The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-10
GEoRaETowN, Saturday, September 4.
rorHE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

year in this region Including the delta Oh the
Santee. .Rivers) is by figures 16 100 acres. Oi
this quantity 1000 acres are cultivated sy the
freedmen on their own account, about 35o acres
of which is hired by them at given number
of bushels per acre; the remainder, say 1861
acres, they cultivate entirely in their own
time, without division Of the crop with the
proprietors OF the land. Most Of the proceeds
of the freedmen's crop finds it's way to market
through tho shopkeepers of the town and
country, who also buy up all the stealings. 1t
can never be satisfactorily ascertaiped, there
fore, what proportion Of the shopkeepers g
sales or shipments are from the freedmen's
legitimate earnings, and what from their un-
lawful peculations. 1t may be safely compu-
ted, however, that Of the 20O0 acres cultivated
on account Of the freedmen the average product
will. not exceed ten bushels per acre, and but
portion of this will go to market, as much
will be exhausted by domestic consumption.
The product of the IA. 100 acres cultivated by
.proprietors remains still matter OF guess
work. The harvest has commenced and will
progress steadily after this week, weather per-
mitting. The rice birds made their appear
ance five days earlier this year than the last,
and their number is legion. What damage
they will do can't be estimated, but that they
will prove very destructive no one doubts.
The present year will be noted among rice
planters as extraordinary. It has been the
dryest and the hottest summer, with the water
courses lower than they have been since 184S.
Ordinarily, these circumstances combined
would be considered most favorable for rice
crop. To counterbalance this the spring
months we're unusually cool and unfayorable.
1h, early paintings gave bad stand, which
in many instances had TO be hoed up and re-
planted The rice dried from the sprout-fow
thinned out and became sickly, and where the
point-fow was held on and the early long water
used, the growth was better but irregular. 1t
will not be denied that all the early paintings
we're unsatisfactory, excepting, perhaps, IN
some few cases, under the entire water cul-
ture. wAilst the cold spring retarded the
growth Of the rice, the grasses and weeds got
the start OF the hoes, ind the reluctant freed
man never recovered his lost ground. It has
proven very grassy season, and few crops
have been laid by thoroughly cleaned. This
never fails to reduce the product Of crop.
The irregularities OF the early growth above
alluded to have resulted in corresponding
irregularity in the shooting or caring out OF
the rice, which will continue more definitely IN
the ripening OF the grain. This will damage
the quality materially; for rice that natures
irregularly never gives uniform quality un'
der the pestle. All Of the early rice is open to
this objection, as far as my observation and
information extends.
Ali these things fairly considered, bring me
to the conviction that many will be disappoint-
ed both as 10 quality and quantity OF the crop
Of 1869. The average product Of this entire
area of tide water, under it's former unsur-
passed cultivation, scarcely feached SS BUSH
els. Since the war it has not exceeded 20
bushels any one year. and do not believe that
the present crop for market will exceed one
tieIce per acre for all the lands cultivated.
More than ordinary efforts have been made to
insure good crop this year. The scarcity OF
labor has enhanced the price of work, and
system has been inaugurated by somaplanters
which must continue to Cemoralize and put
the freedmen beyond control, and timately
prove suicidal. There are some without ade-
qusse plantation accommodations for laborers,
and others without sufficient force residing on
their premises to cultivate their lands. These
rely exclusively under emergencies upon what
they term transient labor. During planting,
hoeing or harvesting, they offer double prices,
and succeed in drawing from their neighbors
hands who are morally bound for the year; and
no matter what their necessities, the planters
who engages force sufficient for their own
purposes. at fair daily wages for the entire
year. frequently find their fields abandoned,
and their laborers scattered among those who
offer the highest bribes. This system is ex-
ceedingly pernicious, unneghborly and unjust,
and we never can utilize what labor we have
10 the good ofthe country until some uniform
and more equitable policy is substituted.