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The Douglas Weekly Breeze.
FOR OUR COUNTRY AND HER PEOPLE, FIRST AND ALL THE TIME
VOL 15, No. 23
DOUGLAS, THE CAPITAL
Magnificent Resources and Bright
Prospects of the Queen City of the
Wiregrass.
i
Geographically speaking, Coffee
us Georgia’s biggest county —phys-
ically it is second to none says the
Macon Telegraph. Its soil is ex
'Ceedingly productive and the cli
mate is salubrious, fanned by the
health-giving breezes from the gulf
to the west and the Atlantic to the
east, tempering the summer heat
as well as the winter cold.. Sun
strokes afe unknown, and even in
the hottest summer days one may
keep comfortable in the shade,
while in the winter it is never too
■cold for outdoor work. Coffee
■county’s soil is of the red pebble
variety with a strong clay subsoil,
nauturally productive, responding
readily to fertilizers and suscepti
ble of a high state of fertility and
•cultivation, rendering intensive
farming very profitable.
The topography of the county is
most favorable for agricultural,
horticultural, and stock raising
purposes. The land is rolling
enough for natural- drainage, yet
not hilly efiQU.3df *° require terrac
ing the fiV* s - \ The fc ounty gen
erally is ’Veil watered bj numerous
branches and lar\ge crelks. Fish
kinds,, inducing the
Aout, the bream, \ the pe-ch, the
pike, the jack, etc.,,abound in the
streams, affording fine piscatorial
sport.
The farms of Coffeie county pro
duce from a half to a\bale of cot
ton to the acre and frofp fifteen to
twenty-five bushels of porn under
the ordinary method. JJnder the
intensive system, much larger re
sults, of course, are obtained. No
finer oats grow anywhere than the
hinds of Coffee county produce.
Wheat can be raised, but little is
planted owing to the lack of flour
mills. The velvet bean growfe here
■to perfection and is growing in
popular favor as a splendid feed
for stock and the best known ,en
richer of the soil. It is claimed,
in fact, has been demonstrated Ly
actual experiments in Florida anV.l
Alabama, that the velvet bean will,
build up worn out soil without the'
aid of fertilizers within two or
three years, and at the same time
furnish large crops of the best for
age for cattle.
The casava plant, another valu
able food for hogs and cattle, can
be grown in Coffee county. It is
an inexpensive product, containing
over So per cent of starch, and is
extensively used for the manufac
ture of starch in some section.
To enumerate everything the
soil of Coffee county *vi 11 produce
would require much space. Prac
tically everything can be raised
here.
For horticultural products Coffee
•county’s soil ranks among the best.
Peaches, grapes, pears, plums, etc.
of the finest varieties grow to per
fection. Watermelons and canta
loupes that would command the
highest prices in the Northern
markets can be raised in great
plenty. Strawberries second to
none and vegetables in endless va
riety can be abundantly produced.
Is there another section so fav
ored by nature with so many mag
nificent resources and advantages
lying in juxtaposition, needing
only the development of progres
sive men to transform it into the
veritable garden spot. And this
splendid work will not be long de
layed.
It staggers comprehension to
undertake to figure out the possi
bilities of this section.
In area Coffee count} 7 is 1123
square miles, its territory being
nearly 160 square miles larger than
the state of Rhode Island, and the
productive power of the soil is
immensely greater. Rhode Is
land’s soil mav be richer, but its
products are limited and its soil
frozen up a considerable portion of
the year, while in Coffee county
practically everything can be rais
ed, in some cases two crops in a
season. In Coffee county too, a
larger percentage of the land is
available for agricultural and hor
ticultural purposes. Yet a com
parison of the two sections, leav
ing out the large manufacturing
centers of Rhode Island would be
ridiculous. In 1900 Rhode Island
had a total population of 428,556;
taking from that the large cities of
Providence and Newport, leaves
suurban and village population of
185,524, as compared with 16,169
for Coffee county in the same
year. This will give some idea of
the possibilities of Coffee county
as well as the entire wiregrass
belt.
Coffee is not behind her sister
counties in the good roads move
ment. Much interest is manifest
in the importance of better roads
and first class highways through
out the county will not be long de
layed. Most of the soil being of
the hard pebbly kind, requires but
little work to make them easy for
travel, while in the sandy parts,
ample material, clay and sand, lie
in juxtaposition, so that good roads
can be constructed at small cost.
Few towns in the state have
more flattering prospects for future
substantial growth and importance
than Douglas. With ample rail
road facilities, healthy climate,
central location and the permanent
county seat, surrounded by a ter
ritory covering many sections
which is just beginning an era of
development that will greatly sur
pass any previous growth, Doug
las’s prospects are certianly invit
ing. Its solid advantages are sur
passed by few towns. It is already
the natural market of the large
prosperous territory described and
as that section fills up with thrifty
farmers, the trade and population
of Douglas will expand and grow
us never before.
Douglas’s commercial advantage
is not all that makes its future
prospects bright and substantial.
Its social and moral standing and
splendid progressive educational
advantage makes it a desirable
■ home for investors of means and
\ntellectural attainments.
COFFEE COUNTY THE PLACE-
,T‘ t Founder of the Fitzgerald Colony
locate a Colony in This County
copy the following from the
Co\rde\p Sentinel: “Mr. P. H.
Fitzgerald, the promoter of the old
1 itzgrerald colony, is arranging to
build' another colony in South
Georgia. He has been at work
for about a year or this move, and
has secured options on several
tracts of land, but has not yet de
cided where the co*ony will be
located. This will be decided by
those engaged with hit,-, j n the en
terprise early in ne>t month,
when they will at once l*y off the
city and proceed to selling Jots.
The stockholders of- the colony
will be entitled to a business lot
for $20.00, a residence lot fer $lO.,
a five acre tract for $50.00 i n d a
forty acre tract for SIOO.OO. This
is less than the land will cost the
company, but by their plan of re
serving every other lot they th. n k
that the reserved lots, which they
will put on the market to outsider-,
will bring big prices.
Mr. Fitzgerald says that he will
start a city of 10,000 at once, most j
of whom will come from the north !
and west. Ii is believed that this!
colony will be planted in Coffee
county, which is just below Fitz
gerald—their idea being to locate
as near that point as possible on
account of the success of that
colony. Mr. Fitzgerald sftys that
this part of Georgia is the most
favored spot in the union for
building a colony of small fai
mers.”
Douglas, Ga., October Bth, 1904.
UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES
Fortunes in Raising and Planting
Fruits and Berries-
Editor Douglas Breeze—Allow
me space in your paper to have a
little talk on the wonderful advan
tages we have as~ a people in this
highly favored section of our
country, South Georgia. The sub
jects are so numerous that it is hard
to select anything that is not inter
esting and full of promise to our
people. I hope to touch on the
following subjects in future letters
in your paper for the benefit of
ourselves and others. First,
Fruits: second, Truck-farming;
third, Industries; fourth General
Prospects of our South lands.
Now, as this letter is intended to
touch on our capabilities in making
money from our wild and cultivat
ed fruits it will be surprising to
many why we do not turn our at
tention to what can be done by
forethought, push and energy in
this line. I think lean see a smile
on the face of many of out friends
when we talk of making money on
our wild fruits, but, dear reader,
this world of ours is quite a- big
place and sell almost any
thing if properly put up. Let me
carry the minds of our readers to a
place in .Scotland, called Dundee,
and take a look at one of the lar
gest fruit preserving factories in
the world. That is Keelers, of
Dundee, known all over the world
for the purity of its products.
The factory has been in operation
over one hundred years, and when
it first started it was a small, one
horse affair, but to-day it covers
more than twenty acres, and they
have something like a dozen
steamers of the fastest build carry
ing sour oranges and other fruits
from up the Medeteranean sea
from Italy, Spain and Portugal,
you will find that factory a busy
bee hive of men, women, boys and
girls, all packing, working and
preparing for market those famous
preserves, consisting of various
kinds of Jellies, and forms of
straw berries, black berries, cur
rants, &c. This immense business
had a very humble beginning.
They buy the most of their small
fruits from farmers, of the sur
rounding country, thus distributing
enormous sums of money. Those
fruits are mostly raised in odd
corners on the farms, and do not
interfere with the general crops.
Now what can South Georgia
do on tliis line. It is something
surprising to ourself that some one
has not started such a business here.
Just think of the vast quantities of
fruits we can raise here Take
the scuppernoung grape, which
make the finest kind of jellies and
jams as well as wines, then there
are other grapes that grow in an
abundance ail over the country, also
good for wine making, jams and
preserves. Besides these grapes,
just think of the enormous quan
tities of black berries that you will
( find growing .wild, and they can
joe cultivated and made to produce
jl*rger crops, selling readily at five
I cents per quart, any time, jtyhile
j ihe-e is no finer jelly ma • N an
'black berry jelly. TIIOI [
; dolla-s worth of these be ,me and j
waste every year in * udoi P n c
; Whott'e or huckelberr."
This m,„ey crop will tfi to lo ,
saven kind in <
The Georgia peach red to j ]
r. 1
| a future there is in store for the
peach, and the amount of money
to be gotten out of it as a fruit for
the world’s use, for preserving pur
poses, &c., and can you think of
the delicious, juicy brandy peach
without having fits to get a hold
on a jar of them. I ask if they
will sell in the markets of the
world, and answer by pointing to
the State of California that you
may see the vast amount of money
that goes in to that State every
year for preserved fruits Don’t
run away with the idea that they
have a monopoly of that kind of a
business. It is simply push and
go a head among the people that
does it. Don’t every body know
that the Georgia peach is pushing
all others out of the market? And
what is the matter with Coffee
county that her people cannot
catch on?
Now, take our plum, and it is
simply surprising, the amount of
money that can be made on plums.
I dont mean particulary any little
wild plum. There is money in
them, but I refer to the cultivated
plum, and the Prince and Damson.
Around Tifton they are in the
plum business to stay. Coffee joins
Berrien and Irwin, and those coun
ties produce a plum that sells be
fore it is grown, that is, there is
a demand for the fruit all the time,
and right here in Douglas there a
few trees scattered about that lives
and thrives as if they were natives
of the soil. I ask the people of
Coffee county if these are not facts.
Then why is it we do not push our
advantages? We must be a little
lazy.
In my next letter 1 will go a lit
tle deeper into the subject, with
the view of working up our ener
gies to take advantage of our op
portunities.
J. M. Jardine.
Broughton’s Mistake-
The Albany Herald makes this
statement in regard to the closing
of the Westbrook case in that city :
“ In summing up yesterday af
ternoon, Col. Wooten took occa
sion to caustically denounce Rev.
Len G. Broughton, tlie Atlanta
divine, who first made the charges
against Chief Westbrook last June
and who was cowhided in conse
quence thereof, Dr. Brnughton
stated when he made the charges
that he had affidavits lo sustain
them, but all afTorts of Chief
Westbrook and his friends to have
the documents produced were
without effect. During the entire
hearing no evidence was furnished
to snow that Dr. Broughton really
had these affidavits, and Col.
Wooten’s charge that the evange
list did not have the affidavits
when he stated that they were act
ually in his possession, was not
controverted or disputed.”
A
South Georgia Farm for Sale.
Our north Georgia friend- who
are “looking this way,” and there
are many we hope, will find in this
number an advertisement of a good
farm for sale, consisting of one
half lot of land, 245 acres. Sev
enty acres are cieaedand in cultiva
tion. The place is not old and
yorn out, but has been cleared
/f enough to be easily cultivated.
Light . .
lii’t me? ant to move to this section
But he at. house keeping at once
nd, as he v
uer girl any way Air. W. P. Ward,
jrald. Douglas, Ga.
SI.OO per Annuli*
A NOTABLE AMUSEMENT EVENT.
Solomon, His Temple and the Queen of
Sheba The Grand and Colossal
Biblical Spectacle by John
Robinson.
John Robinson’s ever popular
and ever welcome i*hows come to
us this year with such important
accessions and augmentations as to
overshadow all contemporary
amusement ventures. They have
not only materially strengthened
their ring and hippodrome perfor
mances, and largely added to their
already vast menagerie, but are
producing an astonishing new
feature, which cannot but commend
itself to all classes of patrons. We
allude to the grand Biblical specta
cle of “Solomon, Ilis Temple and
the Queen of Sheba.” Unerring
in historical accuracy, faithful in
scenic delineation, realistic in de
piction of incidents and events, im
pressively grand in pageantic ef
fects, magnificent in costumes and
appointments, entrancing in musi
cal features, bewitching in beauti
ful ballets and exciting in games
and chariot races, this unprecedent
ly sublime spectacle will commend
itself to every visitor. The show
will exhibit at Douglas, Tuesday,
October 18th.
Should Be Picking Cotton.
Seldom has there been seen so
many negroes at one place, as there
was gathered at the Union depot
this morning just before the excur
sion train on the Georgia Southern
and Florida left for Jacksonville,
It was estimated that there were
crowded in the depot and the vi
cinity not less than from 1,500 to
2,000 neg.ioes. So mans were
present that those who were not
allowed in the depot, there being
no room for them, crowded against
the fence and looked jealously over
at their more fortunate companions
who were going to leave on the
excursion.
Among the onlookers at the de
pot was Alderman Happ, who had
come down to see his son off on a
trip. As the Alderman was look
ing on the throng of negroes
which appeared like a black cloud,
he said :
“I was just thinking how much
cotton that crowd could pick if
they were in the fields now, in
stead of going off on this excur
sion to loaf and get into trouble.
1 judge that in that crowd there
are not less than 2,000 negroes.
At the rate of 150 pounds a day,
they would be able to pick about
600 bales of cotton a day. But
they do not want to do that now
a-days. It seems they had rather
come to the citv and keep out of
the sunshine. It would be much
better for them if they were pick
ing cotfon.”—Macon News.
In regard to the above the
Ilawkinsville Dispatch and News
adds :
A strict enforcement of the va
grancy law would land many a
would-be negro excursionist in the
cotton patch or on the public
works. And the is no better time
to enforce this law than just now,
while the fields are white with the
fleecy staple and work is plentiful
for all who desire it. Put the
loafers to work.
For Sale-Mules.
We have fifty head of good
draft mules for sale. Will sell all
in a lump at a bargin. For par
ticulars address W. O. McGowin.
Gen’l Supt., Soutnern Pine Co.
of Ga , Offerman, Ga.