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M?? ?liEf?IEISE. ?KWSY IiETTERS FROM OUR SFE Heir? of Interesst FroAI all Parts of r Sumter abd Adjoii?fig ?0111106?. ?fOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. Mail your letters so that they will nach this office not later than'Tues? day morning. "When the letters are received 'Wednesday it is almost an impossibility to have them appear in the paper issued that day. MAGNOLIA.' Magnolia, June 20?-Our fermera surely have so cause- now-to complain of the seasons, fer, in this section, tiley are about perfect. We have a tmlficiency o? rain, and a sufficiency of ?uasb?ne, and there is ? marked im ' pr0vernen t in plants of all kinds. Grass cots but a small figure in the farms. From this section, to San tee xrver, thia correspondent bas not seen sxy cotton as fine as .Mr. A. J. Price's. Mr. C. T. Qaick brought in several cotton blooms last* week, and stated list they were plentifuHn his field. These blooms were from the Peterkiu ocfcSon, which is laier than the Sing ?sitan. * Mr. J. Lee Parnell has been elected nsarshal of this town, and assumed his sew duties last Frday, Mr. McGee having resigned. Mr. T. R. McIntosh, and wife, . of Sumter, spent Sunday and a part of Wonda? (yesterday) at Mr. J. F. Mc? Intosh's. Mrs. John A. DuRant returned from nften days visit*to Summerton, last wetting. T Mrs. E. F. Darby, leaves for an ex? ceded visit to Spartan bug tomorrow morning, where she will be met By her ?cn, Osgood. Misses Mattie and Mary Tarrant, of , Orngehurg, are visiting Dr. Tarrant, tfceir brother. , 41 Since this town bas been corporated Mr. Isaac Keels has erected, what promises to b . ?hen finished according tc design, a brick store, with glass front, and the- material for a large frame building, ose hundred feet long, Is on the ground, and work on same is 2xgun., This ' will be a joint srock cc mpany, with a cash capial of $10, OOO. Tfce question of orgenizng a banking business here, in the near futrue . is bfcing seriously agitated, and the pros? pects for a bank here were never so bright So much for incorporation.. ? 4 Magnolia (now Lynchburg ) is awaken^ isjg from her old Rip Van Winkle -sleep, and is hegmning thoroughly to afealizs her responsibilities, her possi? bilities, and her opportunities. There aa nothing Hke getting on a move in *be right direction, and sticking to it. There was an exciting runaway in town tm in?rniag-i &* M? J. G. Stoke*' wagon, leaWiUtb crammer's : .sample cases, and drawn by two fiery ?imy steeds, rounded the corner the tdriver, SilagBose, hoisted an umbrella, *3je horses dashed and ran with all t?eir speed about the fourth of'a mile sott suddenly turning, wagoe, trunks ?nd horses tumbled pel hue ll into a five ' .foot ditch-one horse piled up on the *?t?iT^t?g&, J* WK teWW? aJboat . 35 feet on his head was, of course, nu? bs rfc. Luckily he caught on his head, and so his brain suffered no concussion. The horses suffered no senhus"in . juries. To nae the old woman's ex- j pression, Mr. Stokes certioly has the **worstest luck and the mosttsl of it", jfcO.;, <fcC. ? ?' .".'..'.Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hickson, of "Lake City, are visiting at Mr. J. A. Hickson'?, Henry's father. Hon. Thos. G. Mcljod, of Bishop TiHee has been in town the past two days EDWARDS. Sd wards, June 21 --With several days of sunshine and bot weather the farmers have s beat rid their crops of grass. Crops are locking , very well, hst are suffering lor rain at the pres ent The farmers have about finished lay ing*bycorn. The fruit crops are very poor in this sec ton. Watermelons will be very scarce, h Mr. C. lu Britton spent Monday in t Bisfaopvil?e. ' Mr. J. W. Weldon and son Marion, ifspeot Wednesday b Camden. Mrs. Joe Hochburg is very sick; Dr. Fox worth is the attending physician Mr. Hodge Lenoir of .Camden was in the community Tuesday evening on business. The beslth in general, of the com? munity is very good at present. DARK CORNER. Dark Corner, Jenn 24.-riot and dry is the sort of weather we are bavins now. Have net had any rain since the 12th to amount to anything. Cotton looks well where it has been well work? ed. Cora still looks yellow on ali the ridges and is tasseling out very small. - Mr. Joe R Griffin, of Pinewood has "the best corn I have seen. Bese Martin an old colored woman on Mr J. M. Kol b's place wa? found dead in ber bed last Wednesday morn? ing She went to bed as far as I have learned in her usual health, but when ber children who were ir the bed with ber awoke and called her she was , -dead. She worked for Mr. Eclb clean? ing np bis house the day tefore. t have just beard that a dog suppos? ed to be a mad dog fell into the pier bend at B. P. Weeks mill tu is morning and was drowsed ( would to God that jail would do so). The dog came there 1 -sad tried to bite Richard Geddings, ?on of Mr. Robt. J. Geddings, of Pine? wood who had to jump into his wagon 1 -ito keep the dog from biting bim. Tr:is .as the fi rat mad dog I have heard of 3bere io a long time. Mrs. Joe Johnston has been sick thia ^spsok. Mr. John W. Rudson, an old Cen- < Ad?nite soldier who lives mst over in ! [Privateer had his dwelling house, 1 "kitchen and smoke boase with their 1 roon ten ts burned last Saturday night, J ?Supposed it caught from the stove. 1 ZSo insurance as I know of, which is a Jsesvy loss 00 an old man. 1 Mr. B. F. Epperson of Pinewood, ' jsnd some other gentlemen passed \ through bete last Saturday looking at camber with the idea of locating a saw j snill some where in those coasts. 4 Let 1 'em locate, we' need lamber. Mr. and Mn. J. M. Ardis and ism- 1 fly visited W. J. Ardis last Monday 1 ?venia?, g J Mr. A. G. Stack, of Pinewood, ex pects to move into his new brick store iii about thirty days. Mr. W. W. Geddings, formerly of your city, bnt now of Pinewood, told me hst Saturday that his son, Ralph, was qu te sick at his uncle's with ty? phoid fever, in Columbia. Mr." H. Ti- Avant who ran a large business in Summerton a few years ago, has opened up a grocery store in Pinewood. Also Mr. G. W. Smith is opening up a line of general merchan? dise at the same place. While in your city some time ago I was talking with an old Confederate about the South Carolina reunion where and when it should meet (if it meets at all). And we thought that it sbould meet in Columbia (not Charles ton) about the 20th of September. As we old vets that have to farm could spare the time to go to the reunion then better than we coola in the spring. So let us have a reunion in September, what say you, brother veterans and friends. SALEM. . Salem, June 27.-After one week of good warm sunshiny weather. The places that were arrayed in living green have kinder put on a golden tint and we feel now that we, instead of/'Gen. Green" are boss of the situation. Cotton has improved considerably and now look* as if it will make something if an early frost does not blight its prospects. There are still a few acres still un chopped. Kow that the election of cotton weighers is to soon be held, we be? to recommend one who has served ns for past two or three seasons to the entire satisfaction of seller and buyer. One whose sole object seems to be to do what is right, just and honest to all concerned without regard to color or creed. One who try the hand of afflic? tion, is incapacitated for doing any? thing that bis willing hands ticed to do. In behalf of this section, we most cordially recommend for. public cotton weigher, at.the town of Mayesville, ocr present weigher, Mr. Jas. M. Witherspoon. It is as endorsement of our appreciation of his past record. The future we give so thought to, if our decisions are to be made by one as worthy as he. A light rain fell here on Sunday afternoon which will be beneficial to soften the ground that was beaten into a mummy by the heavy rains of the previous week. Crops were not suffer? ing as there was still a plenty of mois? ture in soil. Mr. Joe Warren of Sumter was here on Sunday visiting relatives. Dr. McKay returned on Friday night Sonriiis visit to Cheraw9 and filled bis appointments on Sunday and re? turned to Cheraw again this morning for another week stay recuperating. Mr.-W. N. McElveen has a very ill child. There is to be a meeting of farmers io the town of Maysville os Wednesday night at 8 o'clock. The object of which, is to arrange for making this town a better cotton market This seems to be a move in the right direc? tion, and the meeting sbcnld be large? ly attended. An invitation is extend? ed to all interested in cotton growing and the welfare of the town, to oe on band. Bon. E. D. Smith and others are expected to address the meeting. The puelic road between Graham's Mill and Scottville is simply a dis? grace to Sumter county. This bas oees mentioned before, bot does not seem to be the duty of any one to at? tend to it. The Board of County Com? missioners are all from other sections? so we have no one to look out for us and can only growl it ont This Sectios sends few . recruits to the road builders squad, so it might be that we are sot entitled to asy con? sideration at their bauds. *" WISACKY. # Wisacky, Juse 26. - Wa bad a refresh? ing shower of rain yesterday afternoon tbat was greatly needed. McLanrance Scott is improving from his long spell of fever. There will be a moonlight picnic at Mr. Arthur Greeu's Tuesday even isg, in honor of Miss Green, pf Lan? caster wno is visiting,his home. . Mrs. Eva Smith has returned from Greenville, where shebas been in bus? iness the past season. There will.be an iee cream festival at. Sr. Charles Tuesday evening for the benefit pf the base ball club of that neighborhood. . Miss .Geraldine Sine&th, of Bisbop ville has been visiting in this neighbor? hood. Rev. Hugh Merchison, pastor of the Bishopville Presbyterian Church, has been visiting some of his members in this neighborhood. KERSHAW COUNTY. Camden, June 26.-Camden base bail team played three game with Denmark last week with the following result. Thursday Denmark 10, Cam? den 4, Friday Denmark 3, Camden 4, Saturday Denmark 9, Camden 2. Not a very good showing for cur team, but when yon consider that it was their first games for the season, they did remarkably well. Ont team needs a few more goods players like Tucker Boy kin, Bill Young, Willlie DePass, sud Hoyt Moseley. Any ball team with a few weak batters, is sure of defeat. A few will get on base and others "fan out," without a score. "?o chain is stronger than its weakest link." They will play the Y. M. C. A. of Charleston Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. We hope with better results. We are still in need of rain in this county. Camden, June 21.-We are having what the negro calls a "dry drought." Bave not had any rain in nearly four weeks. Cotton is doing fine, but March cors will be a failure if we don't have raia Boos. Crops are gene daly well work? ed, but as a whole are small for /.the 20th of June. We hope they will con? tinue small, and that the crop will be short. Better a 10,000,000 bale crop at 10 cents than a 13,000.000 crop at 6 or 7 cents. We said the first of the year that it would not be necessary to re? duce the acreage to reduce the crop, lhere never has, and never will be too good cotton years together. Two nergoes escaped from the chain gang here last week, and as yet have not been captured. Mis? Cora Smith of the Beniah sec? tion of this county, is seriously sick sith fever Sbe is not expected to ive. The Hermitage Cotton Mill, nuder its new management is doing well. They have no trouble selling cloth as fast as made. President Garrison is a "Hastier" and don't know the wcrd fail. We had a clear case of what renting to negroes will do in tnis section last week. A land owner rented to a ne? gro, and indorsed a S60u.0u lien: The negro "took np" bis account, let the grass take the crop, is now in jail for stealing the guano, and selling it to "splurge" on. The crop is being worked by the owner and merchant, under an overseer, where it should have been at first. Who cculd blame the negro for having a good time? . Camden bas organized a first class ball team. They have three games this week ?uh a team from Obarietson. Long Branch will play Charleston in Camden Saturday evening as the Cam? den boys don't play cu Saturday. Long Branch has looked iu vain for a game from Dalzell. What is tbe trouble boys. Come np and give os a game. ,It will be your time to win next time. MANNING NEWS NOTES. From the Manning Times. Hon. A. W. Jones, Comptroller General, spent yesteday in- Manning, investigating the booksof the Auditors' office, in response to the presentment of the grand jory. Gen. Jones told us that be found the work in the office somewhat behind, but there was r ot li? ing but what could be remedied with a little work. He will send ? man from his office in a fe?? days to make ? thorough examination, and be thinks when that is done the cSce| will be fully ?up with the work and in good shape. He said ruat Auditor Dickson has always been prompt with bis set? tlements and th st while the books are somewhat behind, there has been no damage done by the present delay. Mis-? Vera, a daughter of Mr. J. S. .DuRant of DuRant is at Dr. Brockin ton's infirmary with typhoid fever. J. A. Weinberg, Esq., president of j the Bank of Clarendon, left last Sun? day night for New York on business, and from there be will take a pleasure trip for about three weeks. Rev J. N. Tolar, of North Caro? lina, has accepted a call to the pastor? ate of Paxville, Home Branch, Provi? dence and Graham churches. He preaches bis first sermons at Paxville and Home Branch the second Sunday in Julv. Mr. Tolar i's a graduate of Wake Forst College, and the Louis? ville Theological Seminary, and is said to be a man of ability, and inde? pendence. Died at bis home near Davis Cros* Roads last Thursday nicht. Mr. Rut? ledge R. Dingle, aged 77 years. The funeral took place at Summerton. Rev. J. C. Youn ge conducted the service. MAX. Max, June 26.-Last Saturday was children's day at Shiloh, attendance large, exercises and addresses excel? lent. Bethel Sunday school had a picnic last Thursday, addresses, duets,, solos, dinner and free lemonade were of the first quality. Mr. Hez Wilson of Darlington visit? ed Mr. Fred Truluck last week. . Mr. S. C.;Carraway after spending last week with his parents and rela? tives here has returned to Timmons ville. Mrs. Junius Finklea has returned to her home at Hymans, (Marion coun? ty) after spending some time with her mother Mrs. Caroline Chandler who died Friday and was buried Saturday afternoon at Bethel Church. Along with other good things that could be said of Mrs. Chandler is that, she be? friended the friendless and gave liberally to the poor. Mrs. B. K. Trulck will leave this morning for North Greenville, where she will spend the summer with her parents. Cotton growing fine; plenty of blooms; rain needed very much. STATEBURG. Stateburg, June 26.-Col. John J. Dargan and family, of Hartsville, are at Mrs. E. N. Frierson's. Miss Hattie Gibson, who has been visiting relatives and friends in Flor? ence and Sumter, returned home on Tuesday. Mr. John H. Burgess left on last Thursday for Glenn Springs, where he will spend several weeks. Master Mark Reynolds, of Sumter, spent last week with Dr. and Mrs. W. W. Anderson. Mrs. J. Temple Frierson and Mrs. C. M. Holcombe spent Friday in Sum? ter as the guests of Mrs. W. B. Mur? ray. Miss Amelia Holmes as at home for a short stay. Her many friends are glad to see her in our midst. Our farmers are again looking "anything but cheerful." We have not had a good rain in over a month and consequently corn is suffering ter? ribly. Cotton, in most places, is doing very well. Gardens are burning "p and the fruit crop will be very sht rt. The thermometer last week roistered 98 and 99 degrees on shady ?dax.zas. REMBERTS. Remberts, June 26.-The great'y needed rain in this section has not arrived yet, and our crops are now be? ginning to suffer. Early pJarited coin cannot possibly make a full crop, and our only-hope now is in the late planted. Cotton is growing fairly well but greatly undersize for July 1st. Rev. C. S. Felder filled his usual ? appointment at McLeod's Chapel on : yesterday accompanied by his charm- < lng bride, but owing to the heat the congregation was small. : McLeod's Church will be well rc- 1 presented at the quarterly confer- ' ence to be held at Providence s Church next Saturday. ? Our community can boast of one luxury these hot days, an ice club. The ice is supplied by the Sumter ice company, and they ship four thou? sand pounds to Remberts every Fri? day. :- -: : . We are glad to report the improve? ment of W. J. Young; who sprained his ankle ten days ago. He can get about slowly with assistance of his crutch. Mrs. J. D. McLeod fis now on a visit to her mother in Sumter. Miss Inez Felder and her cousin Miss Mattie Felder both of Summer? ton, Sr C., are visiting Miss Adel Mc? Leod. Miss Sudie Vick Lucius of Columbia is visiting friends and relatives in the neighborhood. Kon. A. K. Sanders of Hagood and the Misses Gardner OJ' the State Farm were in attendance at McLeod's Chap? el on yesterday. DURANT. DuRant, June 23-Vera, the young? est daughter of Mr. John DuRant, was carried to the Brockington Infirmary in Manning* last week with typhoid fever. Also was Mr. Smith Nelson taken there to be treated for the same disease. Bob Jefferson and Miss Ruby Wil? liams returned last Thursday from Charleston where they have been at? tending school. Miss Olivia DuRant has been visit !ing her sister near Foreston. j The community is anxiously await? ing the time for- the passenger coach to be put on the road. It will be a great convenience to have it make connection with the morning and evening train at Alcolu. PISG.?JH. Pisgah, June 26.-It is hot! If you can't realize it in Sumter come up here and stay in the sun all day and you will soon know that it is so. The dry weather and hot winds are playing havoc with the corn, which, to say the least, is not promising for a crop. Cotton is holding its own yet, but all crops need,rain badly and the prospect to get it at present is not good. If this dry weather continues long the crop will be a short one, as it has been an expensive one. The varieties of cotton seed sent by the government are being planted Some have their entire crop planted with them this year. The watermelon crop is almost a failure. Very few have any worth speaking of. Gardens are burnt to death and we are about as dry J?or vegetables as we were in the winter. Much sickness is about of different types, but none very serious as yet I understand that typhoid fever is showing itself in different places. I would advise my farming friends to use lemons very freely this hot weather and they wil find them yery beneficial, especially to avoid fe? ver and keep the system in good or? der. For this bit of advice I make no charge, and with no desire to in? terfere with the medical fraternity. I notice that the prohibition senti? ment is coming to the front and the fellows that want to get into office are catching on. The writer of this arti? cle is as much a prohibitionist in be? lief and practice as any man in this state, but does not view it from the standpoint that prohibitionists gen? erally do. Under the decisions of the United States court a man has the right to send out of the state for whiskey, and th? police power of the state can't prevent him or seize it when it arrives. I1: is constitutional law that , every man has the right to buy what and when he pleases, then if prohibition prevailed what hinders a man to import whiskey for personal use, and blind tiger it out to those who are not able to import it, and won't it be done? Is it not better to buy it openly under the forms of law than secretly in a sly and underhand ed manner? But you say catch him and punish him. But how are you go ing to do it? We have a most strin? gent law against carrying pistols. How many are caught and punished under it? Opportunities are on every hand for the state is a walking ar? senal. It is true every now and then some poor devil ts made to pay the the piper, but even those instances,are few and far between. We hear of dispensary whiskey as blood money, but has a dollar of it ever been re* fused on salaries? If so, name a case. The finest and best young ladies of the land teach and are paid in part by whiskey funds. Have any ever re? fused it? If so tell us about it. I know of none, and yet these ladies represent the highest type of citizenship. If Ben Tillman fastened the dispensary law on the state6Why don't the people order it repealed by electing legisla tors to that end? They have had all opportunities to do so since Ben Till? man left the state government. A congressman voted for a prohibition resolution in a Democratic county convention and Immediately on ad? ornment of the body went to a bar? room and took a drink. On -being twitted for being so inconsistent said: i 1 'You think I'm going on record . against prohibition, even if I <Joj? drink on the sly?" and that i's the of a lot of people who are tall about prohibition. They will pull bottle every time they get a cha The best way to get prohibition fective is to educate people up to evils of whiskey drinking, and tl is no better place than the pulpi: do so in, and if the state had a more men like Rev. J. H. Thacker Latta, we would have a better s of affairs in many ways. He is n< man that is afraid to denounce evils of the day, bold and outspo against wrong. Pity but what a more would imitate his example. People here are trying to finish : ing by their crops so as to have much needed rest. I hardly see one moving about, except going the mill, the blacksmith shop or the depot for grub. - ir i Ha good Visits Goshen. Fort Motte, S. C., June 24.-I ne thought, I never even dreamed t I would get to the land of Goshen, if I dreamed last night then it was Goshen, and what a place it is! wonder the pure, fresh air of wh you drink in great draughts, is iii with the music of sweet songsters many a feather. The meanest of God's creatures seem to appreci the true, the beautiful and the go and are never so happy as when si rounded by the lavish expenditu of nature, but more responsive th them all is man; God's highest, i blest handiwork. Who is there in the land that has not heard the na J Peterkin, a household word? < yesterday as the sombre shades night were gathering and the peacei stillness of nature's sleep was coi ing on, passing by a park-like mea ow, whose dark shadows but ma the time more impressive, turning through a broad gateway, I went i a most beautiful drive surrounded ? every hand by a heavy growth ot o cedar, hickory, etc., to the very dc of that most hospitable home ^ have all read and heard of, Capta J. A. Peterkin's. It was night and the clouds, p: lng up in the west, promised a >.tor and rain, but none nor all of the prevented the lover of nature fr'? taking in his surrounding. At last ? had found the pp?ace that met all tl requirements of his ideal of a court) home, a veritable paradise as far t. man can make it Bear with me, m pen labors for expression, and grai that the picture I present is undei drawn. On the left of the drive, Sd or more yards in length as you ar. proach, is the meadow filled wit live oak, mock orange, pecan, ce? ia and other trees, while on the rig! the land slopes to a deep and dnr ravine where cool refreshing wain pure and clear as crystal, buob?.?s u and by means of pipes and a hydras! ic ram is conveyed to a large elev.tr.O( tank, whence it is carried to al parts of the premises. Bowsing la zily in the meadow or lying dow.i un der the trees were a number of fin? cattle, and this morning when [ wa shown the dairy with its cr=a:n s*?p arator, its jars, churns and other Vis? sels and when I saw gallons on gal? lons of milk with quantities of butte: alreay worked, pressed, I understood what it all meant To the rear of rh? house was the garden wh*re. in ad? dition to all the various kin 1? OL veg? etables, were great fig trees loaded with that finest of fruit, while in the yard and near by were othe- kinds to tempt the palate and satis iv the hun? ger. Under shelter, well protected from the weather were all kinds of improved farming implements, wni;e convenient was a ginnery with other necessary buildings that go to rnakc up the equipment of the farm. And (oon't tell the preachers) trw? ?f?;sc as fine and fat chickens here as are anywhere to be found. This last ls the work of Mrs. Julia Mood Peter kin, the daughter of that finest of men, that most excellent physician, Dr. J. A. Mood, of Sumter. After all it is the inmates of a house who make it attractive. The stranger in this home feels that ease so necessa? ry to pleasure and repose. These people know how to enterta;n. it ?vas with pleased surprise when I rt marked ih\l ihe place ought ?o l.e cv'Ud Goshen, Captain Peterkin loC me that was its name. I should have said in the outset that Captain Peter kin's farm embraces three properties: The Goshen, Auld Lang Syne and thc Bellvine and extends near to where the Wateree and Congaree a Mir to make San tee river. Here you car. ?.r-e into four counties, the lan 3 being higher than the union depot in Columbia, though thirty miles below. Not more than half a dozen farms in thc Un'ted States analyze the same is this, where Howard, the great au :hority on grasses, said that blue grass which now belts the continent first trew on American soil. It is also the lome of the first short staple cotton iver grown in America. Time and space forbid that I say more. Yours ruly, "Hagood." Sam Smith and Andrew Barton, both leg roes, had a desperate fight in Reedy River, Greenville, Saturday night. Smith jumped into the river to escape J md Burton followed him. Smith was jeriously stabbed. BANK^Q?! LYNCHBURG. Organization Perfe?rted, Directors and - - "? 2 -^Officers ?lected. Magnolia, June 26.-A meeting o?*r the subscribers to the stock of the Bank of Lynchburg was held this af? ternoon and the bank was formally and legally organized under the au- -J^?. thority of the commission granted by the secretary of state. The following directors were elected: T. N. Grif-, fin, E. D. Smith, S. C. Kilpatrick, J. McLeod, J. A. Rhame. The directors met after the ad journment of the stockholders meet? ing and elected the following officers: President-T. N. Griffin. Vice President-E. D. Smith. Mr. Smith was also elected tempo- 4ff rary secretary and treasurer pending the election of a cashier. As stated a few days ago the capi? tal stock of the bank is $20,000, The capital has been called in and the bank will be opened for business in a_^ short time. Weekly Crop Bulletin. Columbia, June 27.-The tempera? ture during the week ending 8 a. m., June 26 th, averaged 4 degrees per day above normal. The extremes, were a maximum of 100 degrees Greenville on the 22d. There was more than an average amount of bright sunshine. Although there were no destructive wind storms, yet there were fresh to brisk winds each day which, being hot and dry, had a wiltering effect on all vegetation, and^ caused the ground to dry out ver:^* fast:~ There were scattered showers on several days during the miedle of the week, most numerous in the extreme counties, and widely separated in other parts. By far the larger por-^ tion of the State had no rain. Th?^ showers were heavy in parts of Oconee, Barnwell and Florence coun? ties and" were generally light else? where. There is urgent need of a general rain in all parts of the Sta?|^ thought the drought is most severe the central counties, where the defi? ciency since the first of June amounts to from two to over three inches, there having occurred no beneficial rain during this month. In many places the ground has become baked and hard and unworkable. ^ Farm work made rapid progress during the week where the soil-was fit for cultivatin, and practically all fields have been rid of grass and weeds, and are in better condition than' at any time this'season. Cotton is suffering less from thQ? drought than other crops, and madd>: a general improvement, although the plants continue small and are grow? ing slowly. Cotton has now a health? ier color, and is fruiting normally with a marked increase in the area from which blooming. is reported. Th?? improvement is confined principally to cotton on heavy soils, while on sandy iands the crop continues poor and unpromising, and in many places lousy, and the plants have a sickly ap" pearance and in a few sections are shedding their lower leaves. Sea-_^?, island cotton is in good condition but >H?-''. has begun to wilt in places. Corn is suffering for rain, and early corn is very poor; later plantings aro v better but will soon deteriorate unless it rains. Most of the March plant- ^ ings have been laid by. Worms con^^fe| tinue destructive in the western c?unw??i ties. Tobacco leaves are ripening andKi&jffi some of the lower ones have beer?ji^^ stripped, cured and marketed. Wheaj^^M and oats harvest is now finished^^^^ Tide water rice is doing well; JuneB???$ plantings in the Georgetown district?||||jj are coming up to fairly good stands^^^^ Gardens doing poorly. Shipments olpSgffi peaches are heavy from the RidgeH||??| section. Cantaloupe shipments bav^Rgrai begun, and water melons will bepK^^ marketed next week. Pastures are8i||^ failing. It has been too dry to Planl^^^l peas on stubble lands. iil^Ss?? Manning. June ?o^-Mr. J. Smitl Nelson of the Fork section, one of th< best citzens of this county, died in ai infirmary here last night from. typboi< fever and pritonitis. The remain^ were taken to Midway chnrch toda> for interment. HUMS DEALERS IN INNESS, SADDLES, UP ROBES AHD WHIR REPAIR WOR A SPECIALTY. I East Liberty Street. May 17-tf.