44 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
absolute!}’’, and he to obey implicitly. That he 
is never tor a moment to exercise either his will 
or judgment in opposition to a positive order. 
The rules 1 have laid down, and which are 
considered by all on the plantation, as funda- 
mental rules, are : 
1st. No negro shall leave the plantation at 
any time, without my permission, or in my ab- 
sence, that ol' the driver ; the driver in that case, 
being responsible for the cause of such absence, 
Avhich ought never to be omitted to be inquired 
into. 
2d. The driver should never leave the plan- 
tation, unless on very urgent business of'.the 
plantation. 
3d. No negro shall be allowed to marry out 
of the plantation. 
4th. No negro shall be allowed to sell any- 
thing without my express permission. 
1 have ever maintained the doctrine that my 
negroes have no time whatever ; that they are 
always liable to my call without questioning 
fora moment the propriety of it; and I adhere 
to this on the grounds of expediency and right. 
The very security of the plantation requires 
that a general and uniform control overthe peo- 
ple of it should be exercised. Who are to pro- 
tect the plantation from the intrusions of ill-de- 
signing persons when every body is abroad? 
Who can tell the moment when a plantation 
might be threatened with destruction from fire? 
Could the flames be arrested if the slaves are 
scattered throughout the neighborhood, seeking 
their amusement? Are these not duties, of 
great importance, and in which every negro 
himself is deeply interested? To render this 
part of the rule justly applicable, however, it 
would be necessary that such a settled arrange- 
ment should exist on the plantation as to make 
it unnecessary for a negro to leave it, or to have 
a good plea for so doing. You must, therefore, 
make him as comfortable at home as possible, 
affording him what is essentially necessary for 
his happiness — you must provide for him your- 
self, and by that means create in him a habit of 
perfect dependence on you. Allow it once to 
be understood by a negro, that he is to provide 
lor himself, and you that moment give him an 
undeniable claim on you for a portion of his 
time to make this provision; and should you 
from necessity, or any other cause, encroach 
upon his time, disappointment and discontent 
are seriously lelt. 
If 1 employ a laborer to perform a certain 
quantum of work per day, and 1 agree to pay 
him a certain amount for the performance of 
said work, when he has accomplished it, I of 
course, have no lurlher claim on him for his 
time or services. But how different is it with a 
slave! Yv^ho can calculate the exact profit or 
expense of a slave one year with another? It 
I furnish my negro with every necessary of 
life, without the least care on his part — if I 
support him in sickness, however long it may 
be, and piv all his expenses, though he does 
nothing — if I maintain him in his old age, when 
he is incapable of rendering either himself or 
myself any service, ami not entitled to an ex- 
clusive right to his time? Good feelings, and 
a sense of propriety would always prevent un- 
necessary employment on the sabbath, and po- 
licy would check any exaction of excessive la- 
bor in common. 
Whatever other pi ivileges I allow the driver, 
he is not su.Tered to send any negro off the plan- 
tation, unless he sends him to me, or some ex- 
traordinary circumstance arises that could make 
it proper that a message should be sent to a 
neighbor: tor as his transactions are confined 
solely to the plantation, there rarely could exist 
a necessity to communicate elsewhere than 
with me. It he sends him for his own purpose 
he is answerable tor his absence, as the negro 
Avould be, did he go away without any permis- 
sion at all. 
I never give a negro a ticket to go from home 
without he first states particularly where he 
wishes to go, and assigns a cause for his desi:-- 
ing to be absent. 11' he offers a good reason I 
n ever refuse, b'.tt otherwise, I never grant him 
a ticket, and feel satisfied that no practice is 
more prejudicial to the community, and to the 
negroes themselves, than that of giving them 
general tickets to go where they please. lam 
so opposed to this plan, that I never permit any 
negro to remain on my plantation whose ticket 
does not authorize him expressly to come to it. 
1 believe there are some who think that alter a 
negro has done his work, it is an act of oppres- 
sion to confine him to the plantation, when he 
might be strolling about the neighborhood for 
his amusement and recreation. This is cer- 
tainly a mistaken humanity. Habit is every- 
thing. The negro who is accustomed to re- 
main constantly at home, is just as satisfied 
with the society on the plantation, as that which 
he could find elsewhere ; and the very same re- 
strictions laid upon him, being equally imposed 
on others, he does not feel them, for society is 
kept at home for him. 
As the driver is answerable for the good con- 
duct of the negroes, and the proper application 
of their time, he ought always to be present to 
attend; otherwise he could never with proprie- 
ty be charged with neglect, in which case all re- 
sponsibility would be at an end. 
No rule that I have stated is of more impor- 
tance than that relating to negroes marrying out 
of the plantation. It seems to me, from what 
observations I have made, it is utterly impossi- 
ble to have any method, or regularity where the 
men and women are permitted to take wives 
and husbands indiscriminately off the planta- 
tion. Negroes are very much disposed to pur- 
sue a course of this kind, and without being 
able to assign any good reason, though the mo- 
tive can be readily perceived, and is a strong 
one with them; but one that tends not in the 
least to the benefit of the master, or their ulti- 
mate good. The inconveniences that at once 
strikes one as arising out of such a practice are 
these : 
First — In allowing the men to marry out of 
the plantation, you give them an uncontrolable 
right to be frequently absent. 
Secondly — Wherever their wives live, there 
they consider their homes, consequently they 
are indifferent to the interest of the plantation 
to which they actually belong. 
Thirdly- -It creates a feeling of independ- 
ence, from being, of right, out of the control of 
■their master for a time. 
Fourthly — They are repeatedly exposed to 
temptations from meeting and associating with 
negroes from different directions, and with va- 
rious habits and views. 
Fifthly — Where there are several women on 
a plantation, they may have husbands from dff- 
ferent plantations belongingto different persons. 
These men possess different habits — are accus- 
tomed to different treatment, and have different 
privileges; so yoar plantation every day be- 
comes the rendezvous of a medley of charac- 
ters. Negroes who have the privilege of a 
month ticket to go where they please, and at any 
hour that they say they have finished their work, 
to leave their master’s plantation, come into 
yours about midday, when your negroes are at 
work, and the driver engaged ; they either take 
possession of the houses in which their wives 
live, and go to sleep, or stroll about in perlect 
idleness, feeling themselves accessible to every- 
thing. What an example to those at work at 
the time! Can any circumstance be more sub- 
versive of good order and contentment! 
Sixthly — When a man and his wife belong to 
different persons, they are liable to be separated 
from each other, as well as theirchildren, either 
by the caprice of either of the parties, or where 
there is a sale o! property. This keeps up an 
unsettled state of things, and gives rise to re- 
peated new connexions. It might be asked how 
does this rule answer when there are several 
men on a plantation, and few women, or vice 
versa, where there are several women, and few 
men. I would observe, it would be best to 
equalize the number ol both se.xes as nearly as 
possible. This can be done either by purchase 
nr sale. For to adopt rules merely because 
they are good in themselves, and not to pursue 
a plan which would make them] applicable, 
would be fallacious. 
I never allow my negroes to sell anything 
without my express permission. I never re- 
strict them in any acts of industry, but reward 
them punctually for their exertions, bv taking 
from them at a fair price whatever they justly 
have to offer. Where they have all the com- 
forts they have a right to expect, regularly and 
carefully furnished them, they very readily and 
cheerfully submit to any such restrictions. 1 
furnish my negroes regularly with their full 
share of allowance weekly. I give them an- 
nually their clothes and shoes, anrt every third 
year a blanket. I supply them with salt, and 
from time to time through the year salt fish and 
tobacco. If a negro is suffered to sell anything 
he chooses without any inquiry being made, a 
spirit of trafficing is at once created. To carry 
this on, both means and time are necessary, nei- 
ther of which is he of right possessed. A ne- 
gro would never be content to sell only what he 
raises of either corn, poultry or the like ; but he 
would sell a part of his allowance also, and 
would be tempted to commit robberies to obtain 
things to sell. Besides, he would never go 
through his work carefully, and particularly 
when other engagements more interesting and 
pleasing are constantly passing through his 
mind; but would be apt to put off his work for 
a future period, or slight it over. 
That the general conduct of a master has a 
very considerable influence on the character 
and habits of his slaves, will be readily admit- 
ted. When a master is uniform in his own ha- 
bits and conduct, his slaves know his wishes, 
and what they are to expect if they act in oppo- 
sition to, or conformity with them: therefore, 
the more order and contentment exist. A plan- 
tation might be considered as a piece of machi- 
nery ; to operate successfully, all of its parts 
should be uniform and exact, and the impelling 
force regularand steady ; and the master, if he 
pretended at all to attend to his business, should 
be their impelling force. If a master exhibits 
no extraordinary interest in the proceedings on 
his plantation, it is hardly to be expected that 
any other feelings but apathy, and perfect indif- 
ference could exist with his negroes; and it 
would be unreasonable for him, who has the 
principal incitements, and is careless, to expect 
attention and exertion from those who have no 
other interest than to avoid the displeasure of 
their master. 
Whenever the season for hoeing begins, 
whatever tasks a negro commences with, are 
considered his throughout the working of the 
crop. Sickness sometimes produces a little va- 
riation in this plan, but to no great extent. 
Where a negro knows that the task he is work- 
ing is to be worked by him the next time he 
goes over the field, he is induced, in order to 
render the next working as light as possible, to 
work it well at first. But where he is allowed 
to lake his task indiscriminately as he comes in- 
to the field, there is always a great contention 
for tasks, each endeavoring to obtain the easiest 
to work. By that means great injustice and 
imposition arise. The fastest worker would 
always have the choice of tasks, and it is not 
always the fastest worker who is the best work- 
er. Instead of taking pains to do his work well, 
he hurries over it, to have the choice of the 
next task. 
In the different departments on the plantation 
as much distinction and separation are kept up 
as possible, with a view to create responsibility. 
The driver has a directing charge of everything, 
but there are subordinate persons, who take the 
more immediate care of the different depart- 
ments. For instance, I make one person an- 
swerable for my stock of cattle, the plantation 
horses, the carls, wagon.«, plows and their tack- 
lings. Another has charge of my boats; a 
third attends the dairy, the sick, &c. ; a fourth, 
the poultry, and providing lor, ani taking care 
of the little negroes whose parents are in the 
field. Each of these negroes, however, do other 
work. 
As good a plan as any I have found, to estab' 
