VOL. XXX.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., NOV. 2, 1895.
NO. 44.
Resources of
Shelby County, Ind.
This county was organized in 1821 amd
contains 408 square miles. A large part
of the territory of which it is composed
was purchased from the Delaware tribe
of Indians, in the treaty of 1818. The settlement was delayed on this account, as
it was not open for sale till 1820. Much
of the county at that day was deemed almost worthless, on account of the wet
and even swampy character of the land.
But these sections now drained and in a
high state of cultivation are the most
fertile and productive parts of the oounty.
The county was originally very heavily
timbered with walnut, poplar, oak, ash,
hard maple and other valuable timber.
For many years the timber was a large
source of wealth, and much of it was destroyed in subduing the land for agricultural purposes. In the valleys and wet
sections there was also a dense undergrowth, and it was heroic people who
brought it into cultivation. Most of the
county is quite level. In the southeastern section are hills and undulating
lands. In a large part of the county the
soil is both rich and deep, in the valleys
and lower sections underlaid with sand
and gravel, and table lands resting on
clay subsoil. All the soils are very productive, the clay loams having been tile
drained to a large extent. There is very
little waste land. Farms near Marion,
where the the earliest settlements were
made, have for fifty years or more produced the cereals crops without seeming
to lose thin fertility.
(leologists very pointedly called attention of one feature of this county which
seems to have been almost forgotten.
That is the early made hot wells near
Shelbyville and Little Blue River, and
that near Barlow's Mills, about four
miles west of Shelbyville. At a depth of
40 feet the temperature of the water was
86 degrees. It has been suggested by
geologists that these wells if deepened
would have afforded a tine supply of
thermal white sulphur water. From
this it is fair to infer that these sections
still afford abundant resources for healh-
ful waters, and the foundation for sanitariums equal to those in several sections of
the State. As these natural resources for
health resorts are being developed in other
parts of the State, it is suggested that
Shelbyville utilize these possibilities at
her doors, and build up a great sanitarium.
TIMIiKR, STONK AND THK OKASWM.
The great and valuable forest trees of
walnut, poplar, oak, etc., which used to
abound are chiefly used up. But here
and there are found some good timber.
Many kinds once thought to be of no
value are now utilized in various lines
of manufacturing, even the beech, elm,
cottonwood and others. Including the
wooded pasture lands there are still 35,000
acres of timber lands in the county.
The county has five quaries *-f limestone at St. Paul and at other points,
which have been a large a source of profit.
All the grasses of this latitude flourish.
The extensive bluegrass pastures which
flourish in this soil to perfection, are a
large source of profit for the grazing of
live stock. Of the latter there are over
ten thousand acres in the county.
THE STAPLE CROPS AND U5I,  VALUE.
The soils, both valley and tablelands, are
very productive of staple crops, as well as
the minor ones. In a good season these
have yielded in the aggregate as follows:
Rushels.
Wheat 14*1,79)
Corn, a.i2i.M0
Oats   230,000
The value of the lands in the county
with the improvements are put at $10,119,-
750 as shown by the records.
RAILROADS AND VA1.1E.
The county has four railway lines and
58 miles of road, valued at $1,820,1,10. Two
of these are branches of trunk lines to
the east, affording both competition and
ample accommodations in rates and facilities of travel and shipment of products.
LIVE STOCK RESOl   HIKS.
Both the resources of cereal production
and pasturage have made the county
noted for its live stock productions. It
has some fine herds  of  cattle of various
NOTES FROM OUE ATLANTA TEIP.
Advantages  of   the  Southern  States  for
Earning.
While on our Atlanta trip, Oct. 8 to 1G,
we made numerous enquiries and gathered many facts regarding the advantages
of the region through which we traveled
for farming pursuits. With the eyes of a
northern man, accustomed to Indiana
farm scenery and crops, we carefully in-
HANCOCK        CO
|DECATUR  CO
BARTHOLOMEW       CO-
SHELBY COUNTY-.-Bxplauations.
The dash lines show the gravel roads.
The figures at towns show elevation above sea.
The parallel shading lines In the southeast show the limestone and shale.
breeds, chiefly that of Shorthorns, and is
not excelled in its fine herds of the leading breeds of swine, possessing also many
excellent flocks of pure bred sheep and
some sluds of good horses. In years of
fair prosperity for all these the county
annually had:
Horses  ".uoo
Cattle lti.ooo
Sheep  i.ooo
Hogs 56.000
THE MANUFACTURING.
Shelbyville, the seat of justice and railway center, has become noted for its
great furniture factories. Thereareother
kinds of manufacturing here, but it is
chiefly in the household furniture lines.
Manufacturing in the county, according
to official returns stands as follows:
Capital invested 11,200,000
Value ot raw materials     ■•son.ooo
Value <>f products annually.  1,800,000
About 1,500 persons are employed in
manufacturing and with those dependent
upon them makes about 8,000 people to be
fed and clothed.
The map given of the county, showing
the railways, principal streams, etc., explains itself.
spected the country from the car windows, noting the appearance of the soil,
the "lay of the land," the crops, the
houses and barns, and all else that we
thought a farmer would be interested in,
and especially one who thought of trying
to better his condition by removing to
the Southland.
One thing that especially impressed us
everywhere was the fact that any one expecting to find such land as is so common
here will be greatly disappointed. Here
we have whole sections of clay loam that
are almost level, where drainage used to
be absolutely essential before our drought
summers began. Nowhere on our route
did we see any level land except in basins
among the hills and in the bottoms along
creeks and rivers. The cost of drainage
would he very small indeed in making
farms on the line of our route of travel.
On most everv farm of 100 acres or more
there are hills and valleys, with occasional level spots between. The hills are
generally worn bare of good soil, but the
valleys or basins below have often caught
and held their fertility, and it is there we
find the fields of corn   or  cotton, or sor
gum. This latter crop is quite common
in central Tennessee, where it is cut and
shocked for winter feed for cows. It
ought to be more commonly used at the
north for the same purpose.
Tobacco was seen occasionally in small
patches, and 40 or 50 miles below Nashville cotton fields are common. They are
generally small and not very promising.
Picking was in progress and at every
station bales of cotton were waiting shipment. The price is nearly double that of
a year ago and planters and business men
are jubilant. One reason for this remarkable advance in the price of cotton is the
fact that southern farmers are giving
more attention to corn and wheat than
formerly and raising less of the staple.
They are thus benefiting themselves in
two ways: by saving the cost of food for
their families and their stock, and increasing the price of their money crop.
Heretofore they have bought most of
their flour and meal from the North and
devoted all their tillable land to cotton.
They are learning better. But they have
not yet learned how to restore the exhausted fertility of their soils without
expensive commercial fertilizers. We
saw but two or three fields of clover
south of Nashville, though much of the
distance being traveled in the night, we
cannot say but there are other such fields
that we did not see. We feel safe in expressing the belief, however, that clover-
ing is not a common practice at the South.
Yet we have imotii to know that lhe
plant succeeds well where it has been
tried, especially crimson clover.
We had opportunity to see the effect of
high cultivation on a tract of new land at
Fruithurst, Ala., some so miles west of
Atlanta. Upon the invitation of Col. 1-.
D. Phillips, vice-president of an association engaged there in fruit growing, the
Farmers' National Congress visited the
place in a body. We were surprised at
the fertility of the soil and the wonderful
growth of the vines and fruit trees, as
well as the rapid growth of the new town.
We were told that vineyards in the vicinity had borne full crops for :*0 years and
more consecutively and that it is expected
the vineyards at Fruithurst now less than
a year old, will after two years from
planting yield regularly from 0,000 to 15,-
000 pounds of choice grapes per acre. As
they mature from one to two months
earlier than at the North they sell at
from 8 to 12 cents a pound net and afford
a very handsome profit. New York grape
growers are content with a profit of 2
cents per pound, for with a yield of 10,000
pounds per acre, whioh is not unusual,
they make $2,000 from a 10 acre vineyard.
Considering the delightful climate, the
pure water of that region, and its romantic scenery the inducements are strong
to locate there and it is not surprising
that scores of northern people are taking
land and improving it. The company
not only sells but clears and improves
lands for intending residents. Oangs of
men are kept constantly at work clearing away the timber and breaking the
ground and setting it out in vines and
fruit trees for purchasers, and many
houses are being built upon the hills
around. Those interested can obtain full
particulars of the enterprise by addressing Col. Phillips.
At the Exposition we saw numerous
exhibits of the grains, grasses, fruits and
vegetables of the southern States, and
will give some notes of these displays in
next number.
Mrs. Anna Rouse, of Acton, one day last
week, was run down and killed by the
fast express train on the Big Four road.
The woman was crossing a small bridge
when she heard the train approaching,
and she ran across in safety, but in her
fright forgot to leave the track, keeping
between the rails until she was struck.
Mrs. Rouse was 58 years old. She leaves
a husband and several children.