Volume 03 Page 0077

Taylor, to whom the valuable plantation on the Savannah
Back River in South Carolina, opposite Gowrie belonged, was a Scotchman
and commenced his career in the South as Overseer to the present
(1855) Mr John Rutledge's father on Cooper River. He afterwards came
to Savannah to take charge of the Rutledge Estate, & finding the
culture of rice interesting purchased the above named plantation,
and by living economically for a few years finally paid for it from
its own crops. He married a Jewess from North Carolina & by her
had one Son Henry at present about 15 years of age, and to whom
the plantation is to belong. Mr Taylor died very soon after his
marriage. Mr Lacklison owner of the Savannah Iron Foundry.
himself a Scotchman, told me that Mr McAlpin would often
speak in terms of praise to him of the beautiful Carse of Gowrie
in Scotland, and impression is that all of the aforenamed
Scotchmen came from or near this Eastern section of Scotland.

With the foregoing deviation from my subject, I now resume the
narrative of what more properly belongs to it.

One of the most interesting points to us in viewing the farms of
Perthsire is the manner in which the drainage is perfected. Be it
remembered that the only portion of agriculture to which I have turned
my attention is to the culture of rice, and even in this I have a
vast deal to learn, before being able to be called a Rice planter for
cut off entirely from our places in the summer months, it is impossible
to follow a rice crop through all of its various stages of watering
and culture, except from what I hear on paper from Overseers. Yet
two all important rules seem to govern Agriculture in all its forms:
1st Drainage; and 2nd Preparing the ground to receive its seed.
Both of these the Scotch carry to perfection. Land is too precious
in Scotland to be cutting ditches and drains, as we do thereby losing a
vast deal of ground. I was fortunate in seeing a farmer near Perth
arranging a field for drainage, which process interested me greatly.
Small drains about three feet deep and one foot wide, at the bottom
of which tiles of circular shape, about one foot long and six inches
in diameter are placed fitting loosely into one another. Then the entire
is covered with dirt. These drains are about ten feet apart running