The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-01
Topics in Variety.


Georgia Peaches.-J. H. Hale, the
Fort Valley peach grower, in recent
letter to the Fruit Trade Journal es-
Inmates that there will be little more
than a fourth of a crop this season.
Last year his crop, which was consid-
cred only half a crop amounted to 100
carloads. Sixty or seventy carloads is
all he expects to get this year. Other
peach shippers estimate that there will
be about third of a full crop. All
agree that the fruit promises to be
larger and finer this year, however.
The North Georgia crop promises to be
little or nothing The Middle Georgia
peach harvest win be at its highest be-
tween June 20 and July 10.
Georgia Horses.-The Department of
Agriculture in its estimates for jan
uary, 1903, credits Georgia with the
possession of something over 10000
horses. Few, perhaps, are aware of
the interest being manifested in horse
raising in some sections of Georgia.
Some counties are going right ahead in
the production of horses and many of
them fine blooded horses. too-horses
entitled to register and possessing as
good blood as can be found anywhere
in the country. A few years from now
we win hear something from the colts
now prancing about the pasture of Put
nam and Baldwin counties. The young
white farmers of Georgia are coming
to understand better than ever that
they can make as good crops with
mares as with mules and that colt
can be raised as easy as not and with
very little expense at the same time.
i III.
pleasure in contemplating the POSSIBLE
ity of our young farmers very largely
replacing mules with good brood mares
for the ordinary work of the farm we
have at the same time recognized that
still another substitution could be APP
propriately made and still at the ex-
pense of the poor hybrid that has been
so long a characteristic of Southern
farming. Some years ago we came TO
think this way about it-what with
good mares and good oxen we would do
away with the mule al least to very
considerable extent. We have almost
come 10 that condition of mind in re-
gard to the mule that is credited to
john Randolph (was it not hep in re-
spect TO sheep. He would go out of
his way a mile to kick a sheep" is
somewhere recorded of him. We feel
pretty much that way about the mule.
He has become a blot upon the great
picture of our Southern farm life. We
would kick him out OF it-if we dared.
Let the grandees of Spain drive him
-in-hand If they will, let his image
be an idol to the heathens in far off
lands; let him plod his way deep-down
in mines where no sunlight is; let him
be the joy and pride of Africa for all
time, but, o. spirit of progress, let him
cease TO be center figure in our
Southern landscape. Surely he was
primarily designed for the especial
use of the sons of Ham.
1t is something to be wondered at
that the OK should be so long neglect
ed. as a farm work animal in the South
We believe that mere pride of appear
ance has had much to do with it. The
young farmer, poor as he might be in
starting out to lay the foundations OF
fortune on the proverbial forty acres,
could not tolerate the idea of ploying
with steer" or even a pair of them.
And yet quick-stepping pair of oxen,
costing less than a mule by a great
deal to begin with; costing less for
maintenance, and finally when too old
for good work worth more than the
first cost for beef. will do more profta-
BILE work than the finest $500 mule that
the farmer might buy. Revolutions in
farm methods are not made in a day
or a decade, but we have no doubt the
day is not very far off when the mule
will not cut the figure in Southern farm
work that he has done for so many
years and much to the detriment of
true farm progress. AS our friend,
Martel of Downup, says, The slave
negro and the mule were logical Sc
quences one of the other 1t was an
unavoidable combination"
Upland Rice.-Of nearly a score of
little side crops that our Southern
farmers can use TO very great advan-
tage in their laudable effort TO grow
more of those things that they consume
upland rice is probably one of the
most valuable. As bread food it is I'M
equaled and its use seems to be stead
lily increasing. There was a time in
the not very far-off past when there
was very little rice used in Georgia
any distance from the coast. Now, a
majority of families use it more or less
and IL is first article of the retail
trade. II is an economical food, and
is OF easy preparation for the table.
There is no crop more readily grown
when good seeds are sown at the prop
or time and on soil that is suited 10
It.. The only serious obstacle to be met
with IS getting the grain hulled where
one IS not handy to a mill II this
difficulty could be removed so that
small growers could cheaply hull their
own grains no doubt II would not be
long before nearly every farmer would
raise his own rice. Under good culture
more rice than the average family
could consume can be grown on a half
acre or even less
The best way 10 SOW Is Ia drills
twenty-f0ur or thirty inches apart,
ueinG four 20 six peclIg Of seeds. ac-
r0foiug 10 their quality and distance
~ ihe rows. The time 10 SOW Is early
OBJ me fpfiEg az soon az severe wealth
~ Us over To March or April. as the
ease may BE-. Some have made profit
able crops from sowing az late as june.
~ late sowing - p0t ~ DO risked II