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

'ASSSs55 tho AaS 'tiSO lt1VV bCiOllS fOI SOtIlSr
yarieties Of wintor apples, among them
being the shookley, Sheldon, Quincy
Adams and others. He Is making spe-
cialty of the winter apple best suited to
this climate. We found here two fan
ponds well stocked with carp, both largo
and small. A pressing invitation was
extended to stay and take dinner and
feast on fish, but time forbade, and we
hurried on. He showed us three acres of
corn that he thinks will make seventy-
five bushels per acre. The corr stands
in rows four feet apart and 10 eighteen
inches from stalk to stalk, thus making
1850 stalks to tho acre. 1t is well de-
velopcd and promises to make ono, two
and even threo cars to tho stalk. MI.
Bearden told us how he had brought thit;
piece of land to its present degree of fer
tility. Said he: "Four years ago tl,is
land would not yield moro than ton j5;isii-
OILS of corn per acre. began by hauling
sixty two.horse wagon loads of oak
leaves and spread thom broadcast. They
were plowed in, and the land sowed in
rye in tho fall. In May following turn
eel undor tho rye, stalk, head and all,
and planted in corn. Cultivated and
raised crop of corn and peas. After
gathering tho corn and peas, I again
sowod the rye, and have repeated this
process every year until this, when with
only 200 pounds of fertilizer, you see the
crop have growing. From the peas I
expect to gather ut least twcnty bushels
per acre in addition to the corn and fod-
dor" Now how is this for corn talc2
i2fctty gour, ui,s Well, the COURIER
vouches for its truth, and if you don't
believe it, Mr.. Beardel aud we ask you
to call around, pull tho fodder, slluck the
corn and we feel sure you will no longer
be doubling Thomas.
Coming Il mile nearer home we could
Bearden and see his cotton. He lives
near Oakway, where he runs considcra-
bic mercantile business, having as his
partner Postmaster Hutchins, the firm
name being Bearden & IIutchns. They
have large and constantly increasing
trade. Mr.. Bearden has his farm and
residence near by, and we drove out to
look at his crop. Wo can safely say tho
finest cotton we saw on our trip was right
here in a field near his house. He has Il
beautiful and comfortable country home,
with more and better barn, stable and
smokc-house room than is usually found
lie told us his wheat this year made
bushels from six and half
or nearly eighteen to ono. His
corn is also very fine and shows no sign
of being hurt by tho dry weather, al
though there has been no rain on it for
over three weeks.
In this settlement there are many farms
we desired to visit but the time was not
az our command. There were excellent
crops Oh the farms of J. j. Haley, James
w. Bearden, Joseph Bearden, j. A, Elrod,
II. Nj. Cain, James Mason and others,
which we did not see, but report says
crops are very fine indeed all along the
ridge. Certainly no where now will there
be seen any field at harvest time like the
one from which tho name "Nubbin
Ridge was derived. 1t is said that
several years ago Mr.. ---- was the only
resident OH the ridge, and after working
all year to cultivate n ten acre field in
corn, gathered the whole crop in q ham
per basket, and that, too, ut one trip.
Naturally enough, then, it was named
HNubbn Ridge" iii tierisioii, and for
many years to live there was thought
to be the next door to starvation. But
in course of time such men as William
Bearden, now deceased, (the progenitor
of the Beardcns, who have catered in and
now so abundantly occupy,) j. A. Elrod,
Richard Cain and others became the pio-
ncers Of agriculture, civilization and
prosperity in these parts. So well did
they perform their task that their works
do follow them, and to-day there is not
section of the county more highly priced
than "Nubbin Ridge"
On the road to Westminster, Saturday
afternoon, we passed the farm of James
Mason and found him and his son hoeing
cotton. He told us he did not put any
guano under his cotton this year. but
used instead stable manure. His cotton
is very fine and is heavily fruited.
Wo arrived in Westminster at five
o'clock, and spent short time in this
cnterprising town. We secured live
correspondent of the COURIER there in
the person of Mr.. John d. Sheldon, who
will tell our readers from time to time of
the many good things being said and
done in our sister town. Westminster is
too important place not to be repre-
scntcd in our columns, and let the world
know what she is doing and expects to
do. Should Tho Panncr and COURIER
both publish what our ncighboring vii
lagc is doing, it is just that much better
for the town. Truth is not hurt by being
twice told, but only becomes the better
known. Hence we urge our readers to
give Mr.. Sheldon the ncws, and aid him
and us in telling the public that you are
a live, active and prosperous community.
Well do we remember how much the in
teresting letters of the late lamented l..
r. Doyle were priced by our readers, and
all know tho good they did Westminster.
From here We came to Mr.. N. II. .Jcn-
kins', and found him at home. A few
minutes were spent discussing farming,
fruit-raising, etc. Here we found cotton
next best to Mr.. Andrew Bcarlens.
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