The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1885-08-20
ATRIP TO NORTH EAST GEORGIA. &C.

EditorS Jouyndi: At the urgent request
of friends, have consented to write You a
short article in reference to the crops in
northeast Georgia and the workings of the
stock law as seen by your correspondent in
recent visit to South Carolina.
Our party consisted of four besides the
writer, all anxious to gather as much infor-
nation as possible about the condition of
the country through which we passed.
Travelling by private conveyance afforded a
country and talk with many persons on the
route. Our unanimous verdict is that for
true hospitality, the people of north Georgia
cannot be exceled They are ever ready
to throw wide open the doors of their homes
to the traveller and treat him with the utmost
courtesy. Their charges are usually nomi-
nal. They seem to think it violation Of the
laws of hospitality to charge anything like
reasonable bill While in Milton we spent
the night at the house Of IA young man re-
Gently married lie furnished MS with lode-
ing and coffee for ourselves and stalls for
our teams, charging the enormous sum of
% cents He could not be prevailed upon
to take more. We ask what section of the
United States can beat this for cheap tray
cling.
The crops in Cherokee, Milton, Forsyth.
Gwinnett Hall, jackson, Banks, Madison,
Franklin and Hart counties are very fine
We passed through all of these counties and
were struck with the indications of an unus-
ually bountiful crop year There has been
no lack Of rains this summer and the farm
ers have been diligent in working their
lands. AS a consequence crops are as lux
uriant as the ground is capable of producing.
This was particularly noticeable in jackson
county. We saw hundreds of acres in corn
on the river and creek bottoms that will
make an average crop of from 80 TO 60 bush
els of corn per acre. 1t relreshes the tray
eler to see these large fields of corn extend
ing up and down the stream ms far as the
eye can reach, the large stalks standing in
drills only few inches apart and fairly
groaning beneath the weight of ponderous
ears, just beginning to mature We saw
large numbers of fields of cotton in this
county which, we felt satisfied, will make
an average Of a bale to the acre, if the copi-
Gus showers will only continue "A few weeks
longer If the reader thinks these state
ments are eNaggeratiOn or a fancy sketch, he
has only to pass through the county and
see for himself 1t must be remembered
however the oldest citiz ems OF Jackson saw
that never in their memory before have the
crops been so abundant While We had the
pleasure seeing SO much fine corn, we re
GREETED to notice that in many sections it
did not occupy the area it should On
scores of farms in the counties passed
through we saw nothing but fields Of cotton.
1t seems strange that this hallucination still
possesses our people when every wear they
both witness and feel the disastrous effects
produced by the cotton raising mania. The
farmers of Georgia may hold State agrcul-
tural conventions every month in the year
and enthusiastic speakers may boast Of
Georgia prosperity, but it is fact patent
to all who will only observe, that the only
redemption of our people from mortgages.
debt and disgrace is the cultivation Of the
cereal crops sufficient to make our country
Sel.sustaining Then, and not till then can
the farmers of this State meet and liqudate
the many pecuniary obligations now grind
ing them to powder between the upper and
neither millstones OF financial ruin.
Many Of the farmers in northeast Georgia
favor the passage of the stock law, and it is
only question of time as to when it will
pass. Perhaps very few years will be sut-
hcient to make il a law. We travelled in
Oeonec and Anderson counties, South Caro-.
lima whore the stock law is in force and IFS
good effects were ut once apparent rs soon
as we had crossed the state line The eX-
penSe Of keeping up pasture fences is per-
hapS not oue-third or even oue-tuurth as
great as il formerly was when all the fields
OF growing crops were fenced in. Immense
quantities Of timber are annually saved
The fields from which the crops are gather.
ed are not tramped down and rendered unfit
for cultivation by reason of cattle being
pastured upon them On the contrary. af-
ter wheat is harvested or corn is gathered the
ground is allowed to stand shaded BY the
thick vegetable covering which nature az
fordS thus becoming more productive for
the succeeding year. Farmers say that
this item and the saving of timber are worth
to them untold sums. not taking into con
sideration the hundreds OF advantages incl
dent to the stock law II. N. II.