Part 4

Heretofore the products from this section have been lumber, spirits turpentine, rosin, cotton, some beef cattle and wool.

A few years ago fortunes were made in a short time in lumber and turpentine business when properly managed, but most of the operators increased their business, bought large tracts of land, borrowed money, etc. Now the prices of those products have declined to or below cost of production, and for the past two years our banks have not been loaning money, so those parties are obliged to sacrifice their lands. Although this section has been settling up rapidly, lands can be bought for less than two years ago.

In past twenty years cotton has declined from twenty to seven cents per pound. When cotton brought from fifteen to twenty cents per pound the cotton planter had all the money he required and raised nothing else for market. As a class they spent their money freely; if more money were required before the crop was made they could readily get advances on cotton crop; now the staple is below cost of production, still many are obliged to grow cotton, as it is the only crop on which they can get advances. To change requires an expenditure for farming implements and machinery for putting in and harvesting the crop, stumps are to be gotten out of the way, etc. To grow fruit requires several years to realize. Most of the planters own large tracts of land, and are anxious to dispose of a part; some are hoping each year the acreage in cotton will be reduced (by many putting their lands in other crops), thereby enhancing the price of cotton and they be benefited. They prefer to grow cotton, having never done anything else. Some who tried hay failed on first trial, as they did not have proper implements, and they exposed it to dews and rain after it was cured or partly so.

The timber in this locality is long leaf pine, excepting along the river, where is abundance of hardwoods, viz: different varieties oak, hickory, ash, gum, cypress and some elm. The pines are not thick on the land; the principal roots go straight down; the surface soil is sandy, intermixed with dark pebbles and clay subsoil. The mode of clearing land is to deaden by girdling the trees, burn the logs and trash on the ground, fence and put in the plough. To one not accustomed to it, this looks very slovenly, but I believe it is the best plan, as in a few years the trees rot and fall to the ground. The trees are no more in the way than the stumps; the dead hearts can much more readily be split into rails or burned than when green. The heart rails will last fifteen years; it costs about $10.00 per thousand to put rails into fences; rails are ten feet long. I am building board fences; lumber costs me at mill $5.00 per thousand feet. There are plenty of mills. I have my posts split from dead hearts and faced with axe; they cost me about three cents each at fence. When the ground is wet a man can dig seventy holes in a day; when dry the clay subsoil becomes very hard and one half above number would be good work.

I have taken stumps from 200 acres land at a cost of about $2.00 per acre; generally would cost from $2.00 to $6.00 per acre, according to length of time land had been cleared. I have not tried dynamite; some have, but cannot state whether it gave satisfactory results; I believe it would, especially in new land. We plant our corn in rows, generally six feet apart and from two to three feet apart in a row, one stalk in a place. At last working of corn we put in one or two rows of peas to every row of corn; the peas and corn mature at same time. When corn is gathered we gather peas enough for seed, then put in the hogs and they fatten from the peas. Some varieties of those peas will remain on the ground all winter and grow the next summer. The pea crop is worth as much as the corn crop.

Corn grown here is worth seventy cents per bushel. From sixty acres I got over 1200 bushels of corn. I used on the sixty acres two tons of phosphate that cost here $16.00 per ton mixed with the manure from four mules and 200 bushels cottonseed worth fifteen cents per bushel. Some make more, some less, according to cultivation and amount of fertilizers used. One of my neighbors for several years past has been making forty bushels of corn to the acre.

From 100 acres in oats I got 2000 bushels; these are rust proof and always in demand for seed; I sold all for sixty cents per bushel. I used no fertilizers under the oats; I generally cut two crops of hay same season from same land after I cut my oats. I plough, harrow and roll the ground in June. I use under the hay guano worth about $6.00 to every acre and get two tons of hay per acre worth here $18.00 per ton. This grass comes spontaneously after the land is cultivated a few years and makes excellent hay. It does not grow North. This year one of my neighbors cut from twelve acres 600 bushels of oats; put no fertilizers under the oats, but had the year previous oats on same land, and after the oats were cut, in June, he planted it in peas; when the peas matured he turned his hogs in; by October the hogs had gathered the peas, then he ploughed under the pea vines and sowed in the oats. This is the most economical way of improving our lands. The crop of peas pays for all the expense. We feed but little corn to our hogs.

Wheat is grown but little in this section. When cotton was worth twenty cents per pound no one would raise wheat, so the mills were either torn or rotted down, but in a short time there will be a mill to grind wheat in the vicinity. There are plenty of mills to grind corn. Nearly all the vegetables grown North do well here, and come into the market much earlier, and many that do not grow there do well here. Cabbage and Irish potatoes do well here, but when planted in spring mature early in summer and do not keep longer than a couple of months; when planted in July they mature in fall and keep tolerably well, but sometimes it is difficult to get a stand of plants in July.

This is about 32° north latitude; peaches, pears, plums, grapes and some varieties of apples do well here, and all begin bearing at much younger age than North; perhaps are not as long-lived, but heretofore no care has been taken of them.

In the woods the grass grows during summer from one to one and one-half feet high, and makes a splendid pasture, especially for six months, commencing in April. The cattle, sheep and hogs are never fed. At this time of the year all are poor, but in May both cattle and sheep are in good order. By having some winter pastures to keep the cattle fat for winter market the beeves would bring fancy prices in the home market. There is plenty of good beef here in summer; in winter our beef comes from the West (cold storage) and costs by the quarter eight cents per pound.

We sow oats from September to February; I pasture mine some in winter, but there are a number of grasses that make here a good winter pasture. Alfalfa is being grown with success in some portions of this State; no doubt would do well here. These cattle, sheep and hogs on the range have never been improved by crossing with improved breeds; the rule has been to leave every tenth male for breeding purposes. By crossing the native ewes with some of the improved breeds, and feeding some on pasturing in winter, lambs could be put into Northern markets much earlier than from the States farther North. These cattle and sheep are all gotten up at a certain time for shearing and marking, when those for market are sold to buyers who ship them to the cities to sell to butchers. Some of the stock is never seen by the owners. The young are marked with the mark of its mother, the fleece of wool tied up and marked, the owner notified, he pays for sheering and gets it. All land not fenced is range and free to all. One might own 1000 head of cattle and not own an acre of land. Hogs live and grow on range but do much better when fed some; those near river get fat from acorns.

Building material is cheap. Kiln-dried and dressed flooring and ceiling from $8.00 to $12.00 per M feet; No. 1 Brick at kiln $5.00 per M.

Butter is worth thirty cents per pound, eggs fifteen cents per dozen, sweet milk ten cents per quart, buttermilk five cents per quart.

A number of parties from Ohio came to this section last February; some bought when they came, others bought this winter; all remained. They say they do not feel the heat any more than in Ohio, as we have more breeze and the nights are pleasant. Sunstrokes are unknown. A few days ago a party from Ohio bought 300 acres of land one and one-half miles from Abbeville, thirty acres of which is cleared, all salable timber cut from the balance, but enough for farm purposes on the land; buildings worth $150; no orchard; 250 acres fair pine lands, fifty acres of but little value, price paid $1600; $1150 cash, $450 in twelve months. The buyer intends going into the dairy business; also fruit and improved stock. Lands can be bought at from $2.00 to $10.00 per acre, according to distance from railway, improvements, etc., and my experience is a better profit can be made farming from an acre here than from an acre in the Northern States, where their lands are valued at from $50.00 to $75.00 per acre. Taxes are about fifty cents on values of $100. Near rivers, ponds, etc., are subject to some fevers. I have lived here for past twelve years; have not had case of fever among my family or hands on the place.

We have no sand flies nor mosquitoes, except near ponds and water courses there are mosquitoes. We are not subject to tornadoes or cyclones as in some parts of the West. Our labor is mixed, mostly negroes. Farm hands are paid from $8.00 to $12.00 per month and rations. A ration consists of four pounds of bacon and one peck meal for six day’s work. Where it is white labor they are boarded in the family of the farmers. The negroes here are strong competitors in many of the trades, especially carpenters, blacksmiths and painters; also masons. Our climate is so mild that it is not necessary for comfort for a house to be plastered or ceiled inside; very few farmers’ houses are; neither is so expensive clothing required as in the North. On the nights of the fifth and sixth instant we had very little ice on shallow water on the ground; those were the coldest nights this winter. I have seen snow a few times in last twelve years; have seen none this winter. Ploughs can run all winter. A few peach trees are in bloom now (February 14th). There are no government or State land to homestead or for sale in this State, but plenty of lands for sale either unimproved or improved. We cultivate too much land here; we should cultivate less and work and fertilize better.

The people are anxious for Northern farmers to come and settle here and will render home seekers any service in their power, furnish them stock to ride or drive and take care of them whilst they are procuring locations, etc. I would not advise anyone without some capital to come; anyone coming should come with the expectation of working for himself and not for others. I notice that the Big Four and St. Louis Railway are selling round-trip tickets to points in Georgia, good for twenty days, for one fare. These tickets are issued for March 8th and April 9th.

ITEMS ABOUT FARMS AND FARMERS

Small Farms In Florida.

It seems strange that farmers of the North will purchase land for farming purposes at $100 or more per acre when in the South there is an abundance of land at from $5 to $25 an acre, from which, acre for acre, a larger revenue can be derived. Because of the variety of products raised in the North no farm of less than forty acres is regarded as sufficiently large to maintain a family.

The tendency in the North is towards larger farms, and many farmers are not satisfied with a farm of less than 160 acres. Make the acreage only forty, and the farm is worth $4000. On twenty acres of land in Florida that can be bought at $25 per acre, one can get a larger annual return in dollars than he can from the $4000 farm in the North.

This statement needs no proof. It is being demonstrated year by year all over the State, and only needs to be understood by the great army of home-seekers of the country to bring such an influx of them as will make Florida one of the most populous portions of the country. Thousands of people in the North want just such homes as are within their reach here. They have not money enough to pay for a satisfactory home at the high prices of the North, but they possess enough property to be able to secure a good home in Florida. If they could only be enlightened as to what awaits them here, they would come in force.--The Citizen, Jacksonville, Fla.

Improved Methods of the Southern Farmer.

The Savannah Morning News sees cause for favorable comment in the improved methods of the Southern farmer. It says: “Contrasted with the average Southern farm of fifteen years ago, the average Southern farm of today presents a striking object lesson of the New South’s progress. Plows, hoes and other agricultural implements are no longer left in the fields, or without shelter in the barnyards, overnight, or for weeks at a time, according to the whim of the user. Wagons and carts are not left standing, covered with mud, at the most convenient place to drop them. Harnesses are not thrown on a fence, or a peg, or a hitching post, exposed to the weather, until wanted. These things now have their orderly places under shelter and are properly looked after. Rainy days are no longer spent in loafing about the kitchen, but employer and hired man put in the time of the rainy day in the barn mending harness, oiling machinery, tightening wagon bolts, etc.”

All of this goes to show thrift and economy, and partly explains why many a Georgia farmer has surplus funds to loan at interest.

Condition of Georgia Farmers.

At a meeting of the Georgia State Agricultural Society, held at Brunswick, Ga., February 14, Col. Waddell, the president of the society, said, in an address:

“The condition of the farmers of Georgia is not really understood. The view entertained by the optimist being too rosy, that of the pessimist too depressing. They are nearer out of debt than they have ever been, they have more home-raised supplies than for many years, and they are managing their affairs with more judgment and prudence than ever before. But they experienced the pinching scarcity of money, and some of them are burdened with debts which would have been cancelled but for the shrinkage in the value of their lands and the products of their farms. You who are practical farmers know there is no money in raising cotton at seven or eight cents a pound, and that our only hope of success is in producing every possible article of necessity at home. Fortunately, we are not dependent on the cotton crop, for in variety and diversity of products, and in soil and climate, Georgia produces unequalled advantages, and these advantages are being recognized and utilized more and more every year.”

Texas Tobacco Growers Organize.

The tobacco growers have formed an association for mutual benefit and for the promotion of this branch of crop cultivation. It is to be called the Cigar Leaf Tobacco Growers’ Association, and intends publishing a paper in the interests of Texas tobacco.

O. A. Smith, of Willis, is president; H. F. Malone, of Willis, vice-president, and J. F. Irvine, secretary and treasurer. The executive committee is composed of the following: Clark Arnold, of Galveston; J. M. Buckley, of Willis; T. G. Wools, of Hondo; J. H. Bruning, of Galveston; J. J. Strozier, of Willis; C. F. Rhode, of Galveston; O. A. Smith, of Willis, and H. S. Elders, of Willis.

The by-laws of the National Tobacco Growers’ Association, as adopted at Washington, are adopted by this association.

Profitable Rice Culture.

The New York Journal of Commerce, in an article on rice growing in Southwestern Louisiana, says: A couple of years ago the crop was excessive, but the last crop is well sold up, and there is little doubt that the consumption of rice will vastly increase in this country. Scientifically and practically it is one of the best of foods, and the taste for it is growing. Portions of this section of Louisiana are sufficiently watered by natural overflow, but a good deal of it is artificially irrigated. Some of the farmers say that it is a little more work to cultivate rice than wheat or corn, but most of them think it is less; there is no great difference in the cost. The general testimony is that it costs $5 or $6 an acre to cultivate it, exclusive of irrigation, which, as already said, is not always necessary. A dollar for seed, two for cultivation and two for harvesting is the estimate of many farmers, though a few put the cost at a dollar or two more, and some go as high as $10 or $12. Ten barrels in the rough is regarded by many cultivators as a fair average crop, but yields of twelve and fifteen barrels are common. The farmers generally get from $2 to $3 a barrel, and sometimes a little more. A rice cultivator at Lake Author, La., writes: “I can say honestly and positively that a man can make a big fortune in four or five years raising rice.... I know a number of farmers that have for the past three years averaged fifteen barrels per acre, and their net average price per barrel for the three years was $2.85.” These figures give gross receipts of $42.75 per acre.

Fruit Growing in Louisiana.

At the recent annual meeting of the Louisiana State Agricultural Society, F. H. Burnette, the horticulturist of the State Experiment Station at Baton Rouge, read an interesting paper upon Southern fruits.

Prof. Burnette has given much time to the development of the fruit industry of Louisiana, experimenting upon the different varieties of fruit indigenous to the climate, utilizing his knowledge of foreign horticulturing and experimenting at the station. He gave a full report of these experiments. The paper was of especial interest to small fruit growers, dwelling upon the varieties of peach, pear and orange which can be grown with success in Louisiana, and of the new variety of Japanese and Chinese plums and persimmons which he has grown at Baton Rouge with success.

At the same meeting Judge Lewis, of Opelousas, spoke of the cultivation of figs as a marketable crop and one which has never failed of producing remunerative results by close attention to the cultivation of the trees. He also spoke of the preserves made in Opelousas of the rind of the sour orange and also of figs, which are sold in the stores of Opelousas. The fig tree is self-supporting, and as an orchard which produces and supplies itself, being free from climatic influences. He spoke at length upon the possibilities of canning the fruits of Louisiana and shipping them to Northern markets.

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The farmers of Sumter county, Georgia, the county in which Americus is located, are more and more abandoning the all cotton business and turning to the growing of fruits.

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Mr. J. B. Dubose of Ridge Spring, Edgefield county, S. C., has experimented with great success in the growing of celery. It is claimed that the product of his farm is equal in every way to the best Kalamazoo celery.

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The business of truck gardening around Weldon, N. C., has undergone great development in the last year or two. To accommodate this growing industry the Wilmington & Weldon railroad is putting in additional side track facilities.

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The State of Georgia has one of the agricultural experiment stations established by the United States Government, which has been in existence about four years. Its purpose is to aid the farmers of the State by experiments in the preparation, fertilization and cultivation of the soil, etc. It is maintained by an annual appropriation of $15,000 by the United States government. The property used for the purposes of the station belongs to the State. This property consists of 130 acres of land with buildings, including dairy, ginnery, greenhouse, tobacco barn, laboratory, etc.

A bulletin of results is published once a quarter and is sent free to any citizen of Georgia engaged in any branch of farming. The station is located at Experiment, near Griffin. Its organization is as follows: R. J. Redding, director; H. C. White, Ph. D., vice-director and chemist; H. N. Starnes, horticulturist; James M. Kimbrough, Agriculturist; H. J. Wing, dairyman.

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A number of Germans living near Axtell, Texas, have recently engaged in the apiary business with much success. Mr. L. J. Miller who lives in that neighborhood produced 1187 pounds of honey last year, and 165 pounds of beeswax. The honey brought twelve and a half cents and the wax seventeen and a half cents.

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A recent bulletin issued from the Texas Experimental Station gives some interesting comparisons of the four leading crops in the State. The cotton crop of Texas covers 4,520,310 acres, and is worth $69,439,476; the corn crop covers 3,166,353 acres and is worth $28,429,125; the wheat crop covers 442,337 acres and is worth $5,244,303; the sweet potato crop covers 29,928 acres and is worth $1,503,764. According to the above statistics the value of each crop per acre is: Cotton, $15.36; corn, $8.94; wheat, $11.88; sweet potatoes, $50.24. The cost of growing an acre of either is not materially different. Here is a big difference in favor of sweet potatoes.

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Mr. Jere Mabry, of Belton, Texas, reports as the result of his work for 1893, on a rented farm of eighty acres, cash receipts aggregating $1,974.91. Besides what he sold he raised, for the most part his food supplies. His total cash expenses were $506.85, leaving $964.06 as the net cash profit of the year’s work.

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An intelligent farmer of Rowan county, N. C., said the other day: “The farmers in my county were never better off. They have plenty of corn, wheat, meat and other produce, and many of them have a bale or so of cotton stored away. There is no necessity for the cry of hard times among the farmers of Rowan. True, they have little money, but they do not need it, they have all at home that they can consume. Why, many of the farmers are raising everything they need on the farm. I know of men who now have plenty of meat who a few years ago did not raise a hog, so you see they are growing wiser and are prospering as all good farmers should. True, a few of Rowan’s farms are mortgaged and badly in debt, but they are generally of that sort that lounge around town in idleness the greater portion of the time and let their crops go, trusting to a mortgage for the next year.”

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The “Southern Pines Orchard Co.” purchased in 1890 1200 acres of wooded land near Southern Pines, and 360 acres of this has been cleared and planted as follows: 51,000 peach trees, 5000 pears, 1000 plums, 16,000 blackberry. In that section the peach crop never fails. Last year the new trees bore a few peaches and this year they are expected to bear freely. The president of the company is Mr. J. Van Lindley, of Greensboro, N. C., who is also proprietor of the Pomona Nurseries at Greensboro.

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