a support for themselves and families.  There is yet much room for improvement, but they will improve just as they gain experience and become self-reliant.

     Considering their condition after emancipation and the evil
     influences to which they have been subjected, even the small
     advancement they have made seems surprising.

Q. 2.  Under what systems are the laborers in your section employed?  —­A.  There are three methods:  we hire for wages, for a part of the crop, or we rent.

Q. 3.  When hired for wages what is paid?  —­A.  When hired by the month we pay unskilled field hands from $10 to $20 per month and board.  When hired by the day, for unskilled laborers, from 75 cents to $1.  Teamsters, $1 a day and board.  Artisans, from $2 to $5.  In addition to their wages and board, the laborers are furnished, free of cost, a house, fuel, and a garden spot varying from half to one acre; also the use of wagon and team with which to haul their fuel and supplies, and pasturage, where they have cattle and hogs, which they are encouraged to raise.

Q. 4.  What division is made between labor and capital of their joint production when you work on shares?  —­A.  I doubt if there is greater liberality shown to laborers in any portion of the world than is done under this system.  The proprietor furnishes the land and houses, including dwelling, stables, and outhouses, pays the taxes, makes all necessary improvements, keeps up repairs and insurance, gives free of cost a garden spot, fuel, pasturage for the stock owned by the laborer, and allows the use of his teams for hauling fuel and family supplies, provides mules or horses, wagons, gears, implements, feed for teams, the necessary machinery for ginning, or, in short, every expense of making the crop and preparing it for market, and then divides equally the whole gross proceeds with the laborers.  In addition to all this, the proprietor frequently mortgages his real estate to obtain means to advance to the laborers supplies on their portion of the crop yet to be grown, thus mortgaging what he actually possesses, and taking a security not yet in existence, and which depends not only upon the vicissitudes of the seasons, but the faithfulness of the laborers themselves.  Under this system thrifty, industrious laborers ought soon to become landowners.  But, owing to indolence, the negroes, except where they are very judiciously managed and encouraged, fail to take advantage of the opportunities offered them to raise the necessaries of life.  They idle away all the time not actually necessary to make and gather their corn and cotton, and improvidently spend what balance may remain after paying for the advances made to them.

Q. 5.  When you rent, what division is made?  —­A.  Where the laborer owns his own teams, gears, and implements necessary for making a crop, he gets two-thirds or three-fourths