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•nr own (yes, in our own'[conntry, demon
strate the fact that in technical edn
eation is to he found the readiest and most
certain solution of Ihe treat problem. Wher
ever it has teen introduced the result has
been to raise the standard ad increase the
number of manufactures, to develop t.Uo tal
ent and ingenuity of the people, attract capi
tal. and furnish employment for the idle and
icetitute, and open up all the arenups dossi-
I.ie for making money and accumulating
v. alth. The illustrations are numerous.
Tlie establishment of the technical schools
■ Germany gave to the manufactures of that
intry their prominence and imi>ortauce. In
Uu-sia the system has developed a most
wonderful facility in the arts, and given that
ii ,ntry a commanding position in this great
field of instruction.
descending to individual instances, the city
Worcester, in Massachusetts, was a com
iratively small town in ISrtti. The Worees
i, r Free "Institute was established, and in a
few vears the town began to improve, capital
w - attracted, the ingenuity, the talent of the
voting generation was educated and dcvelop
, , manufacturing and other industrial pur
► -its encouraged, and the town grew to a
great city of nearly 75,000 people in a lew
years.
A similar instance is recorded in Ireland,
in an out-of-the-way community on the isl
,t and, a few years ago. some philanthropic gen
: ! man determined to open and endow a
technological college. At that time poverty
and squalor and destitution were the leading
f. atures of the place. The college was built
ar.d opened. The young men were educated,
grew up, and turned their attention to scien
tific and industrial pursuits, and in a few
years the community, which contained at first
only a few hovels and sheds, bee ime rich and
prosperous—the centre of a great mannfac
mring interest—oneof the few thriving places
iu Ireland. The intluenee of the iKtlicy of
England, which had broken down Ireland’s
manufacturing interests, was counteracted in
tms instance by the development of the tal
ent, energy and brains of the people who
suffered thereby. Learning was power in this
case.
Other instances could l>e cited, but I desist.
Technical education ennobles the calling of
the workman. The graduate of the literary
schools has jilway- had a tendency to look
down on the man who is the architect of his
( wn education, whose only diploma is the
still and energy that accredit him to the great
company of the world’s artisans and manu
facturers. I’ut the curriculum of a col
lege behind him, and award him
s diploma for merit in the usual way, and
he can face the literally scoffet una
bashed, or put to the blush the
conceited coxcomb who owed his
ability, p Tlrtps, to compass a collegiate
course to the accident of a father's wealth.
Besides this, the extensive introduction and
-ap|S>rt of technical schools will tend to en
eoora :ea better feeling between the races,
.-killed workmen are respected,whether their
kins be white or black. Naturally, however,
ti.e weaker race will drop into the subordi
i.ute position—subordinate, though absolutely
iecessary to the running of the whole ma
ehinery. When wealth is diffused and suc
■ i se renders our |>osit;on easier, the balances
will be adjusted between the races, and each
ake its place, in harmony with the great end
in view.
We are not left without some grounds for
ongratnlation, and I am glad I can close this
iddress by a reference to them. Though our
relative a< hieveroeut- rank so low in compar
-• u with the great Northwest, yet it is true
•bat our State in BsO stood tir’-t among the
entton States in the number and value ol her
manufactures. The germ has been planted,
and only needs fructifying and training to
reach a full development. Our agri
•eltural product, thou, li so smalt
n comparison with - lie North aud West, was
.rger and more valuable than that of any
■ : her State south of Mason and Dixon's line
except Missouri. Our financial standing is
unrivaled; our bonds selling higher than those
any other State in the Union, except per
.i>- those of one or two Northern States.
’ >ll r iron interests, our coal fields, our mines,
• .r great water powers, our spinning, weav
i % aud knitting industries only need skilled
abor to develop them. The Creator never
.ave a country such limitless resources, such
• uudlessfertility, such mineral deposits, such
■ mint less sources of wealth and prosperity
i' about intending its development.
When, of all the earth, lie selected a location
‘■>r his chosen people. He put them on the
.-nine parallel of latitude as ours, under the
-ame sky, and the country that flowed with
milk and honey was not more desirable than
■urs. Already the challenge has gone out to
Vi a England. Did you note the depression
and failure of the cotton mills iu that region
recently? It is the prophecy of a far greater
disaster. Kacli cotton mill established in
Georgia will ring the death-knell of more
New England establishments. In the
whirr of the Southern spindle is the
promise of anew era, an era
of labor, of wealth, of independence, wrought
•til in the ways of peace by ourown exertions,
hv the w.sdom of our own people, by the
hands of our own citizens, of educated pow
r, realized and gloried m at home, re.*|ected,
appreciated, admired and feared abroad.
To turn the thoughts of our people in the
rceiion of technical education should be tin}
.ime- 1 endeavor of all who love the Stateand
(•■sire her advance.
Fou, getleincn, representatives of Uie great
agricultural interests of tlm State, are vitally
■ 'ui-erned. Put.your thoul'Wr- to the wheel.
1 •<> to j our candidates for the Legislature atui
lorajßit of them a declaration oi their views
this subject before you choose them. Let
in oi know that the people will not tolerate
.filler delays in I Ins matter. See to your in
fo-:*. Let the stern voice of the iample la.
o ard. Let the mother heart of the state
-peak out and make its demands felt.
Let the young men he educated. Eetab
-ti a great central technical college for them
atv I thus give them a calling that they can
follow iu any community, and with a certainty
cess in any contingency. Not lawyers,
i .dors, preachers, but learned engineers,
cchanical engineers, machinists, superin
• intents .of factories, builders of railroads,
a\er of metals, geologists, miuers, practi
.,l builders, scientific discoverers, men of re
- itree, <d practical knowledge, of muscular
ngcniiity, men fitted to lead the grand march
of human thought—to conquer dominion over
i .Mure and spare, and to multiply the means
wealth and enjoyment commensurate with
demands of an enlightened, elevated and
dished race.
1 < all ou all the good people of the State to
iwake to the importance of the subject. In
. other way <an we meet and answer the
• mauds of the situation. Of what avail is
ur past history, our proud name and posi
•oi, if we lie quiet and let the world pass by
cs in this great enterprise. Our cotton may*
huh and fruit, and he gathered to the
• re house, hut other communities
will reap the wealth which its
- rowth assures. Our coat and
'on will sleep in our mountains while others
row rich in a similar product, and hide the
n with Uie smoke of the furnaces that we
iglit own.
'ur mighty streams,gurgling, rustling with
ol enrrentsdown their fretted channels,will
uttinue to expend on the rocks and the ocean
power which if trained and used, might
re the spindles and drive the hammers of a
ic.iihl manufactories.
Our fields may sprout their verdure to feed
• i attic of a thousand hills, but others will
other their increase and grow fat on their
-h. Our minerals, hidden in the rough
keis and drawersof our mighty mountains,
1 lie where the forge- of creation left them
' I the hammers and augers of some more en
■ rpri-ing people shall gather them to enrich
• ■thcr generation.
Our name—our grand place in the family of
'talcs, our pledges to tiosterity all demand
at we should give to the rising generation
means to retrieve the fortunes of the past
■ I adjust the balances of the future.
In the visions that sometimes throng niv
u .ik-r.g moments, I have loved to imagine the
•lure gh ry of our Southern land. While the
-i 'i t of prophetic inspiration was upon me 1
ive seen utir fields reviving under new sys
msof labor and improvement. I have seen
r\ alleys smiling with peace anil plenty,
mil our hillsides covered with verdure and
-■ ' den grain, and over all, and in all, I have
• ard the busy tlirobbings of a great system
inauiif tcttires, toward which tne eyes of all
Minns -hall lie turned with longing hope and
expectation.
When the staple that grows In our fields,
ml the minerals that sleep in our mountains
i all he gathered to fill the currents of com
'i cree. ard receive under the skilled and edtt
uted hands of our people new beauties anil
• .v values adapted to the wants of civlliza
: it: when the smoke of our furnaces shall
• •raid the rising sun, and the sound
the hammers of our artisans beat
' i tattoo of his setting, then I have
bought will the throne of commercial
ni re, deserting the precincts of
Hunker Hill, Lowell and l’ittshurg, find its
i"! inoil resting place on the hanks of the Oc
iilgcc, the Chattahoochee anil the savannah.
Then, indeed, the triumphs of peace will
dace the memory and atone for the suffer
igs .ttid disasters of the war —then shall rc
■ • e new smiles on the scarred faces of our
"pie. a id in the passing years, this, our
' Uhlan 1, our Palestine, hedged in by the
"intuits and washed by the seas, shall by
oiled the land of liberty, the refuge of the
impressed, the hope of the nations, atid thereat
: commercial dominion—at the mention of
' hos‘ name the slaves of tyranny and the sa
':ip- of power shall bow with involuntary
umige in all the earth—a land of homes—be
lt with the offerings of beauty and love, and
lightened with the smiles of unending peace
- where the altars of worship shall smoke
• ith dailv incense, and the ladder of faith
from each home shall stretch tqion with its
: ttnds of Friendship and Charity and Love,
- in the Patriarch's vision, resting its top on
he rim of the skies, over which the worn
•Tui weary pilgrims, tired with lile's battles
and triumphs,shall finally pass from the shad
•avs of earth to the glories of Heaven!
Mr. Harris’ address occupied over an
hour in delivery, and was given the closest
attention of every delegate in the hall.
The speaker was' greeted with frequent
applause, and the address was one of the
bading features of the day.
At its conclusion Col. Benson, of the
Special Committee on changing the basis
of representation in the convention, sub
mitted the report of the committee, which
was read and laid upon the table to be
considered at the opening of the after
noon session.* The convention then ad
journed.
AFTEUXOON SESSION.
The convention reconvened at 3 o’clock,
w hen llou. W. T. Northern, of Sparta, de
livered an address on
“FARM ECONOMY.”
hfr. Preshlent ui ul Gentlemen of the Conreif
•ioh Farming at the South since the war. in
h general way, lias not been pleasant or profit
able. Struggling, a- wc have been, against
the peculiar accidents of the times, every
effort suggested by observation, by experi
ment. by necessity and by counsel, in indi
vidual instances at least, has been nut forth,
ami yet uniform success upon the farm is an
open question. Not a few intelligent, observ
ing gentlemen have submitted to us their
pqlicv and developed their plans, and, whilst
it is true that we have made some advance,
the large majority of farmers in Georgia are
burdened with debt and discouraged by re
peated failure.
Gentlemen of other professions (simply
“lookers-on in Venice”) hare not been slow
to attribute our failures to bad management.
Lawyers, doctors, tradesmen and editors
have generously tendered to us their advice,
spiced at times with rebuke, and, in all this
multitude of counsel, 1 repeat, we are in a
measure at sea.
Coming, as the gentlemen of this conven
tion do, from all parts of the State,
representing the farmers of all
classes and the varied products of this sec
tion, why not settle this question, as far as
may be. bv an interchange of views ujx>n the
main elements of proper farm economy, that
we may go out from this deliberation with
an agreed policy that shall revolutionize our
systems and make prosperous our enterprise?
With the view, then, to induce, by an inter
change of opinion, a settled policy as to the
main demands of onr business, I shall address
you in a plain wav upon general farm man
agement.
l’robably the most serious financial result
of the war was the freeing of the slaves, not
so much in the loss of the money value of the
property destroyed as the damage to the gen
eral farming interests of the South. I dare
say no civilized people ever before had their
industries so thoroughly paralyzed. The la
bor upon oifr farms was not only set at liber
tv. but actually made hostile to our interests.
Our whole system was upturned and thor
oughly disordered. We presented to the
world a strange spectacle—attempting
to make crops aud manage our farms
with labor actually and avowedly
inimical to all our efforts at success. These
burdens, iu a measure, are still upon ns, and
our policy, since the war, has not been so
much such as was suggested by an intelligent
understanding of the situation and the results
to be desired, as by the demands of those
whom we had entrusted to do our farm ser
vice. C apital has been largely controlled by
ignorant labor, and it has been no easy matter
to operate a policy that would insure success
under such remarkable circumstances.
I know that distinguished gentlemen of this
convention do not indorse tne views I hold
upon the special point upon which I now ad
dress you; but my convictions are strong.
Tfley are entertained, I trust, without preju
dice, and after close observation. Coming, as
I do, fresh from the fields and the constant
study of the question, Ido not hesitate to say
that we will fail in the future, as we have
failed in the past, if we continue our present
labor under our present system.
Is it not true that we have yielded largely
to the demands of our labor as to the term’s
and methods of the service to be
rendered? Our plans of cropping and
tenants have been determined, and their
privileges and extent—not by the inasters.but
by the servants themselves. If freedmen
were intelligent, manifesting any good degree
of thrift, this policy might succeed. But how
entirely to the contrary—utterly without
judgment, hopelessly ignorant because of
their dull stupidity, perfectly unreliable and
untrustworthy, feeling no concern whatever
as to whether they accumulate for themselves,
and les- interest, if possible, in the success of
Ihe landlord—perfectly willing to sit down
and see the world go to decay. Tell me how
can such people, left to themselves, ever bene
fit the public weal or add to the respecta
bility, the influence and the power of the com
monwealth. Policy of all kinds—political,
social and agricultural—has demanded indul
gence until the government is threatened,
society is shocked and agriculture paralyzed.
In all these matters it is time we had called a
halt, but now we desire to determine only
such questions as bear upon the interests of
our farms and the growth of our busi
ness. \\ ithont stepping to characterize
further what is patent upon almost
every farm, let in counsel rather
as to the remedy. However much we might
desire the exchange of our labor for foreign
ers. the change in a general wav cannot be
economically effected m a generation, and the
discussion of this question at this time would
not help our present necessities. We are just
now concerned with no question of greater
importance than the improvement of our pre
sent labor.
Ottr troubles will be greatly relieved bv a
degree of self-assertion on the part of farm
ers. We must learn to be the masters of our
own matters. Landlords must be just in their
demands, liberal in their prices, honest in
their transaction', prompt in their payments
and then inflexible in their exactions as to
the character and amount of service they re
ceive. We must give good pay, demand
good work and rel ieve nothing less. To do
this there must be co-operation among farm
ers. Labor must not be demoralized by
promised indulgence inconsistent with whole
some farm discipline, contracts must be en
forced, penal statutes enacted for viola
tions of agreements, and positive obedi
ence demanded fur the authority of
the arm. Public sentiment on all these ques
tions must be made so positive that uo citizen
will dare a violation without the severest
punishment, at least, iu his classification. If
we succeed we must control our business. No
merchant ever hires his clerks to sell goods
except under his directions. No judicious
President of a bank ever gives out h'is capital
to his subordinates to he distributed as they
may see proper. Vo thoughtful President o’f
a railroad ever turns over his trains to con
ductors to be run upon the road of his com
pany at will. It is equally a fact that no suc
cessful farmer ever gives up his farm and his
opinions to lie controlled by ignorant freed
men. Successful farming requires close
study, prudent foresight, close application,
excellent judgment and discretion. These
elements the landlord must furnish, as neither
one of them can be supplied by our present
labor.
Again, labor must be classified, paid ac
cording to its worth, amt charged with all its
detieienees. In other words, our farm
contracts must be brought down
to strict business principles, and
our lalior must be held uniformly upon the
hit as long as the interests of the farm de
mand it. As the laborer becomes worthless
he must lie so branded and held bv the com
munity of farmers, and he must pay, himself,
the penalty of his laziness. The most expen
sive of all lalior. at whatever price, are the
slothful and idle. If left to suffer without
homes, and made to bring character with
their applications for serviee.the country will
soon be relieved of much of the burden of its
poverty. The man who is paid to do the
work and neglects it, should refund not only
the amount he lias received, but lie should
make good the damage he has occasioned.
The betrayal of trusts, the perversion of the
truth, the unnecessary loss of time, slothful
methods, careless inattention and wasteful
abuse, all bring to the farmer loss of temper,
loss of time and loss of money. These dam
ages should he borne liy the servant who in
flicts them. Farm discipline must he kind and
considerate, but positive and inflexible.
Probably the next great hindrance to
our success has been the indis
criminate use of commercial fertilizers.
By indiscriminate use l mean, first, the ap
plication of fertilizers to crops and soils with
out any knowledge, either actual or inti
mate I,'as to their adaptation. Farmers have
spent their money for ammonia, and thrown
away upon their farms more than they
brought. We have mortgaged our erops be
fore they were planted for phosphoric acid
and potash to be put upon our lands when
we could at less expense control a sufficiency
for all our necessities. After all this outlav
we have wasted enough of both these ele
ments—in fowl hou.-e manure, stable manure,
cotton seed and wood ashe9 —to pay twice
over the amount we purchased.
1 am not prepared to advise the rejection of
all commercial fertilizers, although many
gentlemen of this convention are making fine
successes withont them. Properly combined
with the heavier manures ou the farm, I have
found acid phosphate profitable and economi
cal. Ammnniated manures our farmers never
have need to liny. Again, aside front the
damage we have received in this way, com
mercial manures have induced the neglect
of the more bulky manures of the farm.
Guanos are so much more easily handled, es
pecially over our large farms, "that we have
doubtless made a mistake in stqqiosing that
we could throw away the bulk and afford to
buy the concentration. As to the value of
barn yard manure, I am aware th re is diver
sity of opinion. It would lie well if actual
experiment, carefully and frequently re
peated, should put to rest so important a mat
ter. our prominent farmers in the State of
New Fork pronounces barn yard manure
worthless waste, anil refuses to draw it upon
his fields. Another, equally distinguished,
comparing the manure made by his cows to
standard fertilizers, holds it to be worth $24
per ton, and he could not be induced to deny
it to his lands at that price. My own expe
rience iudorses rather the latter valuation.
Properly cared for and carefullysaved.it will
keep at home thousands of dollars uselessly
expended and make permanently rich the
soils to which it Is regularly applied.
With us, however, the' question of fer
tilization is to be largely met in the
use of cotton seed, not rotted and composted,
as we have heretofore practiced, but decosti
cated upon the farms or supplied in meal by
the mills. Chemical analysis, supported by
actual experiment, lias declared them to be
the cheapest and best manure we can apply
to our crops. Being suddenly thrust into
prominence for purposes other than manure,
capitalists are laying hasty hands upon cotton
seed for profit. In them tne fanners of the
South have a profitable crop, and it remains
to be seen whether they will lie utilized to
advantage or allowed to be manipulated by
others without proper remuneration. Farm
ers are too much inclined to dispose of their
products at prices stipulated by purchasers,
regardless of the cost of production or intrinsic
value. Parties who buy our seed should be
made to pay not only what the seed are worth
to the farm, but additionally what they are
worth to the manufacturer,' otherwise the
farmer has no profit, but has simply con
sented to an exchange that the capitalist
may grow richer upon the products
of his toil. Public spirit in the
maintenance of industries and enterprise,
looking mainly to the profits of individuals,
does not demand of farmers the sacrifice of
their little pittance without a profit beyond a
fair remuneration. The question with farm
ers in the near future will not be whether we
shall use our own seed upon the farm for ma
nure or sell them to the mills; but will it not
be lietter to maniuulate them through our
stock as food, and then use the product for
fertilization? Here is a ouestion of economy
that needs investigation and experiment. At
present prices my own policy will be to keep
all mv seed and get all I can buy for mv Indi
vidual purposes. No manure pays me better,
let us not be too hasty to put profits, legiti
mately ours, into the hands of others. Every
man able to run a gin can, with the same
power, run a mill and make his own meal.
The world had better never know the manu
facture of cotton seed oil if Southern farmers
are to be made poorer thereby.
Whatever the svstemof fertilization adopted,
no plan of farm management can be the best
that does not leave the lands In
better fertility at the end of
the season than they were at the
beginning. Here, doubtless, we have expe
rienced great waste. Lauds made barren are
cultivated at heavy expense and make small
THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, ISM.
returns. We must learn to make larger
gross receipts for the same expenditure of
labor. With our land* up to their highest
possiblllica, our methods skillfully and dili
gently pursued, tbe same personal attention
given to the details of the business as is re
quired for success in every other pursuit, with
good labor, why should there not be as much
money in farming as in anv other legitimate
business where the same capital is invested?
As we bring up our lands by a proper rota
tion of crops, the application of manuros and
leaving in the soil such growth of vegetable
matter as experience lias taught us is valu
able, further economy will require that ob
structions shall be removed from the fields;
the soil must be held in its place by judicious
terracing or ditching; such crops must bs
cultivated as are adapted to the
section and determined by home
necessities and market conveni
ence; and, then, through all our efforts there
must run a prudent economy as to home pro
ductions and farm expenses—the thread, at
last, upon which our final success must hang.
Successful farming always seeks improvement
and progress. Scrub cattle ars not allowed a
place; the best bogs are raised as the cheap
est; good barns are considered partial crops;
good strong gates, a labor saving improvement
over draw bars and fence gaps, and strong
fences the safeguards of the farm. If these
things be so, let ns hide the gabled glare of
our fields; tear down the dilapidated log huts
about our homes; build neat aud comfortable
quarters for our lalor; suitable barns for our
stock; bang the outlook with a good degre* of
cheer and thrift, and our energies will be
quickened and eventual success assured.
One great trouble at the South has been that
we are willing to undertake a great deal of
labor for a very small result. How many
of us cultivate three acres, when one would
produce the same results? How many farm
ers in this convention bring all their water up
a steep hill, one quarter of a mile
from a spring? How many
take their stock to the branch instead of fur
nishing them water at tlie barn? How many
study the economy of labor and the applica
tion of machines to farm service? How many
farmers iu Georgia ever give to the profession
labor-saving implements to do their work?
Good farm economy required that we shall do
a great ileal of work in a little time and at a
small outlay. 'Ve have made much progress,
but tliere is'still more to be done. 1 remem
ber distinctly when farmers threshed their
grain by riding upon it in a circle on the
ground. Other gentlemen, a little more ad
vanced in years, doubtless recall the fireside
cotton picftiags as the farmers’ wives and
daughters gathered the lint from the seed
with their fingers. Until very recently a gin
house stood npon my father’s farm, with a
round hole iu the floor, through which his
men would pack the cotton with a crow-bar.
We have made some advance upon this, and
how very strange these methods appear to us
now, and yet we are doubtless guilty
of equal folly. If it be true
that South Carolina is about to give us a ma
chine that will pick four bales of cotton in a
day, will it not appear strange to the next
generation that we ever got our consent to
grow cotton when we had no better method
for saving it than to pick out with our fingers
each boll, distinct aud to itself? If it be true
that North Carolina is about to give us a ma
chine that will gather seventy-five bushels of
peas in a day, will it not appear strange
twenty-five years from to-day that this peo
ple neglected a crop that gave such valuable
and abundant food for stock, and such excel
lent manure for our soil? When the manip
ulation and application of barn yard manure
shall have reached the perfection to which
they are hastening, will it not appear strange
that we hired men to go over our fields with 1
bags on their backs to deposit little piles like !
ant hills for our crops? J beg to say that we I
are altogether too primitive in our methods, j
We need to study economy of time and labor,
as we find it in "the use of labor-saving ma- I
chines on the farm.
If at last we get all our appliances in the
best order, and our methods the most ap
proved, and then give our time to improper
crops, all our efforts will be wasted. It is
well understood that every section has its
staple crops, and farmers as a general thing
respect this provision of nature. Farmers in
Vermont would not undertake the growth of
oranges, nor in Dakota would they expect
much profit from the culture of cotton. While
this principle is invariably true, there is no
section adapted to any one crop to the exclu
sion of all others. These attendant crops,
farmers in Georgia have neglected. Proper
farm economy with us demands, of course,
the cultivation of cotton. This is our staple.
Whatever the competition of the West, the
poverty of the soil, and the scarcity of good
labor, it will beau unfortunate day‘for Geor
gia when our .armers arc compelled to aban
don the growth of cotton. Upon this we
must' greatly rely for onr money, gnd
we must make it profitable by such
methods as progress will suggest. This I can
not believe will ever be done by the exclusion
of a sufficiency of home-raised grain, grasses,
potatoes, cattle and hogs to supply all the
possible demands of an emergency.
The policy of our farmers, first,'as to buying
their supplies at all, and secondly, as to buy
ing at the fearful cost of time’ prices, has
been ruinous. The Commissioner of Agricul
ture, thoroughly impressed with tlie evil of
this course, has continued to hold before the
farmers of the State the damage they were
receiving from this practice. After diligent
inquiry from different sections of the State
the cash and time prices paid for bacon and
corn lias been published for the consideration
of farmers and their attention called to the
fact that no class of citizens could prosper un
der the heavy burden of expense that the
farmers of Georgia deliberately took upon
themselves—amounting at times for some sec
tions to HO percent, interest, and averaging
for the State for the last several years about
60 per cent, in on an original heavy charge.
These things, together with the difficulties
attending the radical changes of the times
and repeated failures, have very greatly
paralyzed our energies. Farmers need to be
encouraged—not by empty words that bring
no relief, but by solid results that make their
own reward. I'pon Ibis wild waste of for
tunes an occasional beacon has lit up the
darkness and shed its cheer over the possi
bilities of the future. Here and there dis
pirited farmers have gathered hope in the
light. When in all history was there not a
God-given hero to lead the fortunes of his dis
couraged fellows? Time would fail to tell of
the brave men. the great men. the good men
who have led the forlorn hopes of the past.
We have them among us—not such as come
with peculiar and superior advantages of
climate, money, erops and soil, hut,commenc
ing at the extremes of opportunity, have an
ticipated the grand destinies ahead of us.
Here and there, all through the land, there
crops out some startling success made by con
centrated effort upon a small farm, higblv
manured, well managed and well worked. A
recent agricultural journal has entertained
its readers with a statement as to the products
of a small farm at the West. The results aro
fabulous, and the description readslike a fairy
tale. Commencing six years ago, a barren
waste, the land has averaged since that time
annually a yield of $65 per acre.
Again, a distinguished citizen of Ohio com
menced work upon his farm in 1865, and had a
gross receipt of SSOO the first year. With high
manuring and thorough tillage, the gross re
ceipts of the same farm in 1877 —twelve years
afterwards—were $5,600. Another farm a lit
tle north of us reports a sale of products
amounting to SSS per acre, in addition to an
abundance of supplies retained for home con
sumption.
More than all this, who needs to despair in
the light of our lamented Furman’s success?
Taking hold with us, he held on until he set
tled beyond all dispute, the coming wealth of
his State. Grand man as lie was. having dis
covered tlie hidden mystery of tlie farm, he
did not hide ugain his success and revel in the
results of his labors; hut here he came and
modestly told the wondrous story of his work,
until his burning words aroused our energies
and cheered our hopes as we gathered his
facts to enrich our own fields. His results
were marvellous, his success incredible, and
vet. they are possible upon every farm in tlie
State. All we need is the man and the man
agement; his spirit conquered difficulties;
his enterprise foreshadowed results, and his
labors solved the problem of farm economy.
Asa progressive, successful farmer, Georgia
owes him an honor she will never be able to
pay; the South a tribute no silvered tongue
can toll, and the world a recognition, I am
sure, it will bo glad to accord.
The order of deferred business was
taken up, and the matter of preparing
memorials to the memory of deceased
members of the association was dis
cussed. The Memorial Committee ap
pointed at the last meeting of the society,
in Atlanta, consisting of Messrs. Bird,
Cary and Butler, was made a permanent
committee, and instructed to report some
time during the convention.
Dr. Oemler, President of the Chatham
County Fruit and Vegetable Growers’
Association, offered a resolution in regard
to the shipment of truck to the Northern
markets by steamship, which was adopt
ed.
The report ot the committee on anew
basis of representation was taken from
the table and adopted. The changes in
counties from one district to auother in
the various portions of the State, to new
apportionment made by the Legislature,
are as follows:
Burke, from First to Tenth district;
Campbell, Fourth to Fifth district; Cher
okee, Seventh to Ninth district; Columbia,
Eighth to Tenth district; Clarke. Ninth to
Eighth district; Crawford, Filth to Sixth
district; Douglass, Fourth to Fifth dis
trict; Franklin, Ninth to Eighth district;
Glasscock, Eighth to Tenth district; Hous
ton, Fifth to Third district; Jefferson,
Eighth to Tenth district; Johnson,Eighth
to Tenth district; Laurens, Sixth to Third
district; Lincoln, Eighth to Tenth dis
trict; Madison, Ninth to Eighth district;
McDuffie, Eighth to Tenth district; Mil
ton, Fifth to Ninth district; Monroe,
Fifth to Ninth district; Morgan, Ninth to
Eighth district; Newton, Sixth to Fifth
district: Oconee, Ninth to Eighth dis
trict; Pike, Fifth to Sixth district; Put
nam, Sixth to Eighth district; Richmond,
Eighth to Tenth district.
The First district is now entitled to one
member of the Executive Committee; the
Second district is full; the Third district
l is entitled to one member; the Fourth
district is full; the Fifth district is en
titled to two members; the Sixth district
is entitled to one member; the Seventh
district is full; the eighth district is full;
the Ninth district is entitled to two mem
bers; the Tenth district is full.
Mr. Morgan Rawls, of Effingham, pre
sented a resolution providing for the ele
vation of the pursuit or agriculture to a
civil and political equality with other
callings and professions of high order,
and petitioning Congress to place the Do*
partment of Agriculture ou an equal foot
ing with all the executive departments of
the government. The resolution was
read and unanimously adopted.
EXPERIMENTS IN FARMING.
Prof. H.C, White, of the State Uni
versity, made an exhaustive report of the
experiments at the University farm, anil
read an interesting essay on “Compost
ing,” which was the subject of a general
discussion. Prof. White had been ex
pected to appear before the convention
to-day, but in view of the
change in the programme, was re
quested to make a report of
his investigations during yesterday's ses
sion and cheerfully complied with the
request. At the close of his remarks and
the discussion which followed he was
tendered a vote of thanks by the conven
tion.
An adjournment was then taken until
7:30 o’clock.
THE EVENING SESSION.
The evening session was opened about
8 o’clock.
Prof. C. V. Rilev, Entomologist ol tbe
United States Agricultural Department
at Washington, who was announced to
appear to-day and deliver an essay upon
the subject, “Insects Destructive to
Southern Agriculture,” was present, and
stated to the President that he would be
unable to fulfill the part of the programme
to which he was assigned, as he was
compelled to leave the city on an
early train. In order, therefore, to
secure the delegates the opportunity of
hearing Prot. Riley, he was requested to
present his essay during the evening ses
sion, which he did in an interesting and
instructive manner, conveying valuable
suggestions as to the protection and care
of Southern vegetation from the ravages
of destructive insects. At the close of his
remarks,which were supplementary to the
the subject, he was generously applauded.
In view of the practical nature of the essay,
it was requested for publication in the
official proceedings of tbe convention, and
a vote of thanks was tendered the writer.
THE EXPERIENCE MEETING.
The question box was then opened, and
the remainder of the evening was occu
pied in the discussion of various agricul
tural topics.
Tne Executive Committee met at 7:30
o’clock in the Pulaski House parlors, and
remained in session until after the ad
jurnmeut of tbe convention.
SECOND DAY’S PROCEEDINGS.
Memorial to General Horn—President
Battle's Address—Resignation of Col.
Hardeman—lts Acceptance—Col L. F.
Livingston Elected His Successor—
Thanks to tbe Citizens.
The society continued its convention at
Masonic Hall yesterday morning, and
was called to order at 8 o’clock by Vice
President Col. James H. Fannin.
The early hour at which the convention
Assembled caused some delay in the pro
ceedings, owing to the absence of the
delegates, who were late in arriving at
the hall. By !> o’clock, however, tbe floor
was tilled. The anxiety of the members
to reach an adjournment by tbe time ap
pointed by the Citizens’ Committee for
the leaving of the excursion steamer was
the cause of a rush in the business, and
the discussions were limited and brief.
After the preliminary exercises a call
was made for reports of committees.
Dr. il. H. Carey, Chairman ol the Me
morial Committee, reported a memorial
on the death of Gen. O. P. Horn, which
occurred at Hawkinsville October 12,
LBB2. Gen. Horn was for many years
identified with the interests of the State
Agricultural Society. For a number of
years he was an efficient officer, and at
the time of his death was a life member.
The society paid him the tribute of be
ing a man of strong conviction, of un
bending integrity, and deeply imbued with
the true spirit of manhood. ’ “Truth, hon
or, faith and integrity vyere his, and these
will endure forever.”
The report f the committee was re
ceived and the memorial ordered to be
come a part ot the proceedings of the con
vention^
The President then introduced Rev. Dr.
S. J. Battle, of Macon, President of Mer
cer University, who delivered a deeply
interesting and instructive essay on “In
telligence as a Factor in Successful
Farming.”
I’RESIDENT BATTLE’S ADDRESS.
Much has been spoken and written on “The
Dignity of Labor. ’ Essayists have discussed
it, poets have sung it, orators have declaimed
it. It is possible, however, that there has been
too much of sentiment, amt not enough of
practical wisdom in such effusions. If we were
to insist less on the dignitv, and more on the
thorough effectiveness of labor, it might not
appear so attractive to sentimental miniis, hut
it would probably be more productive of sub
stantial benefit to the world.
There is no essential dignity in the exercise
of the muscles. The mere physical effort of
pushing a plane, or driving a nail, the swing
ing of affaxe, or the scratching of the earth
with a hoe or a plow, ts not in itself ennobling
or worthy of admiration. No labor of muscle
is dignified unless it be directed and controlled
by- a mind imbued with wise purpose, ami
gifting the hand with cunning. And labor
derives all its nobleness, because it gets all its
value, from the trained intelligence that re
lleets its sphere and guides its movement.
It is an admitted economic principle that
educated mind is a potent factor in the pro
duction of wealth. While physical labor is
necessary to the creation of material pro
ducts, yet that which gives the most abundant
and valuable results is the wisdom of direc
tion, the ingenuity of invention and the skill
of the workmanship. Yet what is skill but
educated mind, applying, guiding and regu
lating manual or mechanical labor? And
every advancement in the quantity and quali
ty of the products of labor is the mark of a
larger and higher intelligence. As the intel
lect of man is trained to higher capacities and
broader aims, civilization advances, the arts
flourish, and the comforts and conveniences
of life are multiplied. The miracles of pro
duction, which, in the shape of raw material
anil manufactured fabrics, fill our shops, our
warehouses, our bazars, our granaries and
our depots, and which burden our lengthen
ing railway trains and ourcapacious merchant
ships, are the fruit of the human brain plan
ning, organizing,directing and guiding muscle,
implement and machinery. The vast proces
sion of the industries is tiie triumphal march,
with its train of guards, captives and spoils
of tho human intellect, that kingly power
which marshals the columns and ’rides in
majesty amid the stately pageant. A brief
analysis will show the advantages to industry
to be derived from educated intelligence
among the producing classes.
Education aims to develop the dormant fa
culties of the mind, to cultivate, mature and
strengthen them, and thus to tit them for the
purposes of life. That, education which does
not qualify an individual for the career for
whim he is best adapted by nature, is not
worthy of the name. And education in its
broadest sense is that which trains the mind
for any application of its powers—and, there
fore, tits it for tiny pursuit, for any career.
The intellectual powersof men consist mainly
of the faculties of perception, of reflection, of
imagination and of memory. I men
tion these as the salient ele
ments of his thinking nature. Of course,
with these capabilities entirely undeveloped,
man is no better than a brute or a machine.
And in proportion to tho proper cultivation of
these powers does he attain to a greater or
less efficiency in knowledge, wisdom and skill.
Now, one of the great uses of education is to
train the power of perception—to make the
man an observant being. The brute sees, but
does not observe. The savage looks at an ob
ject. but no matter how perfect his organ of
vision he does not know the object truly, be
cause his intellectual faculty has not been
cultivated. It is only the educated man who
intelligently observes. This form of intelli
gence may he obtained in the schools or out of
them, hut training is necessary to give him a
ready and accurate observation of the facts of
his surroundings. The intelligent workman
will see quicker and better the quality of his
material and work Ilian his ignorant fellow
laborer, while for the ditties of supervision
and management an educated perception is
all important.
Again, intelligence implies the cultivation
of tne reflective powers. This enables a man
to make the best use of the
facts of his observation—to reason
from them, and thus to arrive at the
best judgment respecting his business. The
reflecting man is accustomed to study rela
tions, to discriminate between things ap
parently similar, to trace observed effects to
their causes and to judge what effects will
follow given causes, to classify, systematize
and interpret facts, and to utilize experience
for the best interests of his calling. Thus he
acquires wisdom, tact, and that combination
of knowledge and prudence Known as common
tense.
Educated intelligence also implies a de
veloped and regulated imagination—that
faculty which enables man to devise, to in
vent, to plan, to construct. All progress in
useful industry, as well as in science and art,
is marked by the efforts of the constructive
imagination.
La-tly, the memory duly cultivated is the
faithful repository of the facts of his observa
tion, and the results of his experience, as
well as of the information gained from
others, upon which he can draw
with confidence a upon the deposits
of a solvent bank. Whatever knowledge he
has once made his own, whether of acts, of
processes, or of principles, is his for any emer
gency, and lie can produce it as occasion may
require.
I have thns, at the risk of being tedious,
made this dry analysis of the mental constitu
tion, as the necessary preliminary to the main
discussion. These principles may be applied
to any and eTery proper vocation of life—tie
it learned profession or useful industry; but
to none are they more forcibly applicable than
to that most useful of all departments of la
bor-agriculture—the mother of industries,
Mie primal source of tho world’s wealth.
In all theraugeof productive employments.
I know of none wliioli demands a shrewder
and broader intelligence, for its successful
prosecution, than that which claims the atten
tion of this society. It ts a great mistake to
suppose that anybody can make a suc
cess of farming.' Success is not to be
measured merely br the number at bushel*
of jfTßin or bales of cotton, or ihe amount
of cash one may hi able to count uj> as tbe
, result of the labors.of one year, or of a 6hort
series of years. An ignorant man mav, bv
the concurrence of happy circumstances— fa
vorable seasons and fortunate accidents—
realize a considerable profit. Especially if he
be an unprincipled man he mav, by cruel
evictions and scant supplies to laborers and
animals, ami by mercilessly exhausting the
fertilitv of the soil, obtain a temporary advan
tage. But this ts not farming, and these re
sults do not constitute success, and in the
long run the man and the farm are ruined.
Agriculture, in its truo sense, is a grand
and "noble science, as well as a productive art,
aud it opens a wide field for the exercise of
the intellectual _farulties. The farmer is not
a mere operative" or manual laborer. If he
were he would be all the more skillful and
effestive for a trained intelligence. But tlie
firmer is, for the most part, a manager, a
director, a presiding genins. and must iwssess
the talent and knowledge of an administrative
officer. The qualifications necessary for an entre
prenmtr, as the great economist", Say, calls
such an officer, are various and important.
He must plan, organize and distribute the
work, he must provide materials, he must di
rect and supervise the labor, he must dispose
of the produce. To perform functions so va
ried and complicated presupposes disciplined
talents and a wide range of information, both
theoretical and practical. lie must have
quick, keen and clear perceptions, sagacity in
judgment, some degree of tr.e inventive and
constructive imagination, a sound and trust
worthy memory. Besides these general in
telleetual qualifications he should possess an
extensive and varied stock of knowledge.
Many sciences are concerned in agriculture.
In order to appreciate this let us picture to
ourselves the ideal farmer—the mau who is
supposed to be a master of this noble art.
fu the first place, the ideal farmer is thor
oughly conversant with the science of chem
istry. He knows the composition of soils,
plants and manures, and can analyze tiium
qualitatively and quantitatively. " By this
means he ciin unerringly determine the. dis
tribution and succesion of crops. His knowl
edge of the constituents of land and of natu
ral aud artificial fertilizers enables him to
apply the remedy for any deficiency or excess
in tlie ingredients of the soil, and to adapt the
seed and fertilizing matter to the land to be
cultivated. With this chemical knowledge,
he can properly .prepare his composts, manure
crops, ami other homo manures, aud thus
utilize the otherwise waste material of the
farm.
The ideal farmer has acquainted himself
with tlie sciences of mineralogy and geology.
The composition of minerals and their econo
mic uses, the distribution of rocks and conse
quently of the soils derived from them, tlie
locality and value of the various natural fer
tilizers, lime, marl, gypsum, etc., the disposi
tion of the strata favorable to artesian wells
and methods of irrigation, are of great prac
tical mint/ tv him as the owner and cultiva
tor of lands.
The ideal farmer has made himself familial*
with the laws of meteorology. The intluenee
of climate upon vegetation, and the effects of
rain, frost and storms upon the soil and the
growing crops, are duly understood and
considered in relation to practical
work upon the farm. Bv his own
observation of the moisture, temperature,
pressure and currents of the atmosphere, aid
ed by the reports of the National Weather
Bureau, he can forecast changes of weather
that may gravely affect the success of his
farming "operations. He may wisely adapt
his planting, sowings, plowings, reapings
and storings to the seasons and changes of
weather.
The ideal farmer has mastered the princi
ples of mechanics and-engineering. These
are of incalculable advantage to him in choos
ing aud repairing implements and machines,
and in the construction of houses, bridges,
dykes and ditches. The selection of plows,
cultivators, reapers, thrashers, gins, mills and
other necessary implements of the farm re
quires of the farmer not only natural sagac
ity, but a judgment based upon scientific
knowledge. And the important matter of
drainage, so essential to the health of the far
mer's household, and to the removal of super
fluous water from the lands; as also systems
of irrigation and the boring of wells, exact
no mean attainments and skill iu eugiuecr-
iug.
The ideal farmer has grasped the principles
and laws of political economy—the unchange
able laws that govern the accumulation of
wealth. He has studied the nature of value,
the application and distribution of labor, the
law of supply and demand, the economy of
material, time and labor, the law of wages,
the distribution of profits, the great and com
plicated principles of liuance including ex
change, banking, stocks, bonds, interest and
insurance, the national policies of taxation,
revenues and tariffs.
The ideal farmer possesses that general
scientific culture which frees him
from the influence of superstition
and the yoke of those absurd tra
ditional ideas and practices inherited from
the ignorance of the past. The mind un
trained in scientific methods gathers a few
isolated facts, or observes a few striking coin
cidences, and hastily draws inferences which
are received by the unthinking or the super
stitious as veritable laws of nature. Exam- "
pies of these superficial generalizations are
common in all walks of life, and the farming
community is not free from them. The notion
that a foggy day in February will be followed
by a frost on the corresponding day iu April;
that certain phases of the moon necessarily
bring changes of weather; that plants sot
out in the waning stages of the moon will not
flourish, are cases in point. These popular
inductions are not only unwarranted by the
relation of cause and effect, but are contra
dicted by the facts; for, to use Lord Bacon's
phrase, the “misses” are far more numerous
than the “hits.”
The ideal farmer, by reason of the training
of his understanding, is able to comprehend
tilings With a quickness and clearness impos
sible to his unintelligent neighbor. He can
take in a theory, an explanation, a process,
a statement with a rapidity and distinctness
surprising to the other. This arises partly
from his logical habits of mind and partly
from his familiarity with the use of language.
The same mental culture enables him to ex
press his own ideas, theories and plans in
methodical arrangement and clear and forci-
Irto language.
In addition to all this scientific knowledge
and culture, which involves a vast amount of
learning and confers inestimalfle advantage
upon the profession, the ideal farmer has
acquired by practice, great technical dexterity
in the work of the farm, much experimental
knowledge, and much wisdom in its applica
tion. llis theoretical knowledge and his prac
tice act and react, the one upon the other, the
theory guiding the experiments, and the ex
perience correcting the false inductions of his
scientific judgment.
The ideal character I have thus imperfectly
sketched, has, of course, never been realized,
and never will be matched in actual experi
ence. Yet it serves to illustrate the wide
reaching extent of this great industry, and
the high intellectual qualifications necessary
for those who would be its best exponents.
But the standard may be approximated.
The farmer cannot be a specialist in any
science. He cannot master any one, much
less all the sciences. But his education can
be such, and ought to be such as to enable
him to seek and to avail himself of the labors
of the specialist, the analyst, the expert. And
not a few of the most valuable scientific ex
periments have been made by our “model
farmers,” who thus have conferred an incal
culable benefit upon the agricultural commu
nity. It is perhaps impossible to compute the
indebtedness of our State to the intelligent
experiments of such men as the late la
mented F. C. F urman, so long a shining light
of this society.
If these views are well founded, then the
subject of an intelligent agricultural class ts
of the greatest interest to the farming com
munity and to the State. If intelligence is so
considerable a factor in successful agricul
ture, there is no matter of higher concern to
this society and to the commonwealth at
large than the general diffusion of education
among the people, and especially among
farmers. How shall this general intelligence
he obtained? 1 answer, first, in the schools
and colleges of the country. These are in
tended to dispense that education which fits
the mind, by its general culture, to enter
upon any work or any career with the pros
pect of rapidly acquiring success. If the
course of study is so arranged as to secure
general mental development, it is a wise ar
rangement, and, under competent instruc
tion, will benefit the scholar, whether the
branches learned have any special bearing on
the life-work or not. If they do not have
this tendency the studies, however technical
they may be, will not serve the best purposes
of education. The proper rule is general
education first and technical education after
wards. A good strong course of study which
ts-pursued in the best academies, high schools
and even the best character of grammar
schools, may be an excellent intellectual
preparation for a successful farmer, yet, iu
my judgment, tlie higher education of the
colleges would be just so much better, as the
training is more liberal and thorough.
it is held by many that a classical education
—such as is gained iu tlie bust colleges and
universities—is not only no advantage to the
youug man who expects to boa farmer, but is
a positive disqualification. If the views
expressed in this essay are sound, such a con
clusion is inadmissible. If it be true that the
higher the intelligence and culture the more
efficient the work, then tlie higher education
must clothe the workman with greater power
for production.
The only objection that can with any plaus
ibility tic urged against this more advanced
and liberal training is that Its subjects are apt
to have a taste for those employments that
belong to professional life, and to despise in
dustrial or mechanical pursuits—in other
words, tlie intellectual life is preferred to the
material vocation. Surely a man who is
really and truly educated is not disqualified,
by virtue of his mental training, for anv val
uable employment. And is not this alleged
preference for .professional careers by edu
cated young men largely' accounted for by tho
low estimate which farmers themselves put
upon education? If the notion universally
prevailed among farmers that ignorance is no
digqual filiation and education uo advantage,
it would be most natural for intelligent men
to iffefer those pursuits which demand intel
lectual culture as more congenial to their own
tastes. On the contrary, if a strong sentiment
that intelligence Of the Highest kind is neces
sary and most helpful to success in farming,
prevailed widely among the agricultural com
munity, the character ofs your vocation
would" be elevated, and educated
voung men would turn away from
ihe overcrowded professions, and the dusty
walks of commerce, and seek this uolile in
dustry as the path to honor, wealth and hap
piness.
The value of technological schools is now
generally admitted. Intended as they are
for the training of experts, operatives and
superintendents in the department especially
of manufacturing industry', they are rerkonad
among the productive forces of the world. In
the United States these schools are multiply
ing and steadily taking higher rank. Many
of them have practice shops, and aim to give
manual skill. The great technological schools
of Moscow amL >t. Petersburg give full
courses ol waftal instruction in connection
witb a full scientific education. But those
are for the mechanic. Thav l cannot take the
place of schools for general education. And
fbr the farmer the best technical school is the
farm, on which he i9 to ive and to earn his
support. With a go*d general education
the yoqng man who enters upon this
pursuit with a sense of the nobility of
his calling, and a determination to excell,
| has all the elements of success in his grasp.
! Georgia is emphatically an agricultural State,
j This must always be Iterchier and most irapor-
I tant industry. As compared with her mineral
; resources, her productive soil, which, under
i her genial climate, yields the greatest variety
l of crops, is the source front which her wealth
! is to be derived. *
Two of the greatest nations of the world
; were distinguished as agricultural peoples—
; the ancient Jews ar and the Romans. Not by a
figure of speech, but literally, every Israelite
' sat under tbe shadow of Ilia own vine and flg-
I tree; while the country, as a whole, is de-
I scribed in Holy Writ (J Kings, 18-32) as “a
land of corn and wine, a land of bread and
vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey.”
The Romans, in the happiest and palmiest
days of theircommon wealth, werea thorough
ly agricultural people. Their passion for the
cultivation of the soil survived to a late
period in their history, until the simple
tastes and virtues of liome life gave way
to the luxury and corruption engendered by
their foreign conquests. The weli known in
cident of Ciucinnatus, who was called from
the plow to the helm of state, is a notab e
example of the devotion of theirnoblest minds
to agricultural pursuits. Cicero spoke in the
most exalted terms of the nobility or the farm
er’s occupation, aud Virgil celebrated in the
highest strains of poetry the pleasures and
utility of the cultivation of the soil. Indeed,
the Homans built up an original literature of
their own, of which agricultural life formed
the substance and inspiration. The high es
timate they placed upon this pursuit is seen
by the fact", that while the Greeks borrowed
the names of their illustrious families from
the heroes and gods of their mythology, the
most famous Kopiau houses, such as the'Pisos,
the Fabii, the lamtuli, took their names from
their favorite crops and vegetables. Emerson
says: “The first farmer was the first man, and
all historic nobility rests on the possession and
use of land.”
Let it be your mission, gentlemen, to elevate
agriculture to that dignified place to which it
is entitled beside the noblest of human call
ings. This can only be done by removing the
ban which has been placed upon education,
and recognizing intelligence as a factor in
successful farming. Lot our farmers educate
their sous with the idea that they are to be
farmers, an.l that their mental training is to
be utilized to the (jnvater productiveness of
their labor. Let the idea be impressed upon
them that there is no nobler calling nbv one
demanding a higher intelligent**, than the
cultivation of the soil. Let the farmer be al
ways adding tq ' u jg stock of both theoretical
nn, l practical knowledge. Let him read the
best agricultural journals, and the best issues
of the State and National Agricultural Bu
reaus. And especially let the important in
formation satneTpd and diffused by this so
ciety be diligently studied. Tbits with in
creasing intelligence, farming will be more
productive and valuable, the “wilderness and
the solitary places will he glad,” aud “the
desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
And this progressive State will continue to
grow in wealth, in honor, and in power, au
example and au encouragement to the na
tions.
At the close of the address a vote of
thanks was tendered to Dr. Battle. Reso
lutions and closing business were an
nounced in order.
Tbe President stated that in view of the
limited time which was allotted to the
convention for the transaction of its busi
ness, Col. John Screven, who
was announced to deliver an ad
dress on “The Tidal Fords of
the South Atlantic Coast, and the Uses to
which they May be Devoted, other than
the Culture of Rice,” would not appear be
fore the convention at this time, but had
consented to deliver the address before
the next convention in August.
COLONEL HARDEMAN’S RESIGNATION.
The Secretary presented a communica
tion from Col’. Thomas Hardeman, in
which he tendered his resignation as
President of the society, with a request
that it be accepted.
Col. T. N. Pulton, of McDuffie, moved
the acceptance of the resignation, and
that the Secretary be instructed to draft
appropriate resolutions expressive of
the esteem and respect in which Col.
Hardeman is held by the members of the
society.
A rising vote was taken and the voice
of the convention was unanimous in pass
ing the motion.
Col. George W. Adams, of Monroe,
moved that the convention proceed to the
election of a successor to Col. Hardeman,
and nominated Vice President, Col. L. F.
Livingston, of Newton. In making the
nomination Col. Adams believed he ex
pressed the choice of every member of the
convention in placing at its head a man
so capable for the position, and whose
interest in the affairs of the society entitle
him to recognition.
The nomination was seconded and Col.
Livingston was unanimously elected by
acclamation.
Vice President Fannin escorted the Pres
ident elect to the chair, and in a few re
marks bespoke for him the respect which
had been accorded to himself in presiding
over the deliberations of the convention.
Col. Livingston thanked the society for
the honor which it had seen fit to confer
upon lnm, and assured the members that
his efforts would be devoted to the pro
motion of its interests.
Dr. Cary moved the adoption of reso
lutions ot thanks to the citizens of Savan
nah for the relined ? elegant and hospitable
entertainment winch had been extended
to the members of the convention during
its sessions. The resolution was acted
upon by a rising vote, and unanimously
adopted. The convention adjourned until
8 p. m.
(Continued on Eighth Page.)
A Wonderful World in the Sky.
J Veto York Sun.
Mars, one of the most interesting of all
the worlds which, together with the earth,
compose the sun’s family, is now in an
unusually favorable situation for tele
scopic study. It can be readily recog
nized by its steady reddish light as it fol
lows Jupiter up the eastern slope of the
heavens. Three days ago Mars arrived
at opposition, and how it is only some
sixty odd million miles from tlie earth, so
that a magnifying power of 2.10 diameters,
which may’ be put upon a good tele
escope of three or four inches ap
erture, suffices to bring it within
an apparent distance about equal to that
ot the moon. With such a power many of
the principal features of the surface of
this distant world may be clearly dis
cerned. In fact, a popular misconception
prevails in regard to the visibility of plan
etary' phenomena. Most persons who
have read of the existence of polar snows
and of continents and seas on Mars, sup
pose that only tho great telescopes in the
large observatories are capable of reveal
ing those things to the eye. The fact is,
that they can be satisfactorily viewed with
a telescope that is not too large to be kept in
a room,and which may be used,with proper
precautions, out of a high window, or
better in the open air, either on the ground
or on the roof. Many amateur astrono
mers now possess comparatively small
telescopes—costing only S2OO or s3oo—of
such excellence that Sir William Herschei
would undoubtedly have given any price
to have obtained one of them in his day.
With such a telescope the snow around
the north pole of Mars is at this moment
as easily visible as the dark spots in the
moon are to the naked eye. This Martial
snow field glitters so brilliantly that it
seems, by the effect of irradiation, to pro
ject like a silver button beyond tho out
line of the planet.
It is a very surprising thing that the as
tronomers of the earth really know more
about the poles of Mars than our geo
graphers know about tho poles of the
globe upon which they dwell. While
Lieut. Greely and his companions have
vanished from the sight of men merely in
the edge of the snow cap that covers 'the
north pole of the earth, so that it is a
question whether they can ever he rescued,
we can sit comfortably in an observatory
chair and view the northern snow cap of
Mars, measuring it, mapping it, and
watching it advance and creep backward
with the variation of the season there.
Sixty million miles of space have not
proved impenetrable to human eyes, but
a few hundred miles of ice fields on the
surface of our own globe have so far con
stituted an insurmountable barrier to hu
man hands and feet.
It is a very striking fact that we have
no contemptible knowledge of the meteor
ology ot Mars. Astronomers have discov
ered that there, as here, the seasons are
not equal even in the same hemisphere.
They have warm winfcess and cold sum.
mers on Mars, as we have on the earth-
In some seasons all the Arctic regions of
the earth are choked with snow and ice,
so that the ordinary channels oj
the northern seas become impassa
ble. Just so on Mars the severity of tb
polar winter varies, and with it the ex
tent of the snows. During the opposi
tion of 1862 there seems to have been a
very gloomy season in Mars, for its at
mosphere was heavily laden with cloud 6.
In 1877 there was less cloudiness, ami at
some recent oppositions the atmosphere
of the planet has beat still more free from
condensed vapor,, Jpc result being, of
course, that the swrace features were
more clearly distinguished.
There aro many other equally interest
ing phenomena which this ruddy plane!
presents, and which can be seen by any
body w hi will lift his nose from the ie'r
restial grindstone and liehold Hie iioavens
as they are.
Pike’s Toothache Drops, cure in one
tniuute.
Pru fSoofte.
Spring Goods at Eckstein's!
ECKSTEIN & CX>.
Will open the SPRING SEASON of 1884 this week. An entire New Stock of Elegant
SPRING GOODS has just been opened and an inspection by the ladies and the
public generally is respectfully solicited. Our line "of BLACK and
COLORED SILKS is exceptionally fine and eeccels any in the eity
both for excellence of quality and reasonable" prices
150 Pieces of New Silks!
BaruaHU: B'k Dress Silk*. SJggilHl:
bargains. New Colored Dress Silks. bargains,
bargains! New Satin de Lyon, in colors. bargains
larpalvl’ New Falletine, in latest shades. bargains:
bargains! New styles of Summer Silks. bargain!*
bargain!' Nov styles of Foulard Silks. “argains".
bargains! New styles Moscovitc and Silicien. bargain!:
bargain!:! New styles Armures and Kadgimir. bargain!:
New Mourning Goods!
BLACK CARMELITE.* BLACK CASHMERE. BLACK C. H. GRENADINE.
BLACK FIL DE FER. BLACK BRILLANTE. BLACK SILK HENRIETTA.
BLACK PANAMA. BLACK MOHAIRS. BLACK WOOL CREPE.
BLACK FIGARO. BLACK ARMURES. BLACK BALMORAL CREPE.
BLACK DE LAINE. BLACK OTTOMAN. BLACK NUN’S VEILING.
BLACK BAGNOS. BLACK TAMISE. BLACK NUN’S TWILLS.
BLACK DE ALB I A. BLACK SATEEN. BLACK DRAP D’ALMA.
BLACK BUNTING. BLACK BASKET. BLACK DRAP D’ETE.
BLACK SHOODAH. BLACK GALANTE. BLACK LACE BUNTING.
BLACK T AMIN A. BLACK GLINDOO. BLACK SILK GRENADINE.
FULL STOCK FANCY DRESS GOODS
New Spring Styles, from Bc. per yard up.
ON OUR CENTRE COUNTER:
GRAND BARGAINS IN WHITE GOODS
ON OUR CENTRE COUNTER:
Grand Bargains in New Embroideries !
ON OUR CENTRE COUNTER:
Grand Bargains Misses’ Fancy Hose!
New Spring Calicos. New Zephyr Gingham. New Fancy Parasols.
New Combination Prints. New Toil de Nord. New Fancy Hosiery.
New Spring Percales. New Burmese Checks. New Stvles Laces.
Now Styles Seersuckers. New Chambray Checks. New Ladies’ Collars.
New Styles Gingham. New Zephyr Indienne. New Misses’ Collars.
New Styles Lawns. New Iridescent Stripes. New Styles Handkerchiefs.
New French Sateens. New White Goods. New Styles Corsets.
GRAND BARGAINS BLACK SILKS!
We call special attention to anew lot, 75 pieces of BLACK SILKS, They are
goods of SPECIAL merit, and of the very best makes. There is nothing in this
market to equal them for wear or excellent finish. We will otter them at exception
ally low prices, from
50c. to S3 PER YARD!
We also offer AN ENTIRE NEW STOCK OF HOUSEKEEPING GOODS, such
as Table Linens, Napkins, Doylies, Towels. Toweling, Crashes, Table Covers, Wash-
Cloths, Bath Towels, Linen Sheeting, Cotton Sheeting and Shirting. Cambric Long
Cloth, Linen, cotton and Rubber Diapers, Tickings, Drills, Ducks, Table and Shelve
Oilcloth, AT VERY LOW PRICES.
C. ECKSTEIN & CO.
Tjotrlo.
PAVILION HOTEL,
J. C. PENFIELD & BRO., Proprietors,
CORNER BULL AND SOUTH BROAD STREETS.
The most eligibly located hotel in the cit_v. Kept in the best style. Large and wel
ventilated rooms. Elegantly furnished. Splendid Table. All the conveniences of a
hotel with the comforts of a home. Reasonable prices.
TEr„ E PHONE ’J .% ;t.
Coitfertionrr.
JOSEPH S. OPPENHEIMEE,
CONFECTIONER,
SUCCESSOK TO JOHN NUGENT,
139 1-2 Broughton Street, South Side,
Begs to inform the public be will be pleased to supply the best quality of CAKES,
CONFECTIONERIES, SODA WATER and ICE CREAM. Banquets, Balls and
Picnic parties supplied at short notice.
SFurmtui’c and Carpeto.
V B’MW >IOHK LBiPT!
WE ALLUDE TO THOSE
I>A R LOR SUITES
ALLEN & LINDSAY’S,
Ebony anti Plush, Tapestry, Silk, Ilair-Cloth, both Grey and Black,
Ramie and Jute. In fact, a variety of nice Parlor Suites.
We do not give chromos with every SUITE sold, hut we do the next l*est thing.
A tine selection of CHAMBER SETS. REFRIGERATORS on hand. Just the
thing tor the nice warm weather we have been having.
BABY' CARRIAGES, BABY' CRIBS, BABY CHAIRS, and a great many other
things for Baby’s comfort.
Our CARPET SA LESMAN is still on deck, and ready to serve his numerous friends.
We mean BUSINESS. Call and see us.
AIzLEN & LINDSAY,
lt>B and 171 Broughton street.
FOREST CITY PjISLLS.
HAYNES li^ELTOW,^ROPRESTORS.
SAVANNAH, GA.
.Manufacturers of GRITS, MEAL, and the celebrated brands
Haynes’ Patent & Oglethorpe Half Patent Flour.
Send for Price List. One per cent, off for Cash.
Flour, Grain, Hay and Provisions.
lUatclj co.
Watches, Diamonds,
JEWELRY,
Sterling Silverware, Plated Ware,
OPTICAL GOODS, FRENCH CLOCKS, GOLD CANES,
FOR HOLIDAY PRESENTS.
Prices Low, Quality Correct and Assortment Large. Save Money
by Buying at
A. DESBOUILLOiNS’,
NO. BUM* STRERT,
Irlour ittilio.
3
“Haynes’ Prepared Flour,” a Specialty.