Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-15


luton.
A regular meeting of the Chatham County
Vegetable and Fruit Growers Association
was held at the Marshall House last even
log at eight O'Clock. Present, DR.. A
Oemler, President; Major G. NJ. Ryals, Vice
]. Gardner, Secretary and Treas
urer; Messrs. G. P. Harrison, j. W. Nc
Alpin, Fell, and others.
After reading and adoption Of minutes,
Messrs. VIM. P. Schirm, VIM. Clifton and
C. A. Beinkampen were elected active
members, and Major L. c. Bryan honorary
member.
DIR. Oemler, upon the part Of the delegates
to the State Agricultural Convention, made
the following report:
During the second days proceedings, when
business was called, | said,
with the approval Of my fellow delegate,
not knowing your wishes upon the subject
uDon the Observation-Disclosures we desired any
definite action taken replied not az pres
eut. | NAV say, however, it was applauded
and seemed to meet with general approval,
as several delegates and the Secretary (Col.
Grfer) expressed regret afterwards that
some action was not taken.
The regular reports and essays will De
published and need not be mentioned here.
A very interesting discussion was held on
the fence question, and, as the same SUD
iect was up before our association lately,
we report that delegate from CoWeta coun-
tv stated that the "no fence" law was passed
bv majority of fifty, and is now gladly
acduiesced in by all, as keeping up the
fences cost ten times as much as all the
stock was worth, and 1t took formerly near
ly all mans income to keep them up.
The law worked like charm. A few stock
well fed were better and were more remu-
neratlve than large number allowed 10 run
out at large. There was a great improve
ment now to be seen in the quality OF stock.
More provender was raised to feed. Not
withstanding the drought OF the last year,
the stock did not suffer, which 1t would
have done II obliged to roam for
food. Gen. Anderson, Of South Carolina,
being called upon to give the operations OF
the stock law in South Carolina, related how
much difficulty the progressive people had
to contend with before the change of law
was gradually brought about IN South Caro-
lima, several townships in one county, that,
l think, Of Anderson, having initiated 1t.
The cry had been raised that II was TO be
rich mans law, and trouble was anticipated.
L
mistake. The law operates better than was
expected. No tenant of q proprietor who
had a house and fuel failed to have pas
turage for his COW, and 1t is now acknowl-
edged to have been God-send to be forced
to reduce stock. for what remained was ten
times better. General Anderson went on to
state that the reduction Of pasturage was
found profitable, the range was alternsted,
the cattle all over the State looked better,
and the markets were better supplied,
although, at first, the beef was poorer, and
not the hoof of a COW could trespass upon
cultivated fieIds or reserved pastures. In
Union county the people threatened to turn
out with shotguns to resist the law, IL
passed, aud after three months they &C
kuowledged it to have been the best law
ever passed. In some counties where were
large swamps, useless at present for cultiva-
lion, there might be an argument In favor
of the old law, but apart from all other con-
sideratiOns, the law was based upon prtnci-
piles of justice.
A delegate here stated be had been ap-
pointed upon a committee from his county,
in Georgia, to, privately and without dis
closing his mission, visit South Carolina
and INQUIRE how this law was working. He
gladly corroborated the remarks OF General
Anderson, and stated that he found but
one single individual who did not approve,
and he was a negro, who lived in hut on
the road, owned one cow, and Immediately
opposite was fine field Of corn. This ne
gro acknowledged he had no right to cut
down the trees for his own use on land not
belonging 10 him, adjoining. This delegate
found that since the passage of the stock
law there had been no trouble between neigh.
bors about trespass of stock, so often
heretofore the cause of quarTeling and liti-
cation. He stated the price OF land had
increased, the production on land before
occupied by fences had yielded on some
places from one to five bales of cotton, the
blowing and turning at the ends of fur
rows was facilitated, the vegetation on
land not constantly graZed upon could
spring up and the land recuperated. The
people could sleep quietly at night without
apprehensions that their crops were being
eaten up by rowing, hungry cattle.
A gentleman from Pike stated that
ia his county the law was passed
by small majority. Those who
opposed it now upheld it. His people
found that negroes would go out of their
way to have the satisfaction of burning
fence rails.
A member from the wiregrass country
stated a change OF the law would not
operate favorably in his section, when not
an acre in forty was in cultivation.
take this opportunity, while not occupy
Ing the chair, to put myself on record as
favoring q change of the law, and to say In
reply to one of the gentlemen on the other
side of the question that probably the cattle
of Chatham are not more starved and
ravenous after the crops of corn on the road
side than are those Of Charleston, Richland
and Horny counties, when on their way to
Charleston, Columbia and Georgetown. To
the other gentlemen l would say that, as the
present law gives the producer of the land
unfenced not to the owner but TO the public
this Injustice should be q reason of its re-
peal, and not an argument in its favor.
At the request of the ladies the conven
ton discussed the question whether The
moon had any effect upon vegetation. One
delegate remembered that the tops grew III
the light and the roots in the dark of tbs
moon. Several others Joined the discussion
for and against the belief, which dates l ,OO(
years before Christ.
Old Major Fleming, whose white flowing
beard bowed as he spoke, said these ole
superstitions were apt to go into extremes
and reminded him of the old woman who
when she wanted her eggs TO hatch pullets
kept them hid in her bonnet, and when sht
wanted rooster chickens, put them in th'
old mans hat.
jaiseI Gne discussion, and stated th,
phenomena of spelling Of fish, etc., was no
owing to any direct action of the moon
but to radiation, which was greatest OF
bright nights that the belief In the effect.
OF the moon upon vegetation belonged to
the past that light and heat were the
agents, the light of the moon being merely
reflected sunlight, and until only recently
by the invention of most sensitive instru
ments, and only on the top of mountain
Mt. Teneriffe, believe-it was shown the
heat reflected at full moon amounted tO
900 part Of degree-too slight to affect
vegetation. After my few remarks, the con.
vention adjourned to meet the second Tues
day in February, at Albany.
DR.. Oemler here vacated the chair, and
submitted the following resolution, with
some appropriate remarks:
WHEREAS, 1t has been enormously pub
lished that this association has placed itself
upon the non progressive standpoint of op-
positions to a change Of the fence law in
Chatham county:
Whereas, Fencing material is becoming
both scarce and costly in that part of the
county where the products are vastly more
important and valuable than the few head
of stock in the entire county and
Whereas, For many other reasons too
numerous to enumerate be 1t
Resolved, That while it might bear tenn
porsrily with hardship upon the few who
own the few poor cattle running at large 10
INC upPoI pa VI ~ oo0u'y, " SOOA sue
tensnce the best they may and where they
may, 1t is the sense OF this association that
a change of the law for the fifth and sixth
districts would result at once In advantage
to the many and eventually for the benefit
of all.
On motion of Mr.. j. Gardner, seconded
by General Harrison, the resolution was laid
over for consideration until the next meet
ing, and it was resolved that every member
be notified and requested to be present.
After further routine business and dis
cussion of matters connected with the in
terest of the accociation the meeting ad-