Jackson County GaArchives History .....History of Harmony Grove-Commerce, Chapter 8 1949 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 August 21, 2004, 6:05 pm CHAPTER VIII AGRICULTURAL BACKGROUND AND INFLUENCE OF FOUR-COUNTY FAIR The vicinity of Harmony Grove, with the territory of Jackson, Banks, Madison, and part of Franklin Counties, was noted for its agricultural production. This surrounding country produced all kinds of farm products that are grown in this part of the State. Chief among which are cotton, corn, wheat, oats, hay, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum and other minor crops. In fact, for the last hundred years the agricultural products have been the chief resource of this town and community. Before the Civil War and just following, there were a number of cotton gins run by horse power, later by steam engines. Beginning around 1880 and for more than thirty years Harmony Grove flourished as a cotton market, receiving cotton from the four counties mentioned above and paying the top prices for this commodity. Among the merchants buying cotton during this period may be mentioned C. W. Hood and Son, succeeded by Anderson & Mann, and later W. D. Mann. Power and Williford for quite a number of years was the largest buyer of cotton in this section. Others were W. T. Harber and Brother, C. D. Stark, Sheppard, Davis, and Nix and later L. L. and V. L. Davis and C. L. Tucker and many other buyers not mentioned. The volume of cotton increased steadily from 1883 to around 1900. The largest receipts were about 23,000 bales for one season. Later, these receipts varied from time to time, ranging from 12,000 to 18,000 bales. When the boll weevil struck this section in 1921 receipts were reduced to about 7000 bales. After the dry year of 1925, the boll weevil has not been so destructive. The weevil has been more or less controlled and the crop has returned to normal, receipts varying according to the season and production. The corn, oats, and wheat crop, while they have been usually sufficient to sustain the population, have not been to a large extent placed upon the market. With the invention and introduction of modern machinery there has been in re-cent years considerable marketing of wheat, oats and hay and this bids fair to increase. The primitive way of sowing, reaping and threshing the wheat and oats was by the old fashioned six-fingered scythe-cradle and what was known as the "ground hog thrash" which was drawn by horses. The grain was broadcast by hand. This was a crude method but served the purpose. This was followed by the steam engine and travelling separator usually drawn by oxen or mules. The customers furnished meals for hands and feed for stock. There were usually 10 or 12 hands and four head of stock. The men slept on straw piles at night. The binders for harvesting and the steam tractor which carried the separators with self feeders and straw stackers came into use about 1895. These have been superseded by the combine which cuts, threshes and sacks the grain in one operation. No considerable amount of vegetables have been grown for our market. For two or three years during the boll weevil devastation, experiments were made in growing vegetables for market, such as beans, potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers, but with very little success. However, the surrounding territory produces sufficient vegetables and fruits for its own use and for local markets as well as a plentiful supply of cantaloupes and watermelons. This section around Commerce is well adapted for growing apples and peaches. Formerly, apples and peaches were only grown to a limited extent and not for commercial market. For the past thirty years, the peach industry has been successfully carried on. C. J. Hood was the pioneer in this line. Later, W. B. Hardman, L. G. Hardman, L. J. Sharp, Clayton Colquitt, Willie Colquitt and Colquitt Simms, Miss Annie Hawkins, Allen Tucker and B. Wilson, C. W. Hood, Jr., Sam Hood, L. G. Hardman, Jr., E. C. Stark and W. P. and W. N. Harden entered the business. These are the principal ones who operate commercial orchards. The shipments for the last twenty years have ranged from 100 to 400 cars. In some instances, these have been profitable to the producers. Usually the medium crop, from 200 to 300 cars, have been more profitable to the growers than the larger crops. Following the period of the Civil War quite a number of Harmony Grove citizens kept flocks of sheep before the stock law went into effect, when the animals ran at large. Every farmer had his mark for the identification of his particular sheep. His mark consisted of various ways of clipping the ears, bobbing the tail or leaving the tail long. The ear marks were known as the crap, the over-bit, the under-bit and the swallow fork. After the stock law was adopted pastures were made and fenced in for the enclosure of the sheep as well as the cattle. Sheep were grown principally for their wool. They were usually sheared twice a year, about April and August. In, the early days the shearing of the sheep was an interesting event for the boys. The flock was driven into an enclosure. In a stall was placed some plank on which the sheep were shorn. The hind legs were tied together and fastened to the logs and the shearer used the old fashion hand shears while the small boy held down the sheep's head and front feet. The wool was rolled into a hamper basket. If the skin of the sheep was clipped by accident, there was quite a scrambling and jumping. The boy had some job to hold the head and feet of the sheep. At the spring shearing the lambs were brought in and marked in accordance with the owner's mark. There are at present in this community only two or three flocks. During the early period the wool was carded and prepared for use locally, but in late years it has been sold to buyers in Kentucky. The first dairy, known as the Bermuda Dairy, was established in 189o by W. L. Williamson. This dairy furnished milk to the people of Harmony Grove and shipped butter to L. W. Rogers of Atlanta. The herd consisted of 50 to 60 cows and produced butter to the amount of 300 to 500 pounds a week. After the Williamson dairy was discontinued, J. B. Hard-man went into the dairy business with a select herd of Jersey cattle. The Sunny Crest Dairy had a wide reputation, both local and national, because of the grade and of the type of the herd. Mr. Hardman attended the annual conventions of the National Dairy Association and was recognized by election to an official position in the organization. This dairy is still in operation under the name of Sunny Crest Farm, and is operated by W. L. Wells. A notable experiment, the Four County Fair, was inaugurated by the citizens of Commerce in 1911. It had for its purpose the encouragement of agricultural interest in the surrounding section. A large fair ground and a commodious building was constructed on the Hood property just below the end of Pine Street. The four counties of Jackson, Banks, Madison, and Franklin were invited to participate and to furnish agricultural and livestock exhibits and home canning products, each contesting for prizes. Carnivals, side-shows, and other attractions were provided and enjoyed especially by the young people. These occasions attracted large numbers of people, not only from these four counties, but also from other sections of the state. This was carried on from 1911 to 1915. These fairs stimulated in a good way the agricultural interest of the surrounding country but with little profit to the promoters. However all received the amount invested with a small dividend. COTTON BUYERS Among those who represented out of town cotton factors in the days of Harmony Grove and early Commerce were the following: Tom Vickery W. D. Beacham Red Cohen Louis Cannon J. B. Boyd Mr. Upshaw C. A. Goodin Isaac Johnson Tom Dunn H. C. Poullain THE DROUTH OF 1925 The drouth of this year, 1925, was the most severe in the history of this section. There was ho rain from the early part of June to November the first. No corn was made except a little from very early planting and only a very small crop of cotton. The result was that the fertilizer under crops was not utilized and the wheat and oats planted in the fall made the largest yield per acre in 1926 ever produced in this section. The average wheat yield was twenty-five to forty bushels per acre on ordinary land. It was just like giving the land a year's rest. This severe drouth extended only from the northern part of South Carolina and throughout middle Georgia into Alabama. The branches and creeks were dried up and the rivers were only the size of small branches. The farmers were in desperate need for feed for the next year. Some few cars of corn were contributed by South Georgia farmers for this relief. The result of this drouth was the practical elimination of the boll weevil and the largest average cotton yield per acre for the next three years for which the farmer received a good price. The following year, 1926, appeared the flea on the cotton which prevented its fruiting until August, September and October. This was a mild winter and most of the cotton crop was gathered after Christmas and in the spring as late as April. Additional Comments: From HISTORY OF HARMONY GROVE - COMMERCE JACKSON COUNTY, GEORGIA BY THOMAS COLQUITT HARDMAN 1810-1949 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/jackson/history/other/gms156historyo.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 9.9 Kb