New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-06-04

high enough Tor no0d1ng the nelos, ana yet ~ -"
up the stream that the water will not be SALT Some
times the lowland planters suffer very severely in
consequence of streams being 80 low that the salt
water sets back above their rice fields just when
they want the water the most.
INTRODUCTION OF RICE INTO AMERICA.
Rice was introduced into Virginia by Sir William
Berkeley ia l6i7, and into South Carolina in 1854;
and in 1893 GO tuns were shipped to England, doubt
less in the rough state in which condition it is called
paddy" Upland or Mountain rice was intro
duced into South Carolina in l772. We have known
a yield of 60 bushels an acre Of this sort within a
few years.
The cultivation Of rice in Louisiana commenced in
l7ls but has never been extended to such lengths as
with some Of the great rice planters Of South Caro-
lima and Georgia.
Along the Mississippi the rice fields are watered
from the floods Of the river which rise higher than
the level of the land. This is extremely convenient
but not always to be depended upon. When the
food continues to increase from the LIST Of February
to the LIST Of June and then gradually subsidies, the
rice planters the water 10 advantage. OBJ
ectons made, however, to tapping the levee, on
account of risk of crevasse.
Adjoining planters, too, object TO letting out the
water of the river which never returns, but fills up
the swamps, and hinders the drainage of dry land
cultivation.
RICE PLANTATIONS DEsCRIBED-Goy. ATKINS.
As Ex-Governor VIM. Akin is a celebrated rice
planter, will show up his plantation on the Island
OF Jehosse, adjoining Edsto and some % miles from
Charleston. Our visit to the island was in 1885, it
had then been owned by the Governor about 20
years. and had 700 slaves engaged in rice cultivation
The island contains 1900 acres; 800 in rice, 500 in
corn, oats and potatoes, and perhaps 200 or 800 in
yards, lots, roads, and pasture ground, and the
remainder in swamp or t!de-water marsh. Mr.
Akin valued the Island ss follows: Rice land, 800
an acre; upland, So an acre; swamp, nothing.
The upland is very sandy, and when planted in
corn two stalks in l, four by five feet, it yieds
about fifteen bushels an acre if well mnnured. In
sweet potatoes it yields 200 bushels, and the swamp
land, when dry enough, some times yields 400
bushels.
Within few years past, part of the work upon
this place has been done by pows and steam-drlven
tbreshing and winnowine machines have been sub
stitued for hand labor TIE fuel used for the engine
is rice straw. The hulling is done by tide mill.
twenty to forty acres mostly cultivated entire
ly by the hoe; that great, awkward, long, square
tool, with handle six feet long, and one and half
to two inches diameter, that is almost universal in
the slave States, and known here as the niger
hoe
The stubble in burnt off, or laid under, during the
Winter, and the land laid up in beds in March, and
seed sowp about the Goth Of the month"; at the rate
Of three bushels per acre.
| The bitches, which serve to irga'e and also to
drain of the water from the rice are all laid of on
this place exactly - feet apart and all the pats be-
ing Of given sire facilitates the sowing Of the seed
by the negroes. Many the canals ARE yigable and
are used TO bring the crop to the ilrasber and take
the grhn 10 the hullipg mill. From there i, is pu'
directly on board the Governors vessels and cent to
market The average crop is 500 10 900 casks Of
COO n ench. The average snlrr for eomr years had
amounted to s25.oOc and the animal expenses 20
$40, OOO-$2 900 Of il TO the ovetseer. The rroy.-
sons Of the negroes are generally made Oh The place.
and consist of corn, rice and sweet po'aoe- with I'll.
occasional taste OF meat soup. During the potato
eeason the weekly raiiOns half bUrhel Of sweet
po,atoes at other times Fix quarts OF meal, broken
rice.
All the negroes work by tasks and gain some
time which they may 10 grow crops for them
selves upon swamp land reclaimed in theirown time
The rice, If not wanted for their own family use, Is
sold to master at 30 cents IA bushcl.
The rice crop is allotted five acres 10 the hand and
in one field we took note of 80 acres Welded 100
bushels, averaging IL pounds PER bushel, and made
90 casks of whole or " merch,ntabo' rice. and two
casks OF broken rice, called 'middlngs,' and two
and half casks Of small - lbroken) rice.
The team force upon the plantation is usually forty
horses and mules, and twenty oxen, but neither this
nor the force is always worked to the beet adj
vantage. Notwithstanding the owner Ia one oil the
most intelligent progressive planters in the State
This we Judged from seeing 300 ablebodled men AID
women in one gang, repairing breach IN an en-
bankmcnt by carrying dirt half mile in baskets
wooden trays and boxes on their heals, each load
containing about II peek Of dirt
COOPER RIVER PLANTATIONS.
About forty miles, by water, up Cooper River, we
yi,,ed tho rice plantation Of Col. Carson since
dead. who owned 1890 acres of land onetbird OF it
in cultivation; the other portion, part swamp and
part "piney woods not worth cultivating. lilo
owned go slaves, 10 Of whom rated "a hands and
included carpenters, coopers oaoksinitts, miliers,
stc. His crop was go acres OF rce 30 acres OF
sweet potatoes 90 of oats, $50 acres of corn,
the whole cultivated by hoes and, with the exesp-
ton of boating part of the crop, everything waH
moved by hands and heads The threshing was done
by sticks not fails, on the ground and the winnow-
inc in the free air of heaven until recently, when
siesm mill was erected for the purpose; but the ne
roes still pursued the good old way with their own
crops, and we saw more than hundred thus EN-
Moved ON Sunday around the thrcshing floor.