32 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 1. 



with a cradle, tie in small bundles, and stack. 

 When the seed is wanted, the bundles are thrash- 

 ed out — and thus, the hay sustains no injury ; and 

 he says, the seed require no cieaninfr, having no 

 chatf of consequence with them. Mr. V. has 

 used only the resources of his own farm for ma- 

 nure. 



E. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 MANAGEMnXT OF SLAVES, &C. 



CiMrlolte County. 



It mi<jht be inferred, from the manner in which 

 many masters (who have been raised too, in I he 

 midstof a slave population,) tre:i.t their slaves, that 

 they were as ignorant of the char:icter, feelings, and 

 sympathies of the negro, as they are of those of a 

 Hottentot or Laplander. The most common error 

 is underrating the capacity of the slave. I have 

 spent much time with this population, in the ca- 

 pacity ol a master, and managed them without 

 the interveniion of overseers; and must conlt^ss 

 that my opinion of their sagacity is greatly raised 

 by this inlen'ourse. I have found them apt to 

 learn, very tractable, and remarkable lor patience 

 and evenness of temper. They are very crateful 

 for good treatment, if proper discipline and au- 

 thority is kept up over them. They soon ascer- 

 tain the character of those in authority over them, 

 their peculiarities of temperament and disposition, 

 and frequently, under the cloak of great stupidity, 

 make dupes of the master and overseer. The 

 most general deflect in the character of the neirro, 

 is hypocrisy; and this hypocrisy frequently makes 

 him pretend to more ignorance than he possesses; 

 and if his master treats him as a Ibol, he will be 

 sure to act the Ibofs parr. Titis is a very conveni- 

 ent trait, as it fi-equently serves as an apology 

 for awkwardness and neglect of duty. The most 

 important part of management of slaves, is al- 

 ways to keep ihem under proper subjection. They 

 must obey at all times, and underall circumstan- 

 ces, cheerfully and with alacrity. It greatly im- 

 pairs the happiness of a negro, to he allowed to 

 cultivate an insubordinate temper. Unconditional 

 submission is the only footing upon which slavery 

 should be placed. It is precisely similar to the 

 attitude of a minor to his parent, or a soldier to 

 his general. But, it is not intended by this re- 

 mark to justify harsh and reproachful language on 

 all occasions, from the master. His authority 

 should be exercised in a firm, but mild manner. 

 He should even to a necjro unite in his de|)oriment 

 the "s If a u ffer ('«.mo(/o," with the "/or/Z/e/ t/i re." 

 I never saw any degree of courtesy shown to a 

 negro, (that was kept under good subjection,) but 

 was returned with usury. Cutfee is hard to outdo 

 in politeness. 



The most important subject to attend to in the 

 management of negroes, is to give them a suffi- 

 ciency of food. I have heard many comparisons 

 made between negro slavery and the operative 

 classes of old countries, to prove that too much 

 meat was given them. But it is no argument to 

 a humane master, to starve and half clothe his 

 slaves, because the poor Irish are naked, and get 

 meat only once a week. I am clearly of opinion 



that a half starved hireling in Russia, Germany 

 or Great Britain, exhibits to his employer the 

 most degrading attitude that one portion of the 

 species ever stood towards the other, and I do not 

 believe that any lesson can be learned from them, 

 either beneficial to the Virtjinia slave or his master. 

 But I think it probable that the poverty ofthe diet 

 of the German and Irish labourer, is much alle- 

 viated by a great variety of succulent vegetables: 

 such as the potatoe, beet, turnip, &c., and mostly 

 by the common use of milk and butter. But corn 

 meal bread, with little or no meat, and no vegeta- 

 ble diet, is extremely hard liire. I believe th;it 

 there are extremely few masters who starve their 

 slaves to actual suflen'ng; in tlict, I am unacquaint- 

 ed with any such. But, I have no doubt that the 

 slow motion, and thin exfjressiwn of countenance, of 

 many slaves, are owinir to a v/ant of a sufticieiicy 

 of nourishing f(>od. The great susceptibility of 

 many familie?: of nejrror.s to scroliila, is to be at- 

 tributed to hard and scanty living. There is, 

 however, a great change tlir the better, in the arti- 

 cle of diet to negroes, within the last ten or fifteen 

 years. 



The climate and soil of Vir<rinia are well adapted 

 to the cultivation of a irreat variety i>i' vegetables, 

 and with a little attention, [risli potatoes, field peas, 

 beans, pumpkins, and turnips, may be raised in suf- 

 ficient quantities lor winter use Ibr every slave on 

 a plantation. As for summer vegetables, the va- 

 riety is almost inexhaustible; and the master 

 must be considered a poor proviiler, who does not, 

 throuirh the months of June, July, Aujxust and 

 September, furnish a daily allowance of vegetable 

 diet. A negro slave is so constituted that he is de- 

 pendent in a great measure for happiness on his 

 food. And nothinjj has a greater tendency to in- 

 spire cheerfulness and industry, than to look for- 

 ward to the prospect of a good meal. It must, 

 too, be a source of pleasiuir reHeciion to the mas- 

 ter, to a{!"ord the, additional happiness which such 

 luxuries never fail to yield. 1 am very certain, 

 from an attentive observation to this subject, that 

 a negro de|trived of nseat diet, is not able to en- 

 dure the labor that those can peribrm who are 

 liberally supplied with it; and that the master 

 who gives his field hands half a pound of meat per 

 day, and two quarts of meal, (or something short 

 of this when an allowance of vegetables is made,) 

 is better compensated by slave labor, than those 

 who trive the ordinary quantity. Their t()o(l 

 should be cooked tor them twice a day, and carried 

 out to the field. It is a genered custom in this 

 part of the state, to have their food cooked but 

 once a day, and to re(]uire each negro to cook fnr 

 himself at night, and carry vvith him his food for 

 the morninsi's meal in the field ; bat his love of in- 

 dulgence, or fatigue, fi-equently induces him to fid! 

 to sleep as soon as he reaches his cabin, and if 

 he is unfortunate enough not to wake at midnight 

 and cook his morning's meal, (which indeed is a 

 frequent habit with them,) he is compelled to fiist 

 until his dinner hour the next day. 



The next most important matter to be attended 

 to, is the slaves' lodiring. I know of no better 

 kind of cabins than those recommended by Taylor 

 in his jiratnr. When it is not convenient to build 

 such, hewed log cabins vvith while oak sills, 16 

 feet by 18, make very comlbriable houses. The 

 roof should be framed. The old fiishioned cabins, 

 with log roofs, and slabs not nailed, but merely 



