The Eighth District
Which includes the counties of Anson. Davidson. Davie. Hoke. I.ee.
.Montgomery. Moore. Randolph, Richmond, Scotland, Union.
Wilkes, and Yadkin.
By W . O. III RGI.\
Congressman from the Eighth District.
THE Eighth North Carolina Dis¬
trict. which I have the honor
to represent in the U. S. Con¬
gress, looks forward with confi¬
dence to the post-war era with
plans moving rapidly toward utili¬
zation of its vast resources in the
reconversion of our national econ¬
omy to a |>eace time basis.
To the postwar world the Eighth
District offers its agricultural and
manufacturing interests to a peace
time economy in the same spirit
that has characterized its vast con¬
tribution to the winning of the war.
Twelve progressive counties make
up the Eighth District, which
reaches for two hundred miles
through some of the most beautiful
country in America. The counties of
this great district are Anson, David¬
son. Davie. Iloke, Lee. Montgomery.
Moore. Richmond, Scotland. Union,
Wilkes and Yadkin. Four coun¬
ties. Anson. Union. Richmond and
Scotland, border the South Caro¬
lina line, and Wilkes, the northern¬
most county, is only about twenty-
five miles from the Virginia line.
The counties of Wilkes. Yadkin.
Davie. Davidson and Montgomery
border on the Yadkin River, and
this river flows into the Pee Dee
near the Montgomcry-Richmond
county line.
Within the borders of the district
live 340,457 persons representing
the truest type of American citi¬
zens. and from whose families
thousands of strong and brave
young men and women went forth
to fight for their American tradi¬
tions in World War II.
The incomes of these fine Ameri¬
cans are derived from agricultural
and manufacturing pursuits. Crops
of tobacco, cotton, corn, wheat,
peaches, apples and melons are the
principal sources from which the
agricultural incomes are derived.
Approximately two million acres
of land in the district are under
cultivation. Statistics on agricul¬
tural production for the year 1944
are not yet available but the 1943
report of the North Carolina De¬
partment of Agriculture shows
that production for that year was
high on the principal crops. I be¬
lieve it would be of interest to the
people of North Carolina, and par¬
ticularly the people of the Eighth
District, to give a few’ figures on
these crops.
In 1943 the cotton growers of the
district planted 143.000 acres of
cotton, ginned 96.820 bales of cot¬
ton. and the total value of this crop
was $9,778,550.00. The tobacco
growers planted 33.230 acres in to¬
bacco and they harvested 27.583,-
400 pounds, adding $11,129,220.00
to the farm income.
In 1943 the farmers of the Dis¬
trict planted 91,840 acres in wheat,
harvested 1.139,740 bushels, and
the crop brought $1,813,330.00.
They planted 242,469 acres in corn,
harvested 4.910.000 bushels, and
the total value of the corn crop was
estimated at $7,576,500.00.
The Sandhill section of the dis¬
trict leads the State in the produc¬
tion of peaches. The counties of
Montgomery. Moore. Richmond.
Scotland, and Hoke produce
peaches on a large commercial
scale, and I believe that the peach
growers of this area lead the South
in production with, perhaps, the
•More peaches are grown in the Eighth Congressional District than in
any other district in the state. Pinehurst and Southern Pines, nationally
famous resorts, also are located in this district.
32
THE STATE November 17 1945
