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SOUTH CAROLINA.

kept free from weeds. Two crops of peas can be got fromthe same ground in one year—the first is planted in Apriland picked in July, and another immediately sown, whichripens in October. When peas are sown in April, they haveusually a great tendency to produce too much straw, and tofall down and cover the whole space; but when sown in theend of June, they run up at once and bear seed. The pro-duce is seldom more than 15 bushels to the acre.

Great care is bestowed in preparing the fibre of the long-staple variety for market. The first process consists in sortingthe cotton, or taking out all the seeds that are not of a purewhite colour. An old hand has 100 lbs. given out as task-work in sorting. The next process is that of separating thefibre from the seed by the treadle-gin, which is still used forthe long-staple variety, for Whitney’s saw-gin is only usedfor the short staple. From 25 to 30 lbs. is the common day’stask for a negro woman. The gin is driven by the foot, and twosmall wooden rollers, about an inch and a half in diameter,closely pressed together, draw in the cotton fibre and leave theseeds behind, which fall down assoon as separated from the wool.After this it is carefully hand-picked to remove any pieces ofhusk or seed. This is called “ motting,” and 30 lbs. is thequantity done in a day. At this season, the negroes com-mence work by six o’clock; and taking an hour at dinner,usually complete their task by four o’clock in the afternoon.No one was working on the plantation when I arrived atfive o’clock. About 160 lbs. of cotton ready for market areusually got to the acre on this plantation. The negroes receive4 lbs. of bacon, and 6 quarts of corn meal, and one quart ofmolasses a week, and Jupiter was allowed double rations.

The cotton crop on the sea islands is very precarious.Two or three weeks of showery weather frequently occurduring the picking season, and the seed is often shed outand the produce diminished. The common opinion seemedto be, that the average produce of clean cotton of the sea-island variety is not more than 150 lbs. to the acre. Onthe sea islands and along the coast, the produce is kept upby manuring the soil with salt-marsh mud, which seems tobe the best application for obtaining quantity and quality.