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THE WEEKLY CONSTITUTION, TUESDAY, APRIL 25. 1882. STRAWBERRIES. , HOW THEY ARE IN THOMAS COUN TY, GEORGIA. TIicLfcrKMt Strawberry J»rn to the state— A Pleas ant S.’cht— rho Berry Ftekera-In the Sorting Boose-Shipping the Berries—How the M.rkat Stand*—The FroSts, Eto. — - Sq-cdel Correctxindetioe of The Constitution. Tiiomasvim.e. Ai.jril _15.—“Drive direct to the strawberry farm.” .saBT Judge Hopkins as we 'set tled ourselves behind a pair of handsome hays. •‘Mr. Hlackshcar, you must understand," said Judge Hopkins, "is a man who has made a fortune by farming. Everything he touches turns to money. He has tried many special experiments, but the most interesting, perhaps, is planting strawberries dll a large scale." “ * ■; He certainly locked like a man who could com pel success*—as he sal squarely on the seat before us —hi* resolute face turned once in awhile—alert, thoughtful and observant. He has studied the soil as other men study the law or the sciences. ‘ He knew its secrets, its needs, its promise and its fulfillment. It has never de ceived him, or gone bock on him. In four years he made $20,000 on one farm, and has trebled that as 1 a total, lie is still young, and has never made a dol lar except that made ont of the ground. He is a farmer, and nothing else, but he’s a farmer who .think* fanning is a science worth studying. The ride was a delightful one. We bowled aloug a level road on either side of which w.ere truck farms, or chards of the LeConte pear, melon patches, green house-, li di ponds, with Rouses set. well back from the dust and noise, in umbrageous groves. In the ride of miles I do not think wo taw hue loot of cot ton. “Thomas county has always raised her own food,” said Mr. Blaokshear. “and she’ll do it this year cleaner than ever.” After we had gone about three miles we turned in a broad gate and halted by the side of a roomy house. This was the home of Mr. McVay, the partner of Mr. Blockshcur, of the strawberry farm, and its manager. Leaving the carriage, we went through a. side gate, and the largest strawberry patch in the state was before us. The sight was a pleasant one. The rows of plants were laid out with perfect regularity, and stretched away until they were misted iu a solid green. They were loaded with berries and for several feet away there were flashes of red beneath every plant. A few acres away was a Jittle house, dotted right down in the middle of the patch. To the left of this was the force of ‘•pickers.” As the work of getting the berries ready for market began with these, we passed down the rows till wc reached them, a'CHAT WITH tint BEICBY PICKERS. There were forty or fifty women and children engaged in the work. Each one had a separate row wt ich he or she walked, half bent over with a IlnttUh basket suspended from the shoulders. This basket held four quart boxes placed two by two. The “picker” continued work until tho four boxes were tilled, when it was either taken or sent to the "sorting bonse,” which stood in the center of the field. .Along with the •■pickers” went the overseer, holding a long slender stick in his hand. His' duty was to see that the pickers ate none of the fruit, left no ripe berries on tho plant and took none that were too green. lie watched'each nrehin with lynx-eyes and contiuunlly turned up leaves with his pointer, showing unsuspected berries, or poking it at an un ripe burry in some basket with a severity of expres sion, that should have made the immature fruit blush Itself red. “How are you paid for picking?" I asked a fat girl who looked strangely top-heavy as she bended forward. “We git a cent and a half a box—a box holds a quart.” } ‘‘IIow many boxes can you pick iu a day?” "Forty or fifty boxes. After a good rain, when there’s a heap of berries on the plants, I can pick more.'', The work is quite tiresome and I found that many of the pickers work only half- a day, make 30 to SO eents.nnd x quit. I noticed onctold woman who seemed to be easier wlien -bent up than when straightened out, and who was very nimble fin gered. As she put her skinny hand to a plant, the leaves .(Iu tiered bellies up, disclosing the rich fruit beneath, which she clutched, four or five berries at a time, and transferred to her boxes. There was scarcely a hint of color left in a row after her fingers had challenged its leaves. ix Tin: soktjxo house. Following a youngster who passed me. .with his basket piled full of berries, 1 brought up at a small ,new house about twenty by thirty feet, fitted all round with counters. Behind these counters sat the girls who assorted .the fruit. At the head of these were the daughters of Mr. McKay. Tho eld est had a singular sweetness and frankness of man ner, and made a dainty picture as she sat there half In sunshine and half in shade, her pretty hands stained with tho crimson berries, all ab sorbed in her work. On tho. counters the boxes filled with the fruit just as it came from tho field, were placed iu rows. The “sorters" taking the boxes, rapidly examined each berry, transferring the sound ones to boxes for shipment, and throw ing those specked by bird or bug into a waste box. As each picker came up with his basket full, bo whs giveu a ticket as an evidence of tho work he had done, no was then supplied with new boxes from an immense pile, aud sent to the field again. “What is tho proportion of damaged fruit?" asked Miss McKay. “About one box in ten. But all this is not wasted' as we feed the speckled berries to the chickens, will not do to ship a single damaged berry in a box. It would spoil the whole box.” > “I notice that in some boxes the berries are riper than in others.” “That is because of different methods of ship ment. If we ship In refrigerators we ship ‘inly the ripest fruit, as it never grows riper in the ice box, If wo ship, without ice we use berries not perfectly ripe, as they sweeten and redden while in transit.' While talking I noticed the extraordinary size of some of the berries. There were many more than an inch in diamctei and half os long again. The little house, while it was open on ail sides above the couutcrs, was filled with tire exquisite odor of this best of berries. Asking Mr. Blackshear as to his arts moments for shipping, he said: as to smrriso the beriues. “To begin with, we built us a shipping depot just there, the Savannah, Florida and Western road running right by our farm. Back of our straw berries we have about twenty acres in watermelons, which I can make pay $50 an acre clear year in and out. For shipping the berries we have refrigerators. We fill one of these with crates of ripe.berries, pack the ice about them, and the train stops at our depot and takes on the refrigerators. When we ship with out ice. as to near markets, wc simply have the crates filled and piled up and ready tor the train. The Savannah, Florida aud Western railway is very accommodating. They Wop daily to take on our freights, and give us low rates.” “Where do you find a maiket?” “We have been shipping heavily to New York, bu t tills year have shipped more to the west than to the east. The west is our best market, if the mil- roads would o„ly give us living rates and accommo dations. All the coast truck and fruit farms ship to Sew York, and as a consequence the eastern markets are often glutted. Why, last season thous ands of crates of early cucumbers were thrown over board in New York harbor, simply because there was no demand. So many crates were chocked over that Incoming nearness, seeing them floating atrout, thought a steamer must have been wrecked. At that very time the great western cities were need ing these early vegetables, and were willing to pay good prices. They could not be re-sbipped, how ever, after this long voyage, and hence were thrown away. Our true market certainly—after the first two weeks of the season—is the west.” For example, I have reports from four shipments to day. In Cincinnati my berries brought -10 and :» cents a quart, in Louisville 40, in Xcw York 20 and in Savannah 10 cents. I shipped all my melons o the west last year and made heavily on them over eastern prices. I can get from 20 to 40 cents a quart for berries in the northwest for six weeks yet. This will cany ns nearly to the end of our season, which closes in June. “You have been shipping berries west?” “Yes. Thebulk of my crop this season has gone '‘Tb Louisville.*'We fln<TBbetter demand there and better prices." ' “Why don't you ship there altogether?” “Because we can’tgctlalrrates and accommoda tions. I can ship 500 quarts of strawberries to New Y'ork in a refrigerator and have the refrigerator returned to me atlesis than ft costs me to ship the same berries in refrigerators to Atlanta, Go. I can pnt berries irito the New Y"6rk market at three cents quart, and It costs over three cents to put them into Atlanta in ice. If we could reach Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati and SL Louis by fast trains at reasonable figures tor refrigerators, we could leave the eastern market tp the coast farms altogether; and get better prices and better demand for our fruits. Chicago will pay more for a luxury than New York, and will buy it more freely. If the railroads and express companies would combine and open the western and northwestern markets to the fruit and vegetable farms of southwest Georgia, it wOn!d give both us and them a bonanza. It will be done,"I suppose, afterawhile.” THE PEOFIT9 OF A BERRV FARM. “What is the profit of an acre in strawberries?” “That’s hard to telL If I did not think it would pay handsomely I wouldn't be in it—but it has its chances. An acre of strawberries properly cared for ought to give 1,500 quarts of good fruit. Mr. McKay has averaged one hundred bushels; of ber ries to the acre In Kentucky and Mississippi. This is 3,200 quarts to the acre. I have heard of larger yie'da Ilian this. In making business calculations, however, we should notcount on more than half this In a large farm it will be safe to count on 1.000 quarts to the acre with any sort of season.” “What will the berries bring?’,’ That depends on the market and the time. We aold berries for a dollar a quart at the first of the season. It dropped.gradually, until it now averages about 30 cents a' quart. We sell them here at the farm now at 25 cents a quart in crates. Those con signed to commission merchants can hardly be counted on to bring any fixed price. What the fruit farmers cf this country need worse than any thing else are commission merchants on whose judgment and energy and ability they can rely. Shippers are almost completely at their mercy. Many merchants who are square are slow or with out judgment, and mauy who are smart are not square. But we manage to do pretty well. Our crop will average us 20 cents a quart, net, this season.” , “That will be, then, $200 an acre?” Yes. We have already sold $1,300 worth of ber ries off our twenty acres, ana the season is just fair ly opened. We will hardly get $200 an acre this sea son in berries, as we have had bad weather, and we have experimented with many varieties of plants, some of which have not done well. Bnt $100 an acre will do very well, and will beat this considera bly this season.” “What is the cost of this?” “We have our land, and SI,000 worth of plants in bearing. It costs little more to. work an acre of berries than an acre of cotton.- But I will give you the exact figures of our season when we arc through with it. and have balanced our books. I will show what it cost to run -it, how many berries we gathered, and what they netted tis. Then the peo ple can see precisely what it pays to own a straw berry farm in Georgia, and how much it will beat cotton.” Can’t berries b3 raised at ten cents a quart, profitably?” Yes. I would want no better business than that. We could have sold our entire crop 1 on the vines this year at that to one man. At ten cents a quart land would pay over $100 an acre right along. Be sides the fruit, you know you can sell the “run itera” to poisons who want plants. Wo sold a great many last year. The sale of “runners” or new plants ought to pay the expenses. of running a strawberry farm, leaving the gross sales of berries as clear profit. But if we can get into the north- w;est with refrigerator shipments, we can get thirty to forty cents for all we-can raise. Yon see, in shipping without ice, as wo have to ship to the west, we take the chances of the fruit spoiling in hot weather.” I hear that your berries ripened'lierc before the berries in Florida were ripe?” That is true. We shipped the first berries of the season into Jacksonville. We made several shipments to that city, as we knew they had hone. I had perfectly ripe berries grown on our farm in open air in October. From October to Jnntj there has not been and will hqt be a day when we do not have ripe strawberries on dur place, grown in the open air. Bishop, Beckwith, ate as fine a dish of strawberries as he ever saw in this city on Christmas day from our place. .There is uo better country for berries in the world. Mr. McKay had a berry farm of 100 acres in Mississippi, which he sold to his brother, and he. says this country is the best. Of cou rse Florida ought to ripen berries earlier than we do, but we took careof our place, and wchave a very early and very fine variety. We plant the Champion of Kentucky, a berry propagated by Mr, McKay, and I never saw such fruit as it brings. Did you?” Strawberries ripe iu the open air from October till June—nine months of tho twelve, when the sub is warm enough and the air balmy enough to ripen and sweeten so delicate a berry as this. Souldany better formula than that be demanded by the men who seek a gentle clime! As we turned to leave the farm there were hun dreds of quarts of berries piled up in crates ready for shipment They were being tucked into re frigerators or sent in open cars to distant markets. A GREAT ROUSE ENDED. A. T. STEWART* CO. ANNOUNCE THAT THEY WILL RETIRE. Tne 2nd of the Greatest Dry Good* Boose In the World—A History of Stewart and tti« Store*—-Judge Hilton’s Views—Tho Whys and Wherefore* for the Closing Ont. As I gazed on tho busy scene, and vaguely wiped Irom my fingers the stains that had gathered ther in a leisurely saunter down a well-filled row. I fe that 1 bad fulfilled the mission ol my trip. I drank a gallon of artesian water In Albany, ate a gallon of berries in Thomasville, and now here spilled a gallon of ink. The le Conte pear next! H. W. G. CROP REPORTS. “How many crop reporters are connected with the department?” asked a Constmrriox reporter of Judge Henderson, commissioner of agriculture. “Wo have four hundred and .fifty crop re porters in various counties of the state.” “When will they make their first reports this year?” ‘()n the first of May.” ‘What will-they give you information oja?. ‘On the acreage in com, cotton, small grain and the conditions of labor, especially as compared with last year.” “When will these facts be published?" ‘They will be printed in the monthly crop report which will be issued about the 15th of May. We will have all our information in by the 5th or 6th of May.” “How many of these reports will be print ed?” "From five to ten thousand. They will be sent to all the newspapers and to enterprising men in different localities. The newspapers could do much good if they would review the reports and thus give the information a wider circulation. TnK Constitution has done a great work by its editorials on our crop re ports.” “Tell me something about the work of the department in the distribution of seeds?” , “To date we have distributed 5,400 packages of improved cotton seed of theMcKibbon, Jones's improved and lowers varieties. They have been distributed in nearly equal qnan tities. We have distribed 7,200 paper? and packages of garden and grass seeds; mainly egg plants, lettuce, cantaloupes, sev eral kinds oi musk and watermelons, okra, pepper, tomatoes, several kinds of cucumbers, buncombe cabbages, beans and Monroe grass. We have also sent out 1,200 packages of im proved com, and the same number of packages of rust proof oats.” “What is the condition of the erops?” “Promising in the highest decree. The com crop can’t be judged yet, but small grain is doing well, and a very large increase over last year has been planted. I regard the situation *as exceedingly gratifying.” The retirement of A. T. Stewart & Co. from business has been expected for some time by those well informed as to the dry goods trade. Since the death of A. T. Stewart the business of the house has, according to the assertions of others in the trade, been steadily con tracted. The house first practically withdrew from the jobbing business, then from the im porting, and almost entirely from the whole sale business. On Saturday it was advertised that their whole business was for sale and the firm was to end. When Mr. Stewart died there was at ' least $22,000,000 in the business of the concern. The house had on an average a balance of at least $1,000,000 in the Mer chants’ National bank, of which Mr. Stewart was a director, and about $500,000 in -each of the three other banks in which the -house kept accounts—the Chemical and tho Mechan ics’ National and the National Bank of Com merce. The aggregate was about $2,500,- 000. Tha stock and property of twelve mills owned by the concern, the goods intheCham- bers street and Tenth street stores, and the stock in storehouses in Paris and elsewhere, as well as in transit, made.the estimated total mentioned. Up to within ten days of Mr. Stewart’s death the house bought for cash. Ten days before his death it stopped buying. Hence it is inferred that the businessjjtood worth $22,000,000 more or less at the time of Mr Stewart’s death. Mr. Hilton, soon rafter tire funeral of Mr. Stewart, assigned to Mr--. Stewart the,$1,000,0-^0 cash to which he was entitled, under the will of Mr. Stewart for the entire business of A. T. Stewart & Co., which —its willed to her. When Mr. Stewart, after a few yeare* expe* rience as a school teacher, started in the dry goods business in 1822, in Broadway, near Chambers street, he had between $1,206 and $1,500 capital, and his store was 22 feet wide by 30 deep. When on April 10,1876, hie died his retail store, which cost $2,750,000, occupied a city block and covered an area of 2% acres, making, with its eight floors, a total of 18 acres under one roof devoted to the retail dry goods business. The running expenses of the establishment were over $1,000,000 d year. It was the largest store in the world, nothing in London or Paris approaching the building in size or in amount of business donq in it. Besides this, lie had the wholesale-store covering the Broadway end of the block, be tween Chambers and Reade streets. The combined sales of the two establishments ag gregated $50,000,000 a year. In connection with the business, he owned a number of woolen, silk aud thread mills—the Mohawk, the Elbceuf at Little Falls, the New York mills at Holyoke, the Woodward mills at Woodstock, the Yantic mills in New Jersey, the Washington mills near Utica, the Cats- kill woolen mills, the Waterville woolen mills, the Glenham woolen mills and the Glenham carpet factory. He had also large factories at Nottingham, England, and Glas gow, Scotland. He had branch houses at Jradford, Manchester, Belfast-, Paris, Lyons, Merlin and at Chenmitz in Saxony. This great business was built up by assidu ous attention to details, exact habits and rigid adherence to fixed principles of conduct. When he started out in his little Broadway store, he and his wife lived in a room above it. He was his own bookkeeper, salesman and porter, and ho worked from fourteen to eighteen hours a day. He haunted auction rooms, picked up cheap lots, and spared no rains to present his goods attiactively He xmght for cash, sold quickly, and kj^ibis money turning. A principle thatlay^'TO? foundation of his success was the rigid hon esty of his dealings. Goods were represented to, he exactly what they were. The price fixed was as-low as possible, and there was no deviation from it. In his wholesale operations he gave only short credit, and no indulgence of tardy payments was shown. Collections \were rigorously pushed, and compromise of ‘claims refused. An embarrassed firm must at least pay Stewart in full, whatever might be the arrangement it could get with other credi tors. He was rigid and- exact in the discharge and demand of every obligation, and he died worth about $30,000,000. la the retail store 520 horse power was re quired to heat the building, run the elevators, and work .the sewing machines. There was an army of, 2,000 employes under pay. The store was as well known out of town as in the city, and much of its custom came from tran sient visitors. It was . frequented by all classes, front the wealthiest to the very poor. A constant line of ladies thronged in and oat of the blue-shaded doors. Carriages lined the curb, and liveried coachmen of the firm open ed their doors. Inside the store it was diffi cult to get about because of the crowd. It attracted so many people to that part of the city that the value of neighboring property for store purposes was greatly increased. It checked the up-town movement of trade, and caused a great many other retail houses to es tablish themselves in the vicinity. JUDGE HILTON’S VIEWS. Judge Hilton was interviewed by a Herald reporter as follows: “We have no objection,” said he, “to satis fying the rightful curiosity and natural inter est of the public, which has known so long the house and name we represent, and of course has been the great passive factor in making them what they are. The step now about to be taken was not contemplated until about six weeks ago, when it suggested itself for the first time in the intercourse between Mr. Libbey and myself. I had felt for a long time the excess of the burdens which I bear, but having assumed them in accordance with the wish of Mr. Stewart and With the contract of friendship which existed between us for so many years,! did not before see that 1. Could lay them down withont evadinga sacred trust. I have long had enough care and responsibili ty to suffice for the strength, energy and vigi- lafice of Any ten men. I have managed .to live-under it, but it would not have been sur prising if I had succumbed.” “You expect to sell the business intact?” “Frankly, we. hardly expect to do that. It would perhaps be difficult to find any one with sufficient'capital who would desire to in vest it in the immense stock whioh our trade defnands. We shall sell what-weea'n in what way we can. I cannot tell yoa.exactly what, how and when. Briefly stated, our deaire ' to close up the concern. Mr. Libbey is old, and as for me I am tired. We both want rest and a relief from caxe.‘ I do not hope soon to find either, for besidefthis business. I 'have oth«<r great matters on -my hands. • What do yon think of one man sharing in the direction of a great dry goods house, with its tributary mills, and at^§esatne time having the wliole management? oi five hotels and millions of dollars’ Worth of other real estate? Think of the multitudinous duties which such a posi tion imposes! I have bad too mnch of it, and I want a change. That’s all there is of it.” “Then the htftels and some of the other real estate belonging to the late' A. T. Stewart are also for sale?” “Are yon looking for such property? Do vou want to buy?” asked the judge with laugh. “They are for sale, at their value, yes,” he added. “And that reminds me of an anecdote of an old woman who wanted dispose of her farm. She put up a sign, ‘For Sail.’ Herspelling was a little eccentric, and a young man came along and who considered himself a wag. Said he, after reading it, ‘When do you set sail?* ‘Whenever you can raise the windr’vras the reply. And so, I say, whenever you can raise the wind you can buy us out.” “Gan you say about how long it will be before your dry goods business will be closed out?” “Icannot; probably, however, from six to eight months. There is a great mass of goods here. Can you guess howmuch?” ‘Ten millions?” The judge smiled but did not reply. NO DECREASE OF BUSINESS. “Is it true that the business has. largely de creased since Mr. Stewart’s death?” “The volume of the business has increased,” replied Judge Hilton, “while its compass has been ' narrowed. In striving to lessen the labor of maintaining it we have gradually reduced its scope, lopping off’departments andliranches wherever we could.” “Was the abandonment of the old Cham bers street store a part of this police?” “It resulted from the eonvietion'tliat it was too far down town. We found that it was generally the last house to be visited by buv- ers in making their rounds and that our wholesale trade suffered in consequence. The change was made without actually encroach ing at all on the space previously devoted to the retail trade at the Broadway and Ninth street store, for the reason that the work which was formerly done on the top floor was traBsterred to the Lafayette place factory.” “Was not the Chambers street store vacated because the business, both wholesale and retail, was at that time beginning to lose money?” “No, sir; the house of A. T. Stewart has never seen a year when it did not make money. I know that the contrary has been said by many persons who can know nothing at all about it; that it is now losing monev and has been since the death of Mr. Stewart, and that'this is the cause of the closing up’of the business. Nothing could be further from the truth.” “Has your retail trade declined?” “Not at al, except in so far as we have re trenched its ramifications.” “Have you any Hebrew customers now?” “Yes, a great many. Of course we lost many by reason of the exclusion of the race from the Grand Union hotel, but that failed to entail any injury on our business. In fact, the year when that happened was marked by a considerable increase in our profits. I re gretted the necessity which led me to make a rule against tiie admission of a certain class in the hotel, hut the measure would never had so sweeping an effect had I not been driven to widen its application by the conduct of many respectable Jews. Originally in tended to apply only to a class they forced me to extend it to the whole race.” THE CREDIT OF THE HOUSE. “May I ask whether the credit of the house as good as ever it was?” “It is, undoubtedly. I am aware that re- iorts have been printed to the effect that we tave borrowed money largely, and that our notes have been heavily discounted. Now I do not care a snap for such reports as these. They do not affect me in the least, and it is not worth my while to take the least notice of them. For your information, however, and that you may not be led astray, I will say that they are utterly false. No paper of the house of A. T. Stewart & Co. has ever been issued since I have been a member of it. I have never put my name to a note for a dollar.” “Do you speak now for Mr. Libbey, too?” “Yes, sir. A morning paper said that the amount owed in this way was about $2,500,000. Such a statement is nonsensical, as no such amount would be required as working capital in any buateess in the world-” THEI^ITHFUL EMPLOYE’S FATE. “What iskft become of your employes?” “Ah! that is the worst of it all. It is sad, sad, sad. I lay awake all of last night with that very though. It is otie that was most constantly with Mr. Stewart in the latter years of his life. People ttsed to say to him, ‘What will become of this grand establish ment when you are gone, Mr. Stewart? It will be apt to go to decay and fall into ruins on top of those you leave behind you and who have been dependent on you so long.’ Then he would reply, ‘I have pro vided for all that Hilton will look out for that.’ The idea of servering the personal connections which had grown up around the house was most painful-to him, and it was the principal reason which determined him to leave the bnsiness in such a condition that it could lie continued after his death. Mt. StCWArt and his successors have always exercised a great care over their employes. If any of them becomes sick or dies destitute we provide for the subsistence of the sick and the burial of the dead. This has always been the practice of the house. We do not make a boast of it, bnt we do it. At one time the house bad at least twelve thousand persons in its employ." “And now?” ‘The number is about half of that. In Mr. Stewart's lifetime it had fifteen mills, as follows: The Mohawk, Elboeuf, Utica. Wash ington, Columbia, Waterville, Catskill, Wood- stock, Holyoke, Yantic rand Glenhan woolen mills, the Catskill thread mill, the Glenhan carpet mill, the New York silk mill and the Nottingham underwear mill. Now there are but three—the Glenhan carpet and woolen mills—in active operation. The others have either been sold or discontinued.” “What will you do with this great building, Mr. Hilton?” “I do not know. It would make a mag nificent hotel, but the expense of altering the interior for that purpose would be very great. Then show me the man who will undertake to run a hotel like this. The Chambers street building could be more easily converted to Property 25 per cent Higher Than for Ten Yean Fast—The Proposed Bailroad to Locust Grove or Jackaon—The Woodruff Plateau—A New Idea—A Good Circular. that use and it has been empty these many months.” You would not start another hotel your self?” “God forbid. Enough for the day is the evil thereof.” GRIFFIN. IDEA FOR DEVELOPING GEORGIA. Special Correspondence of The Constitution. Griffin, April 17.—I ran down here yester day on A flying jaunt and was not a little sur prised to find Griffin on such a regular •high." Everything seems to be looking up and values are increasing every day. I am told by a prominent citizen that property here is almost twenty-five per cent higher than for ten years past. There is not a vacant dwelling in town, every store is occupied and the cry is for more. As stated by your local correspondent in to-day’s Constitution, the people are much interested in the building of a road that will tap the Macou and Bruns- - wick extension somewhere on its line, cither at Locust Grove or Jackson. It is twenty miles to the latter place, and the Griffin, Monticello and Madison road is already graded to that point. Locust Grove is four teen miles distant, and is six miles from the nearest point on the Griffin, Monticello and Madison road, which will necessitate only six miles of new grading in case the branch is built. I really think Griffin would, have a spasm of joy if this little road were built. Mr. Julius Brown owns the Griffin, MBnticello and Madison, having bought it from Judge Lochrane, and some time ago stated that he would build it if the people would give him $100,000 subsidy money. I was living here then, and Mr. Brown’s proposition met with a cold reception from the fact that the people had already sunk $150,000 in the road when it’ was originally corporated and started. I have never been able to know just koto or why that enterprise fell through, for there can be no doubt but that the road would have raid well had it been completed to Madison. ’ came over from Indian Spring one day last week, aud was surprised to see the road in such a good state of preservation. The bed is somewhat washed, in places, but it would not require such a vast deal of work to put it in order now, as one would imagine, after these long years of exposure and neglect. The city of Griffin alone put $40,000 worth of her bonds in the road, a debt which has hung over the city ever since like a pall. This,{however, is being rapidly lifted, and by 1S90 the city will be free from dent. The county of Spalding better condition, having no debts and having money in her treas ury. I would not be understood as intimating, by my remark above, that Griffin is in any trouble about her condi tion of finances. Indeed, few Georgia cities can boast of so good a showing. Griffin bonds cannot be bought for less than one hundred and two, and none are offering at that price. Those who hold the now outstanding bonds could not have a better investment, as . the interest is regularly aud promptly met twice every year. THE WOODRUFF l‘I. ATE A U I took a ride e trly this morning out to the Woodruff fruit plateau. I found Mr. Wood ruff at home as usual. It occurs to me just here that I might add a line to the effect that possibly tiie greater portion of Mr. Woodruff’s success is due to tho fact that he remains at home and minds his own affairs. His business sagacity lias taught him that personal atten tion is worth more than having half a dozen agents. After taking a view around the place I sat down on the ^ront porch with little Mark Huson, the son of the late lamented Mark Huson, of lower Georgia, and chatted, Mr. Woodruff’ about fruits, as this seems to be his life and living. As has already been stated by me a number of times, there is a boom started right here, so I asked: .“Does the boom continue?” “Oh, yes,” he returned, “everything out here continues on a regular ‘high,” so to sneak, and we are thoroughly alive to the.fact that no section in the state promises such wonderful resnlts as this in the fruit-growing industry.” “Can you give me anything new?” “Yes, I am very glad yon came, as I have an important item to give you. You see, we are trying with all our might to bring^people which would fill these Cars at reduced, rates of freight on every return trip. I think Mr. Woodruff’s ideas so sound that they deserv some consideration at the luiuds of the legi laturc. points. A petition is being signal for a post-office at the Woodruff place, to be called “Vine- land.” This is certainly a suggestive and an appropriate name. A platform has beeu put up by the Central road, so that now the expense of hauling fruit three miles to Griffin will be obviated. This is a great convenience, and the fruit growers are aue’Mr. Wadlev a world of thanks. C. T. L. It Was a Game Cock. From the Kome Bulletin. • No one knows, unless he has served one term as clerk of council, the amount of quar reling that goes on among the negro women of this city, and in nine cases out of ten the origin of rill these quarrels is some exceedingly trivial matter. Mr. Nevin, the present clerk, says these ignorant women believe it their solemn duty to seek redress for all their imag inary wrongs through him, and as a specimen of the complaints he related the following: A few days ago a negro woman entered the ’ office and asked if that was the place to lay in a complaint. Upon being answered in the affirmative, she said: “Dorcas Bean, she kilt my rooster yistidy." “How did she kill it?” “She wrung his head off, data zactly how re kilt him." “What was the rooster doing?" “Why he wusent doing nuthin' butsernieh- in’ ’round iu her garden 'long wid her pullets. Dorcas and me lives next to one ampler and she alius did ’spisc me, and date do resun she rung dat roosters head off.” ‘ ‘Well she ought to pay you for the chick en.” “Data jist- what I say, and dat what makes / me come here-for to make her do. She dontj offered me a quarter wid a hole i n it, anr when I ’fuse ter ’cept it, she says, ‘dats all yo ole donunernecker rooster's wuff, an’ hits ifll I’m gwine ter pay.’ Mr. Nevins lie want no dommerhecker rooster. He wus er game rooster, an’ had great long spurrurs on his legs. He was one oh dese here reg'ler Georgy cloaknecks what fights tox kill. He was a full haf brudder to Mister Will Pentercosi’s big rooster what he fights down on de riber banks ebry Sunday ebeniug, an’ he was wuffer dol- ler; an’ I wants yer ter make da-; yaller nigger pay er doller fer him.” A Quick Marriage, com the Americus Republican. Not long since a coupie presented them selves to a Dooly comity justice of the peace, intimating that they desired to be married as soon as possible, as tho girl’s parents were opposed and would soon be present to stop proceedings. The justice looked at the cou- ] >le, and turning to the persons who were with lim first said: “Hold on, boys, till I hitch this team;” then to the anxious pair, “John, you want to marry Mollie?” “Yes, sir, quick!” was the reply. “Mollie, you want to marry John?” “That’s what I am here for, and the sooner the better.” The justice then asked all parties present to rise. “Now, John, ketch hold of Motlie’s hand; Mollie, ketch hold of John’s hand. • Now you are hitched, and in the power gin me by the state of Georgy and the United States, and by the goodness of God, I pronounce you man and wife; and what this court has joined let nothing bust asunder, if so let him be maranatha. <io forth, multiply, bring forth and replenish' upon the faith of the earth. Amen!” Rome Will Have Two Ice Factories. From the Rome Courier. The buildings and machinery for manufac turing ice, which were erected on Bridge street last summer by Messrs. Leopold & Beocbk, of Cincinnati, were sold at sheriff’s sale yesterday, Mr. J. A. Bale being the pur chaser. We are happy to announce that the machinery will be perfected in a few days, so that by the 1st of Slay the frozen luxury will be turned out by the ton from the Bridge street factory. Sir. Henry Watters will b; the superintendent of tins factory, and be will immediately begin work to put things in ship shape. In the meantime work is progressing rapid ly on Major Sam Slorgan’s factory, which is being erected on Elm street, and from present appearances both establishments will begin operations about the same lime. The Death of Hon. F. A, Frost. Atlanta, Ga., April 19, 1882.—Editors Con stitution : The simple announcement in your jnoming paper of the death of .Hon. F. A. Frost, of LaGrange, Ga., brought sadness to many hearts, for he was indeed a noble, gal lant,' generous man, successful as a legislator, E lanter and banker. He always made home appy, and his presence brought sunshine to all. After the battle of life he sleeps well. _ D. N. 8. A Bomb’s Work. Yesterday Ordinary Calhoun put his cane upon the corner-post in front of James’s bank and remarked: “During the war a shell struck this post, tore the top off as you see, one piece struck and killed a white male in the middle of Alabama street and another piece struck a negro on the leg in front of that barber shop, producing a wound from which he bled to death.” A FRAGMENT. For The Constitution. Smile sunset sea of summer eves Over the fields of com; For all thy golden glory leaves But promise of the mom. The shining sun of honest toil Above the brown earth’s mold. The fruitage of the noontide soil Outshines the sunrise gold. Manhood is more than youth and joy in God’s eternal plan: Ah! it is much to beJfioy But more’*) Be a man r The good ship hath her argosies, When mom is young and fair: Brighter in sunset smiles the seas. For land and port is there! ; . —E. 8. L. Thompson. here, and we think we have struck note to success. Mr. John Keller left last week for his home in Ohio, carrying with him several thousand circulars, setting forth the advantages of this section. Here is the cir cular; you can read it at your leisure. The following is the circular which is so strong in its tone and so suggestive of a proper spirit that I deem it proper to produce it in full so that other people in Georgia may go and do likewise. It is one of the wisest steps I have yet seen taken towards the practical development of our state, and the example set by these enterprising and representative gentlemen is well worthy of imitation. Griffin,Ga.. March 25.—We, the undersigned.un- biased by any sectional feeling, send this greeting to northern fruit growers aud others, believing that middle Georgia presents as many advantages as anv other section of our southern states, and that there are many at the north who are desirous of seeking a more congenial climate, if they could only have some of the facts brought to their notice, and that a cordial welcome would be extended to them, and below are given some of the many in ducements for presenting this. Signed— M. L. Bates, President Griflln Banking Co. D. D. Pkder, Cashier Griffin Banking Coi- W. W. Woodruff, ’ Proprietor Woodruff Pratt Farm. W. W. Woodruff, Jr , John Keller, Proprietor Fairview Vineyard, James Beatty, Fruit Grower. E. S. Leavenworth, of St. Catherines, Canada. Correspondence solicited. All communications will be answered by enclosing stamp to John Kel ler, Griffin, Ga, * This is real, solid work, and speaks for itself more than I can for it. I saw Mr. Keller just before he left, and heard him say that he felt sure he would bring at least fifteen or twenty fruit growers with him who would buy land and settle near Griffin with their families. Already he said he could count on six men coming with whom he had been in corres pondence for some time. a new idea. Mr. Woodruff, seeing the * possibilities of Georgia, has for a long time had a pet scheme in his head which lie wishes the legislature to carry out. He says that if the state of Georgia would appropriate a part of tiie fund which is brought into the treasury by tire fertilizers, to the benefit of the agricultural and horticultural interests, the planters would soon be educated to diversify their crops and make fainting pay ten times what it does at present. The state agricultural so ciety for years past has asked the legislature to a*ppropriate enough money to run an ex perimental farm, as many other states have done. Mr. Woodruff now proposes a step in advance of all the #other states, and would establish an horticultural experimental farm and show by actual test how our Georgia farmers might enrich themselves by raising fruits and vegetables for the north ern markets. He says a burning shame that the farmer’s money should be so wasted. -About $7,000 of the fer tilizer fund goes into the fund every year which is appropriated to educational pur poses. Give a portion of this money towards educating onr farmers, in the common rules of good sense of which many of them are ig norant. Mr. W. believes in a liberal educa tion of all classes, and his plan is thoroughly in keeping with all of his solid, practical, de veloping ideas. No state has as yet an horti cultural farm, and no state needs it so much as our own, because no state has such local advantages as Georgia for producing fruits and vegetables. The cars that bring us the com and bacon now -go b.-ck empty, but this would not be if wt only adept a plan oi farming down here ^ Mr. William Bacon’s Duster. From the McDuffie Journal. Mr. Hardaway is no longer entitled to the glory and proud distinction of being the owner of the greatest duster known to history. No more will that once haughty summer gown straddle over the multitude and wave in triumph through qur dusty streets. Its prestige has departed forever; and he had as well to fold up his tent like the Arabs and quietly sneak away. Mr. William Bacon, of this place, has invested his surplus shekels in a garment which, in the way of promiscuous vastness, has no equal on the face of the earth. Viewed from the rear, with Mr. Bacon inside, it looms upand spreads out in every direc tion, a wide, towering, endless, tiresome, wav ing wall of brown linen. It requires two men and a boy to see all of it at one time. One looks till he breaks down, and another com mences where the first left off. It looks like a night gown for Stone Mountain. A Happy Family. From the Brunswick Advertiser. Captain Allen, of the bark Norwcll, had on. board his craft last week what Mac Haywood called a “happy family.” Finding a nest of young rats on boardship, tie brought them cut and threw them, nest and all, on to the deck, expecting to see Mrs. Pussey feast. Instead, however, her catship took them up one by one and laid them in her own bed along with her only kitten, and then quietly coiled her self around them. The little ratships ran. about over her perfectly-at home. A Large Tooth. From the Americus Republican. One of the most formidable weapons ia the way of a hog’s tooth to be seen is on exhi bition at the store of Messrs. Buchanan & Bro., on Cotton avenue. It is a boar’s tusk eight inches long, taken from an animal three years old, weighing four hundred and twenty-five pounds, killed by Jack D. Davis, of Marion , county, Ga. The animal could have snapjied a dog half in two at one cut of this dangerous looking weapon. MAD RIVER IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS [This poem is Henry IV. Longfellow’s last, aud is publishcu iu the Atlantic Monthly for May.] traveler. Why dost thou wildly rush and roar. Mad River, O Mad River? Wilt thou not pause and cease to pour Thy hurrying, headlong waters o’er This rocky shell forever? What secret trouble stirs thy breast? Why all this fret and flurry? Dost thou not know that what is best In this too restless world is rest From over-work and worry? the river. What would’st thou in these mountains seek. O stranger from the city? Is it perhaps some foolish freak Of thine, to put the words I speak Into a plaintive ditty? traveler. Yes; I would learn pf thee thy song. With all its flowing numbers, And in a voice as fresh and strong As thine is, sing it all day long, And hear it in my slumbers. the river. A brooklet nameless and unknown Was I at first, resembling A little child, that all alone Comes venturing down the stairs of stone. Irresolute and trembling. Later, by wayward fancies led, For the wide world I panted; Out of the forest dark and dread Across the open fields I fled, Like otje pursued and haunted. I tossed my arms, I sang aloud. My voice exultant blending With thunder from the passing cloud. The wind, the forest bent and bowed. The rush of rain descending. I heard the distant ocean oall, - Imploring and entreating; Drawn onward, o’er this rocky wall 1 plunged, and the loud waterfall ■ Made answer to the greeting. -Men call me mad, and well they may. When, full of rage and trouble, I burst my banks.of sand and clay. And sweep their wooden bridge away. Like withered reeds ol stubble. Kow go and write thy little rhyme, • As of thine'own creating. Thou seest tho day is part it* prime; ’ X can no longer waste my time: The mills are tired of waiting. INDISTINCT PRINT