f 32,137 blacks and 3,349 whites, the Negroes thus
forming 90 per cent of the total. There are 37 persons to the square
mile. With the exception of Beaufort and Port Royal, the whites are
found on the western side of the county. The islands are almost solid
black. Just after the war many of the plantations were sold for taxes
and fell into the hands of the Negroes, the funds realized being set
apart for the education of the blacks, the interest now amounting to
some $2,000 a year. In the seventies there was a great development of
the phosphate industry, which at its height employed hundreds of
Negroes, taken from the farms. Enormous fertilizer plants were erected.
Most of this is now a thing of the past and the dredges lie rotting at
the wharves. It is the general opinion that the influence of this
industry was not entirely beneficial, although it set much money in
circulation. It drew the men from the farms, and now they tend to drift
to the cities rather than return.

A livelihood is easily gained. The creeks abound with fish, crabs and
oysters. There is plenty of work on the farms for those who prefer more
steady labor. Land valued at about $10 per acre may be rented for $1.
More than ten acres to the tenant is not usual, and I was told that it
is very common for a family to rent all the land it wants for $10 per
year, the presumption being that not over ten acres would be utilized.
The staple crop for the small farmer is the sea island cotton. Under the
present culture land devoted to this lies fallow every other year. The
islands are low and flat, subject to severe storms, that of 1893 having
destroyed many lives and much property. The county was originally
heavily wooded and there is still an abundance for local purposes,
though the supply is low in places. On the islands the blacks have been
almost alone for a generation and by many it is claimed that there has
been a decided retrogression. By common consent St. Helena Island, which
lies near Beaufort, is considered the most prosperous of the Negro
districts. On this island are over 8,000 blacks and some 200 whites. The
cabins usually have two rooms, many having been partitioned to make the
second. They are of rough lumber, sometimes whitewashed, but seldom
painted. There are few fences and some damage is done by stock.
Outbuildings are few; privies are almost unknown--even at the schools
there are no closets of any kind. The wells are shallow, six feet or so
in