SOLON ROBINSON, 1851 481 



justice of Oglethorpe county, once considered one of the 

 best cotton growing counties in the state. But forty or 

 fifty years of hard skinning, will bring the hide off of 

 anything that ever fell into the hands of such hard task- 

 ers of the fertility of soil as these cotton-growing, land- 

 destroying people. However, there have been made 

 within the last year or two, some of the best kind of 

 crops, upon the very spots heretofore neglected as worn 

 out. 



Ex-Governor Gilmer. — I spent a pleasant day or two 

 with this intelligent, social specimen of southern hospi- 

 tality, embodied in an intelligent gentleman, alive to the 

 spirit and necessity of agricultural improvement. One 

 of the favorite amusements of this gentleman has been 

 to collect a large quantity of rare minerals, principally 

 from the hills and mountains of Georgia. His rooms 

 and grounds are full of matter to instruct and interest 

 visitors, and his library is stored with a great collection 

 of valuable works. But he has not forgotten the improve- 

 ment of the soil. Here I found a field of fine grass, and 

 a barn in which to store the hay and feed the stock. He 

 has fully demonstrated that grass will grow in Georgia. 

 One remarkable feature in the farming operations of 

 Governor Gilmer is, he never grew a bale of cotton. 



Hoiv to Grow Cabbage. — His plan is worthy of note. 

 He sows the seed about the first of April, and lets it 

 grow in the bed, long, spindling plants, until the last of 

 July or first of August, and then sets them out in deep- 

 dug holes, well manured, when the ground is wet, cover- 

 ing up all the stalk except the bud, and then he is sure 

 to have good heads for winter. The holes should be dug 

 and well-rotted manure laid by them, so all will become 

 soaking wet, in a shower, when the manure is hauled in 

 with some dirt, and the roots of the plant placed on it 

 just so high that the bud will be even with the top of 

 the surrounding earth after the hole is filled with the 

 soil, or other rich dirt. 



Price of Land. — Mr. Shackleford, an intelligent lawyer 



