Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-05


and a garden to each house Part of the
garden work will he done by the
general plantation force, but the tenants
viii be required to do necessary work to
raise supply of Vegeta bles for their own
use.
To Provide Amusenents.
I'VE are planning a combination church
and schoolhouse, and viii engage a negro
preacher and negro teachers for the folk
on the plantation. There will be about
$50 workers | have encouraged the form
alton of competing baseball teams among
the younger negroes, too and every Satur-
day afternoon they play for prizes given
by the management
In the future we expect to plant 600
acres in pecan trees continued Mr. Bag
ley. we shall divide this into flve-acre
tracts and sell to bona fide settlers. A
hve-acre pecan orchard will support a
family i'll comfort"
Mr.. Bagley is confident of a success
from a businessike mana cement of q
plantation. But then he has been used
to success since he was II years old. He
was born near Americas, graduated from
Mercer at II, the youngest in his class.
and assumed entire charge of big plan
tation when his father, Daniel S. Bagley,
Aith Ailt ilCAI year " men ne was Il ne
attracted the attention of Samuel IL.
Hawkins. one Of the great fnanciers OF
south Georgia. and was made cashier of
a well known banE Then began the ia
nous fight between Americas and the
Central Of Georgia railroad.
The Sumter county representa- ves in
the legislature were lighting for rail
road commission. and the roads were bit
ter against the move. The Central began
q campaign Of retaliation against Ameri-
Gus. 1t took the name Of the town off It's
schedules and referred to it as mo. 91s.'
and began building network of roads
around the town TO cut off all wagon
trade and wipe Americus off the map.
Colonel Hawkins and Mr. Bagley began
to fight for their town-and won Thcy
built the Savannah, Amcricus and Mont
gomery railroad, now a part of the Sea
board, and kept Americas from being bot
tied up.
Railroad a Success.
Henry Clay Bagley was Just q then.
bur he was made president of the Ameri-
Gus Investment Company, which financed
the road and developed real estate hold
ings. At the end of two years it had
cleared half a million dollars and paid a
100 per cent dividend.
N"H WI dBl"N VINO lalQ out the
town of Cordele and named it for Colonel
Hawkins daughter, Cordelia. Then a
the junction of the new road and the
Southern he laid out and developed an
other town, called Helena, in honor of
Mr. Bagley's youngest daughter. Helen.
now Mrs. Z. c. McDuffie. of Atlanta Both
towns are thriving and succeeding.
In 1893 Mr. Bagley came to Atlanta and
became cashier Of the Maddox Rucker
Banking Company, now tine American
National bank Two years later he en-
tered the life insurance business becom-
ing general agent Of the Penn Mutual
Now he is senior member Of the firm Of
Bagley & Willet, of Atlanta. and Baglev
Willet q Paine. of Macon, general agents
Of that company
But through all his other operations Mr.
Bagcy never lost interest in farming
His visits to his plantations are to him
what vacation trips to the seashore are
to most men. lie loves outdoors and the
soil.
For many years he owned the farrous
BaEley plantation near Americas, a , 900
acre tract. Most Of this was bought al
from go to SO an acre. He sold the prop
erty last year at $50 an acre Several
years ago he became interested in the de-
VelOpment OF great tract in Macon coun-
ty, part of it within the limits OF the town
u D6lelHolpti ana ms success with this
plantation led him to project his corpor-
alton plan for further developing its re-
sources. lie expects to bring out of this
tract all that experience and careful study
can do. For Henry Clay Bagley is thai
rare combination in agricuture-a man
with actual farming experience natural
ability. scientific knowledge of soils and
plant life aud tho capital TO carry out his
ideas. II there's any money in farming
it ought to spring from his plows.