value of brick and tile was estimated at $797,112. A little pottery is also produced.

Fishing is the most important industry in the eastern part of the State. North Carolina is naturally adapted for this pursuit by its sounds and other coastal bodies of water, fresh and salt. The annual catch is more than twice that of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida (Atlantic Coast side) combined. In 1897, the last year in which fishery statistics were compiled, there were 12,045 men engaged in the industry. The value of the product reported was $1,316,017. Shad and oysters are by far the most prominent, the value of the former being $362,811. Of the many other varieties the more important are squeteague, alewife, mullet, striped bass, clams, and bluefish. The seine fisheries of the Albemarle Sound section are the most important in the State. Vessel fishing is not yet extensive.

Agriculture is the leading industry. Yet the largest part of the swampy coast land is unreclaimed, and there is also much waste land in the mountainous area of the west. In 1900, 73.2 per cent. of the land surface was included in farms—the largest per cent. recorded since 1860. While the per cent. of improved land is still small, being in 1900 only 36.6 of the farm land, there was a large gain from 1850 to 1900, the corresponding figures for 1850 being 26.0. The most remarkable agricultural development of that half century was the change from large to small farms, the average size having decreased steadily from 368.6 acres in 1850 to 101.3 acres in 1900. This decrease is a part of the general process which the overthrow of slavery precipitated. Negroes who were formerly slaves on large plantations became renters or owners of small holdings. Also the holding of the white farmer was reduced more nearly to an area which it was possible to cultivate by his own efforts. In 1900, 24.4 per cent. of the farms were operated by colored farmers, the average size of the farms being 53.6 acres, or less than half