ce is placed
on them. There are no geese and few ducks. Little commercial fertilizer
is used, the marsh grass, which grows in great abundance, being an
excellent substitute of which the more progressive take advantage. The
following statement will illustrate the situation of three typical
families, an unusual, a good, and an average farmer. The figures are for
1902:

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.
Number in family 8 13 4
Number rooms 6 5 2
Number outbuildings 5 3 0
Number horses 4 1 0
Number cows 9 5 1
Number hogs 10 3 0
Number other animals 1 dog 2 goats 1 dog
1 dog
Number fowls 90 30 10
Acres of land owned 55 21 0
Acres of land rented 0 0 10-5/8
Acres in cotton 10 3.5 5
Acres in corn 8 5 5
Acres in sweet potatoes 3 3.5 3/8
Acres in white potatoes 1/4 0 0
Acres in peas (cow) 5.5 1.5 1/4
Acres in rice 1.5 0 0
Garden Very small Poor None

The rice is grown without flooding and known as "Providence Rice."

With the great ease of getting a livelihood the advances necessarily are
small. From January 1, 1902, to July 15 (which is near the close of the
advancing season) several average families had gotten advances averaging
$15.00. The firm which does most of the advancing on the island writes:
"We have some that get more. A few get $50.00 or about that amount, but
we make it a point not to let the colored people or our customers get
too much in debt. We have to determine about what they need and we have
always given them what was necessary to help them make a crop according
to their conditions and circumstances as they present themselves to us."
The firm reports that they collect each year about 90 per cent of their
outstanding accounts.

Below are given the customary forms of the Bill of Sale and the Crop
Lien given to secure advances:

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
COUNTY OF BEAUFORT.