The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-21
The WOMAN RICE PLANTER.
TROUBLES or THE RESOURCE.
Full SOUTH CAROLINA LADY.

Tho spring Freshets-Preparstion Of tho
Seed Plantation Observation-Disclosures
Of Fish and Game--she 10 Called to
tho AID Of Badly Wounded Negro
Since last wrote have been the sport
of winds and waves. This place 10 stu
under water from q freshet, and on Sunday,
April S, there was severe gale, and the
water swept over the whole 200 acres OF
Casa Blanca, flowing up the rice fields in
an hour. Saturday evening the hands,
after ploughing, left their ploughs In the
field to continue work Monday, and they
could not see the handles Of the ploughs
Sunday morning. ! went down Tuesday
to find bridges carried away and even
the banks still under water, and the head
man report ed five breaks in the Black River
bank. 1t was impossible to do anything
until the tide receded. and as there was
q strong east wind blowing and freshet
coming down the Peedee, things looked
very black.
could not help lamenting aloud, and
Marcus felt obliged to offer me some COM
fort, so he said Miss. II We one been
suffer, I'd feel bad, but eberybody bank
bruk, en- eberybody flel' flow This did
not comfort me at all, but realized the
folly Of lamenting. Fortunately ! had
just bought 1900 feet Of boards, and as
soon as the water left the fields Marcus
began work on the breaks and by driving
puncheons, laying ground logs. and fiat
ting mud and filling in, the bank is up again
keeping out the river and the fields are
drying OF. The season, however, has not
waited on us, April is gone and not an
acre is planted when ! expected to have
100 acres growing by this time The worst
is that have been paying out heavily every
week to put things back where they were
at the end Of March.
There are many curious things about
the planting of rice. One can plant from
the 18th of March to the 18th Of April, then
again from the LIST to 10th OF May, and last
for ten days in June Rice planted be-
tween these seasons falls prey to birds,
May birds in the spring and rice bids In
August and September. 1t was impossible
to plant in April this year, and now every
one is pushing desperately to get what
they can in May
Yesterday went down to give out the
seed rice to be clayed for planting to-day.
keep the key to the seed-rice loft. though
Marcus has all the others. Itook one hand
up into the upper barn while Marcus stayed
below, having two barrels half filed with
clay and then filed with water and we'll
stirred until it Is about the consistency Of
molasses. In the loft my man measured
out thirty-fve bushels Of rice, turning the
tub into a spout leading to the barn below,
where young men brought the clay water
in piggns from the barrel and poured it
over the rice. while young girls with bare
feet and skirts we'll tied up danced and
shut ed the rice about with their feet until
thewhole mass was thoroughly clayed, sing
ing, joking and displaying their graceful
activity to the best advan tage. 1t 10 .
pretty sight. When IL is completely COW
cred with clay the rice ia shovelled into .
pyramid and left to soak until the next
morning, when it is measured out into
sacks. TX bushels to each half acre. Two
pairs Of the stoutest oxen on tho plantation
are harnessed to tho rice drills. and they
lumber along slowly but surely, and by
II o'clock the field OF fourteen acres is
nearly planted.
1t is literally casting ones bread on the
waters, for as soon as the seed is in the
ground the trunk door is lifted and the
water creeps slowly up and up until 1t ia
about three inches deep on the land. That
is why the claying is necessary; 1t makes
the grain adhere to the earth, otherwise
1t would float. Sometimes, generally from
prolonged west winds, the river is low and
water enough to cover the rice cannot be
brought in on one tide and then the black
birds just settle on the field, diminishing
the yield by half
went down into the marsh field, where
five ploughs are running preparing for the
June planting. 1t is a 28-acre field, very
level and pretty, and am delighted with
the work; it is beautiful. When told one
Of the hands how pleased was with the |
work, he said: Miss. de Ian plough so |
sweet, we hat for do UNI good" went all |
through with much pleasure, though sank |
into the moist, dark brown soil too deep |