The Washington times., 1903-07-06
SIR THOMAS Upton
GEORGIA LAND OWNER
Has Bought Large Tracts
for Cultivation.
ANOTHER GREAT ENTERPRISE
Win Raise Vegetables and Fruits for
London Market and Ship Them in
Own Line of Steamers.

Sir Thomas Upton has become the
owner Of large tracts Of land in Georgia.
II Is his intention TO raise vegetables
and small fruits for the London market.
To insure the complete success Of that
venture In some one of the many famous
ports where great ships take on their
immense bulk and completeness work
men are now laying the keels OF huge
steamers equipped with cold storage
plants. In the future these steamers
laden with the products OF Sir Thomas
Liptons American plantations, will sail
direct from the nearest port in Georgia
to the London docks
Venture Promises Success.
Those conversant with the success OF
this enterprising Englishman in supply
ing the world with tea from his pos
sessions in Ceylon will readily believe
in the future of his latest venture In the
business world. Those who have
travelled and have learned by experience
of the limited supply of fresh vegetables
and fruit even on hotel tables in many
cities of Europe will realize how great
will be the benefit to the people of Eng
land especially to the members of the
poorer classes, when the ships of Sir
Thomas Upton carry to the London mar
vegetables and fruit from the fertile
lands Of Georgia.
In London. in even frst-class res
taurants and hotels. the diner is Obliged
to pay shilling for a peach or pear,
carefully wrapped in tissue paper. and
in whatever condition The very wealthy
have their tables supplied from the hot
house gardens and orchards of their
estate, but even those who are called
OF the middle classes have on their
tables what in America would be con-
sidered very small proportion of fresh
vegetables and fruit.
Present to Queen Victoria.
Several years ago a group of enter
prising fruit growers OF California sent
direct to Queen Victoria a carload of
selected fruit which was taken from New
York In compartment OF a meat refrig-
orator OF an Atlantic steamer. In the
letter of thanks which the gracious SOW
ereign OF England had sent to the Cali
fornians she expressed the hope that
before long all her people might be able
10 enjoy fresh products Of the garden
and orchards of America
The land purchased by Sir Thomas Is
In region renowned in all the history
OF Georgia. From the earliest settle
ments there the land was cultivated. be-
cause Il possesses great and peculiar
agricultural advantages His land ad-
Joins the most famous old plantation in
! Georgia. the Copper plantation Streams
| which are affected by the tidewaters o.
the Gulf give to large region thos,
peculiar agricultural advantages to b.
found nowhere else.
Rich Old Plantation.
AS far back as the earliest DAYS o.
Georgia this region was occupied b.
planters. who added to the natural rich
ness OF the soil by some rude attempts
at Irrigation and drainage-by takfn,
advantage of the tidal variations of tn,
/ rivers.
Many years before the civil war thii
Copper plantation was famed not only II
this country. but in Europe. for its in
/ genious and extensive system of canal,
and dikes. which permitted both III,
drainage and flooding OF these thousand
of acres as the growing crops demanded
So extensive were these artificial water
ways that more than 1000 slaves wer,
I r,lo
a magnificent mansion OF the pures
style of Colonial architecture was tn
home OF the master OF those ! 900 slave
and the owner Of those broad acres ant
miles of canals and hundreds of dixie,
Of the Copper plantation.
In that mansion the old-time Southern
hospitality was dispensed with a large
ness that We'd with the extent Of tn,
plantation. Frederick Braemer. tn,
Swedish traveller. whose book Of travels
in America created much interest. Wis
tied the Copper plantation and gave ,
brilliant description Of the scenes an,
surroundings. its entertainments and n,
people who visited there with her.
Restoring the Place
with the ravages of war and the disin
tegrating effects of time itself. the cx
tensive system OF canals and dikes OF
the Copper and adjoining plantations be
came useless and partially destroyed
The magnificent mansion was in place
crumbling into ruins. and aItogethe
abandoned and neglected. But the ia.
came when some keen business men be
gan to appreciate the wonderful posi-
bilities of agricultural land like that 0
the Copper plantation and others IN tn
neighborhood.
The magnificent old mansion is beial
! rebuilt. and. although no slaves now g
out under the lash of the overseer'
whip 10 tend the dikes, hundreds o
paid workmen have put them in repair
and It is confidently expected that 500
the produce of the restored famous Cou
per plantation will again find it's wa
10 the Northern markets.
Sir Thomas Upton is always a vel