ontgomery
Ward & Co., and Sears, Roebuck & Co., of Chicago are often found, and
the express agents say that large shipments of goods are made to the
Negroes. Patent medicines form no inconsiderable proportion of these
purchases, while "Stutson" hats, as the Negro says, are required by the
young bloods. The general improvidence of the people is well illustrated
by the following story related by a friend of the writer. At the close
of one season an old Negro woman came to his wife for advice as to the
use to be made of her savings, some $125. She was advised to buy some
household necessities and to put the remainder in a bank, above all she
was cautioned to beware of any who sought to get her to squander the
money. The woman left but in about two weeks' time returned to borrow
some money. It developed that as she went down the street a Jewess
invited her to come in and have a cup of coffee. The invitation was
accepted and during the conversation she was advised to spend the money.
This she did, and when the transactions were over the woman had one
barrel of flour, one hundred pounds of meat, ten dollars or so worth of
cheap jewelry, some candy and other incidentals and no money. Foolish
expenditures alone, according to the belief of the planters, prevent the
Negroes from owning the entire land in a generation. I would not give
the impression that there are no Negro land owners in this region.
Thousands of acres have been purchased and are held by them, but we are
speaking of average families.

Some curious customs prevail. The planters generally pay the Negroes in
cash for their cotton seed and this money the blacks consider as
something peculiarly theirs, not to be used for any debts they may have.
Although the prices for goods advanced are higher than cash prices, the
Negroes will often, when spring comes, insist that they be advanced, so
have the goods charged even at the higher prices, even though they have
the cash on hand. This great over-appreciation of present goods is a
drawback to their progress.

In this district I found little dissatisfaction among the Negro farmers.
They felt that their opportunities were good. Those who come from the
hills can scarce believe their eyes at the crops produced and constantly
ask when the cotton plants are going to turn yellow and droop. That
there is little migration back to the hills is good evidence of the
relative standing of the two districts in their eyes.

Wages for da