New-York daily tribune., 1857-09-25
The Sontherners at Hsme...No. III.
From The JeuYual Of Northern Traveller on Horseback
NORTHERN ALABAMA.


the North and its agriculture from conversations with
Northen travellers lpeddep mostly who had stopped
ct bic house, and from the Patent Office Reports which
rSsU S house. TSs
bic was bountifuy suppled- were, for instance,
four varieties Of bread for breskfas-and my horse
was very well taken care ofcharge ony 10 cents for
man and horse.
He bewailed the state Of agriculture in this district
When be came here twenty Ave years ago from South
Carolina the land was toleraby good, but twas rap
idly wearing out, and something would have 70 De
DONE ss in the North TO restore its fertility, or the
people would have to clear out pretty soon He put
in wheat in the manner have before described ana
said that the universal practice TO SOW on un
broken ground and 10 pIow the seed iu with bull
tongue or small " scooter which Is merely nstened
wedge like q cultivator TOOTH. He soved bnshel on
old and three pecks new-the crops aversglns i've
busheis 10 the corn ten twenty cotton ooo 10
700 pounds seed wool Il 600 to 800 seed makes
baie). Land worth from five to ten dollars per
acre.
Crops in South Carolina were scarcely so good ss
this, and land higher. (He was speaking Of South
stayed there lie had often wondered HIMSELF he .ad
q great many did leave, those who remained were on
their grandishsrs plantations and had plenty OF mig
gers-so many they did not know what to do with
them. They kept no stock, the niggers raising all
they needed to i've on and cotton beside. Tney
were very ignorant, and they thought there was no
place like South Carolina They couldn't raise 30
much cotton to hand as they did here, but they
u
ing down the cotton weeds and choppng them in the
burrows, and heapiDg up the earth over them, and
planting their cotton there they bad no stock, and
pever used plow, but did all the work with hoes.
The cotton plant powerful small, but Il bore
great many bols; it great deal Of work to pick
L, but there would be considerable of it from the
ground-a good crop to the acre. said had noticed
negroes hOeing as he described l had asked Why
was too rough to pow though it seemed smooth enough
to me- He said no. it only because they had plenty
Of niggers, and had not the enterprise to stock new
plantations to move away; they didn't want to go
gers increased but they very rarely raised any mules
" cattle--all they cared for was niggers
June. rode several miles TO day with an intelli-
gent planter who gave me a similar account ot the
agriculture Of the country He remained here because
he believed it to be healthier than any of the fertile
districts further south west. They had chils here
some what but they were not much dreaded ana Ill
other resp cts the country was healthy He could g1
to Mississippi or Arkansas, or Texas, DC Knew, aua
make two or three times a. big crop as he did here
but in two years be might lose half his niggers by
cholera or Winter fever (pneamonid), or something
else. .
Observing some white women at work, he said "
answer to my question, that it was not common fT
them TO work except in their hOme-paches; sometimes
they picked cotton bu: did not often hoe or work in
the cotton.feds. saw one plowing.
rode with negro short distance this morning:
He told me that his father from Africa and would
IKE yery much 70 60 back there. He himself didn't
want 10 CO. he didn't think he would like the country
as we'll as this from what he had heard was too hot
sosts he observed that he couldn't ca. goats desh;
6is father had told him that in Africa there was one
tribe who always made sick by eating goats, ana
another was served in the same way by mutton. His
father would never tell him which he belonged TO- but
the first time they had goats flesh he said TO his
vife "Now you'll SEQ some sick boys" and, sure
enough all were deadly sick almost as soon as they'd
eaten mouhful. Of his own children, who were but
n ~. ,tx... ..nIu
made sick by goats fesh-the others were not
white man afterward told me that he knew good
many old African negroes; they smaller and
blacker they did not speak English so plainly, aud
kinky (stupid) but more peart quicker In tner
motons) than the other nigcers.
In the evening l rode several miles before could
And house at which was willing to lodge Az length
stopped at cottage, tolerabiy comfortable 10 sp-
lesrance, with large press and gln house, ana ether
Indications of more than usual wealth. The people
proved exceedingly obligiBg and kindly dsposed.
fhey were very Industrious; the owner aud bis soas
we're at work in the fields with the negroes t quits
dark, and the mistress MIXED the cows herself, with
the sssistaI CO of little black girl. They had no can
dies and the room sat in lighted by fire in the
chimney notwithstanding the general superior COM
forts of the house, spent q most hsrTassng night,
sleeping none at all on account Ut vermin. ~
noticed negroes moving about In their cabins al
night, and before daylight the master was up BILE.
horn Tor the negroes and called bis sons who slept 10
the same room with me. They didn get up, however,
for an hour wherest he upbraided nem ~tn aosIo .
Violence, Long before sunrise saw bis wife, with
pipe IN her mouth, following q negro woman to ths
COW pen to superintend the milking.
The family not only treated me as if was valued
and hopored friend But they actually made pst' OF my
horse and dog giving the latter as much MIX a. sns
voud drink after feeding her abundantly. nile 10
M;ss;,sipDj nv dog had almost invariably been led
grudcirgiy-in this region always generously aad
June -. The soil light and gravsIyi the people as
L..
.rs SaaIie log cabin With shsny behind it on twenty;
acre corDfeld. Tive men and q boy, woman ana
two girls were bceing corn, and another woman W..
a child was bringing water TO the house 10 ouckes
from spriDg hong distance ~ ahets WaS d. .s sss
>t and held the pail the top rail while the woman
climbed over after it. This nust have occurred daily
ca there was no well about the house.
Twice again, during the day, saw white women 81
work in. the fields. The people seem universally in
dnst,ious. There are very few negroes, and when
seen. whites are always at work With them. l have
ob.eryed ON the farms here that white lsbOrers ana
white women are sometimes engeged 10 the mepial
household empIoyments even where saves & are 10 rnS
pirs waited the table; there were, OF course no
negroes present.
turn communicative, kind and Intelligent, out uite-
rate. They speak readily Of Slavery, always wish
there were not any negroes in the country, but always
think il would be bad thing to free them and III
them remain. In short, they dislike negroes bui no<
slavery The common fare consists Of corn bread, ba
con and butternik, but they have -four always for
breakfast and, wht arrive early, for supper they
give me fat biscuit and flied fowLrarsy any vegea.
bles, occasionally peas and onions as salad hSes'
potatoes and cabbage tcolewort are g'owlng souca.
any in the gardsns When fowl /. served lfrequenty
Lotced hat no one tasted 1t until had refused % De
helped to more of il. TO make sure th.r nsd isd
enough Ths morning the 70 Vi was swimming 10 .,s Va
c, Ia which ,eclced 10 have ladled upon my pase.
There vas sick child in the room whom thoy .s,o
peI sue hug t, come to breakfast "Come y soTs
come, sit up 10 the table and dady give yUt wa,