Agriculture has played a dominant role in Georgia’s economy for more than two and a half centuries, beginning with the settlement by English colonists, led by General James E. Oglethorpe, in Savannah in 1733. One of the major goals of the colonists was to produce agricultural commodities for export to England. To achieve this objective, Oglethorpe sought the advice and counsel of Tomochichi, leader of the Yamacraw tribe. The Indians were skilled in hunting, fishing, and especially in the cultivation of maize (corn), beans, pumpkins, melons, and fruits of several kinds. The colonists learned agricultural practices from the Native Americans, and this collaboration was profitable from the very beginning. They produced enough corn the first year to export some 1,000 bushels to England. They also began establishing enterprises that would produce silk, indigo, and wine, which were especially in demand in England. In 1735 Queen Caroline of England wore a dress made of imported Georgia silk to celebrate her fifty-second birthday. By 1742 Georgia silk had become an important export commodity, and by 1767 almost a ton of silk was exported to England each year. Rice and indigo also became profitable crops during the early years of the colony.
The Trustees of the colony established an experimental garden of ten acres in Savannah and employed a botanist to collect seeds, drugs, and dyestuff from other countries with a similar climate to conduct research on how they could be grown in Georgia. This was the first agricultural experiment station in America, and many new crops, including cotton, were introduced. The Trustee Garden was laid out near Savannah with crosswalks bordered by rows of orange trees. The experimental plots were filled with mulberry trees and plants of many different varieties from many lands. The botanist, Hugh Anderson, reported in 1740, “There is a ten acre garden of orange, mulberry trees, vines, some olives which thrive well, and peaches, apples, etc. It must be confessed that oranges have not so universally thriven with us by reason of several blasts of frost in the spring.” The mulberry trees provided a food source for silkworms. Other plants in the garden included figs, vines, pomegranates, coffee, cotton, several West Indian plants, and a plant of bamboo cane from the East Indies.with the settlement by English colonists, led by General James E. Oglethorpe, in Savannah in 1733. One of the major goals of the colonists was to produce agricultural commodities for export to England. To achieve this objective, Oglethorpe sought the advice and counsel of Tomochichi, leader of the Yamacraw tribe. The Indians were skilled in hunting, fishing, and especially in the cultivation of maize (corn), beans, pumpkins, melons, and fruits of several kinds. The colonists learned agricultural practices from the Native Americans, and this collaboration was profitable from the very beginning. They produced enough corn the first year to export some 1,000 bushels to England. They also began establishing enterprises that would produce silk, indigo, and wine, which were especially in demand in England. In 1735 Queen Caroline of England wore a dress made of imported Georgia silk to celebrate her fifty-second birthday. By 1742 Georgia silk had become an important export commodity, and by 1767 almost a ton of silk was exported to England each year. Rice and indigo also became profitable crops during the early years of the colony.
King Cotton
Cotton and tobacco were the major crops in Georgia after the American Revolution (1775-83), and cotton soon became the dominant commodity grown. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 while he was visiting a friend near Savannah revolutionized the cotton industry. By 1860 there were 68,000 farms in the state, and they produced 700,000 bales of cotton. Only 3,500 farms had 500 acres or more, and 31,000 had less than 100 acres of land. After the Civil War (1861-65) cotton continued to be the main crop in many parts of Georgia. In 1870 more than 725,000 bales of cotton were produced. By then, however,erosion and depletion of the soil were taking a heavy toll on Georgia’s farms. Not until the last half of the twentieth century was the damage brought under control by improved agricultural practices.
Growing cotton almost exclusively proved to have ravaging effects on the soil. Agricultural leaders in the mid-1800s extolled the virtues of diversification of Georgia’s agriculture and recommended that greater emphasis be placed on livestock, poultry, orchards, vineyards, vegetables, forage, and forestry. Still, cotton was such an attractive cash crop that it dominated agriculture not only in Georgia but throughout the South for many decades. In 1915, however, the boll weevil spread into southwest Georgia, destroying thousands of acres of cotton. That pest, combined with a very low price for cotton after World War I (1917-18), made diversification imperative. Cotton production dropped from a high of more than 5 million acres and 2,769,000 bales in 1911 to only about 500,000 bales by 1923. In 2000, 1,350,000 acres of cotton were harvested, with a total of 1,663,000 bales produced and cash receipts of $411,025,000. Cotton is no longer “king” in Georgia, but cotton and cottonseed sales still account for more than 8 percent of the total cash receipts for agricultural production.and tobacco were the major crops in Georgia after the American Revolution (1775-83), and cotton soon became the dominant commodity grown. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 while he was visiting a friend near Savannah revolutionized the cotton industry. By 1860 there were 68,000 farms in the state, and they produced 700,000 bales of cotton. Only 3,500 farms had 500 acres or more, and 31,000 had less than 100 acres of land. After the Civil War (1861-65) cotton continued to be the main crop in many parts of Georgia. In 1870 more than 725,000 bales of cotton were produced. By then, however,erosion and depletion of the soil were taking a heavy toll on Georgia’s farms. Not until the last half of the twentieth century was the damage brought under control by improved agricultural practices.
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Georgia became nationally known as the “Peach State” after Samuel Rumph of Marshalville developed the Elberta peach, which he named for his wife. The Elberta greatly popularized the peaches in northern markets and helped established the state’s peach industry.
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Georgia farmer Mose Coleman first grew Vidalia Onions in 1931. Since then, they have grown in popularity among consumers worldwide, providing farmers in the Vidalia Onion growing region with a valuable commodity.
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The first agricultural experiment farm and station was established in Georgia.
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The first silk from the colonies was shipped from Savannah and made into a dress for the Queen of England.
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Georgia was the first state to cultivate grapes.
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Georgia was the first state to charter a state university, the University of Georgia, in 1785.
