The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-03-16
Our System OF Agriculture.

Our System OF Agriculture.
We wrote brief article, on Wednes-
1,y last, as to the mode, in our belief,
by which the lands in our State might
be most extensively cultivated. We
find in the New York Southern Ec-
change, well-conducted paper, the
following article:
"We have already mentioned In
these columns that the way to open
the South to immigration, was, in
our opinion, to divide the large planta-
tions into lots of from twenty-five to
fifty acres, and to advertise them for
sale on easy terms in this market.
These lands are now offered in large
tracts that require small fortune to
purchase them; and many who are
eager to go South are deferred by the
large amount of capital required.
can instance has lately come to
our knowledge that illustrates the
fact.
GA gentleman, in one of the South
ern States, resided on a plantation of
some 5000 acres. He had built an
elegant mansion, substantial and con-
venient barns, out-houses, gin-mill,
and over one hundred comfortable
huts for negroes, fine fences, etc. etc.
The lands alone, when but little i'm
provement had been made upon them,
had cost him some $40, 900. At the
end of the war, but twenty of his
field hands were left, with a few house
servants-some had followed the
army, some had gone North, and
others were killed. Those who were
left were willing to work on his own
terms, but, embarrassed financially on
all sides, he concluded to sell. He
offered this whole property for $780,
600, and found no purchaser, and
when, at last, being in i'll health, he
had nearly given up to despair, q re-
turned soldier offered him $500 in
cash for twenty acres in one corner of
the plantation, which was accepted
This opened the way. He at once
divided his ground, except what he
chose to retain around his house,
into farm lots, to each of which was
added small wood privilege, and
then advertised in the Northern
papers. It is stated that he has a
host of buyers, and a prospect of
selling his whole place at a fer price;
having already disposed of over 1000
acres of the arabic and neatly 300 of
the forest lands at the aveage rate of
$28 per acre for the former and $50
for the latter.
He intends to work his twenty
hands, to whom he lets cabins at
rent payable monthly in work or
money, with privilege of ejectment
in case of default, ard to keep part of
his reserved land il cultivation. IIio
gin-house and machinery will answer
for his new neighbors as well as for
himself. The newcomers are gene
rally industrious, and are likely to be
valuable citizens, and their settlement
has doubled already the value of the
unsold land
This instance will show how speedi-
ly the South may be populated by the
best class of settlers. OF course,
some preliminary expenses are neces-
sary-such as drainage in low lands,
buildings for the reception of the i'm
migrants, and also for advertising;
but if the settlement is healthy and
easy of access, and the land not too
dear, there can be no doubt of the
success of the plan. The experiment
has been tried in New Jersey on
large scale, and as it succeeded on a
sandy and almost barren soil, why
should we doubt the result in the
South, when any honest, temperate
man, with a couple of hundred dol
lars in cash, ought to be enabled, at
present prices, to achieve q desirable
position for his family.
NORTH CAROLINA l. legislature
of North Caorlina adjourned on Mon