The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-09-11
RICE CULTURE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Interesting Statements i'm Regard to thu
Present Crop. -.
[FnoM OUR SPECIAL, coRREspoNDENT.]

49, +JEs
[FRoM OUR SPECIAL. CORRESPONDENCE 5szsis
GEORGETOWN, September 6.-The number OF
rivers that intersect Georgetown District renders
il peculiarly adapted to the culture Of rice These
are all bold streams, and navigable for consi-
derable extent;z they all run through q thickly
wooded country, and offer such facilities for the
transportation Of lumber that sin ce the close OF
the war many mills have been erected at differ
ent points. Besides.the saw mills in the vicinity
of Georgetown, there are several pounding mills
on the sampit, Black, Pee Dee and Waccsmaw
Rivers. Many Of these have been thoroughly re-
paired, and are now ready for the coming crop.
The sampit and Black Rivers are not 80 rich in
their alluvial deposits as the others; the former
being comparatively o short stream, and not lla-
BILE to freshets, while the waters of both are
black, and the soil different from the stiff yellow
clay Of the Santee and other Southern rivers. The
area OF rice land watered by the several rivers is
the richest in the State, and il properly cutiva-
ted, always ensures large harvest.
Rice has not SO many natural enemies as either
corn or cotton, and the dry weather does not
affect it 80 much, as the fields can be flowed or
not at will The greatest labor is the preparation
Of the land. This requires great care, as the
banks have to be strengthened, and trunks,
canals, ditohes, &c., cleaned out In former days,
under the old system Of labor, this was difficult
lob, but, under the present system, an almost i'm
possible one. The negroes work at it SO unwil-
lingly and slovenly that the bitches, &c., soon
choke up, and the land cannot be drained as
thoroughly as is necessary. II some enterprising
Yank-or, atill better, a6outherner would invent
q dredging machine that would be small enough
to dig out the bitches az we'll as the canals and
would bring it into the rice region, he could make
q fortune The plantations could be cleaned by
contracts, and the machine kept constantly in
use. The negro can no longer be depended upon,
and the time has now come when the South must
employ labor-saying machinery, or planting will
remain stationary.
A rice plantation, as before stated, requires
constant care Besides the field hands, q number
Of Officers. $50 called" are employed, there are
one or more foremen, trunk -minders, a carpenter,
and others. The forsmen are generally old .dri-
vers, and il Gas is rarely the case) thsy are hon.
est they can manage the hands much better than
an overseer. They were' formerly notedfor their
ability in handling q whip, and forget themselves
ton, smite the offending darkey.
Not long ago one OF these foremen was showing
his employer the crop, when they came across q
bird-minder, stretched across the bank, and
orept up and Baluted the sleeper with sundry ap-
pioations Of heavy SWITCH which, was such an
unusual procedure that the astonished African
aWoke, and seeing the switch in the act Of de-
scending, gave one founder and pitched into the
canal.
other duties, and 80 manage to control their ocks
both temporarily and spiritually. Their religion is
nothing more than acloak it does not prevent them
from cursing, and if they should happen to get
hold of bottle, the ardor aud length Of their em-
brace proves them to be firm believers in close
communion with spirits). A good foreman takes
as much interest in the crop as the plantep;, he
takes great delight in showing stranger around,
and invariably calls for his opinion OF the crop as
compared with some other, DO.
There are few plantations that are not reaGy fol
the harvest, and the negroes are nov busy IN
draining the fields, and preparing for it by strip
ping the volunteer rice This last is q great nui.
sanoe. It is caused by seeds that are cropped
and remain in the ground all the Wlnten: They
generate more rapidly than the. regular seed, and
grow more luxuriantly, but the grain is not per.
feet and mere touch will shake it from the stem
II this was not stripped it would injure the sale
OF the rice by deteriorating the quality,
The ripe rice is too hard now for the birds, and
those places that have no later stands are secure
from these pests. These birds are so bad when
powder, shot and caps, are issued, and an 1ndis'
criminate warfare waged against them AS the
crops ripen the stealing commences, anu the ne
groes are frequently caught coming from the
fields with BASKETS OF rice which they have stolen
These cases are always referred to the Provost
Marshal, who Furnishes them by fnos. imprison'
ment, or forfeiture of their crops. The negroes
themselves think it great disgrace to be caught
aud the offender is promptly turned out o.
! church, and not reinstated until his reformation
is signal. This degradation is very cutting to
their sensitive minds, and they often ask thell
masters to intercede for them, and cause them &c
be re-adDlitted into the holy brotherhood.
I The plantations in this section are quite old
many Of them having been planted one hundred
| years ago. The dwelling houses are built in the
time style, wainscoated and ceiled, and were
many OF them, built before the Revolution. Al
Mr.. Eeriat's place on the sampit, the marks are
still visible on the banisters, which the British
cut with their swords. These places did not suffer
much during the late war, and the principal de-
! struotion was caused by the negroes during the
absence Of the proprietors. The buildings on 8
we'll conducted plantation are numerous, com
seer's house, 90. The negro houses are built in
street. with small garden attached to each cabin
This street s kept clean. and is generally covered
with close grass. Many of the larger places
have church in the street; and before the war .
white minister was regularly employed to preacl
to the slaves; now one OF their own color is subst
tuted, and services, class meetings, TO-, resuarJ
held. ,,5z,..,.-4.....
No white person resides on the rice plantations
during the siokly season; bat there are 80 many
summer retreats within a short distance, that the
planter can visit his place every day and return
Each river has some summer settlement IN the