The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-09-21
The Freedmen of South Caroliaa.

The crops are now so far advanced on the Sea
Islands, that an accurate return of the number Of
acres under cultivation has been made, which
shows the industry of the freed blacks. Below
we print few OF the figures of this official re.
turn.
The colored population of the Department o.
the South is according to recent census, over
fifteen thousand of this number, two thousand
are soldiers under arms-that is to say, one sol.
der for every seven and half of the population.
All the other abe-bodied men are employed in
! the Quartermaster's Department. Of the remain.
der, composed OF wome en- and children, and old
and inhrm persons, three thousand eight hundred
and thlrtytwo live in towns or villages 800 in
Beaufort, 500 in Mitchelve near Hilton Head,
500 in st. Augustine and 1882 in Fernandina.
Eight thousand nine hundred and thirteen live
on plantations on the South Carolina sea islands
in our possession. These eight thousand nine
hundred and thirteen women, children, aged and
nhrm, live on one hundred and sixty.two planta-
tons, and cultlvete, duriDg the present season,
fourteen thousand one hundred and thirty-fve
acres of land. Of the plantations, one hundred
and thirteen are worked under government su-
perintendence, thirty-fve on private account, I'M
der white land owners, and eight on private &C
count by the black owners.
-Four thousand four hundred and eight acres of
land are planted In cotton. Of these the blacks
have planted 235 acres on their own account, on
their eight plantations. Seven thousand four
hundred and twenty-five acres are in corn 1,349
IN sweet potatoes, which yield, however, a second
crop not reckoned in this return l72 in cowpeas
lO9 IN oats, a new crop, which is a failure 16l
IN rice 2|3 acres in peanuts, and 239 devoted to
melons and other garden fruits and vegetables
lie average number of acres cultivated by each
working hand on the plantations is three and
hfty-one hundredths ; the average number to
each person of the total Plantation population is
one and tifty-eight hundredths. If the reader
Will remember that the working hands are women,
young boys and girls, and old men-that part Of
a.populaton which is with US counted as but
TO a small extent self-supportlng-he will not
omit to give credit to these people for industry
and energy. Nor will he fail to see how immense
an advantage to the rebels is slave population
OF three millions, in which women and children,
as we'll as the men, are trained to labor in the |
helds; and how decisive of the struggle was the
adoption of policy by our government which !
constantly discrepancies this vast and efficient la
boring force.
The eight plantations bought by the blacks ard !
worked entirely by themselves are reported to I've |
i
people upon them work and receive in common,
a plan which has never been found practically sue
'essful elsewhere, and would probably fail If the
attempt were continued too long there. But for
The present all are so full ofjoy and energy that
hey bear with each other and do not quarrel.
The people are making and spending good
1eal of money. Their wants are extending as
asst as their means and the sales accounts at the
stores " on the islands show a large increase,
10Th in amo4nt and in the variety of articles pur-
biased, over last year. The zeal of the people to
erve the government which has given them lib.
'rty, is shown in many ways; as we'll as their
badness to do all they can for the comfort of the
oldiers; When the wounded were brought to
Beaufort, after the attack on Fort Wagner, the
women of the island sent in large quantity of
vegetables and fruit for their use in three days
more than FIVE hundred melons were sent in, with
orn and fruit in proportion .-Evening Post.