University of South Carolina Libraries
A r?\xe Remarkable Ea Garolii j New YorkS toa hav* ?M -~ te 4sU of, mj rico-plantiDg experience and twill do ny best, thojugh I hardly know where to begin. I / * ? Some yeax s ago the plantation where I bad spent my very short married life was for aale, and! against th? judgment of ?the men of my family'I decided to put every conti had in the parchase of it, to gre? old fa, I said, feeling it a refuge f*M the bssHssss which crushed mo. Though opposed to tbe step, one of my brothers under took very kindly to manage it until paid for, then to turn it over to me, I bad paid $5,000 cash and $5,000 in buying mules, supplies, ploughs, har ross, seed rico, etc., necessary to gurt. My brother . uoceeded very well for two years and Ino debt was'reduced to somewhere near $3,000, when things began to go behind and every year I was more or less in debt at the end of the year. This went on for several years, ?ben I awoke to tho fact that I had no right to borden and worry my brother any longer with the trouble? tome addition to his own large plant: jug interests, and I told him the 1st of January of 18-- that I had deter mined to relieve him and try it my self. He seemed much shocked and surprised and said it waa impossible; be bad done his level best,1 and had not succeeded,, and kW' was it pos sible for me, with absolutely no knowl edge of planting or experience, to do anything? It would bo much wiser ?to rent. I said I wonld gladly do so, but who would rent it? He said he would give me $300 a year for it, jost to assist me in this trouble, and I answered that that wonld just pay the taxes and the interest cn the debt, and I would never bave any prospect of paying off the mortgage, and, when I died, instead of leaving something to my nieces and nephews, I. would eave only a debt. No; I had thought jf it well; I would sell the five mules and pat that money in bank, and as aras that went I wonld plant on rages, and the rest of the land I lould rent to the negroes at ten busb ils to the acre. He was perfectly dis* aayed, said I would have to advance leavily to them and nothing bnt ruin waited me in suoh an undertaking. However, I assembled the banda .ad told them that all who oonld not apport themselves for a year would itve to leave tho place. With one word they declared they could do it j ?ut I explained to them that I waa oing to take charge myself, thal I as a woman, with no resources of ioney behind me, and, having only he land, I intended to vent, to ' them or ten bushels of rice to the sore. I auld advance nothing but the seed, could give them a chance to wor*c tr themselves and prove them eel voe. ortby to be free men. I intended to ate no overseer; each man would be itirely responsible for- the land ho ?ted. "You know very well," I dd, "that this land willbring my teU "nels rent if you just throw the ?ed io and leave it, so that every rake of work yon do will go into )ur own pockets, and I hope yon will we men enough to work for thut irpose." * '' Thea I picked out th? lazy, shift is bands and told them they must w?, as I knew they wonld not work themselves. J?\ the plantera (and wereC3ger\for hands and work entirely on wages, and I Would ly plant fifty aerea on wages, whick ?nldnot be enough te supply all A work. My old fore&ati, Wash gton, was moat uneasy ana miserable ^questioned me constantly as to tho ?dom of what I waa doing. At last ?id to himt "Washington, you do tknow whether I fcavo the eenso to weed in this thing: Mass' Tom docs tknow, and I don't know; but wo *J1 know by tfiis time next year, in the meantime you most .just gut rae and do the best you oan for vent through the burning suns all * summer, twice a week, five miles 1 boggy and six in a boat! I, who I ?lwsya boen timorous, drove my fthe five.miles entirely-alone,hired i uge negro and his boat and was row l>7 him to Casa Blanca plantation. p?i with dear old Washington be h*me, te;.>jtoi all the tr?ajs ai elations ho lgad had in getting * done, I walked around the 200 18 of rioe in all stages of beauty awfulness of smell, "it I was moro than repaid. I paid the debt oh the place and lifted mortgage. I bad never hoped for * in one year. My renters also 0 jubilant; they made handsomely nought horses land buggies and n for the coming year's work, en I had paid olf every thing I had teeat Jeffc'in tho bank to ran on, e*cr. Washington was amassed very happy at the results, but eperience of a ?outh ton,. April 12. wu?? I OB?? something to bim shoat preparing tho wage? field for th? oom* tag crop ho said very solemnly: "Miss,, e? ye* weak en you wrastie w?d a atroDg man, on de Lo'd gie you strenf foy trow am ?nw2 osee, don't you try um 'gain." X laughed, hut, remem bering tho 11 would u&vo to borrow moooy to plant the field Cuts year: I do ter rained . to take the old man's advise and not attempt it. This was most fortunate,, for there was a ter rible storm that autumn and I would have been ruined. My renters were most fortunate in getting their riee in before the' storm, so that they did well again. From that time I have continued to plant, fr oin twenty to thirty aores on wages and to rent from 100 to 150 aeres. . Of course, I have had iu.7 ups and donne and many anxious moments. Sometimes I have been So unfortunate as to take as renters those who were unfit to stand alone, and then I have suffered serious loss; but, on tho whole, I have been able to keep my head above water, and now and then have a little money, to invest. In short, I have done better than most Of I my neighbors. Five years ago the head of our fami ly passed away and tho Oherokoo plan tation^ which my father had inherited frbin bis grandfather, had to be sold fer a di?\a?on of the estate, ness of ni y family waa ablo to buy it, and. a syndi cate of Jews seemed the only likely purchasers, and they wanted, to get it for Very little. 1 So I determined. the best thing I could do was to buy it in myself and devote the rest of my life to keeping it, in the family, and n*r naps at my death some of the younger generation would be able to take it. This would condemn me to a very iso lated existence, with much hard work and anxiety; but, after all, work is the greatest blessing, as I have found. X have lived at Cherokee alone ever since, two miles from any white per son. With my horses, my dogs, my books and piano, my life has been a very full one. There are always siok people to j be tended and old people to be helped, and I have excellent oer ?vants. My renters here nearly ali own their farms and li Ve on them, coming to air work, every day in their ?x bs or buggies, for the first thing negro does when he makes a good crop io to buy a pair of oxen, which he an do for $30, sud the next good crop e fe?ys e horse and buggy. The purchase of Cherokee does more credit to my heart than head and it is very doubtful iff I shall ever pay off the mortgage. I have lost two entire crops by freshet, and the land ia, now under water for the third ; time this linter, and though' I have rented 125 aoras.it is very uncertain if loan get the half or that in.. March is the month whan all the rica field ploughing should be don?. The earliest rico ia planted generally at the end of Marah, en through April and ono week in May. Last season ? only got ia fifty res of rent rice and ten of wages* for In the same way the freshet waa over the rico land ali winter-, ?nd when it went oft* there was only time to pre pare that much. The rooters made very fino crops-30, 40 and 45 bushels to the acre, while the Wages fields only made 171 Th.5s is a compl?te reversal of the ordinary results, for I have very rarely in ali these years made less thain 30 bushels to the acre on my fields, and I was greatly discour aged and anxious to understand the reason of this sudden failure in the Wages rico at bof h plantations. By the merest chance I found out ?he cause. ' Karly in December I was planting oats in , a six-aore field. We broadcast winter oato in this sec tion and tb eh plough it in on fields whioh have ; been planted in peas be fore. I was anxious to get the field finished before a fredze and had six of the best ploughmen in the field. Grip had prevented my going out until they had nearly finished, but Bona parte had assured me it was being well done. When I went into the field it looked strange to mo-the rich brown earth did not lie ia billowy ridges as a ploughed field generally decs. Here and there a weed skeleton?.stood erect. I tried to pull up one or two of. these Bp found' they were firmly rooted ia tho socil and l??& Rever been turned. I walked over that field with my alpen stock'for hours, and found that syste matically Ute plcnghstien had left from eight to ten inches cf hard land between each farrow, covering it skill fully with fresh earth, so that each hand who had been paid, for an acre's ploughing badin reality ploughed only one-third of an aoro. And then I iuderstood the failure cf al! tho wage riee! . I called Bouaparte, my head man, whom I trust fully. His grandfather belonged t> my grandfather, and his i family hold th oro sei ve s BS the colored aristocracy ot thia country. He has been a first-class carpenter, hui ho is rheumatic and does not work with ?.ira a? his trade*now and prefer? tak ing eharga os my planting aa head man, or agent, aa they now prefer to call it. He is trustworthy and baa . ob*?ge of the keys to my barna where riee, corn, oats and potato? are kepi. I have trusted him entirely and it would be a dreadful blow to think that ka war losing his intergrity. Though the pr?isaro from the Ula, shambling, trifling element of kia mee ia very great, hiavCrwn son being one' of that class, he has been able to re sist it in the past. i showed Bonaparte what I had discovered and he seemed terribly chocked. Whether thia waa real or not I o au no t say, but it soemn?; ve/y rea!, and, as he has never ploughed, perhaps ho really did not nnderetand. Whee I said: "And this ?B why the wage rice turned out so badly? You received ploughing like this and I paid for it." He seemed convinced and humbled. He had told mo how beautifully the rico got up, but as soon as the hot suns of July struck it the leaves just wilted. Of oonrse the roots oould not penetrate the packed unbroken clay soil. Tho beat rice field soil is blue olay, whioh the sun bakes like a brink. Fora, while the roots lived in the fresh earth on top. - [ 1 The aced-rice I 'had paid $1.35 a bushel for and planted two and one half bushels to 6? oh acre; the cost of cultivating and harvesting it is $10 tho aero, so that makes $18.37 which it coat to produce seventeen bushela of rice, which sold at 80 cents a bush el, $13.60. What is ta be the rcsult'o? *,his new departure in the way of dishonesty I I do not know. It has taken me a long time to lose patience. A few j care ago one oould get the value of. the money paid for work. ; Just after thc war thero wes a splendid body ol workers on this plantation, and every one in the neighborhood was eager to get some of the hands from b ?re. M; .father gave prizes for the best work ers in the different processes, and they felt a great pride in being th? prize ploughman.. or ditcher or hoc hand of the year; but now, alas, pool things, they have been so confused and muddled by the mistak?a idesi and standards held out to them thai ?they have no pride in honest work, n< pride in anything but to wear fini clothes and get ahead of the man wb< employs them todo a job. It ?B very hard for mo to say this I have labored so among them to tr; to. elevate their ideals, to make then bring np their ohildren to he hones and diligent, to maka them still fee that honest, good work is sozaethinj to be proud of. Even last year would not have said thia, but, alaa, ! have to say it noW. v I hava just cezne ia from the oor field, where two women; have bee paid for cutting down the cornstalks so that there will be nothing to intei fore with the plongh. They have onl broken off the tops of the ?talks, lea\ ing about eighteen inches '. of eton corn s talks all through tue 'field, shall have to send some one else to d the work and pay once more. Yesterday I drove *ight miles to m lower place, Ossa Bianca, where th foerman asked me to go' around th banka with him and see the inroads < the last fall moon tide's, and it ws appalling, the forcea of nature are i immense. It makes me quail to thin ??"; the necessity cf setting m j mau human powers in opposition. Tl rice field banka are about three fe< above the level of the rifer at big water, and each field baa ? very ams flood gate, (called a trunk,) whi< opens and olosea to let the water and ont, but when * gale or fresh comes, all the trunk eloora have to 1 raised so aa not to strain the bank and the water in the fields rises to tl Jcrol of the uiver out sido.. I must stop writing now or I w get too blue. I must go out and bat: iu the generous sunshine and fea my eyes ou the glory of yellow jess mine that cr/own every bush and tri find revel in tho delicious perfume, my bicycle glides ove* the soft, bret .pine needles along the level patl where the great dark blue eyes of t wild violets look lovingly up at me. . Yes,, yes, God is very good and E world s very beautiful, and we mt trust Him. When these brown oh dren of His were wild they were, doubt, in a physical Way perfect, I when they were brought under i law, like our first parents, the Prit of Darkness stepped in and the a tri gie within them of the forcea Heaven sud hell have been holdi battle there ever since. Gan we doubt whioh will conquer the end? Nov Evil can never hi the final victory, but the straggle v be long, for, the Prince of Darkn noes snob subtle* emissaries. Tfc come to them io the guise of angels, elevators and instructors, taking fri them the simple first principles right and wrong, which ?hey had gra ed, and substituting tho glamor ambition, the desire to fly, to soar, theG^od-given injunction, "What ti the Lord require .of thee, but to Justly and to love mercy and to w humbly with thy God?" Thank God, there ia one%man of their own raes striving to hold up trna standards of the Cross, instead of the golden eslf of the politician. I fear thia is s dull letter, but I have tried to make you understand some thing of the situation. Patience Pennington. Chicore Wood, 8.0. All Their Worship Ia Jana*. Grosvenordale,. Conn., April H. F. W. Messeoger, who has surrendered $15,000 salary et the, request of the owners of mills employing 1,700 per sons rather than give up preaching* belongs to a sect now known as the "Holy Jumpers." Formerly it was called the l'en iel Churoh. Messenger has withdrawn from the Amerioan Society of Meohanioal Engi neers and the New England Cotton Manufactur?is' Association, believing them to be "ungodly." He discour ages the uso of tobacoo and liquor, although ho does not deny, his vener able mother the solace of the weed. When the "Holy .Jumpers" meet one another they yell and jump. Their worship consists largely of pos turing, running, yelling and springing about. Willie Bates, an orphan, became so enthusiastic a follower of Messengei that he gave all his money, jewelry and bicyolo to the "Holy Jumpers." Believers are forbidden to wear jewel* ry, and Blanoh Elliot, a young girl, who waB engaged to Messenger's son, Frank, now dead, gave up the gold ohain and locket which contained her lover'a picture 'Messenger a? j's: "I am trying to live up to the sermon on the Mount. I used to belong to high-toned dubs in Boston and drank, obampague and smoked, but niue years ago I saw the light and gave up my evil associates." -Philadelphia Record. - The profession of bridesmaid seems to bo growing iu New York. For some timo it has been the habit at weddioge in thst city to pay brides maids. At a reoent wedding there were no fewer than 15 bridesmaids who were all punctually paid. Besidea.tho beautiful dresses given by Iho bride's father they each received $25 apieoe for appearing in the wedding train. There are young ladies who seoept so much as $100 fer their office of honor. ?-A woman oan generally forgive 1 her husband loving some other woman ! if she oan twist it around to make it appear it wasu't her fault. - A clergyman was niuoh surpris ed one day at receiving a basket of po tatoes from an old woman in his par ish, with a message saying that as he had remarked in his sermon on tho previous Sunday that some "common .taters," (commentator*) did not agree with him, she had saut him some real good ones. -- When a man is interested in a j woman and she gets married ho can still be interested in her just the same unless it is to himself, k OASTORXA.' Boars th* ^A^% Kind You Maro Always BoagM Schlitz Means The best materials-tho best that money caa buy. A brewery aa dean as your kitchen; the utensils as clean? The cooling done in filtered air, in a plate glass room. The beer aged for months, until thoroughly fermented, so it will not cause biliousness. The beer filtered, then sterilized lu the bottle. Von'm always welcome to the brewery for the owners ara ->roud 01 iU For Mle at all dUpeniarlw In And the su? of it proves that f??av*' quart *ad plat people know tho worth of i Atm for the Brewery Bottling. The Beer Thai Made Milwaukee Famous IMING TOOLS I NOTHING is more gratifying to an up-to-date Farmer than to have a well-equipped outfit to begin his Spring work, and this he is sure to get when he does his trading with us. We can sell you PLOWS,* PLOW STOCKS. ! SINGLE TR&1ES, HEEL BOLTS. CLEVICES, HAMES. TRACES, COLLARS. COLLAR PADS* BACK BANDS, PLOW LINES, " BRIDLES. nd everything necessary to begin plowing, except the Mule, and wo^car "sight" you to a Mule trade. , We still have a few Syracuse Turn Flows that we are closing out at a very low price, and can furnish you with the Terracing Wing. Come in and let us show you our 7-foot Perfection Trace Chain at 50o pair. Nothing in the Trace line compares with this Chain. Don't you need a hog pasture ? We have the Wire Fence for you. BROOK HARDWARE COMPANY. S Q M &-4 O m g W fe ? < ? ? 0 u A 1 t 8 2 H ? M OD H3 4 S .13 ? w H as o ? 2 CD M S fe TAKE NOTICE Do not Fail to try our Specially Prepared 8 1-2 2-2 Petrified Bone Fertilizers for Grain. We have all grades of Ammoniated Fertil izers and Acid Phosphates, also Kainit, Ni trate of Soda and Muriate of Potash; all put up in new bags; thoroughly pulverized, and no better can be found in the market. We shall be pleased to have your order. ANDERSON PHOSPHATE IND OIL GO. Why Not Give Your House a Coat or nc PAINT ? You can put it on yourself-it is already mixed-and to paint your house would not cost you more thanBr. ITive or ?ix Doll ars I SOLD BY Orr^Gray & Co* I CRACK OOES*THE WH?P ?M COME THE ORDERS j^K'f?v I SELLS THE VERY BE'~ i' GRADES OF >T J FERTILIZERS JT TTvl I / AT THF VERY LOWEST CCSTV' g} ^ Ilt pays to fertilize your lands THE VIRGINIA-CAROLINA/ CHEMICAL COMPANY^ * . PRODUCTS. ( DOX-D EVERYWHERE IP TBC ?IBBIBIB?BOMffl Tho Vinjlnia-Carollna Chemical Co.. y ! EMiBJL BBMriBf CHARLESTON. 8? C -- "Thc Largest ( Manufacturer of .^S^fc^P^ Fertilizers on Earth" ^r^^r^<s \JS ^anu^?ciur^n2 plants ^^f?f?ff / < f Vif"^?^ Wholesale purchasers -??0BvL??< , A -^|j2- Largest importers i^^^^^^^^^^?ii?i^^?^^^,^ Concentration of I Management ^^^^^^^ j ^BVmiNCb KA8Y. Cur%?*jgru pde** and eowoTctoUc^'iwc^Vivl and prevent? W?rme. TED^MIN? Sountaraote and Overcomee ?he EffeoSs of tho 8unM?LV^ heat upo? Te*tjw^jghndr?n?_*nd. oo?to only *8 cents st OrussI?t?,or mall as oents to C. ?I? MOFFBTT. M, at. Louis, B^ESH SEEDS! ntlSH POTATOES. White Blis?.\. 40c a Peck. Ked Blies. 40o a Peck. Early Rose.. 40c a Peck. Goodrich.40c a Peck. Burbank. 40eaPeck. Peerless:.. 40c ft Peck. FRESH PRA8 ?ND BEANS. Paper Seeds thres for 5c Onion Seta-Red and White. Fresh Watermelon Seed.' Pratt's and International Stock Food. JSVASf? PHARMACY, ANDERSON, S. C. Special attention ie invited to a new shipment of ACORN STOVES AND RANGES ! Which we have just received, and which includes the very latest patterns, both coal or wood, adapted to tho requirements of this market. ' If you require anything in the Stove or Uange line we solicit an oppor tunity to explain the merita of THE ACORN. We also carry a complete and up-to-date line of TINWARE, WOOD ENWARE and HOUSE FURNISHINGS. Guttering, Plumbing and Electric Wiring executed on short notice. Yours truly, ARCHER & NORRIS. THE PEOPLES FURNITURE CO. BED ROOM SUITES, PARLOR ^FURNITURE, DINING ROOM FURNITURE, WHITE ENAMELED IRON BEDS, HAT RACEIS, WINDOW SHADES, Etc. MATTRESSES, very cheap in price. STOVES-come and see them. Everything in tho Furniture line. 1 THE PEOPLES FURNITURE CO.