Georgia Agricultural Facts and Firsts

1735--Georgia was the first colony to cultivate grapes.
1735--The first agricultural experiment farm and station was established in Savannah.
1735--The first silk from the colonies was sent from Savannah and made into a dress for the Queen of England.
1738--Georgia was the first British colony to outlaw the sale of rum.
1755--The first export of cattle from America was from Savannah.
1785--Georgia was the first state to charter a state university, the University of Georgia
1788--The first export of cotton to England was from St. Simons Island.
1793--The first cotton gin was invented near Savannah by Eli Whitney and put into operation near Washington, Georgia.
1810--The first successfully operated cotton mill in the South, the Bolton factory, was built in Wilkes County.
1874--Georgia was the first state to create a state Department of Agriculture.
1893--Georgia Congressman Tom Watson secured the first federal appropriation for Rural Free Delivery. The service was started in 1896.
1906--The first southern school of forestry was established at the University of Georgia.
1959--The first state forestry center and forest fire lab were established in Macon.
The Elberta peach, developed by Samuel Rumph of Marshalville and named for his wife, greatly popularized peaches in northern markets.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, grew up on a peanut farm in the small farming community of Plains, Georgia.