EVOLUTION OF THE COTTON SYSTEM 47 



Mr. Barbee's estimate may be taken as average for the 

 type of soil and locality presented. Many of the planta- 

 tions were much larger in size, but an estimate may be 

 arrived at by multiplying the stock and number of hands, 

 leaving the number of domestic servants more or less 

 constant. 



The regime on the plantation was well ordered. The 

 slaves had their quarters, small log cabins or shacks of 

 one thickness of board, built together near the big house. 

 The movements were regulated by the plantation bell. 

 The schedule on the Hammond plantation of South Caro- 

 lina is cited as a type: 



The first horn was blown an hour before daylight as a 

 summons for work hands to rise and do their cooking and 

 other preparations for the day. Then at the summons of the 

 plow driver at the first break of day, the plowmen went to 

 the stables whose doors the overseers opened. At the second 

 horn, just at good daylight, the hoe gang set off for the 

 field. At half past eleven the plowmen carried their mules to 

 a shelter house in the fields, and at noon the hoe hands laid 

 off for dinner, to resume work at one o'clock, except that in 

 hot weather the intermission was extended to a maximum of 

 three and a half hours. The plowmen led the way home by 

 a quarter of an hour in the evening, and the hoe hands fol- 

 lowed at sunset. 23 



The food and clothing for the slaves were simple, sub- 

 stantial, and monotonous. De Bow estimated that slaves 

 could be supported for $15 a year. Hoecakes, fried pork, 

 and molasses formed the staples of diet. 



On the Telfair plantation in Georgia each worker was 

 allowed a peck of corn, a pint of salt and not over three 



23 Phillips, op. cit., p. 268. 



