Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-15
The Progress and Prosperity OF
Georgia.

HcOIkAas
If. as maintained by statesmen, there
is no art Of life which draws its knowl-
edge from so great variety of fountains
as practical agriculture, and that none,
of all the branches of knowledge con-
tributing largely to the maintenance OF
social life and conducive to the power
and stability of States, is so varied in its
demands upon the results of intellectual
inquiry as husbandry-Or rural economy
in its largest sense-the citizens of Geor-
gia may look forward confidently with
anticipations of prosperity, power and
influence never before entertained.
In the last four weeks our columns
have given to the public graphic &C
counts of genealogical, horticultural,
floral and general agricultural exhibi
tions in different parts of the State,
that have surprised US with the evident
progress of husbandry in Georgia. The
perfection of the flowers, fruits and
other products described is remarkable,
but we have been more impressed and
gratifed with the superior intelligence
and increase of knowledge of scien-
tifc and practical agriculture that
have marked everywhere the professional
discussions. We use no extravagant
language when we say that in the last
ten particularly, the last five) years, the
developments of agricultural study and
progress, in its attainments, have been
wonderful-so great, indeed, that when
we read the proceedings of the
Farmers Convention, at Marietta, the
other day, we could hardly
realize that the farmers who there so
ably discussed the many questions of
rural economy brought before the con
vention, were the same men who, twenty
i've years ago, with "mOre land, more
negroes, more cotton" on the brain, trust
ed their fields and crops to ignorant
white overseers, or still more non-intelli-
gent negro foremen. But of such
are the people of Georgia, and is
it therefore singular that she
should be called the Empire State of the
South2 Have they not risen superior to
the cslamities of war, and developed
abilities, energies and enterprises unsur-
passed in the record of any other Statef
And have not their persistent industries
produced an agricultural journalism that
classes with the best farmers magazines
in the United States7
Are not these things worth dwelling
upon, especially when we recall the fact
that the two classes of citizens uphold
ing chiefly the wealth, power and sta
bility of country are the agriculturists
| and the manufacturers-the one draw
ing from the earth the raw material, and
the other, in the perfect accord of divi-
sion of labor, working the raw material
into shapes required by the wants
of mankind, while the attendant
handmaidens, trade and commerce,
distribute them over the world. With
her varied and vast resources, her soil,
climate, health, water and steam power,
and cheapness of living, Georgia has a
great future before her; and if her peo-
pie persevere in their good works, who
can fOresee the position that she shall
soon occupy financially and politically
in our Union of States? Let Georgians
encourage, then, the studies of scientific
and practical husbandry and of mechan-
les, and cultivate with zeal our fields,
our mines and our manufactures.