Newspaper Page Text
A Brief Economic and Social Sur~
vey of Henry County, Georgia
For The Georgia Club.
BY MISS MARY M WOODS.
DOMESTIC ANIMALS ON FARMS
AND RANGES.
In 1910 there were 5965 cattle
h gain of 11 per cent during the
census period, but there were 8073
dairy cows, an increase of 38 per
cent. Horses, 1455, a gain of 30
per cent, but a decrease in home
raised colts from 76 to 44. This
is perhaps the largest gain in
horses in the counties of Georgia.
Usually there is a loss in horses.
Mules, 2791, an increase of only 5
per cent, which is perhaps the
lowest increase in mules in the
counties of the state; but home
raised mule colts decreased from
49 to 21 during the ten years.
Hogs, 5613, a loss of 22 percent.
Poultry, 52,349, a gain of 14 per
cent, but barely more than half
the poultry in the county in 1890.
Bee swarms, 878, a loss of 60 per
cent. In 1890 there were 397
sheep in the county; in 1900, D 9,
but in 1910 none. But there were
1184 dogs on the tax digest of this
year.
Col. I. C. Wade, of Cornelia, Ga.,
delivers himself as follows: “This
country is one of the finest in the
world to raise sheep in, but the
people say, ‘No, sir, give me the
old hound first; children are
cheaper.’ Western stockmen
come here and go back cussing
the country out, often coupling
our newspapers with our legisla
tors. Hence, instead of coming to
Georgia and buying land and set
tling. they prefer to stay at home
on land worth $150.00 to SIOO.OO
per acre and raise and sell us high
price beef.”
Since we cannot have in Geor
gia a dog license tax law, as eight
other states in the Union have,
might we not have a dog muzzle
, tax law and put an end to the
horrors of hydrophobia as Eng
land, Germany, and the Canal
Zone have done? Last year 486
.people, mostly women and child
ren, were bitten by* mad dogs in
Georgia, and the state is spending
SIO,OOO a year t o cure rabies.
Surely we value our children in
Georgia more than we value our
-dogs.
CROPS.
The 1910 census reports the
crops of the county as follows:
Cotton 63,899 acres, an increase
of 20 per cent during the census
period; average yield, forty-one
hundredths of a bale, or just the
same as in 1910. Fifty-five per
cent of the cultivated area was in
cotton. Only two other counties
in Georgia had a larger portion
of their cultivated land in cotton;
Morgan and Jasper, 61 per cent
each; but 56 counties have a larger
yield per acre. Henrv county cot
ton ranks high and is in great de
mand with the Eastern mills.
► (Georgia: Historical and Indus
trial.)
Corn, 2688 acres, a loss of 10
per cent, during the census period;
average yield 12 bushels, a gain of
U percent. In 1910, 23 per cent of
the cultivated area was in corn.
Thirty-three counties had an in
creased average in corn. Henry
was one of the 113 counti s that
lost in corn acreage during the ten
years. Thirty-six counties had a
Jarger per acre yield.
Oats, 3319 acres, a gain of 39
j»er cent; average yield 17 bushels,
a gain of 70 per cent. The avcr
age yield for the state was 15
bushels.
Wheat 3327 acres, a loss of 63
per cent; average per acre 10
bushels, a gain of 43 per cent.
The average yield for the state
was only 8 bushels.
Sweet potatoes, 442 acres; aver
age yield 86 bushels, a little below
the average for the state.
Dry peas, 2755 bushels, a gain
of 16 per cent.
Hay and forage, 2676 tons, most
of which (2038 tons) consisted of
grains cut green.
HOME-RAISED FOOD
SUPPLY.
It will be seen that the home
raised meat supply in Henry coun
ty is meager, consisting in 1910 of
one-third of a beef, one-third of a
hog, and 10 poultry per person.
Recently cattle have been selling
on the hoof in Chicago at 12 cents
per pound and pork sides a t
$12.55. The meat supply of the
country steadily falls behind the
increase in population. Meat in
the future promises to be higher
still. It looks like the farmer’s
chance. At all events, he can af
ford to sell; he cannot afford to
buy at present prices.
Considering only the population
and the work animals of the
county, the 1910 grain crop of
Henry fell short 139,271 bushels
of what was needed as feed and
food for man and beast. With
com at sl.lO a bushel and flour at
$6.25 a barrel (today’s quotations,)
the people of Henry county were
spending about $200,000 to supply
this deficit. The 1910 census re
ported $41,428 spent by the farm
ers for feed alone. Add the mon
ey sent out of the county for
work animals, meat, bread-stutfs
and fertilizers and you have a to
tal of more than $600,000 that
must be charged against the farm
ers’ profits year by year. It is a
king’s ransom, annually paid to
aliens and strangers for supplies
that might be raised at home.
SCHOOLS.
The 1911 report of the State
School Commissioner shows 37
schools for white pupill (or one
less than in 1900) and 37 for ne
gro pupils (or 11 more than in
1900.) There were 84 teachers
for these 67 schools, from which
we conclude that the county has a
number of two-and three-teacher
schools. That looks good. Fifty
seven of the white teachers had
first-grade or life licenses and 27
of them had at least one year of
training in Normal Schools.
In 1911, 2,458 white pupils were
enrolled or 82 per cent of the
school population; and 1821 or
70 per cent were in average at
tendance. These are very high
per cents of enrollments and at
tendance. Nevertheless, 26 9
white children were not register
in the schools for so mnch as a
single day during the year, while
406 were barely more than regis
tered.
In the negro schools, 2370 pupils
or 71 per cent of the school pop
ulation were enrolled, but only
1572 or 47 per cent were in aver
attendance. In Henry as in al
most every other county of the
state, the attendance of negro
children upon the country schools
lags behind the whites.
There were 454 white children
registered in the first grade, but
only 300 in the second grades: that
is to say, 154 children, or more
than one-third had dropped out of
school, most of them to take np
the burdens of life with one brief
term of schooling in the first read
er classes. Two hundred white
children in Henry county reach
the seventh grades; that is to say,
more than half of the children who
enter the country schools disap
pear before they have received
the full benefits of them.
These facts arq disturbing, but
Henry makes a far better show
ing than most of the counties of
Georgia in this particular. Only
34 negro children reach the sev
enth grades, nr a little more than
one in the hundred.
Sixteen white schools in the
county give high school courses
to 418 white pupils; that is to say,
15 white children in the hundred
in Henry reach the high school
classes. In Clarke, Cobb, and
many other good counties of Geor
gia, barely more than two or three
white country children in the hun
dred reach the high school grades.
There are 4 negro schools in
the county giving high school in
struction to 46 pupils; that is to
say, 14 negro children in the
thousand get as far as the high
school.
The county board in 1911 re
ceived from the state $20,465; from
local or municipal taxation, $1,348;
from tuition fees, $15,169, from
incidental fee. $2,025; from dona
tions and so on, $1,798; and from
other sources $1,250, making a
grand total of $42,147. Only six
county boards in Georgia spend
more money than this for common
schools. (Bibb, Chatham, Fulton,
Dodge, Richmond and Whitfield.)
No other county board in Georgia
receives as larger sum from tui
tions and incidental fees.
The county board spent $36,836
for the schooling of white child
ren and $1,780 for the schooling
of negro children, giving 118 days
of free schooling to white child
ren and 100 days of free schooling
to negro children.
The cost of schooling a white
child per month was $1.50. Sev
enty-six counties of Georgia spent
more for this purpose; for in
stance, Clay $3.03, Pike $3.00
Terrell $3.09, and Quitman $4.76.
The cost of schooling a negro
child per month was 55 cents.
Eight-two counties of the state
spent more money for this pur
pose.
The county board owns 31 of
the houses in which the 74 schools
are taught, their valne being
$36,150; average value, $1165 each.
Three buildings are owned by
municipalities, their value being
$35,150. The average value of
two of these is $17,500 each. The
Baptist denomination owns one
school property, valued at $40,000.
The total investment in school
property is $111,300. Only six
counties in Georgia have more
money invested in school proper
ty (Bibb $335,000, Carroll $144,000,
Chatham $482,000, Colquitt
SIBI,OOO, Early $125,000, and
Richmond $750,000.)
Seventeen schools are equipped
with 719 patent desks. Seven
white schools and one colored
school report school libraries.
Forty children are transported
in school wagons to two schools
at a total cost of $501.00. The
consolidation of schools and the
transportation of children has
made a great headway in other
states, but the movement lags be
hind in Georgia. A beginning in
a small way has been made in 36
counties of Georgia.
Far better than most counties
in the state Henry is able to es
tablish a county-wide, local-tax
.-v ,j.>.
MR. R. N. ETHERIDGE GOES TO MARKET FOURTH TIME
The large firm of Etheridgs, Smith & Company sends a buyer to
the western and eastern markets twice each year. They state that
they have had the best business they ever had and that several lines
have been sold out and will have to be replenished. Mr. R. N. Eth
eridge of the firm leaves Saturday for St. Louis to attend the special
sales of wholesalers, manufacturers and mills in that city next week.
Mr. Etheridge states that this is one of the most profitable times
to buy merchandise as, he says, manufacturers want to begin on
spring goods and are willing to close out stocks on hand at a sacrifice.
Upon his return to the city Mr. Etheridge says he will have something
of interest to the trading public of this section that’s worth riding 20
miles to see. Advt.
You Pay Half—Wc Pay Half
The Southern States Life Insurance Com
pany writes a twenty-payment policy contract
where the insured pays ten premiums and the
Company pays ten. The premiums advanced
by the Company are not deducted from the
original sum insured. Ask about this policy
and have it and others fully explained to you.
JULIANT.WEEMS
GENERAL AGENT,
McDonough, ga.
The Southern States Life Insurance Co.
ATLANTA,
GA ' '
Llni’rf«
yMTfjmi a a&msN _
WILMER L. MOORE, Pres.
If It Is About Insurance
Ask
JULIAN T. WEEMS.
scnool system. Already 28 coun
ties have established such systems,
giving to the country child chances
at an educational equal to those
of the city child.
The salaries paid white male
teachers in Henry average SBO.OO
and white temale teachers $45.00.
How can Henry maintain efficient
country schools upon salaries
ranging from $250.00 to $400.00 a
year?
The salaries paid female negro
teachers is SIB.OO a month or
$90.00 a year. The negro teach
er worth only $90.00 a year is
probably worth nothing at all, or
w r orse.
The problems of public educa
tion can be solved only by local
initiative, local pride, local self
sacrifice; all of which means a
liberal local tax for schools. The
problem has been solved in no
other way in any other state in
the union.
(Continued in next week’s issue.)
FOR RENT—One one- horse
farm and one two-horse farm.
This is land I have just purchased.
Also for sale one 15 horse-power
Frisk traction engine and sa v
mill outfit. Would sell part or all.
Terms for good paper A. C.
Norman. Route 1. Adv 11-22, 2.
McDonough, Ga.
