SOILS IN THE VICINITY OF BRUNSWICK, GA. 3 



cultivation on St. Simons and Jekyl islands, and also on the main- 

 land, especially in the tide-water district and the Big and Little 

 Buffalo swamps. 



Immigrants from South and North Carolina flowed in, and French refugees from 

 the West Indies * * *. Schools were opened, churches built, lands cleared and 

 diked, and by the close of the century the ruins that had marked the course of the 

 war were hid by the growths of peace. 



A number of large plantations established along the Altamaha 

 River about the close of the eighteenth century are yet under tillage. 

 The cultivated portion of these consists of the overflowed river bot- 

 toms, reclaimed by substantial dikes and skillful ditching. Irri- 

 gated by water from the river, excellent rice has been produced con- 

 tinuously up to the present time. A considerable acreage was at 

 first devoted to cotton and sugar cane, but the production of rice 

 soon became the dominant agricultural industry. A sugar mill built 

 on the Hopeton plantation about 1828 manufactured sugar success- 

 fully, but finally ceased operations owing to increased attention to 

 the more profitable rice industry. Agricultural operations have been 

 confined principally to the diked river lands since the early part of 

 the nineteenth century, and relatively small areas have been cropped 

 in the uplands since the early abandonment of indigo growing and 

 the later decline and cessation of Sea Island cotton production, 

 which had attained a place of considerable importance in certain 

 sections of the county. 



Of a total area of 106,249 acres in farms, only 20,472 acres were 

 classed by the census of 1850 as improved farm land. In 1849 

 there were produced in Glynn County 3,829,875 pounds of rice, 

 49,739 bushels of corn, 1,036 bales of cotton, 55,100 bushels of 

 sweet potatoes, 7,290 bushels of pease, 1,470 bushels of oats, and 

 5,766 gallons of molasses. There has been some decline since this, 

 owing to the fact that considerable effort has been diverted from 

 agriculture toward the naval stores, lumbering, shipping, and other 

 industries. In 1899 of the 77,933 acres in* farms 5,593 were classed 

 as improved land. In this year there were made in the county 

 1,150,460 bushels of rice, 21,570 bushels of corn, 2 bales of cotton, 

 20,334 bushels of sweet potatoes, 5,331 bushels of Irish potatoes, 

 991 bushels of pease, 2,651 bushels of oats, and 4,485 gallons of sirup. 

 In addition, 154 acres were planted to miscellaneous vegetables. 

 The value of live stock was estimated at $67,384. 



Considerable rice is being produced at the present time, notwith- 

 standing the Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas growers have a tre- 

 mendous advantage in being able to harvest with machinery and 



aAnnals and Statistics of Glynn County, Georgia, by Chas. S. Wylly. Acknowl- 

 edgment ig due Mr. Wylly for historical data included in the introductory para- 

 graphs of this chapter. 

 [Cir. 21] 



