Chap. IV Of the Negroes, With the Planting and Management of Indian Corn, Tobacco, &c. and of Their Timber, Stock, Fruits, Provision, and Habitations, &c.
The Negroes live in small Cottages called Quarters, in about six in a Gang, under the Direction of an Overseer or Bailiff; who takes Care that they tend such Land as the Owner allots and orders, upon which they raise Hogs and Cattle, and plant Indian Corn (or Maize) and Tobacco for the Use of their Master; out of which the Overseer has a Dividend (or Share) in Proportion to the Number of Hands including himself; this with several Privileges is his Salary, and is an ample Recompence for his Pains, and Encouragement of his industrious Care, as to the Labour, Health, and Provision of the Negroes.
The Negroes are very numerous, some Gentlemen having Hundreds of them of all Sorts, to whom they bring great Profit; for the Sake of which they are obliged to keep them well, and not over-work, starve, or famish them, besides other Inducements to favour them; which is done in a great Degree, to such especially that are laborious, careful, and honest; tho’ indeed some Masters, careless of their own Interest or Reputation, are too cruel and negligent.
The Negroes are not only encreased by fresh Supplies from Africa and the West India Islands, but also are very prolifick among themselves; and they that are born there talk good English, and affect our Language, Habits, and Customs; and tho’ they be naturally of a barbarous and cruel Temper, yet are they kept under by severe Discipline upon Occasion, and by good Laws are prevented from running away, injuring the English, or neglecting their Business.
Their Work (or Chimerical hard Slavery) is not very laborious; their greatest Hardship consisting in that they and their Posterity are not at their own Liberty or Disposal, but are the Property of their Owners; and when they are free, they know not how to provide so well for themselves generally; neither did they live so plentifully nor (many of them) so easily in their own Country, where they are made Slaves to one another, or taken Captive by their Enemies.
The Children belong to the Master of the Woman that bears them; and such as are born of a Negroe and an European are called Molattoes; but such as are born of an Indian and Negroe are called Mustees.
Their Work is to take Care of the Stock, and plant Corn, Tobacco, Fruits, &c. which is not harder than Thrashing, Hedging, or Ditching; besides, tho’ they are out in the violent Heat, wherein they delight, yet in wet or cold Weather there is little Occasion for their working in the Fields, in which few will let them be abroad, lest by this means they might get sick or die, which would prove a great Loss to their Owners, a good Negroe being sometimes worth three (nay four) Score Pounds Sterling, if he be a Tradesman; so that upon this (if upon no other Account) they are obliged not to overwork them, but to cloath and feed them sufficiently, and take Care of their Health.
Several of them are taught to be Sawyers, Carpenters, Smiths, Coopers, &c. and though for the most Part they be none of the aptest or nicest; yet they are by Nature cut out for hard Labour and Fatigue, and will perform tolerably well; though they fall much short of an Indian, that has learn’d and seen the same Things; and those Negroes make the best Servants, that have been Slaves in their own Country; for they that have been Kings and great Men there are generally lazy, haughty, and obstinate; whereas the others are sharper, better humoured, and more laborious.
The Languages of the new Negroes are various harsh Jargons, and their Religions and Customs such as are best described by Mr. Bosman in his Book intitled (I think) A Description of the Coasts of Africa.
The Virginia Planters readily learn to become good Mechanicks in Building, wherein most are capable of directing their Servants and Slaves.
As for Timber they abound with excellent good; having about eight Sorts of Oak, several Kinds of Walnut-Tree, and Hickory and Pignut, Pine, Cedar, and Cypress for Shingles; which Covering is lighter than Tiles, and being nailed down, are not easily blown off in any Tempest or Gust.
The Oak, &c. is of quick Growth, consequently will not last so long as ours; though it has a good Grain, and is freer from Knots, and will last long enough for Shipping, and ordinary Uses.
When a Tract of Land is seated, they clear it by felling the Trees about a Yard from the Ground, lest they should shoot again. What Wood they have Occasion for they carry off, and burn the rest, or let it lie and rot upon the Ground.
The Land between the Logs and Stumps they how up, planting Tobacco there in the Spring, inclosing it with a slight Fence of cleft Rails. This will last for Tobacco some Years, if the Land be good; as it is where fine Timber, or Grape Vines grow.
Land when tired is forced to bear Tobacco by penning their Cattle upon it; but Cowpen Tobacco tastes strong, and that planted in wet marshy Land is called Nonburning Tobacco, which smoaks in the Pipe like Leather, unless it be of a good Age.
When Land is tired of Tobacco, it will bear Indian Corn or English Wheat, or any other European Grain or Seed, with wonderful Increase.
Tobacco and Indian Corn are planted in Hills as Hops, and secured by Wormfences, which are made of Rails supporting one another very firmly in a particular Manner.
Tobacco requires a great deal of Skill and Trouble in the right Management of it.
They raise the Plants in Beds, as we do Cabbage Plants; which they transplant and replant upon Occasion after a Shower of Rain, which they call a Season.
When it is grown up they top it, or nip off the Head, succour it, or cut off the Ground Leaves, weed it, hill it; and when ripe, they cut it down about six or eight Leaves on a Stalk, which they carry into airy Tobacco Houses; after it is withered a little in the Sun, there it is hung to dry on Sticks, as Paper at the Paper-Mills; when it is in proper Case, (as they call it) and the Air neither too moist, nor too dry, they strike it, or take it down, then cover it up in Bulk, or a great Heap, where it lies till they have Leisure or Occasion to stem it (that is pull the Leaves from the Stalk) or strip it (that is take out the great Fibres) and tie it up in Hands, or streight lay it; and so by Degrees prize or press it with proper Engines into great Hogsheads, containing from about six to eleven hundred Pounds; four of which Hogsheads make a Tun, by Dimension, not by Weight; then it is ready for Sale or Shipping.
There are two Sorts of Tobacco, viz. Oroonoko the stronger, and Sweetscented the milder; the first with a sharper Leaf like a Fox’s Ear, and the other rounder and with finer Fibres: But each of these are varied into several Sorts, much as Apples and Pears are; and I have been informed by the Indian Traders, that the Inland Indians have Sorts of Tobacco much differing from any planted or used by the Europeans.
The Indian Corn is planted in Hills, and weeded much as Tobacco.
This Grain is of great Increase and most general Use; for with this is made good Bread, Cakes, Mush, and Hommony for the Negroes, which with good Pork and Potatoes (red and white, very nice and different from ours) with other Roots and Pulse, are their general Food.
Indian Corn is the best Food for Cattle, Hogs, Sheep and Horses; and the Blades and Tops are excellent Fodder, when well cured, which is commonly used, though many raise good Clover and Oats; and some have planted Sanfoin, &c.
In the Marshes, and Woods, and old Fields is good Range for Stock in the Spring, Summer, and Fall; and the Hogs will run fat with certain Roots of Flags and Reeds, which abounding in the Marshes they root up and eat.
Besides, at the Plantations are standard Peach-Trees, and Apple-Trees, planted out in Orchards, on Purpose almost for the Hogs.
The Peaches abound, and are of a delicious Taste, and Apple-Trees are raised from the Seeds very soon, which kind of Kernel Fruit needs no grafting, and is diversify’d into numberless Sorts, and makes, with good Management, an excellent Cyder, not much inferior to that of Herefordshire, when kept to a good Age; which is rarely done, the Planters being good Companions and Guests whilst the Cyder lasts. Here Cherries thrive much better (I think) than in England; tho’ the Fruit-Trees soon decay, yet they are soon raised to great Perfection.
As for Wool, I have had near as good as any near Leominster; and it might be much improved if the Sheep were housed every Night, and foddered and littered as in Urchinfield, where they have by such Means the finest Wool; but to do this, would be of little Use, since it is contrary to the Interest of Great Britain to allow them Exportation of their Woollen Manufactures; and what little Woollen is there made might be nearly had as cheap, and better from England.
As for Provision, there is Variety of excellent Fish in great Plenty easily taken; especially Oysters, Sheepsheads, Rocks, large Trouts, Crabs, Drums, Sturgeons, &c.
They have the same tame Fowl as in England, only they propagate better; but they exceed in wild Geese and Ducks, Cohoncks, Blew-Wings, Teal, Blew-Wings, Teal, Swans, and Mallard.
Their Beef and Veal is small, sweet, and fat enough; their Pork is famous, whole Virginia Shoots being frequently barbacued in England; their Bacon is excellent, the Hams being scarce to be distinguished from those of Westphalia; but their Mutton and Lamb some Folks don’t like, though others extol it. Their Butter is good and plentiful enough. Their Venison in the lower Parts of the Country is not so plentiful as it has been, tho’ there be enough and tolerably good; but in the Frontier Counties they abound with Venison, wild Turkies, &c. where the common People sometimes dress Bears, whose Flesh, they say, is not to be well distinguished from good Pork or Bacon.
They pull the Down of their living Geese and wild and tame Ducks, wherewith they make the softest and sweetest Beds.
The Houses stand sometimes two or three together; and in other Places a Quarter, half a Mile, or a Mile, or two, asunder, much as in the Country in England.