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508 Chronicles of the Cape Fear Rwer

Trade, too, has commenced upon this route with the rich and
fertile counties of the east, whose inhabitants are ready to em-
brace the great facility in prospect of finding at Wilmington a
market for their valuable productions. It is only necessary to
have the supply to insure demand.

Cotton: Upland in moderate supply the last year or two. It
is now packed mostly in square bales, and delivered at market
in excellent order. Freight to England, chiefly Liverpool, varies
as to circumstances 14 to 5¢d., and it often occurs that cotton
purchased by order is shipped coastwise to New York, where it
takes the chances of a good market, or is forwarded by packet
to England or France. Shipments to France direct are made
from Wilmington. Both cotton and rice can be obtained and
shipped.

Rice: We have often heard a preference expressed for the
rice on this river. Charleston dealers send for it, to clean there
and export in the rough, etc. The quantity made is about
200,000 bushels. There is now an extensive steam mill, besides
sundry water mills, which enable us to furnish in due season
the whole crop of this article, and greatly add to our supply of
clean rice for export from the port of Wilmington. The quan-
tity may now be fairly estimated at about ten thousand tierces.
In consequence, dealers may expect less disappointment in sup-
plies and at fair prices. A steam mill recently erected at New
York has made demands upon our rough rice and takes it coast-
wise. By custom, the purchaser pays 50 cents for each cask
and 814 cents for inspection. The casks are of various sizes,
from 300 to 600 pounds net. About the middle of November
to the first of December we get the first new rice to market.

Flour is expected to be fine this year—the crops of wheat
throughout are represented as excellent. It is inspected and
branded at Fayetteville, under several qualities, and at present
no charge of inspection to the shipper here. ‘The cross mid-
dling, fine and superfine, are generally sent down together. It is
not always practicable to procure superfine alone. Quality good.
Inspection improved.

Wheat is brought into Fayetteville by wagons, where it is
bought, cleaned at mills, and put up in casks of seven bushels
or bags, and sent down to Wilmington for sale or to ship.

Corn: We have it frequently from the northern counties in
this State, brought round in vessels, and also from Maryland.
The demand this year has been uniformly good, and sold at full

Peace Restored 509

prices. The adjoining counties have had satisfactory accounts—
the consumption seems to have increased.

Tar is rafted to Wilmington down rivers and creeks, and
bought of the country people by the raft, from 20 to 300 bar-
rels, afloat; after which, it is landed on a wharf, inspected and
coopered—the purchaser always paying inspection of 2 cents
per barrel, cooperage, wharfage, and the landing charge; the
whole expense about 12 cents per barrel, including one week’s
wharfage. Our cooperage is good, and attention is paid to
pumping, in order to clear it of water as much as possible.
January to May is the season when tar is most plentiful.

Turpentine is seen in market from June to April. We gen-
erally get the greatest quantities from the 20th of November
until about the last of February. Before and after these periods
it comes in smaller parcels. After heavy rains and during high
freshets we have considerable quantities down at once; and
often at such time the supply offered for sale reduces the price.
Turpentine is rafted and sold as tar, subject to inspection and
like expenses. The buyer, from custom, pays for the whole
raft, as landed, including hard or scrapings as well as soft; the
hard, however, at less price—one-half the rate paid for soft.
By custom and law of the State, it is weighed, taking 320
pounds gross as the barrel. Our barrels are generally large,
and when packed overgo that weight. The usual crop has been
100,000 to 140,000 barrels. I will further add, in regard to
this article, that on inspection, after the inspector has tried
each cask at the bung with a rod, he weighs a small portion of
the lot, by which the whole purchase is averaged. Inspection,
3 cents per barrel. The crop of 1843-44 is expected to reach
200,000 barrels. The railroad route delivers a large propor-
tion of turpentine to market, which is in addition to the raft-
ing process. The several distilleries now established for work-
ing up turpentine in the home market consume weekly 1,500
barrels of the raw material, and such distilling has become a
great item of business here. They produce rosin, spirits tur-
pentine, and make varnish and pitch.

Flaxseed is an article in regard to the quantity of which an
accurate estimate can not be formed. The seed is sown with no
other view than to produce flax for domestic purposes; gathered
in quantities and brought to market from the first of September
to the fifteenth of January—principally in November and De-
cember. In common, the quantity received depends materially