The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-05-17

A Former Sumter County Farmer
Writes Interestingly of Conditions
I'm His New Home.

| Ill his new Home.
Thomasville, Ga, May 12.-As we
are having a fine rain this morning,
the first we have had for some time
of any consequence, I will write a
few lines for the Watchman, hoping
it will be Of some interest to its read
ers and my friends in Sumter and the
surrounding country for whom / have
q warm place in my heart. Although
separated from Sumter 1t Is not for
gotten. The Watchman reaches us
regularly on Thursday and Monday
and Is always welcomed with pleas
ure, though sometimes the news 1t
brings Is sad, as we read Of the death
Of some friend or OF the illness of
someone we know. but such Is life.
We have had very dry weather for
some time here and not many farm
ers have stands Of cotton. Corn crops
are doing fine, as is also the melon
crop. which Is large and LOOKING well.
The vines are blooming and some
young melons are on them. The su-
gar cane crop is also large and prom
ising. The oat crop Is not as good
as was expected. For a while the
crops took rust and are not so good.
The corn crop was very short here
last year. as we'll as everything else
and the grain and hay dealers can
hardly get it here to sell, so great is
the demand.
The short crops last year have
made labor more plentiful and re-
duced prices. I have all the labor this
year / have any use for. The turpen-
tine men are having it hard this year.
Prices are low and there is little de.
mand for their products One OF
them told me few days ago he had
been in the turpentine business all his
life and this was the hardest time
now with them he had ever seen. But
think it Is blessing. for they had
ruined the price Of labor here by Civ.
ing such big wages. The farmers
could not compete with them, but this
year l don't hear Of any scarcity OF
labor at all. This IS O fine country. II
We can just manage the labor. foi
there is not a day in the year that a
man cannot have something growing
for sale and there is a good market.
Our northern tourists, most of them
have gone back north. They certainly
have fine homes and spend lots OF
money here. Some Of them say they
can't spend their income. We find
some of them very clever people We
had some living near us. from In
diana. who we have found to be ex-
cellent neighbors. They left last
week. They have a fine home here.
They say they have found our people
down here SO much nicer than they
expected to find them, but l will say
right here, IL any one thinks the
Georgia Crackers" a bad set, l ask
them to come out here in our com
munity and 1 will show them a lot OF
as nice people as can be found any
where. which I don't say for every
community
Thomasville has gone wild over
baseball this season. They have
named their team THE Hornets
and they played the first game on the
Thomasville baseball ground last
Monday. The Thomasville band fur
nished the music and something
over 1900 of Thomasvile's people
witnessed the game Thomasville
played Valdosta and the game was
3 to in favor of Thomasville. The
Hornets seem to be doing u lot of
stinging wherever they go. The
town is very proud Of its team.
Well, Mr.. Editor, watermelons and
ctantalopes will soon be in season
here and YOU and any Of my good
friends have standing invitation to
visit us at any time. l wish more of
your correspondents would write Of
tener.
Best wishes TO all the readers OF
the Watchman.