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SQUTEyWEST GEORGIA.!
b
ITS RfcSOl BC'EN AM* ADVANTAGES*
The f .Mowing sketch was publiabad in
tbn Rbcouiu it in the tall of 1883, slid wuh
tvuii’i a prl/e id |1U0 and a sold medal
at the L-miaville Exposition in a com-
pctitive »xbil>it of Southern mwAptper*:
-Tkc .State of Georgia is divided ,
iato four distinct climatic and geo
logical divisions—North Georgia, I
•■bracing the mountain ranges and |
■purs, with a climate similar to that
•f Pennsylvania; Middle Georgia,
hilly, with a climate resembling
that oLSouthern Ohio, with less
•evere winters; Southwest Georgia,
lolling in configuration, with a mild
•Kmate, semi-tropical in its nature:
Southern Georgia, generally low
and flat, with a light, sandy soil
and a climate resembling that of
e-»" Florida.
Southwest Georgia may lie said
to embrace that portion of the State
lying between 31° and 33 ‘ of lati-
tuce, and 83° and 85 of longitude,
watered by Flint river and its trib
utaries. Americus being about in
the centre of this division and the
largest city in it, may.be said to be
the commercial capital of South
west Georgia, being the principal
trading point of nine or ten of
the n ost populous and prosperous
counties in this division, and in
peaking of Southwest Georgia we
■hall describe these counties—Sum
ter, Schley, Marion, Webster, Stew-
art, Terrell, Lee, Dooly and Macon
—as they are representative of the
whole division.
THE CLIMATE
hat been aptly compared to that of
Italy and Jerusalem, it being real
ly more mild and even than that
oI Italy. In the hottest summer
months the thermometer rarely
(•aches 96 ’, while the mean tem
perature is 84°. In the coldest
winter mouths the mercury rarely
goes below 20°, while the mean
temperature is C4°. As many peo
ple in the North have an idea that
the weather is so hot in this section
that a white man cannot stand it >.0
work out doors, we give below some
figures taken from a daily record
kept of the thermometer three times
per day during the months of July
aad August, the very hottest
months of the year: The highest
points reached in these two month*
was 94°, and that for iwo days
only, lGth and l'lh of July,
and those days opened at $4 and
gC ’. There was one day in which
it reached 93 , six days at 92 , two
diys at 90 , six days at 89 , twcu-
ty-four days at 85 to 88 , and
% , these figures represent the hottest
portion of the day, 3 p. M. From
these figures it will lie seen that
during the months of July and Au
gust it is not as hot here as in the
Horth, lor we have of.eu seen it
106° in Illinois. The summers are
long, it is true, but the nights are
always cool, so that a rclresbing
sleep can always be bad, while the
air is so pure and light that sun
strokes nre unknown. The plan
ters here are in the fields through
out {he entire season, and many
Kortburn men are engaged in agri
culture throughout the State, lie-
sides this, the heaviest work of
Harming chines in before the hot
test weather begins. Harvesting is
done in May, it is much cooler
here at that time than in J uly in '.he
North In the winter ’.he weather
Is so mild that farming operations
are earned on in every month. Oats
and wheat are sown from Octohcr
to January, and corn is planted in
February. Not only does this fa
vorable condition of climate give
the farmer more lime to work, but
H gives bis products more time to
i grow and mature, and he can have
♦succession of crops on the same
land, as well as a greater variety of
products. This advantage of cli-
I mate more than balances the gnat
’ productiveness of the rich black
soil of the prairies of the North
west, while it makes crops more
certain, and ifevenone crop should
tail, the years’s work is not lost,
.^Another crop can tic raised upon
the same land the same year. Oats
•own in November arc harvested in
April snd May, an 1 a crop of cot
i %•■, com or | cas grown on the
•same ground the same year. Two
■} ojrfps of Irish potatoes can be raised
tg the same ground the same year
the lint crop of potatoes can be
tallowed by cottan, corn or pest.
There is one thing in connection
with our climate that is of special
importance, and that is the rainfall,
as upon it depends the certainty of
crops. From carefully kept records
i
granary of the Confederacy and tatoes, hardening the meat at the
furnished a large portion of the close of the season with corn With-
provisions fo- the Confederate in the past t vo years considerable |
army. Then cotton was dropped attention has been paid to improv- |
and corn and hogs were raised, iug the breed oi cattle, while the j
of the rain fat lit is Ascertained that One planter told us that during one raising of horses and mules is now j
the average yearly rainfall is some- year of the war he raised 47,000 engaging the attention or our far-[
thing over fifty inches, which is pounds of bacon. Before the war mers. Sheep cm also he profitably ,
scattered through the year in pro- but little corn or meat was import- raised. There is no reason why |
portions of from two to seven ed from the North, showing that the raising of live slock cannot be
inches |>er mouth. Long contin- this country can be self-sustaining, made profitable, and the experience
ued drouths are rare, and they gen- and this year’s crop of wheat, corn or the lew farmers who engage in
erally occur After grain lias been 1 and oats show, that it will be. He- j it has proved that it is profitable,
harvested, effecting only the cotton, cause so much hay has of late years the price op land
which can stand hot and dry weath- I been shipped South, many North- is lower than in any seolion of the |
er better than almost any plant I era people have an idea that grass L nited States, considering the ad- j
know[) i cannot be grown in the cotton vantages. It is not a new country, |
the soil country. The fact is, grass grows with all the disadvantages of no
is generally a red clay or a gray | as naturally on the soil of Georgia schools, churches, or society,
sandy soil,'the former having upon as bristles on a hog’s back, and the Southwest Georgia has been set-
it a growth of hickory and oak, i cotton planter has had ta fight it tied for forty years, and there is .
and the latter a growth of yellow s> persistently that he hates it with not a neighborhood that is not Con
or long leaf pine. The clay lands such a fervent hate that a meadow venient to a school and church, and
are generally rich and their fertil- j would have the same effect upon that does not possess the attraction ,
itv lasting, while the pine lands him as water upon a subject of of good society. Good improves!
produce freely, are easily worked, hydrophobia. However, this pre- farms can be purchased for from!
but are less durable. We well re- judice is fast wearing away and $7 to $15 per acre, according lo lo j
member when wc first saw these more attention is being paid to cation, while many partially In
lands having been used to see the | grasses for forage snd pasture. An proved or old worn farms can be I
black lansls of central Illinois, we Illinois farmer, who came to this bought for from $2 to $a per acre, j
thought it as poor a country as wo i section two years ago, brought with Timber lands can be bought for
ever looked upon; but when we saw him a variety ot grass seeds, among from $ I to $5 per acre, according ,
vegetables raised upon these lands them clover, timothy and red-top, to location, lhe reason ol this is ]
that discounted in size and solidity and he tells us that he has had more that there is more iand tl.an popu- i
any we had ever seen in the Nortli, j success in getting a good stand of lation, and the abolition of slavery |
when we saw 30 to 75 bushels of ! grass than be had in Illinois. We J threw many large plantations on j
oats to the acre. 20 bushels of ' know of one lot of red clover which tne market, the owners being un-
wbeat to the sere, we changed our J stood for eleven years, and was able to hold or cultivate them, i
opinion. There is one advantage ! then dug up to make room for Before the war lsnds commanded J
of the soil here over that of the buildings. from $10 to $50 per sere. In the
North, and that is it can be culti- I 1 nine counties ot Sumter, Dooly, |
vated with half the work. When Georgia is fast attaining a na- Macon, Schley, Marion, Webster,
we saw g single mule drawing a tional reputation as a fruit growing Stewart, Terrell and Lee there arc
breaking plow through the ground, State. The climate and soil is fa- 1.439.180acres of unimproved Und,,
the phrase’’forty acres and a mule” rorable to all kinds of fruit, and enough to make 15,000 good farms,
had a new meaning for us. Along 1 the yield is so sure as to make it a * »g»inst <31,392 acres of improv-
the creekand river bottoms there is profitable. Georgia is the home of ed lands. These lands must and
found, black allnvial soil that for | the peach and the grape, and they improve in value m proportion
richness rivals the p-airies of the grow most luxuriantly. Justthink
west. It is hard to determine the of it, yon can have [reaches from
capabilities of the soil, so respon- May to November. We have seen
sive is it to careful cultivation and a single scupperong grape vice
fertilization. We have seen highly cover a epace of seventy five feet
cultivated and heavily manured
land produce 100 bushels of corn,
100 bushels of oats 3 bales of cot
ton to Lire acre, while wc have seen
worn-out and poorly cultivated
land produce 7 bushels of corn, 15
bushels of oats, j hale of cotton to
the acre. Commercial fertilizers
are generally used by our farmers,
although ol late years many have
used c-omposts]of theirown making.
It should bu remembered flint the
so 1 is generally broken up but
about two or three inches deep and
not thoroughly broken at that, a
plow similar to a single shovel at
as the country becomes settled up,
and the man who buy now will reap
the benefit of the increase. It
will be seen that it is not because
the present owners of these lands
wish to leave that they offer them
for sale; it is because they have a
square. The LeConte pear is the
most luscious variety of that lusci
ous fruit, and it can be grown as surplus, and the money they realize
easily as corn. Cutoira twig and Bom their sale will be u.cd in iw-
stick it in the ground and it will proving their/arms. To the poor
take root. A full grown tree will man these lands oirer an opportun-
produce twenty-five bushels in a Hy of securing a home where he
season, and they are readily sold i W »U be richly rewarded for his
at $4 per bushel. Thousands of labor- "e know of many poor
bushels of these pears were shipped nlcn w b° came here a few years ago j
from Southwest Georgia to the ' w bo are now the possessors of (
North the past season, and every good farms and in good circum-
year is enlarging the amount. Men J stances,
are making fortunes og a few acres 1 taxes
by growing of these pears. You a rc very low. The state nr.il conn-1
don’t know what a watermelon is ! ty tax will not cx< «*c< one percent;
the North and one mule being gen- j until you have explored the in- in Sumter county the state and
erally used. An Illinois farmer, terior of a Georgia sixty pounder, county tax is only about three
living a few miles below Americus, and then you will come to the con- fourths of one per cent. 1 lie *ala
claims that the ground needs only j elusion that the people of the prin- | r* c9 of officers arc low and tin* law *,
to lie thoroughly broken up with a I cipaf cities of the North have ar- are economically administer 1 I *
good breaking plow to produce as j rived at, that it is the most lusci* ! many counties the salaries nr all
much without fertilizing as with it ! ousand cooling fruit grown. The the county otlicera. outside *.l fees,
t>y the ordinary methods. It is first strawberries in the Northern docs not exceed $1,000. Tne conn
expected that a negro and a mule 1 markets come from South Georgia ties general!v hive in* bonde I
will cultivate from forty to eighty , and are a very profitable crop, lie- j debts, and the Constitution probib
acres of land. The system of ag- I sides the peach, pear, grape and j its counties or cities from votir g .
riculture, owing to the ignorant melon, there is grown in this sec- to railroads or other improve- ;
character of the labor employed, i.i j tion apples, plums, quinces, black- meats, so that the citizens are not ■
generally primitive, although some I berries, raspberries, pomegranates, burdened with oppressive taxation, j
of the farmers have introduced and I figs, olives, jujubes, mulberries, | the time to come moltii
are using improved implements while In the way of nuts we have ■ is in October or November, for the
with good success. The soil is not I hickory, walnut, butternut, pecans, farm work properly begins in Nn-
particularlv adapted to corn, yet chinquepius (a specie of chestnut) j vember; besides, by the time sum- I
last year the farmers of this section j Pnglish walnuts, and filberts and ; uier comes on one will be acclimat- j
raised enough to feed all their stock, almonds can be grown. j e( l ant l can stand the long summer j
Tullis&Jossey,
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
GROCERS !
JLMEBIOTOa QA.
| N STOCK AND ARRIVING DAILY :
100 Bbls. Flour—all grades.
25 Bags of Coffee. 25 Barrels of Sugar.
100 Sacks of Salt. 25 Cases Potash.
25 Boxes Soap. . 200 P’ckg’s Mackerel.
100 Rolls Ludlow and Dixie Bagging.
100 Bundles Delta and Arrow Ties.
100 Boxes Tobacco—all styles and grades.
lo,ooo Cigars at $12.ooto i?4o oo per l,ooo.
Full stock Canned Goods, Potted Meats, Etc.
In fact we keep in stock n full line of all goods usually
found in a well regulated Grocery store.
OUR WHISKY DEPARTMENT!
Is always filled with the best, consisting of
Pure old Corn and Rye Whiskies, and New England Rum.
London Dock Gin and Martell’s 3 Star Brandy.
Pure old Peach and Apple Brandy.
Fine Assortments of Wines, Etc., Etc.
OgiTWe thank our friends who have so liberally traded with
us in the past, and assure them that in the future we will con
tinue to do our best to please and lullv merit their support.
(£FTo those who have not traded with us heretofore wc ex
tend a warm invitation to come to see us, look at our goods, get
prices and see how our business is conducted.
C2r'v e claim to sell more goods to the amount of expense
incurred than any grocery firm in Americus, consequently feel
safe when we say that we can and will save you money.
(^■Special inducements to Country Merchants.
[jr^jpCotton Avenue, first door north of Wheatley’s bank.
HAs re
AND A BAD PEN
From the cut above you will see that wo are somewhat in
haste. not alone to tell the readers of the Recorder of the Great
R.irgains which are coming in daily, but for the shortness of
time we have to make out this advertisement, and then we had
to run like this
furnish the country with meal, ami
have a handsome surplus left. The
average yield of corn is not laigo,
but it can be grown as an extra
u \ r. STOCK.
without inconvenience. It is a
noticeable lact that a Northerner
Hut little attention has been paid can #tani , the c | imatc [*. Uor for thc
lo the raising of Jive stock, thc flr , t two or tUrce year8 than a na _
, „ ....... i central idea of the planters’* mind :
crop, and really costs but little to . , , , , , uvc -
1 „ 3 . , having been heretofore to sec how ....
raise it. Cotton is thc great cash I . 6 . .. „ , Ota ADVICE
much cotton he could raise. But , t0 our Nort | lcra friemU ,, to conjc
what little has been done has shown ,[ offuan d spend a month or two with
us and see what kind of a
crop, and for this the soil is pecu
liarly adapted.
THE PBOIU'CTS
of Southwest Georgia arc so num-
that all kinds of live stock can be
raised with pro6t. One reason for
this is that the winters are so mild
erous and varied that the shortest ! and vegetation growing in nearly
way lo catalogue them would be to
say that they comprise all of the
temperate ami semi-tropical zones.
Cotton is thc principal product,
and because it was so exclusively
raised for many years gave many
the impression that little else could
lie raised; hut side by side with it
can be seen wheat, corn, on’s, rye,
barley, buckwheat,rice,sugarcane,
broom corn, millet, field peas,
beans, onions, pumpkins, tomatoes,
squashes, beets, carrots, egg-plant,
parsnips, chufas, peanuts, and til
most every vegetable known to the
temperate and semi-tropical zones.
Americus for several years fur
nished the markets ol St. Louis,
Cincinnati and New York with thc
first wheat of the season. During
the war Southwest Georgia was the
every mouth of the year, their food
does not cost so much ns in the
North. While the planters of thc
South have for y ears imported their
meat from the North, it lias been
because during the high price of
cotton it paid belter to raise that
than to raise bacon, and having
once got into the hal.it of buying
tbeir meat they continued in it.
Bacon can lie cheaply ami profit
ably raised, as has been demonstra
ted by many of our planters who
raise their own supplies, and this
year the planters of this section
will raise enough meat to supply
them thc coming year. One of our
successtul plan’crs fays he can
raise hogs profitably at three cents
per pound. He fattens them on
chufas, ground peas and sweet po-
sce
country we have got. You
will have an opportunity ol
seeing the country and people, and
judging them by their actions at
home Don't come with the idea
that it is necessary for you to keep
your mouth shut for fear of being
kukluxed, but ask all the questions
you want to and express votir
opinions freely. Your questions
will be civilly answered and your
opinions respectfully listened to.
If you arc a gentleman you will lie
treated as such ami every means of
informing yourself given you. We
don’t care whether you are a Dem
ocrat or a Republican in politics,
you can be cither you choose, and
you will lie protected in your
rights.
In thc meantime,should you wish
for any further information, ad
dress the ItEroHnEE office, and your
inquiries will be cheerfully an
swered. Or if you desire to be
potted on Southern aflnirt, sub
scribe for the Weeklt Recorder.
to get in time.
In opening the Fall Campaign we wish to state, to our
friends and customers that we are dailv receiving goods from
Auction, Job and Chance sales, which we will offer at prices t
suit everybody, With the advantage of our past experience in
this business, our determination to make quick and large"sales,
together with our advantage of having a resident buyer in New
^ ork, who is having this motto,
watching the market, we have no hesitation in saying^that we
will have this hall the largest Stock of I)rv Goods, Clothing,
( loaks, Shoes, Mats, Millinery, and Notions ever exhibited in
Americus. We are also aware that the only thing that will
make goods go is I.()\\ 1‘HICKS, and we have marked our
goods at prices much lower than other houses can buy them for
at wholesale.
. Merchants in the country, also farmers wishing large lots
of goods, can often find with us special lots which we are
always anxious to dose out regardless of cost or value.
1 hanking our < ustomers for past patronage, and asking you
for it continuance ol the same in the future, we nre respectfully,
s. uvc. cozEiEasr,
TI1E BARGAIN MAN,
Sign of Red Flag, Cotton Avenue, opposite Bank of Americus,
AMERICUS, GfA.