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The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 - Page 11
The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn t still be a farmer EBIllRodgeffil
Talmadge Fries
Gardening
with
Talmadge
“It’s all about
the fragrance”
Blooms are great for
adding a visual interest
to your garden landscape
and for attracting the all-
important pollinators. Part
of the allure or exoticness to
any garden is the fragrances
you have in it. Strategically
place flowers and herbs
with sweet scents and give
reason to pause and enjoy
the garden. A few good
suggestions for fragrance
in your garden are listed
below.
English Lavender is an
aromatic herb that looks
beautiful when planted
in a large swath in the
garden. It also grows well
in containers. The dark
lavender-blue flower spikes
are attractive to butterflies
as well.
Garden Phlox is
unequaled for its showy
blooms over a long period
of summer. It does require
some maintenance to
sustain its health and vigor.
But the phlox is a fragrant
re-blooming beauty in the
garden.
Salvia, commonly known
as Sage, is a large family of
plants with some member
more fragrant than others.
This plant is drought
tolerant but will bloom
regularly with watering.
Deadheading the blooms
will encourage a longer
bloom season.
Oriental lilies is a favorite
of mine, and the late
summer bloomers are
most fragrant. You can
start a Lily bed and add to
it yearly. The fragrant lilies
will need water once they
start to bloom. They are
also wonderful in fresh vase
arrangements.
Butterfly Bush is a very
versatile plant. It is ideal
in growing in a mixed bed,
border or container. The
bush attracts butterflies
and other pollinators but
discourages deer. The plant
loves full sun and moist
well drained soil.
And last but not least,
Bee Balm. This is the
ultimate pollinator-friendly
perennial and is a great
companion plant for other
plants that rely on bees
for pollination. And a
bonus is the fragrance is
intoxicating. The raspberry
pink flowers attract
scores of hummingbirds,
butterflies, and bees to the
garden.
As always, join your local
garden club for a wealth of
information and fellowship.
Fishing in GeorgiaWith
"The Fishing Guy"
George L. Smith State Park
With natural beauty,
lakeside camping and cozy
cottages, George L. Smith
State Park is a secluded
park that is a perfect
South Georgia retreat. It
is located at 371 George
L. Smith State Park Road
in Twin City. It is best
known for the refurbished
Parrish Mill and Pond,
a combination gristmill,
saw mill, covered bridge
and dam built in 1880.
A group shelter near the
bridge is popular for family
reunions and parties.
Some campsites sit right
on the water’s edge, while
cottages with gas fireplaces
and screened porches are
nestled into the woods.
The park’s mill pond
beckons fisherman and
paddlers to explore thick
stands of cypress and
tupelo trees draped with
Spanish moss. Canoeists
and kayakers can join the
Park Paddlers Club. While
on the water, nature
enthusiasts can look
for beaver dams, blue
heron, white ibis and
other wading birds.
The park rents boats,
and nearby outfitters
offer guided paddle trips.
Hikers can stretch their
legs on seven miles of trails
while searching for gopher
tortoises, Georgia’s state
reptile.
Fishing is really good
here too. This lake is a
bass-fishing haven. Besides
the largemouth bass, other
fly-rod targets inhabiting
the lake are bluegill,
shellcrackers, chain
pickerel and crappie. Best
of all, this lake has been
protected as public fishing
water.
With temperatures
warming, this is the time
and place for using top-
water flies, such as popping
bugs. A loud-splashy “pop”
will get the attention of
bass from several feet
away. Not much is better
than a “take” on top-water.
Those poppers are always
a great way to start, but
if the action is too slow,
something that runs a little
deeper is a good option
as well. Go with darks
colored black or purple
Wooly Buggers, if water
conditions are a bit stained
or muddy, and lighter
colors for clearer water. Be
aware that the mill pond
also has a population of
alligators. So, I suggest you
do not take your pets.
But, this is a great place
to take your family for a
day that everyone will truly
remember.
Old Freeman Family
Farm has a rich history
in Screven County Pt 1
Sitting in the middle of
a 30 acre pecan orchard at
566 Scarboro Highway in
Cooperville is the home of
the late Marion Franklin
Freeman, Sr. and Effie Lee
Freeman. Marion’s father,
John Wesley Freeman,
was the original owner of
the Freeman Family Farm.
He purchased 400 acres
of land in Screven County
on September 12, 1893 for
$1957.41 - only $4.89 per
acre. He farmed the land
until January 24, 1903,
when he handed it over
to his sons, Charlton and
Marion.
Soon after their marriage
on April 22, 1906, Marion
and Effie moved into the
house where they raised
their family of 3 girls and
3 boys: Lula Mae, Bridie,
Grace, Wesley, Lee Parker
and Marion Franklin
(M.F.), Jr. One of the
largest farmers in the area,
Marion employed about
15 men and their families,
all of which lived on the
place. He owned 25 mules
and grew cotton, tobacco,
corn, peanuts, pea vine hay,
velvet beans and oats. In
1924, he planted 30 acres
of the farm in pecan trees.
Marion operated a cotton
gin, commissary and sold
ice from the ice house.
There was a windmill, a
generator house for making
electricity, and a smoke
house where meat was
cured for the family and
farm laborers. At the time
of his death, Marion owned
approximately 2000 acres
of land, much of which is
still owned by Freeman
decendents.
When M. F., Jr. was 17
years old, he joined the
Navy to serve his country
during WWII. After
returning home following
the war, he worked with
his father on the farm and
continued what Mr. Marion
had begun; however, he
farmed the land with
tractors instead of mules.
His first tractor was an “H”
model Farmall, which is still
on the farm today. In the
early 1960’s the windmill,
no longer in use, was sold
to W. W. “Shorty” Wyant.
He used the tower to build
gates on his farm, but saved
the windmill, which is back
on the farm today.
Marion Freeman passed
away on New Year’s Day,
1949. Following his death,
the home place was deeded
to M. F., Jr. He and his
wife, Kathene, whom he
married on December 1,
1946, moved into the house
in November of 1951. Here
they raised 4 children:
Mary, Franklin, Glenn and
Becky.
M. F. farmed the land until
his death on November 21,
1965. Kathene, who was
only 37 years old at the
time, was left with quite a
responsibility of raising 4
children. To supplement
her income, she rented
the farm to a relative, who
farmed it until 1975.
Becky, the youngest
of Kathene and M. F.’s
children, was only 11
years old when her father
passed away. On April 29,
1973, she married Danny
Anderson, who grew up on
a farm in Bulloch County.
Danny had a love for the
land and wanted to farm,
so they moved back to
Cooperville in 1975 and he
began farming in January
1976. That same year on
December 10th, their first
child, Benjamin Daniel, was
born. In the past few years
while visiting a local friend,
Shorty White. Danny
stated that after talking for
a while, Shorty said that he
had pieces to the blades of
the old original Windmill
that was sold approx. 50
years previously. Danny
was able to restore the old
Windmill and place it on
the plantation in it's orignal
place.
Because M. F. died
without a will and 3 of
the children were minors,
the land remained the M.
F. Freeman, Jr. Estate
until October 1976, when
1.3 acres was deeded to
Franklin in order to build
a home. In 1978, the land
was surveyed and divided
into 5 equally valued
parcels. Becky chose parcel
3 and she and Danny built
a log house on the farm.
In March 1979, Mary and
Glenn decided to sell their
parcels, and Danny and
Becky purchased their
acreage.
Becky Freeman Anderson’s
great grandfather, John
Wesley Freeman, was
the original owner of the
Freeman Family Farm.
Becky grew up on the
farm, along with her sister
Mary, and two brothers,
Franklin and Glenn. She
and her husband Danny
were married on April 29,
1973 and have two sons,
Benjamin Daniel and
William Garrett. Danny
owns a diversified trucking
business and he and Garrett
run a commercial cattle
operation. Following in
the footsteps of her father,
M.F., who was a substitute
rural mail carrier, Becky
was the Dover, GA
postmaster for 22 years
before retiring in July 2012.
The Farm
Wife
at Two Pennies Farm
Being the Change
I’ve been pretty consistent with my daily walking. Monday’s
walk brought a memory to mind. My Grandpa Frego
emigrated from Italy as a young married man. He could
speak English, but he preferred Italian. I met him when I was
about 4 years-old and he was in his 8o’s. Grandpa always
had a dog, and the dog was always named Spot. Grandpa fed
Spot on the corner of the front porch. He opened a can of
food, emptied it directly on the concrete, and tossed the can
into the shrubbery. We. Were. Appalled. “Grandpa, don’t be
a litterbug!” He just grunted and turned away, but later we
overheard him ask my Mom, “Cara, cos'e una Lee-ter-bug?”
(My dear, what is a Litterbug?) After asking him why and
laughing at his answer, Mom explained what we meant. He
never mentioned this to us, but ever after he was careful to
put the empty can in the kitchen trash.
The memory was sparked by the vast amount of litter I see
every day on my walk. I keep thinking there’s more every
year. Of course, there’s more every year, no one’s ever picked
any of it up!
There’s a popular saying, “Be the change you want to see in
the world.” And the change I want to see is less litter on our
roads. And there was my answer. I could continue to grump
about litterbugs, or I could PICK IT UP. Picking up trash on
my walk one day a week would be very doable.
As you well know, I like to have the right tools for the job,
so I immediately went to the internet and typed in “litter
pick up trash bag holder.” I was shocked to find out that a
simple garbage bag holder with a shoulder strap was what I
consider priceless. So, what do I have that would work the
same as a fancy-schmancy litter bag? Feed bags. They’re the
right size, quite stout, and if I roll the top down a few times,
they’re easy to hold. And I have tons of feed bags that I’ve
been looking to repurpose.
I grabbed Brenna-dog, my ‘extended reach grabber,’ a feed
bag and set out on my morning walk. This was kind of fun.
In less than a half a mile, working one side of the road only,
the feed bag was stuffed full. I was even wishing that I had
another bag with me so I could keep going.
One of my goals in life is to leave things better than I found
them. Picking litter off the road is a pretty easy way to
accomplish this goal. I’d like to encourage everyone in the
county to join me. Get out and trash-pick your road frontage
at least a little bit every week. It’s not hard, you get out
in nature, you get some exercise, and you’ll be leaving the
world better than you found it.
Benji and Garrett Anderson enjoy farming as youngsters.
Lr i Stan Sheppard
/TVirntpc tnSwthWnSte*
“0 Sfleania Georgia 304$7
ftppraisal Co
I Specializing in Estate \Zaiuatiens
I Licensed Real Estate Appraiser
(912)564-2419
The
Story
Continues
Next
Week
BRINSON’S
Tree & Stump
Removal
TREE REMOVAL
STUMP REMOVAL
EXPERT TRIMMING
LAND CLEARING
BRUSH CUTTING
BUSHHOGGING
STORM CLEAN UP
SKID STEER WORK
BRIAN BRINSON
706-526-8686
D
