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"??^^1 ? !^ZZ^!Zr?_^!!r^S!!^?^l!^^^??^^T"1T^''1111!'''**^^ i' in.?I.-MM?-ii .??inuit, II?-MI?-?- in II mi i-a-. BY E. B. MURRAY & CO._ANDERSON. S. C., THURSDAY MORNING. JULY 2. ??sT _ VOLUME XX.-NO. 51. WILHITES' ARCTIC SODA WATER, SETTER THAN EVER I Twenty-Five Tickets For #1.00. When you come to the City, and wish a good, cooling, refreshing glass of Soda, Vichy or Congress Water, go to WiLHITE * WILHITE And call for Soda Water with "Red Orange Syrup/' Beats the world. Strawberry, Raspberry, Pine Apple, Banana, Sarsaparilla, Vanilla, Orgeat. True to name, and of beBt quality. 25 TICKETS FOR $1.00 Good for either Soda, Vichy or Congress Water. Congress Water relieves Headache and Dyspepsia, and is one of the best mineral waters sold. THE CELEBRATED NEW ORLEANS MEAD SYRUP Tho beat Syrup in the City. Call for it at WILHITE & WILHITE. Muy 14, 1885 44 " Go TeU all the People for Miles Around I" JOHN M. HUBBARD * BRO. ABB PREPARED TO SELL ?BORE JEWELRY, MORE WATCHES, MORE SILVERWARE, MORE CLOCKS, &C AaT PRICES. MORE TO YOUR NOTION, THAN EYER BEFORE. fiS* EVERYTHING ia the shapo of a Watch, Clock or Jewelry thoroughly repaired, fob 5, 1886 _SO_._ WE BOW To our Friends and Customers who have so liberally j patronized 11s in the past. We desire to return thanks, ??'W?r our usual Spring and Summer Greeting ! WE ARE PREPARED TO OFFER BARGAINS IN ALL KINDS. GENERAL MERCHANDISE. PLANTATION SUPPLIES -AND FARING IMPLEMENTS. .W^(ARE..AGENTS FOR Daniel Pratt Oin CO.'B OInB, Feoders and Condensers. Barbour Machine Co.'? Cotton Seed and Grain Crusher. Empire Threshers, Encinos and 8aw.Mills.- * ? " Champion Reapers, Mowers and Binders-the world-renowned Harvesting Ma chine, which have been sold and used in Anderson and adjoining Counties for the past ten yeArs, and for durability and economy there is none to comparo with thc Champion. _ We would also mention the Count's Home-made 7-Fingered Grain Cradle-a Sonth **roHna production-of which wo ?old during the seasonal 1884 Heteral dozen by way Jt 'ptroductlon, aud have raado arrangements io furnish them this season again to all >06 may desire a good home-made Cradle. Our "White Hickory" one and two-korec Wagons are well known throughout this ""-^.J"1*?Peak their own praise. \ ? t ' . , , . . The Thomas Smoothing Harrow and Perfected Pulveriser ia an implement that .noold be on every farm. They can be nsod for cultivating crops of Corn and Cotton, * w2i.1 M I" the preparation of the laud for planting and sowing. Call and see them, fe Tho "Wlxon,. Patent Heel 8weep is growing in favor overy day. Invouted and jatnufactured in Geoi'Kia. Used and reconimcnded by the late J. C. Furman, the great uuansWe farra et of Goornln. The bl&dui being adjustable and easily changed, make It a ??ap and desirable Sweep. We are taking orders for foturo delivery, and would ask Ten to call and examino it . . ", , " , We abm acll the Mbhawaka 3ulky and Walkin* lorn flows In dlejsm. j . . j. The beat Chewing Tobacco in the market, madebf B. W-: Vetiabbs. OT Petehbnr*. ^.?hr?clngtheo?|>ntedbraJuis of'Wo Jeans/' "Rapidan," "True Blue" and bJk??mei.? X trial sf edT grod ?hew gnaranteed.' Other makes and grades also on i McCTJliLY, CATHCART & CO. ^foflerson, S. a, April 30, 1886 j ' ' ? _ fP i '??^-?aggHBgafeBBeBag---_i-..L-JBSMI. B 1 Meagan 1 1 ?'?-a FISHING TACKLE, i?OOfelS and J^INES: O?T AXJL* KINDS AT SIMPSON, REID & CO/S DRUG STORE, f1 Waverly House Corner, ?i^?rson, S. C. APtUa,leS5 al ' L HIGH ROADS AN DJ RAILROADS. Gen. McCrady Contends for Blore and Better Country Rond?. 7b (lie Editor Newt and Courier : Wo read in a letter from Spartanburg, published in the News and Courier a few day? ago, tho ?talement that "the man who lives to witness the completion of tho numerous and almost numberless railways projected and chartered will soo that section cut up into very small squares with transportation almost un paralleled." We almost daily read of meetings throughout the State for tho purpose of subscribing to build more railroads. Tho prediction of tho writer from Spartanburg is undoubtedly true, pro vided tho people can support the rail roads after they shall have built them, but it called to mind the very able letter from Mr. John B. Cleveland, of Spartan burg, published last July, in which he contended thal tho State has tho consti tutional right to assume the railroad debts of tho counties, towns and cities, and urged that it was right and proper that it should do BO. That Mr. Cleve land's proposition is aa serious as its argumenta are plausible, will be realized when, in looking over the counties which havo providently, or improvidently, burdened themselves with railroad debts, we find that combiued already they havo ? fifty-five representatives in the lower house, and need only the representatives from ono or two more counties, which arc now being pressed to incur railroad indebtedness, to have a clear majority in that branch of the Legislature Does not the question of railroad building, then, lose ita merely local interest aud become one of concern to the State at large? And if so, are we sure that wo are not building more railroads than our necessities demand and our circumstances warrant? Railroad legislation has received more attention than most subjects of general interest, but even in regard to it tho habit of local legislation haa prevented proper conrade rat ion. It has been treated as if every suggestion for chartering a railroad should be acted upou without hesitation if the representatives from the proposed neighborhood favored it, and with the application for a charter the right to obtain subscriptions by counties, townships and towns-the sub scriptions to be paid by taxation-baa commonly been demanded of late years, and, considered as a purely local matter, has seldom been refused. It is true that it has always been pro vided in the charters that the question of "subscription or no subscription" should boBtibmitted to the people, but experience hna piioffn that while conforming to the letter of Buch provisions, BO that the Couria have beeu unable to declare such elections void, it has seldom happened ?hat the people affected have had the question fairly presented to them, or have even, in some instances, been made aware of it until finding themselves bound. Then has often followed a atrug gie in the Courts to repudiate the bonds issued upon such elections. Thia haa been the history of county subscriptions to railroads, not only in thia State but elsewhere, especially io the West, where county subscriptions and bends _ have been most obtained io aid of railroad building. A glance at the reports of the United States Courts and of our own State will confirm the statement. It is now too well settled, both by our Courts and those of the United States, to ni lo,7 us to renew the question as to the competency of counties to incur in debtedness aud to issue bonds to be paid by taxation for the purpose of building railroads, but the wisdom of doing so is still in each instance open to disensaion, a discussion to which the people of the State generally, since Mr. Cleveland's suggestion, should give their fully atten tion. Senator Butler, two years ago, very wisely called the attention of our people to the subject of their country roads and endeavored tn induce some action for their improvement, but while the Legis lature ia year by year authorizing taxa tion for railroads nothing has been done and little more thought of country roads. Io this we think there is & great mistake, and believing that there is a limit which should be observed in railroad extension we would ask the consideration of some facta, and venture to make some sugges tions in regard to it worthy, we think, of the attention of our people. Mr. Poor, in the preface to his Rail road Manual for 1877-78, pointed out that the experience of the New England States baa demonstrated that to enable railroads to bo operated at a profit a population of at least 850 to a milo of railroad ia necessary in thia country, and added that the history of tho railroads in the Western States had proved the same thing. Yet notwithstanding thia experience railroad building boa gone far beyond thia proportion to . population. Except in the old Western States the proportion of a mile of railroad to every 850 inhabitants has been groat'y exceed ed. In those States the ratio is vory nearly a mile to every 900 of population. In the New England States there ia a mile to every 648.79 of population ; in the Middle Atlantic States a mile to overy 657.50 ; in the Southern Atlantic Stales a mile to every 648.89 ; in the old Western and Southwestern States a milo to every 899.80. In this State the pro portion is a mile to every 646.47. We hear of the overtrading and over production of our - manu Cac tories aa the cause of the depression of tho times. May not the overbuilding of railroads have something, perhaps even moro, to do with it? Mr. Poor, in his Manual for 1884, tells us that a few years ago there was in public estimation no moro inviting field for railroad enterprise than tho State of Colorado. A vast eyvtem of railroads covering the whole State waa constructed with great rapidity, involving the nominal expenditure of $100,000,000, almost tho wholo of which is now un productive. Ts not this In itself an item considerable enough to be appreciable in I tho economic conditions of the country? In the great "Wabash swindle," aa it ia now termed, it is estimated that there la a balance of $41,000,000 of bonds, to say ! nothing of stock, for which only $206,000 per annum Is visible for purpose of dis tribution to the investors. Ia Ibis not ! another Item sufficient to have a percep tibie effect upon the business cf the country? But for our present purposes our view must be far narrower-it must be confined to our own State. We have in South Carolina a popula; tioo, white and black, of 995,577 and 1,010 miles of railroad completed ; that Is one mile of railroad to every 647,47 of population. In addition to this we have 20O more miles cf railroads in tbs actual process of construction, wh|eb will give ns ods mlle to every 572 of population. Yet again we bare in addition to this charters airead* granted for tbs building of thousands ol miles moro. One hun dred and forty-two railroad charters have been granted by the S ta to, more than a hundred of which have yet to bs built. Now are we not overdoing tbs matter ? It is a curious, and no doubt to many it will be a surprising, fact that the pop ulatiou and number of miles of railroad in tits Hiddle AtlanUo States and in the Southern Atlantic States, as the same are grouped In railroad statistics, are almost identical, as appears by this table : Fop'o. M'slUi. Apgr.gato New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dclt wtre, Maryland, District Co lumbi?, Weit Virginia...-.12,374,SU 18,80? Aggregate Virginia, North Caro lin?, Bouth Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Ken tucky.M.12,244,888 18,889 Hut the similarity in the conditions of tho railroad problem in these two sec tions of tho country ends here. For we find that Mr. Poor gives the net earnings of tho Middle Atlantic group for 1883 as.8107,259,253 While In (ho Southern Atlantic group they were but. 29,836,483 The railroad? in the former State? carried during tho year 1883 of pas sengers.". 126.633.8SJ The railroads in the latter carried. 14,114,8c? Tho railroads in the former moved tons of freight.- ltS7.927.23C Tho railroads in tho latter moved.- 28,030,589 There is again almost identically the same number of miles of railroad in proportion to population in Connecticut as in th is State ; tbero being in Connec ticut one mile to every C47 inhabitants and in this State one to every 646. But in Connecticut the railroads carried in 1883 10,684,374 passengers and moved 5,005,163 tons of freight, while ours car ried 1,033,607 passengers and moved 1,404,624 tons. We must bear in mind too the Important fact that of the 999, 577 of tho population of this State 604. 332 are negroes, and but 391,245 of tho like industrious and thrifty people who support tho Northern and Western Bail roads. Do not these statistics show that we hnvo railroads enough in this State already to do five or ten times the busi ness which now offers? And ought we to tax the people to build more when those already built have not business enough to do? If is urged that if wo build more rail roads the population and business will increase and furnish them with os many passengers and as much freight as they will bo able to carry. But does experi ence warrant such an expectation ? This was the theory upon which the vast amount of capital was invested in the new Western State*, and in those States there were exceptional grounds on which to base such calculations. There was the immense multitude of emigrants seeking homes in the West, and a virgin Boil awaiting but their coming to yield untold wealth in grain. But oven in that section tbero was a limit to the profit able building of railroads, as is shown in the COBB of Colorado, notwithstanding her silver mines. In our case there are no such conditions on which to base rail road speculation. We can expect no Budden expansion of business, nor the wonderful results which followed railroad building in some of the newly settled territories. Wo must remember, too, that the capi tal Bunk in Colorado was foreign capital, voluntarily sent there on speculation, Becking great gains, in the face of possi ble loss. The capital we risk in these cow enterprises is to be drawn from our own people, for the most part unwillingly, by taxation. We, ourselves, are not without some severe lessons In railroad enterprises in this State. We have already a city, town and county debt in curred for tho building of railroads of $4,137,579, to wit : By the City of Charleston Blue Rldgo itallroud.-.41,049,000 Cheraw and Darlington Railroad. 100,000 Northeastern Railroad.-. 400,000 Charloston and Savannah Railroad. 2G5,100 Memphis and Charleston Railroad-.220,000 Koshvillo and Charleston Railroad-. 500,000 Grconvllle and Columbia, Charlotte and South Carolina, (no telegraph). 30,000 Louisville, Cincinnati and Charloston..... 63,000 Total.-.-...$2,677.100 In the rest of the State a large indebt edness has been contracted in the last ten or fifteen years. In the report of the comptroller-general for 18S4 we find tbe following which, however, is not given as a complete statement of the town and county debt :. Anderson-Savannah Valley Railroad.... S 25,000 Chester-Chester and Lenoir Railroad $55,000, Cheraw and Chester Railroad $75,000.-.".130.000 Chesterfield-Cheraw and Chester Kallr'd 6,079 Col le ton-Green Fond, Waite rho r o' and Branchville Railroad. 1,200 Edgc?eld-Edgeueld Branch Railroad $6, OOO, Edgefleld, Trenton and Augusta Railroad 8100." .. 6,410 Georgetown-Geor g e t o w n and Lanes Railroad....._._.-."... 80,000 Greenville County-Richmond and Dan ville Air Lino Railroad-.4170,000 Greenville and Lauron? Rail road.-.- 50,000 Greenville City-Ric h m ond and Danvilla Air Line Rail road. 51,000 Greenville and Laurens Rail road.-. 25,000 29G.O00 Lancaster-Cheraw and Ches te r Railroad.-. 100,000 Laurens-Grconvlllo Laurens and Bnartanburg Railroad 76,000 Greenville and Laurens Rail road.-,. 11.500 I43,5C0 Picken?-Air Line Railroad... 100,000 Spart anburg- Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Rail road. 150,000 Spartanbnrg and Asheville RaUroad._-. 100.0C0 Greenwood, Lauren? andSpar? tanburg._ 75,000 8partanburg City-Air Line Railroad.29,500 a>4,600 Union-Spar tau burg and Ash-Tllfe Railroad.- 145,200 York- Chester and Lenoir Railroad.................... 66,400 Total....!-..?.-.tl,?60??79 In addition to these there remain the claims against the Slate for its guaran tee of the Charleston and Savannah Rail road bonds to the amount of $800,000, and upon the revenue bond scrip of $1,800,000, which will probably cost our State a considerable sum to arrange. We have thus an ascertained railroad debt in the State of $4,137,579, and un liquidated claims against tho State to the nominal amount of $2,600,000. Our railroad indebtedness is therefore a'ready as large as the general debt of the State, Ia it right to impose farther taxation for the building of more railroads? What we really need In the South, and ia this State particularly, la the improve ment of our country roads. We have, aa we have seen, already moro miles of railroads in the South ia proportion to population than they have ia the North aod West. We havj not, it is true, as many in proportion to area as at the North, but la this respect, too, we have moro than in tho West. In Now Eng land tho proportion is a mile of railroad to 19.65 equara mile*. Io the middle Atlantic States there Ia a mile of railroad to each 7.5i square miles, in the South ern Atlantic States a mile of railroad to every 23.82 square miles, and in the Wes tern and Southwestern States a mile of railroad to something over 27.63 square miles. If one will try with a compasa on a railroad map of tho Stato ho will find that except tn the few places we name below be can describe no circle with a radius of fifteen miles which will not Biri ko some railroad at som* point The few pointa which are not within fifteen miles of some railroad are these: .1. Alone the Savannah River about Roborisville. j 2. In Geilston above Walterboro' In the vicinity of Ball's atore. 8. From about Mill's store neir tho point where Aiken, Orangeborg, Barn well and Lexington Counties corner and in the direction of Batesburg on the Charlotte, Columbia and Augusta Rall raw. . j 4. Some territory between a lino drawn Qom Pamden to Lancaster on the Cho ra w and Chester Railroad. 0. Country about Vance's Ferry on either side or tho river and other por tions of Berkeley and Georgetown Coun ties. C. Parts of Horry and Williamsburg and some portion of upper Marion to wards the North Carolina lino. These points, it will be observed, are almost entirely within the upper pine belt of the State, which, according to Major Hammond's statistics in the book published by the State Board of Agri culture on the resources of the State, bas a population of but 35.5 to the square mlle-a population certainly unable to support more railroads. Except then in tho upper pine belt of the State, and one or two parts of the lower, we have already sufficient rail road facilities to allow one on good roads to go from any point in the State to some railroad and return in the carno day. But ?B urged that whilo this is truo with the map and compass, that it ia not true practically, because oui roads are so laid out, or rather havo so run themselves, that the distances from rail roads which must be travelled is in many instances much more than the map and compass would show. Granted ; but which, then, is the better remedy-to straighten and improve our country roads or to build moro railroads ? This is tho question we would have consider ed. We would have our people bear in mind that it is not within the design and scope of railroads to run to every barn door nor to run on both sides of every Htream. Railroads can novor take tho place of highways. As Mr. Nimmo, tho chief of tho bureau of statistics, treasury department, in his laBt report on the internal commerce of the United States, observes : "Tho fact that the railroad is an avenue of commerce, the pathway of which is no wider than the wheel of the vehicle which moves upon it, at the very outset forbade that it should become, In tbe ordinary sense, a free highway." "The railroad," as he I elsewhero says, "became, therefore, at the I very beginning, and from tho very exi gencies of its being, a monopoly." Tbe I buildings of highways bas everywhere and alwayB been the proper subject for taxation ; but however tue courts may bave decided as to the technical, const! I tutional right to build railroads by taxa tion, the propriety of doing so must still I remain open to question. The argument that a railroad, though a highway, ia at I the same time not only private property I but a monopoly, and that tho public should not be taxed to build that the I profits of which enure always to the benefit of a few private individuals and practically never to repayment of the I taxes, is not answered by the technical decision of the Courts. On the other hand, the improvement I and repair of our country roads is to the emolument of no private individuals, but to the benefit of the publio and all tbe public alike. In regard to thom there is no monopoly of a highway. Ev ery person may use them, ride or walk upon them without question from an j I one else. We have often wondered to observe the towns moving in new railroad enter prises, for with the general through con nection we already have, it ia Beldon their interest to do BO. Railroad? an absorben) of towns-they are suckers tc I tho great cities-the money centres. Lc us illustrate. The town of Camden ii I now at what may be termed the bead o railroad navigation in that section. Al the produce in the country around, in i radius say of fifteen or twenty miles comes into Camden to the railroad there But its citizons are dissatisfied, am think that by inducing a railroad fron Hamlet or some other point to the nortl to come to Camden they will improve it I condition. Is not this a mistake? I j such a railroad is built will not all th. cotton that now comes to Camdem fron the north and east of it go to the neares station north of Camden rather than bi hauled in wagons to Camden and thei I by rail again North ? This has certainl; been the result to Chester upon th building of the Cheraw and Cheste Railroad. Before that railroad wa built Chester did all the business be tween the Charlotte, Columbia am Augusta Railroad and the Catawb River, but since that railroad has beei opened it has lost thousands of bales o cotton. The cotton that is put on th railroad at Fort Lawn ana Ricbbur does not stop ia Chester, but passe through to Baltimore or New Yorl Chester loses this year 2,688 bales ship ped from Richburg which, but for th Cheraw and Chester Railroad, woul have come to it. So again with Black ville. Since the building of tho Barn we Railroad Blackvillo has lost many bale of cotton that formerly were handled i that town. Bat it will be said the community i large is benefited even though thc; I towns suffer. If co then let tho com mi nity at large build the railroads, aod d not call upon the towns to do so. But the community at largo benefited by tl "drying up," if we may use the osprc sion, of our small money centres. Tl: general difiuaion of wealth has bec urged as one of the fundamental maxine Of political economy ; but is not th effect of our building of railroads tb exact reverse of this priociplo. Tl accumulation of capital in the towos I small though such accumulatioas may I I each instance be-keeps tho means < planting' and of improvements with! reach of the farmers, especially of tl small farmers, but the shipping of cottc directly from the way-stations to tl I great money centres ia destructive to tl banking interests of the towna ; aod y the farmer who bas avoided the town i I the sale of is produce Is found to re tu; to it for the capital to reaew bis oner tions and purchase bb supplies. The making of good country road?, < tho other hand, cortainly toads to tl building up of our towns and the ace mulation of capital in their backs. Su I poso, for instance, that the money expo dod for building the railroads from One ter and Blackville had been expend? instead lo building good turnpikes zac sting from these towns in di G?rent dire j tions until they reach territory tributa to other towna, would not the money ha been mach better expended in their 1 terest ? Thea their busiaess would hs been Increased instead of dimlnlshe It would really havo co?I the farmer.) moro to haul bia cotton on good toads these towns, say tea or fifteen miles, tbi to haul it, as fae still mast do, five, six seven miles over, bsd roads tb tba noan station oh the hew railroads and tb? pay the railroad freight for the rest the diatanoe to the towns. We need In this State not so mn more railroads as more towns with caf tai. We need, co doubt, better si doser connections with the Weat, b except with regard to the West we ha already enough through lines, and o tc ~: tori al zad pimelea! portion b?tWO the foot of tho Blue Ridge and tho s will aseare for ui. whatever more la nee ed in the future at the cost to da only the right of way. Oar great need is go? turnpikes to reed, strengthen and bul up our towna, and not more cross r Ail roa to sap and "dry them up." 1 By the United States census of 18 tho building and repairing of fences cost us annually $917,000. This sum, which we have saved by the Stock law, would give ua a vast system of improved turn* pikes which would build up and develop our rccuurces far more than any further extension of our railroads. EDWARD MCCRADY, JR. Tlie Grasses* While tho larger part of tho world is fighting grass a number are striving to propagate it. We are not sure but the common Crab grass could be profitably grown bera on fallow land, but however this be a number of the improved grasses could certainly be. While we sit idly down and envy the dwellers in the W ae grass region of Kentucky and tho Timo thy and Red clover fields of the North, as producers of hay, wc have in our reach a number of grasses equally valuable with those and which could be success fully grown here. First among them is Alfalfa or Lu cerno, which is perennial, luting twenty O? more years, and capable of being out three and four times a season on rich f;rouud. This grass will be est by horses n preference to corn, for wo havo tried it ; nor will it salivate stock, however often cut, as Red Clover after ita first cutting does. Tho grass once set properly and tho land aunually fertilized grows luxuriantly and one acre would keep a cow and several horses duriug the sum mer. Wo have a plat of eixty-fivo by thirty feet which wo have cut twice already and it ?B coming again. Wo de siro annually to add to this until we get an aero, if possible, for au acre well set would be worth $200 or more. It difiera with Red Clover in that the latter, after two or three crops, dies out. It will ?row well here and is found largely in lalifornia and as far South as St. Augus tine, Florida. It stands drouth well, as tho roots in porous lund go eight or ten feet, some say twenty feet deep. We think every farmer should yearly try to plant a small patch of Alfalfa. The only trouble we experienced with it was tho first spring when we had to finger out tho weeds and grass. Since that it has been able to take care of itself, smothering out other grasses. We sowed io drills about eleven or twelve inches apart and when it growB up two feet high it has the appearance of being broadcast. As we cut it wo generally about a rain sow a little fertiliser over the part cut. Tue next in order among valuable grosses ir. Orchard Grass, which will grow well on land of ordinary fertility and either in orchards or groves. It does as well or better undor light Bbade as in open fields. We havo over two acres of this grass in our peach orchard and pas tured four cows in it last year by staking them, both in the spring and during the dry summer and fall. We have seen it eat and tramped so olose in places that scarcely a vestige of grass could be seen, bot in a few weeks after a rain it would Bpring up and appear as thrifty as ever. ThiB spring ana summer it has grown well and arter mowing it we have pas tured three cows on it and it has never lost its thrifty appearance. It remained green all winter and we know of no hardier grass for pasturage than the Orchard Grass. When at Pickens in the spring we beard a good farmer there speak of it in equal terms of commen dation. Every farmer should seed sev eral acres in this valuable grass. Another valuable grass, which grows well on low lands in this climate, is Red Top or Herds grass. This grass becomes a mat after a time and makes superior bay. In its green state aa well as In hay it is much liked by stock of all kinds. It will remain green or have a green ap pearance through the winter and is very nardy and well adapted for pasturage. These three grasses are perennial and once seeded are good io stand for years. We remember we sowed Red Clover with our Orchard Grass and secured a fair stand. The second year it yielded well, but this, the third year, nearly all of it is dead. We would not recommend Red Clover, as Lucerno is a better feed and is good for twenty yeats. Another grass well adar.ted to this cli mate, but which people dread, because of the difficulty of getting rid of it, is the Bermuda Grase. It makes a solid mat and is fine for pasturage. We hear General Hagood has near one hundred acres in Bermuda Grass which pays a handsome profit. Twenty acres well set in this crass, we believe, would be worth to any farmer $50 to $100 au acre. Wo are not afraid of it and last year planted a two horse load of the roots, but as tho land waa in oats wo could not plow it in and most of it died in the dry spell. We have, however, spots living and it is spreading fast. Thnse wno dread it might clear a rich valley surrounded by woods and plant. It cant stand shado and j would never spread beyond tho cleared land. We have heard it could be killed out by seeding three years in oats, followed by peas, thus shading the lana. It is a good fertilizer by reason of its network of roots and an effectual pre ventative of the land washing. Its high est value consists in the difficulty of de stroying it, for daring the summer it furnishes rich food for stock without labor or attention. Thone who are afraid <? f it should let it alone, but for ourse? rc if we had fifty acres in Bermuda Grass, near or in town, it would bring it r : $1.50 ?or month for each cow pastured at least 160 per month during summer, and persons owning milch cows woola find good pasturage st $1.60 per month the cheapest mode of feeding them.' Or a rosa could buy up colts and beef cattle and make it profitable. With labor so uncertain and expensive wo must begin to look to grasses. The late S. E. Mas? woll, though he disliked the grass, has often told us that the best oats and corn he ever grew were planted on Bermuda Grass land. Though, hard to break, when once torn up and planted the grass seemed not to injure the growing crop and when tsid by nero comes again the grass. Any of the three first named grasses can be destroyed easily, and all snoold endeavor to get a start In one or all of them. It could not fail to bo profitable.- Walhalla Courier. - The fame of Florida aa tho place to make fortunes in bss reached London, and a colony of fifty families of fruit growers and market gardeners are now f>reparing to immigrate to St. Lucie, Fis., n November. It is expected that their skill snd koCtiedge of horticulture will insure them greet success. - A correspondent of the Los ?ngeles Ihnes reports that along the Southern coast of Mexico the people. bsye a habit of inoculating themselves with the vims of the rattlesnake or adder, which rea? dem them absolutely safe forever after ward from ibo bite or sting of the dead liest reptiles, ' - Whiio mAdtM>! stsdsnts are being harshly condemned for robbing graves, it is forgotten that the students Intend to fill them ap again whon they go into practice. - Sergeant Mason, who was made a hero of because of his attempt to amrsi nate Gultcau, is ia jail charged with rob bery. BILL AIU?>S LETTI'H. He Ueicrlboa a Storm lu the Country. The weather ia a little cycloni nh. Just enough for ua to enjoy Its solemn grand eur. Broad fields aro in front of us, and the bluo hills just beyond encircling the valley South and West, and through this valley runs Fettits creek. When the black clouds begin to loom up from behind the hills and the low rumbling thunder is heard we look and watch ana listen. Will the storm go round us or will lt come. By and by the western sky ia all darkened. The aun ia hidden, and we catch the roar of wind and watch for Hie finit fifth t of rain on the crest of tho pine covered ridgee. If it croases the mountain it will most surely come and water tho valley in front of ua, and it most alwaya co .nea with a wind. We look nod wonder and admire as long aa we can, for it is a grand display of nature's power, but soon it reaches our very doors, j and tuen we have to leave the piaua and take in the chaira and close the door and let down the windows and wail its pleasure and its perils. The treetops wave and bend furiously about, the tall corn is bowed low, the grape leavea are turned wrong olde outworda, the driving storm has obscured all the valley and the mountaina beyond, the lightning flashoa inceaaantly and the thunder shakes the ground and jara the windows. There is a solemn stillness in the family room. "Don't sit so near the sewing machine. Jesaio : keep away from tho hearth, Carl," says Mm. Arp. The driving rain daabes against the window glass, and oreapa in at every crack. There is a leak over the piano-a leak that I have promised Mrs. Arp a dozen times to fix, but I can't fix it in such a storm aa thin, and when the niunn is over I put it off for a more con venient seaeon. It ia so easy to put off a thing, especially a thing that requires a man tb get on top of a house. I don't like elevators nor elevationa now-too old and stiff. I havo passed the meridian ; I have just aeon my sixtieth birthday and was kissed all round, and had good wishes and kind worda from Mrs. Arp and the phildren, and the spring chickens were sacrificed, and t hero waa cherry pie without tho aced and raspberries aud various good thlnga all raised at home. A atorm in the country ia worth some thing to soe. Wo can look out and afar off and we can see the lightning flash and zigzag and corruscate, and have no fear-it Is grand, but not fearful-not alarming. The trees are all around ua and havo never been struck. Thoy are our lightning roda, our insulators. Lightning willatriko one lonely tree, but it rarely strikes In n grove or forest. It has struck twice in our cotton fiold and killed the cotton, but these trees all around ua scatter it and keep it from con centrating. Nabor Freeman says that lightning boa a liking for a wagon with ono steer, for he passed one on the road day before yesterday while there was a storm on hand and the lightning atruck tho little one ateer wagon and tore it all to pieces, and tho steer just went on with nothing but one shaft bitched to him. There was no driver, for tho steer'hud i'uat been turned loose to go home by limself. Cobo says he never did under* stand thia thunder and lightning busi ness, nohow, "for," BayB he, "como folks any it's the llghtnln' that strikes, and some aay it'a the thunder, but he 'isa noticed one thing, and that is that when ever anything is struck they both come right smack together and it looks like it takea 'em both to do the work." Wo have had a good deal of country life of late and I have no idea of chang ing base. I had rather live poor in the country than rich in town. We have been harvesting wheat and oata and rye. We went to see a millpond drawn off, and had a big time wading in and grab bing the furn under the moss and in the hollow stumps, and trying to hold the , slickery eels. I go with the children after mulberries and dewberries and huckleberries. I've hived six swarms of beci and got stung only twice. The children hove pulled out the peacocks' tails for flybruBhee. Tho peacock ?B a dude. I need to think the peahen ought to have the fine clothes, but I don't now, for it would moat kill her to givo them up. The beautiful feathers wovo intend ed for the ase of man, and It ia all right to strip the vain bird of bis ornamenta and let him feel like common stock. There is right good fishing in our big spring branch, and every spring some mee trout run up from the creek and feed on minnows. We have been watch ing them and trying to catch them, but thoy wouldn't notice our earth-worm bait, and so the other day I set out a minnow and got over the fence and watched the pole, and sure enough a big fat fellow grabbed it and hung himself, and was cavorting and splashing around, and I had to go over a six plank fence, and I couldn't do it in the old time way, and just fell over on my hands and feet and ? galloped onallfoura to the pole just ia time to pull him oat And save him, for he fell off the book on the grasa and had liked to havo flirted back ia the water. Mrs. Arp had fish for sapper that evening. She is fond of fish-aris tocratic Uah, and when we get a trout it is always for her. They say that fish is brain food and gives folks sense, and I reokon the finer the fish the finer the braiu, and that is the reason folks who feed on trout have so mach lodgment. Then, again, trout are game flan and that Is the reason why folks who eat them aro so game. I wish I had some trout. May be I wouldn't be as meek and ham* ble aa I am. BILL ASP. - Kev. Sam Jones continu?e to eur- ! prise his hearers by his piala talk. ''Some of you little sinners," he said tho other day. "are Bitting around here wait* lng for saltation to strike you aa it did St. Paul. Snowbird waiting to be hit with a canuott ball. God adjusts his ammunition t> thosizo of the man he Is Riler. Must', rd seed shot will do for you. God won't keep a man sober who has a quart of liquor in him all the time. God won't keep a young lady pious who bas her waist encircled seven times a week by til o arma of a spidcr-1 egged dode." - General Longstreet, io his article on "The Seven Days' Fighting about Richmond," In the July Century, says "Without doubt, the greatest man of rebellion times, the one matchless among forty millions for fha peculiar difficulties of the period, was Abraham Lincoln.'* - A colored boy ten yean old waa drowned in the Saluda river ia Newberry County on Stta?ay. His six com panions carefully avoided mentioning the matter until after lbs body waa found, fearing that they would be accused of murder. - The Abbeville Medium means baal* ness: Wis' want to see the maia who ?aid hs would pay for his paper In chick ens of nico frying alzo. We havo the crowd at home lo eat them. ?- South Carolina ls coming ont ahead st Nsw Orleans. Tho S tato has carried off tbs first premiums on both asa island cotton and ?ice-tv?o important agricul tural productions. - Tbs bill cf General Grant's doctora ls said to tort already reached ?40,000. How Will It Eufl I All over tho world young men are coming to the fore, but in no country so rapidly aa in America, and in no city of the world to such an extent aa in Now York. In our great metr?polis, brains, vigor, dash ana fresh blood aro always wanted. Young men control New York. They are supreme. Old fogies are not wanted. In an ideal cort of way gray heads are respected, but in every day lire they are shoved aside. Among a non* dred clerke at work io the Park Bank only three or four have passed their thirty-fifth year. All the leading lines of business and all the professions are controlled by young men. They do more work ana do It quicker than the steady old fellowa who have been at work all their lives. Perhaps the objec tion will be urged that they lack the judgment of their elders. Judgment I Who cares for judgment? Do wo not run everything on tho hit or miss, heads or tails plan ? Judgment won't toko tho risks ventured by hot young blood. The mon wbo strike a big thing these days are the reckless, devil-may-care fellows, wbo would stake an empire on the haz ard of the die. If they wio, the world hears from them. If they lose, the ready revolver is ready, and the world soon forgets Hiern. It Is a fast age. Hurry is the watchword. To day is with us ; to morrow may never come. Slow men trained in the habits of the past genera tion cannot accommodate themselves to theso ideas, and they drop out or aro crowded out of the procession. The wear and tear of these hard-working, rapid youngsters is fearful. The averago business man ia New York takes twenty drinks of whisky a day and smokes fif teen cigars. Nobody can stand this. The young Now Yorkers don't stand it. They go down in regiments and squares. But, like the old guard, they die, but never surrender. If a man pulls through it all he is old at the age of forty and retires to toko a permanent rest. One remit of thia unnatural life is the pro duction of a .nco of pigmies. New York is famous for its young men of small stature and light weight. This comes from oxcess of all kinds. It Is not so with the young women. The girls who do not smoke, drink and dissipate, are large and well built, bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked. They will nave to take hua band 3 from the country. The spider legged dudes around them are not fit for their mates. If wo escape a deluge or a revolution the next generation will bo a gauzy one. a sort of fleeting show, as it were.-Allanta Constitution. A Thought for "Our Girls.'7 "My banda are so stiff I can hardly hold a pen," said farmer Wilbur, as ho sat down to figure out some accounts that were getting behind hand. "Can't I help you, father?" Bald Lucy, laying dorm her bright crochet work. "I Bhsll bo glad to do so, if you will explain what you want." "Well, I shouldn't wonder if you could, Lucy," he said reflectively. "Pretty good at figures are you not?" "It would be sad if I did not know somothing of them, aller going twice thrcgh the arithmetic," said Lucy. "Well, I can show you in five minutes what I have to do, and it'll be a wonder ful help if you can do it for me." "I no vcr waa a master hand at accounts in my best days, and it does not grow any easier since I put on my spectacles." Very patiently did the helpful daugh ter plod through the long lines of figures, leaving the gay worsted to be idlo oil the evening, though she waa in such haste to finish nor scarf. It was reward enough to see her tired father, who had been toiling hard all day for horself and dear ones, sitting so cozily in his easy chair, enjoying his weakly paper. Tho dook strueV nine before her teak wau over, but the hearty-"Thank yon daughter, a thousands time," took away hil sonso of weariness. "It's rather looking up, where a man can have such an .manuensis," said the farmer. "It ia n?< every farmer that can afford it." "Not every farmer's daughter that ia capable of making one." said tho mother, with a little pardonable maternal pride. "Nor every one that would be willing; if able," said Mr. Wilbur; which last was a sad truth. How many daughters might be of use to their father in Una and many other ways, who never think of lightening a care or labor J If asked to Ear form some little service, it ia dono at est with reluctant step and unwilling air that roba it of all sunshine and oil claim to gratitude. Girls, help your father. Give him a cheerful home to rest in when evening comes, and do not worry his life away by fretting because he cannot afford yon all the luxuri?s you covet. Children exert ea great an influence on their parents, se p?rente do on their children.-Our awi: day School. Solar Eclipses? , The eclipses of the a?n ore camed by the moen's passing betwoen tho earth and tho sun. If the two bodies followed tbe same tr ach in tho heavens th oro would be an eclipse every oew WOOD, but . as tho orbits aro inclined the moon, but generally passes above cr below the ann, and there is no eclipse. Occasionally the sun ia near one of the moon's nodes the points where the planes of tho ?rbita intersect-when lt pastes, and then an eclipse occurs. If the sun end moon were always at the same position wUh regard to the earth and alwaya the same . distance from it, the eclipses would al ways be the same size. But aa these conditions var % so do the appearances of tho eclipse. E or instance, let ua suppose that at tho tim y of an eclipse tho center of tho moon happens to pass directly over tho center ox the sun. If tho moon is near the point in her orbit which la at tho least distan?a from the earth her app?tant diameter will exceed that of the soo, and tho latter will bo quito kid dee from view, sud we have what ia known as a total eclipse. Of course, even in Ibis case the eclipse will ? only appear total to tho observer near th olino joining tho centers of tho sun and moon. If, however, the three bodies occupy sim ilar position but the distanc? between the earth and moon is greater, the whole of the sun in not covorcd by the moon, however, does, not pass certainly over tho SUD lt can only hide a part of the latter os one aide or the other, and the eoupee IS said to be partial. AB tho moon's orbit is quite eUptical the distance of that body from tho earth varies <*ro*t!y. IU loaat distance Is 221,000 m Hos, ito greaC cat 259,000 miles. .;< The Southern crop prospects ore sold to bo unprecedented for many years. Cotton, rice and sugar promise splendid returns. - - There Is a red oak tree in Barnwell County known os the "RebsV Oak/* which'mesantes twenty seven feet In o?r-, enmferenco. - Them Ia a negro woman in New berry County BIX feet three loches high, straight ns cn arrow and black as tho St