The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-09-13
n MODEL PLANTATIONS
From The Cotton Plant.

| From The Cotton Plant.
The following article appca.e IN
the Charleston Sunday News Of Tho
10Th inst, and we are certain than Tho
readers of THE COTTON PLANT WIN
enjoy this description OF a model plan
tation in South Carolina. The writer
enjoyed the privilege not long AGO Of
driving through this splendid estate
and looking upon the extensive fields
OF corn and cotton, which stretched
away on all sides almost as far as the
eye could reach |! was an cnchunt-
ing sight, and although it was merely
| a passing ride through the plantation,
with a brief halt at the hospilabc
home Of the manager, Mr.. T.. NJ. Lidr,
il was the realization Of Il desire long
felt to look upon Donoho, which has
been the pet aud pride of our venerable
friend, Chanccllo" Johnson, for 50
many years. lie has created Il model,
comcly plantation from All undesirable
tract of land, winch was regarded rs
nearly worthless ON account of the lack
of drainage, and he has given to the
farming element in South Carolina an
| object lesson in rcClaiminT lands that
will pcrpctuatc his uamc among The
most progressive farmers of the State,
| while Il generation ago he WAS ,anking
| among the ablcsl and strongest men
on the chanc"ry bench Of this State.
He has lived 10 au extreme old age,
| but his eye is not dlmnrd Nor his mcn-
tai vision bccloudcd, and his rcmlni-
sccnrrs,0t the past are intensely charm
| ing to his numerous friends, who are
always eager to share in ,hc pleasures
Of his conversation. The corrcspon-
dent writes aa follows
After eleven years absence find
myself once more the guest of Chan
cellor Vim. ID. Johnson, ii, his planta-
nOn, DOnollu, and TO all who know
him at all it Wlll be no news to hr told
that the visit Is both delightful and in
stnlntlvr, for there live no finer Spcri-
men of .hr Carolina gentleman Of The
ancient rrTiur. \ muuv sided man,
lawyer, planter, holtlcultuiiet, stand
nG ut ease amongst the first in all Il
man ut l"ilics! integrity and SO modest
that his real worth appears ouly Y to his
intlmatra.
The place am visiting il Il creation
of The thanccilnr'S genius. When he
bought il is 1857 his friends in Mari
boro and Marion did their best to pre-.
vent the purchase, thinking it Il bad
investment. One uld Scnlckman. who
loved him dearly, and was proud OF
him aS an honor TO the dear auld ruuu-
ny as well rs this, thought the invest.
meat very bad indeed, and pronounced
il raukcst folly, and limited that Il Ger.
tain style of man and his money arc
soon parted. However, lhc Chancr;lor
il il typical SCotcrman, and the par
chase was made, and eighteen hundred
acres Of land. where the water often
stood, except ON some ridges, knee
deep 10 horse, hccamc his property.
About two hundred acres had at one
time been under cultivation, nearly on
quite half OF which had been aban.
doncd and'Aia,l yrowa up in broom on
Old field pines. The crop that year
WAS eight bales of cotton and three
hundrWl bushels of corn.
The: Chancellor made his first cruu
there in lStS, and brought To bear
upon it at once what he knew about
farming, and il was vastly more than
the knowledge possessed by Horace
| GrcclY, or thmt anyone suspected. Thr
result was at least promising; fourteen
bales of cotton and about four hundred
bushels Of com. Meantime the axe
hc'shovcl and the spade were put in
rcquiSition, as well as the plough and
the hoe, and the water level was rapid
ly lowered and the abandoned clear
ings were reclaimed and the native
forest began slowly 10 disappear. This
work has gone ON and is still in plo-
yrcsS, and now about one thousand
| acres are in cultivation, mostly in
highest state, and there IS not Il hill
side or bottom that does not pay its
way, and the profit comes from vast
area that is neither hillside nor marsh.
1t has taken years to accomplish
| this, with the miles on miles Of canals,
| bitches and undcrdrains required for
| proper drainage, and to bring the pro-
duet up to over four hundred bales OF
cotton and thousands OF bushels of
| corn ami wheat and oats and peas, be-
sides other crops, such as sugar cane,
potatoes, turnlpS and vegetables, which
il reached in 1898, just two years AGO,
supervision of the master, or planned
by him, and executed by The various
managers, " no have been cmployed
since the Chancellor took up his re-
sdcncc in the town of Marion in the
early seventies. Meantime he has, at
| first attended to his judicial duties,
and since toa large law practice, with
| that rare fidelity for winch he is noted
| and with eminent success.
found ON the place this gear many
of my old acquaintanccs, tenants and
farmers, io" the plantation has been
cultivated for thirty years or more
partly hy tenant farmers and partly 10y
hired labor, but all under the supciyI-
SION of the manager of the home farm
rs directed by the Chancellor, who
every year goes and lays out the work
for the year, and the present manager,
! Mr.. f.. Nj. l.ihr, Il man of large cX
! prrirnCr in his line told me ne ronlI