The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-04-06
HISTORICAL DATA
IN new YEARBOOK
AGRICULTURAL EVOLUTION
is FULL OF INTEREST
State Publication Offers Many Hints
to Student of South Carolina
Economics.

State PubIicltIOn UnerS Many hlhI'
to Student of South Carolina
Economics.
The Yearbook for 1914, issued b.
tie State department Of agriculture
commerce and industries, contains
number of interesting notes on the
3istory CT agriculture in South Caro-
lima. Some of these suggest inquire;
which might we'll be made the basis
o. monographs Studies in history IN
the schools and colleges of tbs re-
gion have been too exclusively con-
fined to the political and military
! fields. 1:ere is a vast amount Of Tir-
gin material available to him who
looks into the economic history OF
the State. Especially worth while
would be an investigation Of e eTo-
luton Of agriculture An illiminat-
ing and useful essay mignt be written
! for example, upon the farm practice
and the household arts carried on
under the capable direction of Eliza
Lucas. Another paper might dea'
with the propaganda suggested by
Thomas Jefferson for the growing
f.ereabouts of the olive, the almond
and tle castor beam
Among the notes in the current edl-
ton of The Yearbook are the follow
ing:
"Diversifcation and rotation" the
commissioner points out, "have been
urged upon South Carolinians since
1926.
Deep Flowing Distrusted.
There was time when there was
actually controversy over tie bene-
| fits Of deep plowing. Horace
Greeley declared that the suspicion
cast upon this innovation cost the
South in one year million bushels
of corn"
"This department has witnessed
with pleasure the growing interest in
the cultivation of sorghum and rib
bon cane, not only for forage, but for
tie manufacture OF syrup. 1t is only
one step, and quite an easy one, from
syrup to sugar. The late Joan Alex
ander, of Columbia, made a centrifugal
mill at price within the means OF
any farmer and it is natural to sup
pose that almost any machine shop
in the State today could make them
for farm USE"
Or. Junius Smith was successful
in growing tea in upper South Caro-
lima ten years before the war between
| t e sections; tie only reason why ne
did not continue it upon larger scale
being the matter o. the cost Of labor.
The Yearbook quotes from Tou-
mey's Geology of South Carolina
I1S4S, an account of indigo culture in
this State, written by the late Thomas
w. Glover, of Orangeburg. Ine in
quiry is suggested by the commits
sioner whether, if Europe shall be a
war for a long time, tie planting o
indigo might not proftably be revived
in the South.
HerbemOnt of Columbia.
| n. Herbemont, a viticulturist, o
Columbia, is quoted as urging on tn
notice of his fellow citizens the i'm
portance of a more scientific practic'
in farm management. 1t is pit!
that some adequate biography of MI
Herbemont is not extant. His Letters
to the American Agriculturist am
other journals prove him possessed o
respectable learning as well as Of en-
terprise and foresight in horticulture
An interesting letter, cited in tn
! report, is that of Col. William Haz
zard, dated st. Simon, F'enruary 20
1928. Every individual" the write
insisted, should provide land to pro
duce grain, pulse and roots for hi
personal and plantation uses"
'In 1910, there was quite a contro
very over the matter of seed (corn
selection between Jonn Taylor, o
South Carolina, and ''the famous farm
er of New Jersey, Jsepoa Cooper"
iTl1e steam plow, says The Yearbook
is a Southern invention, "having bee:
patented in 1888 by E. c. Bellingel
of this State. His gang ploW is prac
tically the same as that in use today.
"The Cashmere goat was introduce
into this State by DR.. ]. B. Davis i
1S49."
edmund Rufin, of Virginia, VII
was connected WITH the first geologi
cal survey of t.is State, in 1S4S, spok
in several Southern States, urging t.