Americus weekly recorder. (Americus, Ga.) 18??-1891, September 04, 1885, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Textamericus. L. commercial Capital r southwest Georgia. k> Hondsomest sod Healthiest Little I'" rity In the Sooto. imericus. the oounty seat Of _ ter county. I« a city of 8,000 ,1c, situated on the Southwest Iroad. 73 miles southwest of l0 , and 173 miles south or At- Being the largest and most prprising city In Southwest ,rgia. it may be said to be Ahe jnercial capital of that section, lW j B gin an immense trade for miles in every direction. It is a beautiful citt, sg situated upon an elevated rolling plateau, about 400 feet jre the sea level, where It catches ie breeze from every direction. IC ,pt in the business portion oi town it i* not compactly built, residences being generally built n huge lots and surrounded ,th trees. Many of the residences A yard* are very handsome, and driving through Its broad and "hided streets the Northern visitor ; ze 3 more fully tnan in almost i*. ciber city his ideal of a home the Sunny South. The people re warm hearted. Iiospitable, oour ( wn « and intelligent, society being ned more upon intelligeuce than with. ITS HEALTHFULNESS not surpassed by any city in the lited States, an assertion which It borne out by its death rate, luring the sickliest months in the cir the interments rarely exceed four per month, a rate equalled by |f 8 » if any cities ol the same popu itlOD. tiie climate is s happy medium between the torching heat of the tropics snd [the rigorous cold of the North. In 'the hottest summer months the thermometer rarely reaches over while the mean temperature is 8I 5 . In the coldest winter months the mercury rarely goes below 20° while the mean temperature is 64°, During the hottest days of summe* then is always a refreshing breeze, while the nights are always cool enough to require a light covering, Flowers of all kinds grow the year round in the open air, and roses bloom in every month of the year. Floweis that in the North are con- sidered tender and rare grow nat urally here and In the greatest lux. unance. It is the home of the magnolia, honeysuckle and jessa mine. It would be bald to find a climate more mild and equable, which with its acknowledged health, fulness and ozone-laden breezes should make Americus a most at tractive OPERA HOUSE, capable of seating 1,000 persons, which ie fitted up with all mod ern improvements, including large stage, famished with thirteen complete sets of scenery, besides set pieces, etc. Already engage' ments have been made with a num- ber of the largest snd best travel ing companies to give entertain ments during the coming season, Then wo have the best WINTER RESORT FOR INVALIDS, ud the day is not for distant when *e shall see it tin refuge for hun dreds of persons fleeing from the rigors of tho Northern winters. A number of persons who have passed ■be winters hero and in Florida declare their proierence for Amori ms, the air of Southwest Georgia being dryer and purer than that of Florida, while the climate is equally mild. Many Northern physicians b»ve expressed tho opinion that Southwest Georgia is a much more favorable climate for invalids than Florida, and an invalid who had spent six winters in the South pub lishes an interesting article in Lip- Pincott’s Magazine, in whioh she t( lviscB invalids not to go farther Fonth than Georgia. While Amer icas is not provided with the hotel accommodations that it ought to b»vc, it has two. very good hotels, *bich with a few excellent board- ■*g houses offers a limited number visitors good accommodations at rt **onable cost. To these visitor* **can offer many attractions in "»y of amnsements, as wo havo 4 n «», large and PUBLIC LIBRARY of any city of its size in the South which has upon its shelves two thousand volumes, embracing fio- lion, travel, history and belle* let. ters, while u|>on its tables can be found all the latest periodicals and newspapers. The Library Aasocia- tion owns its own building, which is handsomely fitted up and is open to the publio from 2 to 10 p. m. every day except Sunday. Every convenience is afforded those who wish to spend a few hours in it* room* looking over its periodical* and books, and it is a favorite re sort for many of our people. OUR ROADS are good the year round, the soil being light and sandy, and with livery stables that turn out the finest horses and carriages in the Suir.h, every opportuuity is offered for driving. Am mg the places of interest around Americus which can be reached by easy drives are MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, with its chalybeate waters,situated in a most romantic dell, twelve miles from Americus, over a road abounding in novel scenery. This spring is a large one, the flow being sixty gallons per minute, and ac commodations have been made for bathing, while in a paviliion near by is a good dancing platform. Then ten miles in another direction is AXDERSONVILLE, the site of the famous stockade, where thousands of Northern pris oners were confined during the war. The line of the stockade can still be traced by the rotten posts of which it was constructed, while on the ground can be seen the wells and pits dug by the prisoners for shelter and in attempts to escape. A short distance from the stockade is found the National Cemetery, a beautifully kept inclosure, where he ouned 13,000 dead, the long lines of marble head stones looking like an army of tue dead. In every direction may be found STREAMS AND LAKES. abounding in game, fish, with an occasional alligator thrown in for novelty, while over them fly ducks and snipe, which can be bagged by the hundred by the skillful hunter. Those who have ambition for larger game can In a day’s drive go to the vast pine forests southeast of Americus, where they can try their skill at shooting deer. MAGNOLIA DELL, on the edge of the city, is consid ered by visitors ono of the most beautiful groves in the county. It is situated on a point between Muckalce and Town creeks, and is one mass of umbrageous shade af forded by magnolia, beech, water oak and sweet gum trees. It is a favorite spot for picnics and other social out-door gatherings. ON OUR STREETS, during the fall aud winter months, can bo seen many novel and inter esting sights to Northern eyes. Long lines of wagons laden with bales of cotton pass through the streets on their way to the Urge warehouses, the receipts of cotton at Americus being 30,000 bale* per year. The sidewalks filled with happy negroes, who seem intent only upon getting the largest amount of enjoyment out of their year’s wages. The etndy of the negro here in his home ie alone worth the vlelt. OBR SCHOOLS stand among tho foremost in tho State as to*oxcellcnco, and aro so we give full details of them in an other article. ARTESIAN WELLS. One artesian well of the depth of four hundred feet, the water ris ing to within ninety leet of the top, supplies an abundance of fine mineral water for the entire oity by means ol a steam pump- An eleetiou will be held next month to decide upitn the erection of.water works by the oity. Another welt ie being bored by the oity and baa reached the depth of eleven hun dred feet. The Central railroad oompsny is alto boring an artesian well at it* depot. So that'it will be seen that Americas will be shun dantly supplied witbthe best of water. naa departurnt. Ameriau* has reason to be, and is, proud of her fire department, for it la the best organised and fin est equipped of any in the South or North, in proportion to popula tion. It consists of two steam firs engines, one bend engine, three bote reels, book and ladder truck, and chemical extinguisher and fire bucket cart. The steamers- are manned by tbe beet white citizen* of the city, who are handsomely uniformed, and have finely furnish ed halls in which to meet. The band engine and hook and ladder truck are manned by the best col ored citizens, who also have hand some uniforms, and who take great pride in the organization. A friend ly rivalry exists between the white and colored companies as to which shall first get to a fire and do the most ellective work after they get there. Tho city is well supplied with large cisterns for fire purposes. Another organization of whioh America* is proud is the AMERICUS LIGHT INFANTRY, a military company composed of toe first young men of the oity, who are handsomely uniformed and are well equipped with rifles. They are well drilled and take great pride in keeping up their oganiza- tion. OUS CHURCHES. Of white churches we have Bap tist, Methodist, Episcopal and- Presbyterian. The colored people also have several churches which are largely attended. As a class the people of Americus have a high respect for religion and generally avail themselves of the church privileges offered them. SOCIETIES. In the way of seoret and benev olent Societies, we have a Com- mandery, Chapter and Bine Lodge of Masons, Knights of Honor, Roy al Arcanum, Legion of Honor, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Home Guardian. OUR CEMETERY. A Northern visitor asked us, af ter being in the city several days, “have you a cemetery?” “Why do you ask suoh a question?” we re plied, in surprise. “Because every where I have been about tbe first thing the people boasted of was their fine cemetery, and here I have not beard it mentioned.” While we have a cemetery which is twenty-two years old and hand somely laid out, in size it is noth ing to boast of. MANUFACTURES. This being an essentially agricnl tarsi eountryr we cannot boast of many manufactories, although an interest is being manifested in this branch of industry that we have reason to believe trill lead to tbe employment of a large amount of capital in manufacturing enterpris es within tbe next few years. We bare now a cotton-seed oil mill, two steam and one water grist mills, one steam gin, *!••*>, door and furniture works, two carriage man ufactories. NEWSPAPER*. There ere two newspapers—tbe Americus Recorder snd the Sumter Republican, both dally and weekly. Both have the reputation of being among the best local papers in the RAILROAD FACILITIES, At present Ameriona has but one railroad, the Southwestern, but as ft Is one of the several, greet lines controlled by tbe Georgia Central railroad company, it tarnishes di- rect communication with the great Northern markets by way of At lanta, with the seaboard at Savan nab, snd the west by way of Mont gomery! A new railroad, tbe Ameri ena, Preston and Lumpkin, a nar row gnage, Is being oonatrnoted from Americus to Lumpkin, a dis tance of thirty-eight mile*. Tbe whole distance is graded, bridged and tied, while the (ail* have been laid for about twenty miles, and work is being pushed rapidly for ward, The engines and can are already here, and it ta expected that the whole line will be in opera tfon within tbe next ninety days. This new road will open op a large territory, hitherto with out railroad communication, rich in agricultural resources, and will bring to Amen, one a large trade whioh has hereto fore gone to other points. It is contemplated extending this road eastward as soon as possible, open ing up other territory aud making Amfricus tbe centre of a large trad' ing territory. . ITS (1ROWTR. The growth of America* has not been rapid, bnt it has been steady and permanent. The buildings that have been erected the past few yean have generally been of more modern and handsome style of architecture and have added much to the beauty of the business por tion oftho city. Within tbe past year and a half abont 170,000 have been expended in tbe erection of new business buildings, and about $20,000 in residences. BUSINESS. Surrounded by a rich agricultu ral country and without a rival within a distance of forty miles, Americas is tbe natural trade cen tre for a large territory, its trade being drawn from the counties of Sumter, Sobley, Marion, Webyter, Stewart, Lee, Terrell, Dooly and Macon, and its business men are eaeb year, by means of their energy and tbe superior inducement* they ofler in tbe Way of large stocks and low price*, reselling out farther and farther. It must be remem bered that this trade is * wagon trade, and Americus ie tbe natural outlet for the produce of this vast territory and tbe base of ita sup plies. There are in Americus about one hundred and seventy-five business booses of all kinds, whose trade is estimated by those who have the best opportunity of know ing at $1,500,000 per year. jTbe cotton receipt are annually about 30,000 bales, or 15,000,000 pounds. Tbe population of tbe territory from which Americas draws its trade is over 50,000. Americas has a larger banking capital than any city sooth of Mecon,* three bank* doing a business of over $600,000 per annum, while the Georgia Loan and Trust Company, with pnnoipal office in this city, Icaus a large amount of money on linds throughout the State. Onr business men as a, class are careful and conservative, which baa given stability to business and to them high commercial standing. CAPACITY OF GEORGIA SOIL. IN CONCLUSION, we claim for Ameriona, and base our claim on.the foregoing state ment of facts, that it ia tbe hand somest, healthiest, wealthiest, and most enterprising city of Southwest Georgia, offering] speelslj induce- ments as a place of residence and business. It has a bright future before it and will always maintain Its position as the commercial cap ital of the Southwestern portion of the Empire State of the South. handsome prominent a feature of onr city that State. Try it v ;■ V ' .. ... ft . , .... •' : •-✓ .: Y. j[*[*■ Jxj ” • Delay ie dangerous when worms aro hourly consuming a child. Yon will find Sbriner’s Indian Vermi fuge a reliable remedy. It will not fail to destroy and expel worms. Tiyit. The various agricultural products common to Georgia having been given with minuteness in the chap ter on Soils and Production*, we proceed to give the result* ol a number of experiments in the cul tivation of those product*, in each of those divisions, conducted with proper preparation and fertilisation —such as are given in the more densely settled portions of tbe World. As but little ia accomplished by inadequate mean* in any de partment of human industry, tbe actual producing capacity of a country can only be tested by tbe recalls of judiciout culture. Tbe crape, to which we shall refer, were reported to the various State and county lain within the past few yeare, and both the onitnre and it* resalts were verified by the affidavit* of disinterested parties. In I STS, Mr. R. H. Hardaway produced on upland, in Thomas codnty (Lower Georgia), 119 bushels of Indian corn on one acre, whioh yielded a net profit of $TT.1T. In tbe same county, the same year, Mr. E. T. Davis produced 96$ bushels of rnst-proof oat* per so re. After tbe oats were harvested be planted tbe same land in cotton, and in tbe fall gathered 800 ponnds of seed cotton. Mr. John J. Parker, of the same county, produced, in 1874, on one acre, 694$ gallon* of cane ayrup, at a cost of $77.50. The syrup at 85 cents per gallon, tbe market price, brought $520.87—net profit from one acre, $443 87. In 1874, Mr. Viley W. Groover, of Brooke county,(Lower Georgia), produced, wnh two horses, on a farm of 126$ acres, without the aid of commercial fertilizers, cottou, corn, oats, pea*, sugar cane and potatoes to the value of $3,258.25 Tbe stock raised on tbe farm was not counted. Joseph Hodges, of tbe county, produced, on one acre, 2,700 pounds of seed ootton; Wm. Borden, 600 gallons of syrup; J. Bower, 500 bushel* of sweet pota toes; J. O. Morton, 75 bushels ot oats; Mr. T. W. Jones made 12 barreie, or 480 gallons of syrup one sere, and saved enough oene for. seed. (n Bullock county (Lower Georgia), 8,500 ponnda of seed cotton wore produced by Samuel Groover; and in the same county, 21 barrel* of sugar atone time, knd 700 gallon* of syrup at another per acre. In Clay county, Mr. Hodge produced from one acre, a few years ago, 4,500 pounds of aeed cotton. Mr. J. R. Reapass, of Bobley oounty, gathered tbe present year (1878) a little upward* of 600 bushels of oats from five acres. Mr. J. R. Reaps**, of Sobley county (Lower Georgia), in 1877, by tbe use* of fetilizere, grew on five acres of naturally poor land, 15,000 pounds of seed cotton, whioh netted him when sold, $66.02 per acre. Mr. H. T. Peeples, of Berrien oounty, report* to this Department a crop of 800 bushel* of sweet pota toes grown on one aore of pine land. In 1876, Mr. G. J. Drake, of Spaldirg county (Middle Georgia), produced 74 bushels ot corn on one acre of land. Mr. John Bonner, of Carroll county, made three bales of ootton (500 ponnds each) on one aore. Mr. R. H. Springer, of the same county, pfoduced nine bales from five acres, without manures, and ninety-four bales from 100 acres by the use ot fertilizers. In 1873 Mr. W. S. Leak of the same county produced on one acre 40$ bushels of wheat, worth $80.50; cost $14.50—net profit $66.00. In Wilkes county 123 bushels of corn were produced on one aore of bottom land; also 42 bushels oi Irish potatoes on one-tenth of an aore, tho second crop same year on name land, the seefond orop very fine, but not so good. Mr.T. C. Warthen, of Washing ton county (on the line of Middle and Lower Georgia), produced in 1873, on 1.1125 sores, 6,917 pounds ol seed cotton, equivalent to five bales of 461 pounds each, worth, at 17$ cents per pound—the average price of that year— $403 37. The cost of culture was $148.58; net profit $254.79 for a very email frao- tion over one aore. Dr. Wm. Jones, of Bnrke county, produced 480 gallons of syrup on ono acre. Wesley Jones, of the same county, produced three bales of cotton, 500 pounds each, per acre. Jas. J. Dayis, in the same county, made, ia 1877, with two mules, thirty-four bales of cotton, 500 pounds each, GOO bushels oT corn, and 800 bushels of oats. Wm. 0. Palmer, of same county, mad* in 187T, with one mule, twenty- flre bales of cotton, 500 pounds eaob, and a fair orop of corn per acre, first year, oo reclaimed swats p. without manure. Mr. R. M. Brooks, of Pike coun ty (Uiddlo Georgia), produced, in 1873, un five aores ot bottom land, 500 bushels of rice. The total cost was $75—net profit $300. Mr. R. B. Baxter, of Hancock county (Middle Georgia), in 1872, harvested at the first cutting, first year’s orop, 4,862 pounds of dry clover hay per acre. Mr. A. J. Preston, of Crawford county, gathered tram one acre of Flint River bottom, 4,000 pounds of aeed ootton, and from another on same place 115 bushels of corn. Dr. T. P. Janes, of Greene coun ty (Middle Georgia), produced, in. 1871, five tone of oiover bay per aore, in one season, at two cuttings. Mr. Patrick Long, of Bibb coun ty (on the line of Middle and Low- er Georgia), harvested from one acre ef land, from which he gath ered,* crop of cabbage* in June or the same year, 8,640 pounds ot na tive crab grass hay. Mr. 8. W. Leak, in Spalding eonnty (Middle Ueorgia), gatberod in the fall of 1878, Irom one acre, from whioh be had harvested f.irtv bushels of wheat in Juno, 10,720 pounds ot pea-vine hay. Nut profit from wheat, $66; from pea-vine hay, $233.08, making in one year, from a single aore, a uet profit of $209.08. Mr. L. B. Willis, to Greene county, (Middle Georgia), in Juno, 1873, Irom one acre and a third, harvested twenty bushels of wheat, and the following Ootobcr 27,130 ponnds of corn forage. From tbe forage alone he received a profit oT 169 22 per aore. Dr. W. Moody, of tho same county, harvested at one catting, from one acre of river bottom, in 1874, 13,953 pounds of Bermuda grass bay; cost $12 87. value ot hay $200 29. net profit $196.42. Mr. R. Peters, Jr., of Gordon county(Upper Georgia), harvested in 1874, from three acres of lucern, four yeara old, fourteen tons and 200 pounds of hay, or 9,400 pounds per acre. Mr. John Dyei,ofB;bb county, produced in 1873, from ono acre, at a cost of $8, 398.7 bushels of sweet potatoes, which ho sold at a net profit ot $290,92. Mr. Haddon P. Redding, of Ful ton county, in 1877. produced from one acre 400 btuhels ot St. Domingo yam potatoes, which he readily sold in Atlanta at an average of $1 per bushel. We add tbe award mado upon tho returns of a number Of con testants for tbe crop of 1884, which it is seen presents Georgia Agri culture in a most favorable light The summary is taken from the Atlanta Constitution, Deo. 13, 1884, and is attested by names of theliighost authority: FASHING THAT PATS. j- Messrs. George W. Scott & Co, of Atlanta, manufacturers of Gos- eypinm-Phospbo, the Ootton and Corn Fertilizer, offered prizes for the beet aores of corn and cotton grown with their fertilizer. The result was an astonishing one. Over 100 hundred farmers in dif ferent sections of the Stato con tested, and sent in their retains properly sword to and attested. There were 75 farmers who plant ed ootton. They averaged 774 pounds of lint ootton to the acre, with $15 an acre spent for fertilizer. Tbe highest yfeld was 1,545 pounds to tbe acre, or practically 4 bales to the acre of 400 founds each. There were 16 com planters, who made an average of 81 bushels to tho aore—the highest yield ba ting 116-2 bushels. The five successful contestants made an average of 1,355 2-5 ponnds of lint cotton per acre, and used an average of 987 pounds of Gossypium. Tho corn premiums show just as gratifying results. There were sixteen contestants and the average yield was eighty-one bushels to tbe acre. The first premium was taken with 116$ bushels and the last premium with 103 bushels. These results are gratifying. Taken with tho cotton yield they show that the farmers of Georgia are making rapid progress. We doubt if ever before a hundred farmers in tho State could have made up such an average. It shows that they njo rapidly coming to tbe intensive system in farming. It shows that they are abandoning the loose, old plantation methods, and arc begin- ning to see the profit and comfort in small farms well tilled, ■m ' s , xx*}.

Georgia Historic Newspapers

Americus weekly recorder. (Americus, Ga.) 18??-1891, September 04, 1885, Image 1