The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-02
THE LOW COUNTRY.
THE PROCESS OF RECOVERY At THE
SOUTH.
A Carolina Rice Plantation-An Ella
borate and Complex System OF Gull
ture-The Low Country Fever-Inter-
estfng Facts and Figures.
roo,,esnondence OF the Nation.l

CHARLESTON, 8. c., May, 1872.
I have Just returned from q visit to the
largest rice plantation In this State, If not In
the entire South, and description Of what l
saw may help to give you7 readers some idea
of the struggle with hard fortune In which
many of the old planters are now engaged.
Leaving Charleston on one of the mornings
CT the past week, was terried across the Ash
lev River BY steamboat which, since the war,
has served 10 connect the terminus Of the Sa-
yaupah and Charleston Railroad with Charles
ton proper. a ride of thirty nine miles by rail-
to the station, and six miles further by car
riage into the heart OF the forest, brought me
to the end of my journey-to the house of MIR.
B., built on ''pine-barren" elevation In the
midst of tract OF rich alluvlal bottoms. This
Ia lhe general character OF that portion OF
south Carolina known as the Low Country"
district, and in which rice is grown as The chief
prGauct. The fner grades OF cotton nave q
rice Is the staple production, and hundreds OF
thousands OF buahels yearly are exported 10 all
parts Of the world.
The entire South cannot show trait OF
land more richly endowed by nature than THIS
same 'low country" region. douot whether
any portion of the United states can sufpass as
It. The luxuriant ioliuge OF the forests Is slm.
ply grand Great numbers OF live oaks, with
long streamers OF the gray moss peculiar 70 a
damp. salt atmosphere, and waving gracefully
to aud fro in the breeze, form striking con-
trast with the bright green OF numberless va
rieties of trees. These forests slretch ior
miles upon miles over wide extent OF TERRI
tory, only broken at long intervals by clear
ings around some wrelched negro hut. built
of rough logs and chIDked with clay. Along
the bauks of rivers and creeks, where Inc
land lies sufficiently low to be flooded at high
tide, the swamps have been made to produce
some of the finest rice In the market. Fish OF
with the algators for possession OF the
streams, while game of every description.
from bear and deer down long list, not
only exist, but are found in the great
est abundance. Under the old regime,
these lands were counted among the rich
eat possessions OF the Weailnlesl plant.
ers in the State, and the titles OF their owners
could be traced back 10 royal grant. Here
almost princelt style was kept up by the plant
ers, and they probably enjoyed as many OF the
comforts and luXurles OF life as ordinarily lali
to the lot of morlas. Now, however, no por-
tion OF the South, with perhaps the exception
OF The line OF Sherman's march TO the sea,
shows more plainly the desolating Influences OF
war. With but 8 single exception. not one OF
The fine old resiGences-many OF them erected
In colonial times-no building OF any kind or
description, unless the negro huts can be called
such, remained standing al lhe close of the
war in this whole district; and q very consld-
erable portion OF it is still in statu quo. 1t
may seem strange, perhaps, that with such
natural advantages there should be no greater
progress made during these seven years. But
l&s can scarcely 5e wondered at when the
difficulties in the way are properly appre-
hended.
For a considerable time after the close Of
the war, there was not single white man In
the whole district now supposed TO be repre-.
septeG In Congress by R. G. Delarge, and 1t
was 2. matter Of LIE and death Tor one 10 make
his appearance, so excited had the negroes
become under the influence OF their leagues
Mr.. B. was the first white man to venture
among them, and time and again his Lille has
hung upon he slightest thread. On one occa-
zion. he was shot ut as he stood In his yard at
NIGHT. and. by the mistake of the assassin, one
of Ills negro foremen standing beside him was
killed In bis stead. Nor have capitalists felt
disposed to place money where the principal
could Culy lie idle or the Interest be ealen up
by laxee. But more than this, the deadly
fever lurking in the shades Of this wonderfully
luxuriant vegetation during the warm months
has ever been serious draw back TO the full
development of this portion OF the Stale, and
II now deIers not only strangers, out even tne
oldest inhabtant from attempting 10 lnaugu-
Is rice cultivation, these malarial infueucrs
are attendant. II is true that the plant
ers resided or their plantations In the
winter, but the first or tenth OF May found
them rapily moving away to other portions OF
the Stale, or TO watering places at The North,
there to remain until heavy lrost assured
their safe return. This low country lever, for
merly supposed 10 oe iatal, eau INV w ue
broken in its force by proper medical treat
ment when applied IN time; but the poison re-
mains In The system to such an extent that
nothing short of an absence OF year or more
will suffice to eradicate the seeds OF disease.
The danger of contracting the lever Is llmlleo
u the time the dew remains upon the grOuno,
AID 80, by having summer houses IN lhe
higher and more healthier spols known as
s'piue barrens," by remaining within doors
i.om the time the dew commences u fall unlll
It has wholly disappeared under the neat Oh
the morning sun, and by plenlliul use OF
ouiniue, the white overseers manage 10 get
through the time "between irosls"-a period
of four or FIVE months. "A single violation OF
such precautions may bring The penalty. With
Psalmist, "In the midst Of life we are in death"
But it often happens that these "pine bar
rensn are BY no means within reasonable
or convenient distances, and overseers are
forced to spend avery considerable porslon u
each day upon horsr back In going 10 and fro
O6lW6eu luelE uOuCo ouu ohS
MIR. BIS overseers, six In number, ride from
fourteen to twenty miles every morning alter
the sun Is up, and back again the same dis
lance 10 the evening before The sun goes down.
But the most curious part OF the thing. ls mat
what is destruction TO the white man has not
the slightest effect upon the negro. A case OF
fever among the loW.country negroes is never
known, How 1t would affect lnose from the
up-country has never yet, believe, been luliy
ascnrtained, although the better opinion seems
TO be that while not possessing an entire I'M
muniIy, they still would not be 30 severely al
fected by IL as the white man. The causes TOT
this strange exemption from disease 30 dlsas.
trous In its consequences 10 those belonging
to the Caucasian race, and some meaDs vi
communicating this very desirable virtue 10
the latter, may yet prove worthy the snccesSlul
attention of q secoud Jenrsr. Notwithsland-
ing all the difficulties In the way OF rice culti-
yAsfon. q number have tried IL since the war.
and, among them, several Northern men; out
the obstacles In the way, especially Inc very
formidable one of labor, have, In many cases,
nroyed too much to be overcome. 1t must be
remembered, also, that aside from. all the
dificulties Incident to the general development
of AGRICULTURAL resources at the South IN the
culture of cotton. corn, &C.. there are some
peculiar to rice planting. Cotton or corn
flelds suffer little, or perhaps even grain, from
an entire abandonment Not 80 Win rice
field. The mere dsuse of the land Tor single
season entails positive loss, ana tne longer
the time the greater the lcss.
It is hard to realize this wlln0uC previously
unders landing how great Is the labor and care ca