Author Archives: John S. Quarterman

Zucca, Okra Paradise Farms, 15 July 2012

More than twice as wide as my foot:

More than twice as wide as my foot

More than twice as wide as my foot
John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 15 July 2012.

-jsq

Okra @ Okra Paradise Farms 2012-07-12

Okra and corn:

Okra and corn

Okra and corn
John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 July 2012.

Bloom and okra:

Continue reading

Tomatoes, Okra Paradise Farms, 15 July 2012

Gretchen with tomatoes from one day:

Gretchen with tomatoes from one day

Gretchen with tomatoes from one day
Picture by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 12 July 2012.

-jsq

Advanced sheets-Field operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1917

What was your county like a hundred years ago, roads, houses, streams, ponds, and soils? Digital Library of Georgia in association with the University of Georgia Map Library has made available old soil maps from around 1910-1920 online in a viewer that can pan and zoom. Detail of Cat Creek Road, Lowndes County, Georgia in 1917:

Detail of Cat Creek Road

Detail of Cat Creek Road
John S. Quarterman, Gretchen Quarterman, Brown Dog, Yellow Dog,
Screenshot by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 13 July 2012.

The soils haven't changed much (Tf is Tifton A soil, for example), but the roads and houses have, and many streams have been dammed for ponds.

They seem to have all Georgia counties. Here's Tift County in 1910 and Cook County in 1931.

-jsq

Owed to Don Davis of the Lowndes County Museum at the 11 July 2012 WWALS Watershed Coalition meeting.

 

Largest U.S. declared drought disaster ever

It's not just us. More than half the country is in drought, and almost one third is in a federal disaster area for drought: the biggest ever declared.

Dashiell Bennett wrote for Atlantic Wire today, U.S. Declares the Largest Natural Disaster Area Ever Due to Drought

The blistering summer and ongoing drought conditions have the prompted the U.S. Agriculture Department to declare a federal disaster area in more than 1,000 counties covering 26 states. That's almost one-third of all the counties in the United States, making it the largest distaster declaration ever made by the USDA.

The declaration covers almost every state in the southern half of the continental U.S., from South Carolina in the East to California in the West. It's also includes Colorado and Wyoming (which have been hit by devatasting wildfires) and Illinois, Indiana, Kansas and Nebraska in the Midwest. However, it does not include Iowa, which is the largest grain and corn producer in the U.S. This map show the counties affected:

Look, there we are, right in the center of the red area in the southeast!

-jsq

A day at the market: Valdosta Farm Days 7 July 2012

Terry Davis picking corn:

Terry Davis picking corn

Terry Davis picking corn
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 July 2012.

Okra, potato, pepper, plus cornbread muffins and collard seeds:

Continue reading

Bathroom spider

The spider that keeps insects out of the bathroom:

The spider that keeps insects out of the bathroom

The spider that keeps insects out of the bathroom
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 8 July 2012.

It likes that little stool I put there for it! Some people have aquariums….

-jsq

Picking Peppers at Okra Paradise Farms 5 July 2012

Gretchen picks peppers every day, and right now she's baking pepper muffins to take to Valdosta Farm Days at the historic Lowndes County Courthouse. Brown Dog and Yellow Dog helping:

Brown Dog and Yellow Dog helping

Brown Dog and Yellow Dog helping Gretchen Quarterman pick peppers.
Pictures by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 5 July 2012.

-jsq