The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-12-10
ON THE OLD PLANTATION BEFORE THE WAR"
a Charming Description of Southern Life in the Days Of Slavery
Written by C. S. WOotn, LaGrGnge, NJ G, for the
Charlotte Observer.
IN TWO PARTs-PART I.

/ have read with great interest
and pleasure Rev. james Battle
Avirett's book "The Cd Planta
ton" 1t is written in a beautiful,
chaste and elegant style. 1t is as
charming as a novel. I was born in
November, 1910, and was old enough
TO understand fully the scenes de-
soribed by Mr.. Avirett during the
decade from 1850 80 1850, the most
prosperous period of Southern his
tory, when slavery was in it's fullest
bloom and most luxuriant flower.
When I think of those haloyOn days,
when every planters home was the
seat Of q generous hospitality never
equsled on earth, and that those
good old times are gone never TO re-
turn, it is indeed sad and pathetic.
The scenes described in the book
are laid in Onslow county. The
elder Avirett, the father Of the an
thor, was the owner of 30, 900 +
of land. Three thousand acres we're
farming land and the remainder was
turDentine orchards. TIE arabic
land was located on a ridge between
New river on the north and ChaI el
run on the south, and is a sandy
loan, very fertile, and we'll adapted
TO tobacco, cotton and corn, and nat
urally drained. The pltnt4t1On is
divided by a lane through the centre,
and in each lock of the fence is a &C.
dar tree that forms an arCn over the
road and extends for two miles to
the mansion house. It reminds me
of what 1 have read of the approach
TO the grounds of some English
nobleman. The elder Avirett was
prinoely in his tastes and had every
thing on his farm in good order,
with staked fences and gates TO every
field and not a rail out Of place. ]
never saw a farm in EuCh fine con
dition. My father purchased me-
half of the plantation in 1857, giving
&25, 900 for it. So l am familiar with
the scenes described in Mr.. AVirett's
book.
Reading his book has recalled
scenes from the past and has put me
in a reminiscent mood, 50 1 will g.
late what I saw of life on my fathers
old plantation in LenOir county be-
tween 1910 and 1860. Throughout
the South there were thousands of
farms the counterpart of the one
described by Mr.. Avirett. Before
the war eastern North Carolina con
tanned a great many negroes. There
were large plantations of fertile
lands and the planters were rich and
independent and dispensed a lavish
and generous hospitality. 1t was a
pleasure for them TO have company.
They mad plenty of negroes so wait
on the company, and an ample sup
ply of home made provisions with
which so feed the que SITS. Since the
war our people have been So poor
they have not been able TO entertain
like their ancestors and even those
who are able have become selfish
under the new order of thing, and
the art of Southern hospitality has
been lost 60 a great extent. My
father was the owner of $4,000 acres
of land situated in Wayne, Lenoir
and OnsIow counties, and about 300
negroes. I was reared on the farm
and have plowed and driven four
horse wagons, which latter occupa-
ton was my greatest pleasure.
There is nothing 80 a boy 80 exhil
arsting as TO drive four big mules to
a wagon Ii is as big a thing for