The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-08-15

had temporarily suspended, and alter
reaching solid ground we wcnded our
,yav 10 very neat looking frame cottage,
llc residence of colored man named
Beam. lie has been in this country for
4 number of years. He has fifty acres
lnder cultivation in sugar cane, and cx-
pressed his regret that he could not show
Us around owing to the all-pcrvading
,lampness. lie did show us, however,
over his sugar mill, which is of the ordi-
nary pattern, run by a six horse steam
engine. The
LIBERIAN SUGAR
IS coarse, but Of q good quality aud
color, and brings from seven to eight
cents per pound from American refincrs.
The Lbcrian production is from 1900
10 $500 pounds per ncrc. They make
rom their sugar boiling also an excel
lent quality OF syrup, and rum, which is
pronounced by counosscurs to be very
iine This yield of sugar shows what the
soil is-magnifccnt. 1t can be cyphcrcd
out readily that there should be money
in sugar-raising at this rate, especially as
{. crop is to be obtained in one year, and
The cane, so 1 get it from the best au-
thority, does not require rcplanting for
years, new growth springing up every
season from the old stumps. saw some
cane, uncut remnants of this years crop,
which / would estimate at being
twelve or thirteen feet high AID two in
chcs thick foot from the roots. There
are only two or three sugar mills on the
liver, however, and the profit is greatly
reduced to the general producer by the
tolls charged for grinding out the cane
one third Of the gross proceeds. Re
cmbarking, We continued our course up
The river. About five miles above New
Georgia comes similar town named
CALDWELL,
stretching along the river front, and con-
tanning population of from 500 to GOO.
The word "town" may mislead the read
er, settlement" would be the more
proper word, az they consist of a num-
ber of small farmers adjoining each
other, and generally connected by broad
roads, miscalled streets" Just oppo-
site Caldwell on the other shore, are
Lower and Upper Virginia, the two to-
cether containing 500 or 900 people.
behind Upper Virginia is Brewersyille,
where there are about GOO people. Next
above Upper Virginia is Clay Ashland,
which claims a population of 1000.
Nearly all of the older houses along the
shore are of brick, but farther back frame
is the general rule, with proportion
cf ,hatch houses. These latter it is diff
fcult for any one but native to make
comfortable. They can be run up with a
few days labor, and are sometimes used
temporarily by immigrants untifframe or
brick buildings can be erected. There
ia a saw-mill on the river, and consid-
cradle quantity of tho dressed lumber is
imported. As the brick clay is abundant
and easily accessible, and the sun is hot
enough to bake brick, it would be, |
should think, more advisable to build Of
trick always. Manufactured brick can
he bought for four dollars per thousand,
and lime is cheap and easily obtained.
Dressed shingles are also made in small
Quantities up the river. There is bug,
sort of ant, in the country called "bug-
aboo," which is very destructive to dres-
sed timber, especially in building. l
think fom all accounts they would eat 4
frame house entirely up in ten or twelve
years if let alone. The Liberians seem
to think that American timber with
stands the ravages of these insects bet
ter than that produced in Africa. These
ants are different from the black ants,
which make occasional raids, and if not
smoked back, overrun houses, completely
clearing them of animals, insects, &C.,
and acting as though scavengcrs. | saw
some of the mounds built by these latter
four feet high by two or three thick, and
cvergrown with grass and bushes. At
Clay.Ashland saw
A SMALL IRON STEAMBOAT
tied up just below the landing. 1t was
formerly the property Of lessrs. Morris,
Of Philadelphia, but by some means or
ether has passed into the hands OF a Ii
terian. 1t seems to be rusting itself out
LOW, and l am informed is never used,
exactly why, | could not learn. 1t seems
to me that it would be an incalculable
benefit to the people on the river, were
it run regularly, as we'll as a source
tf profit to the owner. 1t seems at
present to afford fair illustration of
libcrian enterprise. We landed at
Clay-Ashland, took dinner, and spent
the night. There l first saw what Libe-
ria could do in the way Of cotton. In
INV hosts yard was large bush some
eight feet high, and branching out twelve
feet each way. 1t was a cotton plant
which, he informed me, had been grow
ing there for nine years, bearing regular
ly every year, and on two or three oc-
oasions twice year, from 1000 to 5000
bols. Of the cotton itself secured 4
specimen. It's long staple, and resem-
bles our sea island, only it is not quite so
fine. This
COTTON GROWS WILD
nbout the country, and nobody seems to
pay any attention to it except the natives,
who with their primitive looms, manuiac-
turc from it coarse strong cloth which
they wear almost universally. They
weave stripes about six inches wide, and
of any required length. These stripes
are subsequently woven together into the
cloth, which is traded to the Liberian
store keeper who sells it out again to
his customers. The cloths generally
sell according to width, about l24 cents
being charged for each "stripe" contain
ed in them. They are dyed usually with
indigo, which also grows wild, in blue
stripes of different width on the white
ground, One saw, however, which was
quite elaborate, there being rude at,
lempts at reproducing the shapes OF
flowers on it, | obtained a couple oil
these also. From all can see, | know
of no reason why Liberia should not
with proper care become one Of the great
cotton producing countries. There is no
rcplanting necessary except every twelve
or fifteen years; the plant bears the hrsl
wear, and soon becomes strong enough
10 defy grass.
NATURE SEEMS TO PROVIDE EVERY
THING HERE.
In rambling around, my companion,
llc doctor, showed me the fever plant
| ,hc laovps of which. made into tea, are