Smyrna times., 1859-07-14
From tho Salisbury Walchman.
a Day On a Rice Plantation.


To manv of your renders. doubtless, the
pode of plnniug and culiva,ing this great ar
! tlcle OF food is as much unknown as il II were
only grown in the East Indies. All are uc-
quainted with its excellent qualities as a nuur.
lshIug diet.
The plantation which visited was that o.
Col. T.. u. Mcares, of Brunswick. The broad
fiat piece Of ground OF nany acres. extends
along The river and out upon adjacent ere, ks
the laud is divided into " tasks" BY d.tches
running through IN every direction. though
mostly crossing each other at right angles. No
! ploWs are used, the whole work beug done
with short hoe and long narrow one. When
set OF hands are put INTO one of these tasks
! they must smOoth 1t oil, make the little trench
rows, SOW the seed and cover it. oil 10 The same
day. The tasks ere really given to only one,
as for instance, 1t is the work Of one to smoo II
so much ground; of another 10 trench aftet
! him of another to SOW the seed, and another
TO cover it. The numbers of these tasks mak
| Il field this field is not fenced in, but surround
cd by large ditch and eubankment. These
are designated as Nos. |, ,, 3, &C.. aud contain
10, ID, or 20 acres. There Is no fencing, the
great cody of land containing number Of fields
being surrounded by large canal
Having given y"u faint idea of how the
,he Fa.l, after the rice is cut, 81 soon as per-
;ecIIy dry, the stubbie is burned off. Some.
lmes the weather viii net allow this; /; then II
remains aud Is chopped under in the winter
In December The whole land intended tor cuti-
vation il gone over with the hoe, breaking
clOds. &c. In March the planting season be-
gins, and from that time onward Is the rush.
As suon ii field IS planted it is covered with
water aud SO retsalns until the rice Is pretty
we'll grown. The water Is then lei off, and
soon after the field Is gone over with the hce
chop out grass and work The rice. This Is
done twice before the crop rFens. The irrga-
uun is managed 30 that when one fed Is under
water, another may BE- dry. Several hands
are constanty employed in clearing cut ditch
es, stopping leaks IN embankmenls, &c.
Every KIND Of bird Is lover of rice, and an
enemy to the interests Of the rice planters. but
lhe one most dreaded is the rice brd. 1t is Il
small bird. ut dark sh brown color, with a sharp
stout bill, with winch It grasps the stalk Of rice
and squeezes the mIik from 1t etieciually as
If done with n pair OF nippers. The only means
of getting rid OF them Is by powder and shot
aud thousands upon thousands are killed, they
still appear as thick as at first. During the
season of killing, hogs aud dogs upon the plan
tation all get fat. The negroes are provided
from morning until night. When a flock Of
these birds come down near n rice field, they
swoop down with a noise like thunder, and the
beautiful green rlce-staiks fall down before
them, as does the rice before lie rea per's hook
Left TO themselves. but few hours would snt-
ice 10 clear the field. but n half dozen mus
kets scare them off for time. Bot few who
do not live in that section have any idea Of the
Immense damage which they do 10 the rice.
planters, aud | suppose there is 70 means Of
correct calculation, ~ they never fail to ap-
near though more numerous some years than
others Mr.. MparcS Informs me that last year
he consumed 80 kegs OF powder In shooting
them, and that one year he had used MS much
as 80 kegs. Tue shot was in proportion.
or late years an extensive trade had grown
IN IN the rice straw. The scarcity Of hay and
the imerIoriy of the article brought from the
North. induced Mr. Meares some years ago Ia
try cured rice straw, to put up with clover with
81 II aud water. II succeeded we'll, and for that
winch he sent to market he found ready sale.
Other planters adapted il, and the rice straw Is
now very generally used as a food for horses,
&c Though by no means equal TO the hay
which You have aud Is everywhere 10 The w est,
vet il is far superior to the Northern apology
for hay, which has for 60 long been an article
Of food in the Cape Fear region.
The plantation of Col. Meares is one OF the
Oldest upon the river, there are fields in it
which have been planted regularly for over
FORTY years, and still produce luxurianily. Tue
machinery for clearing the rice is of the best
pattern. The rice, as it i sold by the planter
IN the husk. passes through the RICE mill, and
exposed Tor sale in terces as VIC use 1t upon
the table.