SOLON ROBINSON, 1850 381 



pounds. Corn, 15 bushels of the southern white-flint 

 variety. No other will stand the depredations of the 

 weevil. 



The amount of labor to grow and prepare for market 

 a hundred pounds of Sea-Island cotton, is estimated at 

 fifty days' work ; that is, the small amount of labor which 

 a negro does at "task work." The first process of prepar- 

 ing land for cotton, after manuring, is "listing" — that is 

 hoeing the grass off the old beds into the alleys. A "task" 

 of this work is one fourth or three eights of an acre a-day. 

 Next, the old beds are hauled on top, at the same rate. 

 The whole "task system" is equally light, and is one that 

 I most unreservedly disapprove of, because it promotes 

 idleness, and that is the parent of mischief. 



The system of upland-cotton and sugar planters, of giv- 

 ing the hands plenty to eat, and steady employment, is 

 a much better system. Meat is not generally fed to the 

 laborers in this part of the state. The diet is almost 

 exclusively vegetable, varying upon different plantations 

 somewhat. The following are the weekly rations upon 

 four places, which will give a general idea. 



1st. One bushel potatoes a-week from about October 

 1st to February 1st. Then one peck of corn, ground or 

 unground, as preferred, or one peck of broken rice. Meat 

 occasionally. 



2d. One bushel potatoes, or 10 qts. corn meal, or 8 qts. 

 of rice, and 4 qts. of peas, with occasional fresh meat, and 

 twenty barrels of salt fish and two barrels of molasses 

 during the year. Number of people 170. 



3d. Half a bushel of potatoes, 6 qts. of meal, and 

 about 2 lbs. of fresh meat, or 10 qts. of meal, or 10 qts. 

 of rice. Carpenters, millers, drivers, and others, who do 

 not raise crops and hogs for themselves, have a much 

 larger allowance. 



4th. Half a bushel of potatoes, or 10 qts. of meal, and 

 at times, when the labor is hard, a quart of soup a-day, 

 and in light work twice a-week. This is made of 15 lbs. 

 of meat to 75 qts. of soup, thickened with turnips, cab- 



