The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-01-06
2. The middle country. This section

known as tn6 Sia0Q QlllS SeCtlou VI Luo
State. It is the head of navigation of
most of the rivers, and contains the
most fertile lands and most beautiful
farms and orchards.
For the past flve years a great deal
of attention has been paid to the cul-
ture of fruit. '0he peaches and berries
raised in this section command a
higher price in northern markets than
even California fruits. The industry
is growing, and the old cotton fields
are yielding more profitable crop.
Several nurseries have been planted,
and the home market is almost sup
piled by home people. This section is
now called the home of the peach.
The watermelon is also grown to per-
fection, and is profitable crop. The
average yield per acre of cotton and
other field products is greater than in
the other sections of the State, the
best farms yielding more than two
bales to the acre. Tobacco has become
the best paying crop in this section,
and there are now 100000 pounds
raised in the State.
The tiraber is principally long leaf
or Georgia pine on the rivers and cy-
press and juniper in the swamps. The
climate in this section is warmer than
the hill section, and may be called the
temperate zone of the State. Oil mills,
cotton factories and saw mills are the
principal Industries.
8. The low country, or coast Sec
ton, is the richest naturally, in the
State, but, like all highly favored
countries, the people are less energetic
than those of the middle or up coun-
try. Col. A. K. Mcclure, in writing
of this section, very truly said: 'There
is no.other part of the south where so
little labor will produce so much. h.
In good portion of this section the
soil will average seven feet in depth,
and is practically inexhaustible. Veg
citation is usually checked for not
more than six weeks; seed time and
harvest occur in every month" l
have seen a second crop OF pears hang
ing from the trees in Berkeley county
during the present month over half
matured, and had it not been for the
severe storm that has just visited us,
I am sure ere this they would have
been redy for shipment to the northern
markets. Olives, oranges, bananas,
figs and all tropical fruits may be had
here, with vegetables Dearly all the
year round. The most important
crops of this section are the rice and
sea island cotton crops. Great mum.
bers OF the old rice plantations were
abandoned during the war and are
now grown up and abound in all
kinds of game, and are being convert
ed into game preserves for our MILL
ionaires.
Here will be found the negro in his
original state, as happy as thoug d he
were in the Garden Of Eden, speaking
his own language, and contented to
live on what dame nature so gener-
ously provides, and many million
aire would envy him did he but know
his bill of fare. On recent hunt in
this section a party of gentlemen de-
voted one day to their ability to pro-
vide food with gun and canoe. They
were in Berkeley county, near Cape
Roman. Arising st o'clock a. m.
they took the canoe and went off into
the marshes, and returned at 8
o'clock for breakfast with SO mallard
ducks. After breakfast the hounds
were turned in the deer drives and
they returned to lunch with three
handsome deer and four wild turkeys.
After lunch, ut Q o'clock, a trip was
made to the saipe bogs, and returning
to dinner at o'clock they counted II
woodcock, q snipe and two marsh
hens. A negro had been given half
dollar, and he returned from the
Owendah river with three barrels OF
oysters and a basket of mullet. After
dinntr coon hunt was arranged, and
before 10 o'clock our party returned
with four raccoons and two opossums.
Every negro raises his rice, corn and
potatoes by 81 mply planting; them, as
nature Goes the rest. Verify, this IS the
land of milk s.nd honey. The pastures
are ever greea, and hogs and cattle
are fed only to keep them tame. These
lands can be bought from 81 to 81 per
acre, and the pine ridge is as healthy as
the PiedmcnE section. No country
possesses gres.ter natural facilities for
producing grasses, hay and live stock,
and their products of meat, butter
and milk.
This is also the home OF the dla-
mondback terrapin, so toothsonae to
the epicure. The development OF
Port Royal. will soon make this the
garden spot of the world. This Sec
ton is also rich with phosphate de-
posits. South Carolina, with these
phosphatic deposits, manufactures
more fertilizers than any other State.
It Will thus be seen that one taking
the train in the early morning at
Charleston or Port Royal, arrives at Co.
lumbia II and at Spartanburg at 3, hav
ing breaktasted in the tropics, lunched
| in the plains and dined on the highest
peaks east of the Rockies.
The taxes in South Carolina are
lower than any in the Union. We
spend more for education in proper.
| ton to our wealth than any people in
the Union. Our State debt is about
S., 500, ,OCO, refunded at IL per cent,
and is being decreased every year by a
sinking fund. Our farmers, although
severely oppressed by low prices, are
making no debts and decreasing their
old ones. In 1890 the per capita debt
of the State was $11.55; today it is less
than 81, reduction in less than six
years of 64 per cent.
In 1890 the taxable property of the