The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-09-17
Letter From Tryon
Mr.. Dabbs Writes Of Weather
and Other Matters Of
Interest

Ter I wrote that the DackDolle W
summer was broken. was mistak-
en-. The cool spell lasted only a
few days, and we had the worst
hot spell Of the season during the
last four or five days of August
and first six days OF September. l
spent from Tuesday until Saturday
il. Sumter county with the ther-
mometer about SO. Although II
was hot up here when l returned
Saturday and staid hot until Wed-
nesday. 70 to sc degrees at TINS
altitude is paradise compared with
80 to 90 in the low country.
For two days nows16 is as hlgn
as the thermometer has gone. we
are needing rain very much ana
have TO be careful to conserve wa
ter as I see several Of the cities anu
towns UP this way have to DO. Fri
day from TO 7 in the evening we
had fine showers, and we were IN
the clouds all night. But we need a
good season to effectively break the
drought. Autumn colors are SHOW
ing prematurely and owing TO the
drought some trees will be bare
before the leaves properly color.
. Judging by the sorghum patches
and cane mills more syrup per lam
ily is made here in the mountains
than in our section. "Wednesday we
saw one Of the noted apple orch-
ards of Saluda, ate of the splendid
fruit, and drank cider made the
dav before The owner is author-
ity on fine apples and his orchard
is the best cultivated and cared for
trac tof land that have seen IN
the mountains. On the high land
the trees are loaded to the break
ing point, % bushels to the tree,
but in the hollows in spite OF the
smudges he kept going the
last cold spell Of spring killed all
the fruit. Then the hail OF 11th
of Nav seemed to have hit every
apple. Otherwise fancy apples
have bad scarss and blemishes
from the hail. He grows clover be-
tween the trees only plowing once
every four years to renew the clov-
er, and sprays five times to control
fungus and insect damage.
His packing house and grading
tables are we'll worth seeing. With
all of the completeness of his ar
rangements. Nh CorWith is presi-
dent OF the Polk County Farmers
Marketing association an'l told :ne
that the association on a bigger
scale can do all this grading and
packing better and cheaper than
he can. Then only choice fruit
will be put on the market in at
tractive packages, the culls going
to cider and vinegar. This does
not mean that Individual growers
NAV shake or thresh their fruit
from the trees and then expect
choice fruit to be made by grad
ing; the same care Will have to be
given to picking and handllnS-but
it means that expert graders and
packers and expert salesmen will
do for the whole community What
no individual can do for himself.
When an expert such as Mr.. Cor
with is in. his line, sees that his
we'll organized system can be i'm
proved, it is surely time for the
average farmer and fruit grower
to surrender his boaSted so-called
independence and fall into line for
connoro tive m q ri: ct iO0
These remarks apply to cotton
farmers and tobacco farmers s.s
we'll as TO truckers and fruit grow
ers. 1 am glad to be up here among
these Polk county farmers who are
putting into practice what l tried
to get Sumter county farmers to
do u years ago. If it takes the
boil weevil to bring our farmers Of
Sumter county to intelligent mar
keting, as, we'll as diversitication
and rotation Of crops, it is not
merely "a blessing in disguise" but
u blessing in the open that can be
seen and appreciated by all men. Z
I know some of my readers
mouths will water" when they
read about the cider, SO I will eX-
plain: I asked particularly how
Mr.. Corwith sold cider without run
ming afoul of the prohibition
statutes: He said he sold cider
only up to four days old, then it
was left to turn to vinegar. That
the authorities had agreed that up
to four days it does not intoXicate.
SO the only way my good friends
who still have a hankering for the
cup that intoXicates could secure
it, would be to buy the sweet cider
and let it stand some days longer.
Well. our household is breaking
up: One has gone to Riner, Va, to
teach high school English and his
tory. Another leaves Monday for
New Haven, Conn, to take a years
course in physical culture, and two
others will soon go to the Unlver-
sirv of South Carolina. one as a
and the other as PRO
lessor of English. Then we old
folk Will gather the loose ends Of
the nuts and late ap-
nles, and hike us back to the pine
lands. the good neighbors and the
hog and hominy" of home. We
hone TO take one or two side trips
before going home when the house
hold is small enough to shut up,
take lunch. and wander away
wherever the spirit moves, feasting
our eyes on the glories Of the
autumn tints, filling our lungs with
the pure air of the mountains and
storing in our memories scenes that
will make easier some dreary work
hours Of the future.