it on the east, Lee and Terrell on the south, Webster, Marion and Schley on the west. The Flint river forms its eastern boundary. The streams of the county are the Muckalee, Muckaloochee and Kinchafoonee creeks.

The soil belongs to the tertiary formation and is a gray, sandy loam with red outcrops in places. The lands are either level or gently rolling. The water is mainly freestone, though there is some limestone. The' production of the lands to the acre averages: corn, 11 bushels; oats, 12; wheat, 5 bushels; rye, 7 bushels; Irish potatoes, 100 bushels; sweet potatoes, 250 bushels; field-peas, 10 bushels; ground-peas, 20 bushels; seed cotton, 576 pounds; crab-grass hay, 4,000 pounds; corn fodder, 450 pounds; sugar-cane syrup, 250 gallons.

Some farmers under careful culture, make much larger yields of some of these items, as for instance: corn, 20 bushels; wheat, 10 bushels; oats, 25; rye, 10 bushels; field-peas, 15 bushels; ground-peas, 30 bushels; seed cotton, 800 pounds; sugar-cane syrup, 300 gallons. Many use Bermuda grass for summer pasturage and maiden cane for winter. Others, after cutting the grain, use the grain field in summer, and in winter the corn and pea fields, with the various grasses and swamp cane. All the farmers keep cows, many of which are pure breed or one half and more pure breed.

In 1890 there were 4,796 cattle, of which 266 were working oxen. The milch-cows numbered 1,782 and produced 352,825 gallons of milk from which were made 79,233 pounds of butter. There are now two dairy farms doing a good business. The domestic fowls of the county numbered 51,972 and produced 99,606 dozens of eggs. The amount of honey gathered was 18,760 pounds in 1890. There were 726 horses, 2,361 mules, 5 donkeys and 16,072 swine.

In addition to the fact that most farmers raise vegetables, berries and melons in quantities sufficient for home consumption, there are four market gardens raising these things for sale. Two hundred acres are devoted to melons and the average net profit to the acre is $10.00. The truck sold amounts to $20,000. Sumter county has 54,691 peach-trees, 5,904 apple-trees, 2,000 pear-trees and 1,594 plum-trees. There are two small vineyards raising grapes mostly for home consumption.

There are also 2 small establishments raising flowers and flowering plants for the market.

The forests of the county have been badly cut over; but there is still considerable yellow pine, of which the annual output is worth about $20,000. There are 7 sawmills in the county.

There is one flour-mill operated by water, and there are 14 grist-mills, 11 of which use water. Other manufactories of the county are a guano factory, cotton seed oil-mill, variety works, sash and blind factory, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad shops, a horse collar factory, an iron foundry, two wagon and buggy factories, all the above being located at Americus; one boot and shoe factory at Plains, and five smaller ones at Americus; one tannery at Plains, and one factory for repairing gins. About 300 hands are employed at the Seaboard Air Line shops, and

100 in other industries of the city of Americus. This is a fine location for cotton-mills and canning, and men of enterprise and push are heartily welcomed by the cultured and refined society of this thriving Southwest Georgia city.

Americus is the county site and has a population of 7,647, or, including its surrounding district, 10,552. It has a fine system of public schools, a handsome court-house worth $35,000, a jail valued at $15,000, a postoffice three stories high with a marble front, a building containing a bank and several offices valued at $50,000, two hotels, one valued at $130,000, the other at $25,000, water, gas, and electric works, worth $50,000, four banks with a capital of $300,000, an opera house and many elegant private residences, a handsome passenger depot, belonging to the Central of Georgia and Seaboard Air Line systems, and railroad shops valued at $75,000. There are in the city 10 churches of the usual Christian denominations. Three lines of railroad center here: the Central of Georgia from Macon to Albany; another branch of the Central from Americus to Columbus, Georgia, and the Seaboard Air Line from Savannah, Georgia, to Montgomery, Alabama.

There are in Americus several prosperous business firms: five life and 4 fire insurance companies.

There are several places of resort near the city: Magnolia Dell, Myrtle Springs, Pavilion Bathing Pools, Holley Springs Bathing Pool, Schute Pavilion and Magnolia Mineral Springs.

Plains, on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad 10 miles west from Americus, is a good business point with a population of 346 in its corporate limits, while in the district which includes it are 2,521 inhabitants. It has fine schools and churches.

DeSoto, on the same railroad, 13 miles east of Americus, with 250 inhabitants in its corporate limits, does a good business and is well supplied with churches and schools.

Leslie, a place of 213 people, has similar advantages. The district including these two towns has 3,131 inhabitants.

Andersonville, 13 miles north of Americus, on the Central of Georgia Railway is noted as the point where a large Federal prison camp was located during the civil war. Here there is a well-kept Federal cemetery. It contains a population of 245 in its corporate limits, or 1,386 in its entire district.

Sumter is one of the best counties of Southwest Georgia. It has excellent facilities for travel and transportation, several busy little towns and the growing city of Americus. Its schools and churches are firstclass; its people refined and cultivated. The sale of spirituous liquors is prohibited through the county; hence Americus and the other towns are quiet and orderly.

The excellent character of the schools of Americus has led many people to settle there on account of the superior educational advantages of that city.

The area of Sumter county is 534 square miles, or 341,760 acres.

Population in 1900, 26,212, a gain of 4,105 since 1890; school fund, $12,112.61; Americus, $4,452.74.

By the Comptroller-General's report for 1900 there are: acres of improved land, 294,768; of wild land, 283; average value per acre of improved land, $5.11; of wild land, $1.24; city property, $1,529,380; shares in bank, $187,665; money, etc., $260,366; value of merchandise, $343,026; stocks and bonds, $2,298; cotton manufactories, $29,730; iron works, $2,600; household furniture, $260,201; farm and other animals, $250,638; plantation and mechanical tools, $64,439; watches, jewelry, etc., $26,313; value of all other property, $68,935; real estate, $3,036, 066; personal estate, $1,667,252. Aggregate value of whole property, $4,703,318.

Property returned by colored taxpayers: number of acres of land, 13,639; value, $90,902; stocks and bonds, $8.00; city property, $190,058; money, $1,960; merchandise, $3,945; household furniture, $48,252; watches, etc., $854; farm and other animals, $47,902; plantation and mechanical tools, $10,755; value of all other property, $4,060. Aggregate value of whole property, $464,463.

The tax returns for 1901 show a gain of $236,144 in the value of all property since the returns of 1900.

According to the United States census of 1900 there were ginned in Sumter county 25,164 bales of upland cotton during the season of 1899-1900.

The public schools of the county number 23 for white pupils and 33 for colored, with an average attendance of 750 white pupils and 1,410 colored.

Population of Sumter county by sex and color, according to the census of 1900: white males, 3,716; white females, 3,683; total white, 7,399; colored males, 9,249; colored females, 9,564; total colored, 18,813.

Population of Americus City by sex and color by the census of 1900: white males, 1,490; white females, 1,523; total white, 3,013; colored males, 2,117; colored females, 2,544; total colored, 4,661.

Total population of Americus, 7,674.

Domestic animals in Sumter county in barns and inclosures, not on farms or ranges, June 1, 1900: 82 calves, 14 steers, 2 bulls, 238 dairy cows, 326 horses, 86 mules, 11 sheep, 558 swine, 7 goats.

TALBOT COUNTY.

Talbot County was laid out in 1827 and named for Hon. Matthew Talbot, who represented Oglethorpe county in the legislature for many years, and being president of the Senate at the time of the death of Governor Rabun on October 25, 1819, succeeded him in the gubernatorial chair until the election of John Clark, in November, 1819.

Talbot county is bounded on the north by Meriwether, on the northeast by Upson, on the east by Taylor, on the south by Marion and Muscogee, and on the west by Harris and Muscogee.