The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-08-13
\ MODEL FARMERS SOCIETY.
Tho Agricultural and Mechanical
Association of Fairview, Grccnville
County.
Special to The News and Courier

snip, GreenVllle county, which, per
haps, stands alone as living contradic ic
tlon OF the old saying that is almos
accepted us " provor6, viz: "That /
Is impossible for farmers to maintail
an Organization for any considerabl,
time. the object Of which is to advanc.
their material and social interests"
| reler to the Farmers Agricultural and
! Mechanical Association.
| The association was organized NOR,
than ten years ago and was regularl l.,
Incorporated under tho laws Of Soutf
| Carolina in 1892.
One OF the objects OF the assUciatiol
is to encourage and foster tho breed
ing and raising fine horses, cnttle,
| sheep and hogs, and it is said that nc
| section surpasscs Fairvicw along this
limo. An exhibition is held during
| tho latter part OF September OF each
year and thGro are usually five to six
thousand people present. No admis-
sion fec is charged for entering the
grounds, ard tho expenses connected
with the enterprise are paid from
the small sum charged for II sent in
the grand stand and the profits de-
rived from the sale Of lemonade, which
~ sold under the auspices OF the as
sOciation.
Tho organization meets regularly
once each month, and often two or
three tinos. at these meetings sub
jccts OF interest to farmers are dis
cusscd, except politics.
Onco each year, during the month Of
July, the entire association, which at
present includes twenty-siX members,
is constituted Il committee OF the whole,
and this is divided into Osub-committeeS
OF two omembers each, and they together
visit the farms OF two certain members,
M Ia f,n lAI, f.Nr !,
OF inspecting the growing crops, stock,
and homes, and each makes report to
Il meeting Of the association, held on
It's grounds, to which the public is
invited. Last Thursday was the day
iixod to hear the reports. About two
hundred people were present. 1t wa.
decided to hold the exercises in tn
grand stand, and the crowd assembled
there at about ii o'clock. The meet
ing as called to order and the chaplain,
Mr.. j. l.. Stoddard, offered prayer.
Next camo the roll call, to which most
OF tho members answered, and the
minutes Of the last meeting were read
and approved. 1t was decided that
the next thing in order should be the
reports Of the ir irdividual members
Of the committees referred to above
| on the crops Of members Of tho assOcia
| tiOn.
The following is one of the reports
TO the Officers and Members Of tn,
Fairview Agricultural Society MIR
President: Your committee appointed
to visit and inspect our fellow MON.
Der, Walter Pedcn's crop, respectfully
present the following report:
In the performance Of this duty, We
visited his farm on the 9th inStan
and in making our rounds found his
crop to consist principally OF cotton
and corn.
Brother Pcden is farming on the ex
tensivc plan, having about thirty acre
in cotton, which we judged had beer
we'll cultivated from start to finish,
and is now IN q fine growing condition
putting on and developing fruit rapid
ly. He was not quite done ploughing
but was finishing up, or laying by, II
as good condition as he usually does
We think ho will, if August is u scn
sonablc month"; make (900) nine hun
drcd pounds of seed cotton per acre.
He has aboutsiXteen acres in corn
which seems to have been cultivated
nll right, and will make Il good crop i
seasons continue.
lie has Il very fair potato crop. Iii
pea crop is young yet having bee
sOwed when corn was planted las
time.
He has the finest crop OF forage OF
thick corn that VIC have seen. II
planted the kind he recommends
when this subject was discussed in tn
spring, and although it is very thicl
it has u small car forming on almos
every stalk. We recommend that i
would he well for each member .
this club to get seed and try this kline
Of corn for II forage on rough fec
crop.
We examined his barn and stables
found them in good condition. Hi
stock n"c all in fine condition, and h,
hu - ! IA TO last unit. lcN
NJ, 't ,il."rl lreding much on tn
prcaGnL Uiup.
We found very few things to dis
approve Of and much to commend.
And finally we will say that If al
farms of this community were manag
ed as we'll as Brother Pedcn's it woul
, most Of this club already believe)" TIL
, best country upon which the su
Yshines."
All OF which is respectfully sui
mittcd.
J. p. Willis, D. l.. Thomason, Con
! mittec.
Mr.. w. II. Britt, the secretary, T.,
: ported on tho crop OF Mr.. Lee Nj care
and stated that it was in fine CO..
dition, as was everything else on h
farm. Mr.. Britt called special atte
tion to the crop OF a tenant on tt
place, negro, and said that he hp
one field of 10 to so acres that was ;
: Inc q tcld Of cotton as hc had ovt
, seen, would average waist high ar
was heavily fruitcd.
Another committeeman reported thi
he had examined q brother member
crop and believed that his prize acl
of cotton leach member hns u pri1
acre) would il no unforeseen calami'
bofel it, yield two bales Of cotton.
After number of reports wci
heard, on motion, the hearing OF til
remainder was postponed until IT,
=, afternoon, and Col. James n. Hoyt,
. Greenville, was introduced by the Sc
rotary as the orator Of the day.
The speaker, ut the outset, state
that no had been invited to talk to tt
association about farming, but fc
that it woGld be out Of place for hi
,, to attempt to instruct the mcmb ers
the club, and therefore would talk
> them about something else, and IL