Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-11
BIG FARMS IN GEORGIA
Remarkable Success Of Col.
Smith of 0gIethorpe County.
BEGAN WITH A SINGLE MULE
Estate Now Covers Thirty Square
Miles of Land.
STORY OF HEROIC NANCY HART
How the British Marauders Were
Outwitted-Discovery Of Anes-
thesia and First Operation.
STORY OF HEROIC NANCY HAIR
By WILLIAM f. CURTIS


5000 acres in one body, is the property
of James NJ. Smith of Oglethorpe county.
| and the fame of Col Smith as a farmer
has spread throughout the south and IL
illustrates what can be done on the aver
age Georgia land.
Returning from service in the Confed-
crate army at the close of hostilities in
1865, Col Smith began farming on
few acres of poor land. with but a single
mule to aid him in the work. and HIM
self between the pillow handles. After
laying by" his crop each year. in the
| late summer Col. Smith, driving the same
mule, peddled tnware and other commod-
| tiles about the country. Upon one Of his
annual trips he displayed his wares to
wealthy neighbor who not only refused
| to purchase but, with q mistaken idea
| that Col Smith had ingloriously aban-
doned the field of agriculture reproached
| him with leaving such noble calling
and pursuing the life Of peddler.
| Give me time" answered Col. Smith.
land I will own q calf pasture as large
| as your entire farm"
Twenty years later Col. Smith enter
| tanned his neighbors at barbecue. and
| among the guests was his former critic.
After dinner the assembled friends stroll
ed over the farm. viewed the fields with
their promise of plenty. admired the herd
of thoroughbred registered cattle and
| finally stopped at the gate to the calf
pasture. Turning to the friend who had
| once SO misunderstood his purpose. the
| colonel remarked:
Il believe you farm so many acres?"
Yes. that is correct answered his
friend.
THAT is exactly the size of this calf
pasture remarked Col. Smith.
Mixes Brains With His Work.
Col. Smith has not disdained to read all
the reputable writer's on agriculture and
follow their advice whenever it appeared
to suit his condition and environment. BY
studying the soil and supplying necessary
| and proper elements of plant food by the
diversifcation and rotation Of crops-in
| other words, mixing brains with the work
| of his hands and personal supervision of
every operation-Col Smith has year by
year added to his wealth and possessions
until his ''one-mule farm of 1866 now
| covers thirty square miles of land and
gives employment to 1870 men. women
| and children
For years this farm has made an aver
| age of 30 bushels of corn, 20 bushels of
wheat and 1,23O pounds of seed cotton
per acre.
For many years Col Smith has kept a
| herd of 800 head of cattle, which, on ac-
count Of the mildness of the winters he
has only to feed for some three to four
months. and then only on cotton seed
| hulls and meal mixed with forage raised
on the place. pasturing the herd eight to
nine months of every year. He sends to
market about 100 head of cattle per an
mum without diminishing his herd. The
| cooners dairy herd numbers from IS to
100 head of Jerseys. Devons and Hol-
stems. some of pure blood and others Of
grades. These cows produce each year
| from 2OWO to 5000 pounds Of butter,
| bringing 70 to % cents per pound, whole
sale. The cattle serve a double purpose
| on the Smith farm. He pastures them in
ing frequently, and every month or so
! turning the land. Thus he enriches his
SOIL and from several hundred acres
makes 50 to 40 bushels Of wheat per acre
bales of cotton per acre, or 20 to 20
bushels Of corn per acre.
Nothing Overlooked.
| Col. Smith overlooks nothing With
| agriculture in a large scale he combines
manufacturing. and turns the raw ma
terial produced from his soil into valu-
able manufactured products by means Of
| steam ginneries. oil mill and fertilizer
| factory saw mill cuts the timber for
various uses about the place, a brick
yard turns out the brick and a wagon
| factory and complete carpenter shop.
manned by men who learned their trade
on the place supplies everything of that
character required. private railroad
| seventeen miles in length reaches every
section of the farm and hauls the raw
material to the various mills and work
shops and the finished product to the
outside shipping station, as we'll as haul
| ing the laborers to and from the planta-
| ton village, called Smithsonia, to their
| work.
| The plantation Is thoroughly equipped
with good buildings-three, four, five. six,
seven and eight room dwellings. With
barns. stables. cotton houses brick
| warehouses, ginhouses and cotton seed
houses, Col Smith says it would cost
S1OO.OOO to replace them.
| Col Smith says regarding the products
| OF the farm:
II raise annually about 25.O0O bales
of cotton. 10000 bushels Of corn. 10000
| bushels of oats and 5000 to 500 bushels
of wheat. besides the usual forage crops,
melons and various other things too tedi-
| Gus to mention. and II 1 wanted to tenant
the place it would bring in rental5 any
/ where from $4,000 to $4,000 per year.
On one field of $50 acres / produced last
| year 223 bales OF cotton. The field was
nearly ruined by a hail storm in July,
i otherwise l believe l would have made
800 bales easily
!! In addition to the crops enumerated
| above Col Smith markets each year
Il $4,000 gallons Of cotton seed oil, 1000
tons OF fertilizer. 100000 pounds OF lat
cattle and quantity Of home-cured hams
and bacon.
| Nancy Hart, the Georgia Heroine.