SOLON ROBINSON, 1849 187 



the tract about four years ago — an old Spanish grant — 

 of some 7,000 arpents, running back near nine miles, 

 much of it on a ridge, upon which cattle can be enclosed 

 by a wire fence, back of the cultivated lands. Upon this 

 tract, he intends to put a large stock of cattle, that will 

 live upon the cane. He found upon the place an old 

 dwelling, the shingles of which, though still sound and 

 nailed with wrought nails, attest its age. There were 

 about 310 arpents of cleared land, part in rice field, and 

 balance old-field pasture, with but one ditch upon the 

 place, the whole not worth the annual taxes. In 1846, he 

 broke up the land deep, with four and six mules, by in- 

 credible hard work, and planted corn, and made about 

 half a crop ; which some of his neighbors said was because 

 he plowed his land so deep that he had spoiled it. But he 

 said, it was because it never had been plowed so deep 

 before, and could not be expected at first to produce so 

 well; and, secondly, because he had not yet got it per- 

 fectly ditched. In the winter of 1846-7, he gave it an- 

 other thorough plowing, planted cane, and completed the 

 ditches, laying it into squares six rods on a side, having a 

 fall of twelve feet in 105 arpents back from the river. 

 The next crop made him 445 hogsheads of sugar, besides 

 seed cane. In 1848, he had 320 arpents in cane, 285 of 

 which he rolled, and made 525 hogsheads of sugar, and 

 about 36,000 gallons of molasses, working 55 field hands, 

 (90 negroes in all,) 37 mules, 10 carts, 3 wagons, 14 dou- 

 ble plows, and no oxen. His sugar house cost $17,000, 

 besides the labor of his own hands making brick and 

 doing most of the work, estimated at $9,000 more. Much 

 of the worst of the ditching was done by hired Irish 

 laborers. He feeds his field hands 6 lbs. of pork and 12 

 quarts of Indian meal a week, besides molasses, sweet po- 

 tatoes, and other vegetables ; and, although they were 

 from the north, he finds that they keep healthy and strong 

 upon this high feeding, without complaining of lassitude, 

 as is usual among those brought here while acclimating. 

 He confidently expects to derive a profit from grazing 



