428 



GEORGIA. 



for every 100 ewes, notwithstanding the rav- 

 ages of dogs. The average yield of unwashed 

 wool to the sheep is 3'44 pounds, which, at 

 27$ cents net, gives an average clear income in 

 wool from each sheep of 94 cents. The aver- 

 age price received for lambs sold to the butcher 

 in Georgia is $1.87. The average price of 

 stock sheep is $2.58 per head. The average 

 price of muttons is reported at $2.75 per head. 

 Ninety per cent, of the correspondents report 

 dogs the principal and generally the only ob- 

 stacle to sheep husbandry. The United States 

 census of 1870 gives the number of sheep in 

 Georgia as 419,465. Mr. David Ayers, of Ca- 

 milla, Mitchell County, in southwestern Geor- 

 gia, where snow never falls and the ground 

 seldom freezes, and where the original pine 

 forest is carpeted with native grass, saya his 

 sheep 3,500 in number cost him annually 14 

 cents per head, clip 3 pounds of unwashed 

 wool, which sells at 30 cents per pound, giving 

 a clear profit of 90 per cent, on the money and 

 labor invested in sheep. He does not feed his 

 sheep at any time during the year, neither has 

 he introduced the improved breeds, using only 

 what is known as the native sheep. He com- 

 plains of the ravages of dogs on the sheep, and 

 of hogs and eagles on lambs. Mr. Robert 0. 

 Humber, of Putnam County, in middle Geor- 

 gia, furnishes some interesting facts from his 

 experience in sheep-raising as a factor of mixed 

 husbandry, in which the famous and much- 

 dreaded Bermuda grass is utilized. He keeps 

 138 sheep of the cross between the merino and 

 the common stock. He says they cost " no- 

 thing except the salt they eat," while they pay 

 100 per cent, on the investment, in mutton, 

 lambs, and wool. They yield an average of 3 

 pounds of wool per head, which he sells at the 

 very low price of 25 cents less than the mar- 

 ket price. It costs him nothing except the 

 shearing. His sheep range on Bermuda-grass 

 old fields in summer, and the plantation at 

 large, embracing the fields from which the 

 crops have been gathered and the cane- bottoms 

 in winter. They are never fed at any season. 

 There are thousands of acres of land in the 

 State suitable for the manufacture of turpen- 

 tine, which can be purchased for one dollar per 

 acre. The following facts embrace the whole 

 subject of its manufacture : Any number of 

 pine-trees tapped are called an orchard. Ten 

 to ten and a half thousand trees tapped are 

 called a crop. One to three boxes are cut into 

 every tree within one or two feet from the 

 ground. Seventy-five trees will usually aver- 

 age 100 boxes. One and a quarter to one and 

 a half cent is paid for cutting each box. One 

 man can scrape in one week the trees of one 

 crop. One man can gather in one week the 

 rosin of two crops. A season lasts seven to 

 seven and a half months. Trees are generally 

 used three successive seasons, though some- 

 times longer. Where trees are plenty they are 

 by preference used but one season, the virgin 

 turpentine being considered the best. The 



first season the rosin is gathered every four 

 weeks; after that every six weeks. Five thou- 

 sand boxes average daily during the season 

 one barrel of rosin of 280 pounds, including the 

 weight of the barrel, and 6 to 6 gallons of 

 turpentine of about 6 pounds each. Eighty 

 men employed in all will produce daily 60 bar, 

 rels rosin and 360 gallons turpentine. Turpen- 

 tine was worth in 1879 26 cents per gallon in 

 Savannah, and it sold as high as 60 cents per 

 gallon in 1875 and 1876 without having cost 

 any more to produce it. Rosin varied in 1879 

 from $1.10 to $4 per barrel, the lightest col- 

 ored and freest from turpentine being the best. 

 Distilling it too long darkens the rosin. Rosin 

 generally pays all the expenses of manufacture, 

 leaving the spirits of turpentine clear profit. 

 New oak barrels for turpentine cost in New 

 York $1.35, and delivered in Savannah about 

 $1.85 each; old ones are cheaper but less use- 

 ful, as they sell poorer when filled. Rough 

 pine barrels for rosin are made near the tur- 

 pentine distilleries. Distillers sometimes buy 

 and sometimes lease pine lands. The estab- 

 lishment of a turpentine still is not very expen- 

 sive. Laborers about stills got 75 cents per 

 day often less. Tapping trees retards their 

 growth often even kills them, and decreases 

 largely the value of lumber made of them. 



The progress of 'gold-mining in the State 

 within the last few years has been rapid. It 

 was somewhat stimulated by the developments 

 of the geological survey. In 1874 there were 

 only four gold-mills in the State, and the total 

 yield was- about $40,000. In 1879 there were 

 46 mills, and the yield was over $500,000. 

 These mills cost $10,000 each, which gives a 

 total of about $500,000 invested in machinery 

 alone, against $40,000 five years ago. The 

 gold-belt has been defined, and it is estimated 

 that the increase in its value has not been less 

 than $40,000,000. The following facts are stated 

 among other results of the geological survey : 



The calling of attention to the marl-pits in the east- 

 ern part of the State has been of great benefit. These 

 marls are veiy rich in lime, ana many of them con- 

 tain 3 per cent, of potash, and, used with stable and 

 home-made manures, would almost do away with the 

 buying of fertilizers. The experiments made with 

 these marls have turned out splendidly. Used at the 

 rate of 100 bushels to the acre, they have increased 

 the yield YO per cent., and at the rate of 200 bushels 

 have increased it 90 per cent. They will in tune sup- 

 plant very largely the costly fertilizers. 



One of the most important pieces of work done by 

 the Bureau is the location of the water-powers of the 

 counties in which the survey has been made. Over 

 600 streams have been carefully measured and ex- 

 plored by Professor Locke, and the water-powers on 

 each, ranging from one-horso powers to 35,000, have 

 been located upon the maps. In a very few years the 

 people and strangers will oegin to utilize these water- 

 powers in the manufacture or wagons, furniture, etc., 

 out of the splendid wood with which the forests 

 abound. 



The manufacture of ice is becoming quite 

 extensive, and companies are formed for that 

 purpose in many cities. The machine used is 

 thus described: "In the water- machine about 



