Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-07-25

be much younger, so well preserved is lc
for his ago. Iowas nsplondid spirits aud
has aiino prospect for good crops. From
him we got directions how to find
TUG;SLoo HOME, f
which was our objective point AGsiv,
ing there we found Mr.. B. II. Reese In
high glee and anticipating q royal time
at tho agricultural picnic tho next day.
Ho soon was showing us his fine varieties
of grapes and fruits. Among the grapes
there were two varieties of the Scupper-
nong. Ono is the "Alexander," which
ripens in October, and tho other, "Tho-
mas, in September. There arc other ex-
cellent varieties Of tho grape. Thoro is
ono vino of an early variety which is over
ten years old, abont six inches in diane
tor at tho base and covers an arbor
about 100 feet in length. Mr.. Reese
says ho gathered last year ovor fifteen
hundred punches of ripe grapes off
this vino. Ho is also making speciality
Of pears. IIe has one tree of the "Japa-
noso pear" which we suppose is the
only ono of lis kind in the county. Mr..
Reese bought it in California, and it is
tho most beautiful tree we have over
seen. Tho fruit ripens in September
IIo has also the "Sicklcs' dwarf pear"
which is one of the most prolific bearers
and never blights. There are many vari-
cites of apples, both winter and summer.
Especially fino arc tho "Itussett" and
"Maidon's Blush" An almost endless
assortmer of peaches arc here, and
peaches, r'p" md luscious, are plucked
and eaten from May until November.
We have !, e heard Of Mr.. Reese rs u
model fruit grower, and what we saw
oan.o s;l!ly UP &c OH. expectations.
This closed the sight seeing for the
first day, and night-fall found us in the
spacious parlor of this beautiful home
with several charming young ladies and
handsome gentlemen from Georgia, who
were visiting Mr.. Reese, viz: Misses Cor
nclia and Sallio Sowell, I.avonia, Ga. );
Misses Kate, Maggie and Lola Wright,
and Flora Bruce, Banksvillc, Ga. !;
Miss I.cnora Oliver, Arp, Ga; and
Miss Elinor knight, Anderson, S. c.;
Mcssrs. H. Il. and II. f. Wright,
Banksvllo, Ga; l.. G. and j. Nj. Mizc,
Arp, Ga. The evening was spent in So
cial converse and listening to the strains
of sweet music until quite late hour.
There was both singing and instrument
tai music. Mr.. Reese knows how to
handle the fiddle and lie played many old
familiar pieces, such as ''rhc Arkansaw
Traveller" "Nancy Rolin," "Rcd River"
"Fox Chase" "Pop Goes tho Weazcl,"
"The Devils Dream" and others. After
a few hours sleep we were up Friday
morning and ready for
THE PICNIC.
A beautiful, shady grove, near the
house, was the t0cus in quo. Early Fri
day morning Mr.. Reese had several
hands at work erecting stand on which
were placed several specimens of his
fruit, flowers and an immense corn stalk
taken from his acre of prize corn. There
is prize of 1000 offered by tho Amcri-
c0n Igriculturist and the South Carolina
Board of Agriculture for the best acre of
corn grown in the State. Two of Geo
ncc's farmers, Mcssrs. B. f. Reese and
Wm. y. Lowcry, have entered the list Of
contestants. Mr.. Reese had on the
stand stalk of this corn which is just
now slking and tassciing.
BY eleven o'clock quite large crowd
of picniccrs had assembled II was cs-
timatcd that over two hundred persons
were present. At eleven O'clock an adj
dress Gil Agriculture was delivered by r.
r. Jayncs, Esq, after which few re-
marks appropriate to the occasion were
made by Mr.. d. a. Smith. Then dinner
was spread and fcastn6 was the order Of
tho day. The good hOuse-w wives Of the Tu-
galoo had spared no pains in preparing
many rich and delicate dishes. All ate and
there was abundance to spare. AS an
husbandry of this section, VIC noticed
some old-fashioncd custard pies made of
sweet potatoes grown this year. On in
qury we learned the potatoes were raised
by Mr.. J. l.. Burris, of South Union.
Having finished dinner an invitation
"bS SAlCii'tCi W uit WIZ ucSlICt 10 20
down in the river bottom and see the
prize patch Of corn. The invitation was
no sooner given than accepted by many
who braved the heat and walked one
half mile to see an acre of corn on which
are growing $3.50 stalks that will ave
rage at leas' twenty feet in height The
rows are = ieet apart and the stalks
stand one to every foot in the drill. The
acre was fortilizcd with 10000 pounds of
compost manure and 2,200 pounds of
guano. The compost and 1000 pounds
of the guano were spread broadcast and
plowcd in, while 200 pounds of the qua
no were put in the drill. The corn has
been carefully cultivated and the ground
worked, so that it was laid bye perfectly
level. TO show how thick the lateral
roots were, Mr.. Reese had arranged n
pump SO that he could bring strong
stream of water to bear on the middle
between the rows, and by washing of
the surface, revealed thousands of roots
right on the top of the ground. In many
places the fine roots had even grown into
and through the clods lying on top of
tho ground. Mr.. Reese contends that
when corn puts out these lateral roots,
which grow so near the surface, they