The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-05-23

one only In fact the experience Of the Sea Islands !:
that the freedmen properly treated, make excellent
laborers, and will work well on shares, but fAi ~
masters.
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS,
Ono OF the prominent vestiges Of slavery Is the
Old World system OF farm ng that here prevails Inc
land, instead OF being turned up with the plough Is
aborously "istedn with the hoe To prepare an acre
OF land by this takes six times as long ~ by inc
but under inc old regime an was ~ esn
the field hands employed and found avocation during he
spring and summer months for superabundance OF labor
which in tho fall when cotton picking commenced was
no longer superabundance There was recognized
axiom among the planters that man could only PICK
much cotton as could plant with the hoe.
One with plough would plant six times as much as
he could pick and the surplus cotton would spoil IN the
heds for acK Of labor never seems 20 nave ,or o
picking by employing the negroes In the interim
in cultivating potatoes and in Telling tho thou
sands OF Of timber lying close TO water carriage and
yet unused in carrying out the much needed work OF
drainage irrigation. The chvary OF South Carolina
plantations as iher fathers had done before them
half year and onohalf the next 40 ms TO give the
land rest and who troubled themselves little win
modern notions about rotation Of crops or the economy
OF labor Almost the only plough lhavc seen In the sea
Islands has been introduced since the war by q free
negro named Bran who has made money by hotel keep
Ing Charleston and the North and cultiyating
several plantations on Ediso Island with considerable
uccess. E
With the substitution Of free for slave labor the plant
Of South Carolina have awakened to the consciousness
begin 10 that the tracts Of fert lie land now lying
waste timber must be made svailable that the old
ogy system OF farming which their fathers followed and
which slavery rendered almost necessary has passed
away. They did not quito understand this early In the
year when they made their contracts with the negroes
aud made these contracts stringent M possible but
they are gradually coming 70 understand now and are
disposed to treat their laborers much more Literally than
at first, 10 have them all together next year In
order to begin work In earnest They talking
OF introducing manufactures heard one leading plan
ter in Charleston speak with shame the that not
a m yer
power OF South Carolina second TO none In the country,
and he looked forward hopefully TO the tmo when tho
Palmetto state should rival Massachusetts, manuiac
turing community. l hardly share his antcipations,
still have hopes that much may DO done oven for
will have little aid from the Northern men who have
effected lodgment among them The aim oil these
make as much money as possible shortest space Of
time and then abandon the country to ts fate In nine
out OF ten where we have come across plantation
poorly cultivated the negroes hardly worked and ms
eraby fed that plantation has been leased for year or
two by from Massachusetts,.
NORTHERN OPPRESSION
We met Wit, a marked case OF this kind on wadmalaw
Island. Driving plantation we halted at store.
round which group OF forty or fifty squald negroes
contracts on this farm The hands wero engaged
from day TO day at nifty centsa task The storekeeper
was paying them when up and was giving them
money, but tickets for provisions He explained that
he often had money wherewth to pay them, so he
gave them their earnings In goods We inquired tho
prices at which the sold. We found that
corn which sells in Charleston market at dollar and
thirty cents buShe and Is worth IN Wadmhaw lslanu
with transportation added certainly less than dollar and
fifty cents, being doled to them at three dollars
bushel. Twenty-Five cents was charged for package
containing twenty biscuits such as might DO bought
In New York three for cent and everything else was
In like proportion Should there be anything still
due to the negroes after they had purchased
the necessary meal and bacon. there were beads
and cheap jewelry--sure 10 attract the negros
eye-dispaycd in the store absorb the bal.
ancc OF his carnipgs Thus while they were up
parently paid fair wages for their work moro than haf
their earnings day taken back from them In
Of In Uhl
In lieu money. General steedman asked who leased
the plantation He told Mr.. Underwood of Boston.
This Mr. Underwood does not reside on the plantation
II In managed by his storekeeper (aso Northcrner
with the assistance Of resident to whom i've hundred
dollars year Is pad for his advice The poor creatures
employed on the farm gathered round General Stecd
body and bitterly complained that Their days
work barely succd to provide for them more than their
days provisions II evident that things go
ing when winter comes they viii be left peDnless and
starving
which another Northerner was involved. some negroes
commenced the cultivation OF an unoccupied plantation
In March last up came a New York Ducbman and told
them he had leased the farm and they
with him. They replied, reasonably enough that " he
desired to contract with them he ought 10 nave
done January, before they Ind commenced
10 lay down their crops. The man went away aud the
freedmen resumed their work and oiled early and late
for their benefit as they supposed. day or two
since when they were hoeng their cotton and any
cessation OF labor would destroy all their prospects up
came this same Duichman, bringing with HIM six or
negro soldiers, and compelled the freedmen Mt
tho point OF the bayonet TO sign contract 10 give him
onehrd OF their cotton and pay him AN cxorbaD rent
the cabins ia which they lived The contTac, signed
the Dutchman went away leaving them no copy OF The
document aud giving them proof That the plantation
had eyep been restored its former owner or that he
had leased H.
HorT ToR prrupr
Notwithstanding all these drawbacks SEQ good reason
for hopeful sntcipatons Tor tho future. do not base
these hopes upon the growing feeling Of Kindness
which here a In every other place We have
visited prevails between the planters aud the freed
men, but upon the laws OF supply and demand,
now for the nrst time allowed full play IA the labor
market OF the SOUTH unhampered by the domestic In.
Situion The negro longer a human vegetable IN
capable Of voluntary movement he was In the days
81 slavery He Is beginning 10 this fact aud 10 I'M
dcrstand that lac oppressed in south Carolina he can
move elsewhere. whore he will no better treated The
vast fertile ard virgin valley Of the Mississippi, where
any man Of energy take plantation, aud do better
paying his Iaborers thirty dollars month than south
Carolina planter DO, even though he pay his hands
but dollars month will be better sheet anchor Tor
tbs negro than all the philanthropy Of the North and
the wholesome competition thus established muzt OF
necessity benefit alt concerned both employers and EN-
pioyed II this respect that the Freedmen Bureau
however well administered, by fostering feeling
Of dependence on the part OF the blacks
and crystslllzing them in unmansgeablc numbers
round particular spots does noacusbe injury TO both
planters and freedmen and retsrds the settlement u
labor the South only sound basis