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PREFACE

ANDOR obliges me to acknowledge that self interest is the groundwork of my present address to persons Emigrating to

the state of Georgia; but whilst I make this acknowledgment, I must be permitted to say that no personal advantage that I have contemplated, or expected, shall induce me to prostitute my pen, my feelings or my character, by an unfair representation, which could cause the poor Emigrant to raise his voice against me and say "you have deceived me." And I will be bold to say, that nothing contained in the following sheets will ever raise a frown from those who may be thereby induced to move into this State.

In this statement I have the prejudices of many people to encounter, who judge of the Pine Lands of this State from the value of Pine Lands in the more Northern States. Those Lands will bear no kind of comparison with the Pine Lands of this State; and I can venture to assert that there is no Land of any kind (unless near large Towns, where they are highly cultivated and forced by manure) that will produce a crop of any kind, of equal value to what may be made from the same quantity of Georgia Pine Land, when properly cultivated in Cotton.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, 1801.

GEORGE SIBBALD.

LA

ANDS upon which there is a pine growth have been for many years supposed to possess but little value, except for the Timber; consequently the immense Forests of this State, clothed with trees of that growth, have been very generally uncultivated.

The name of Pine Barren, by which Pine Lands have been generally designated, particularly during the speculative mania, which for many years led people to the purchase of any thing that bore the name of Land, has been a reason among many others why those lands have so long been neglected.

Upon my first arrival in the State of Georgia, I passed in the Stage from Savannah to Augusta, where the road generally runs upon a barren and uncultivated ridge. I here felt all the prejudice that the appearance of such Lands is calculated to inspire. I had always heard the name of Pine Barren applied to all Pine Lands, and felt satisfied, like many other hasty Travellers, that Pine Lands possessed no value; but upon a more minute enquiry after my arrival at Augusta, I found that there were as various qualities of Pine Land as there were of Oak and Hickory: And that the Pine Lands in most parts of the State, were of a better quality, than any I had seen. As I had seen some Farms upon the road where, in spite of my prejudices, I found the appearance of plenty, I thought it worthy of some further investigation. My sole motive in coming to this state was to investigate and explore property of this kind. I therefore determined to explore the Piney Woods, and the consequence was, that upon conversing with the people who were settled upon those lands, and who were then but thinly scattered through this immense Country, I found that the Lands

found the Pine Lands, where the industrious Farmer or Planter had made settlements, to be in a situation that promised plenty and profit. Every man that I conversed with assured me, that to destroy the name (for in fact there was no reality) of Pine Barren, and to induce Industrious men of Character to settle on such lands was all that was wanting to make them truly valuable.

The soil of the Pine Lands is generally sandy, or a mixture of sand and loam; and wherever you find a clay foundation (which is generally the case) from eight to twenty inches below the surface, those Lands are to be preferred; particularly for the culture of Cotton.

This truly valuable plant, which has become the staple commodity of this State and which bids fair to increase the exports thereof, in point of value beyond the amount of any State in the Union, is most particularly adapted to the Pine Lands, which when properly prepared and cultivated will produce equal to any lands in the State, except those of the first quality. It is true that the Sea Island Lands are generally better adapted to the culture of Cotton, and the Cotton will bear a higher price; but the comparison between the profit and the price will prove that the Pine Lands are most valuable to the industrious Emigrant.

The price of an acre of Land on the Sea Islands, or what is called Hammock Lands, on or near the Sea Coast, is from ten to twenty dollars. The price of an acre of Oak and Hickory Land, in the Counties commonly called the Upper Counties, and which lay to the westward of a line drawn from about eight miles above Augusta, where the Oak and Hickory land commences, in a South West direction to the Oconee River, is from four to ten dollars; except that of an inferior quality which may be had from one dollar to four dollars per acre according to the advantages of situation.

Upon all the water courses of the State there is a proportion of what is termed Swamp Land; this Land is extremely rich,

loaded with a heavy growth of white Oak, red Oak, and many other valuable trees. The Rivers Savannah, Ogechee, Oconee and Alatamaha have immense bodies of this Species of Land, which sells from four to ten, and in some situations as high as twenty dollars per acre.

The Counties of Jefferson and Burke, which lye to the Eastward of the line which I have before described, are the only Counties below that line that have any quantities of Oak and Hickory Land (river Swamps excepted) those lands are generally sold high, and may be estimated at from five to fifteen dollars per acre.

The price of an acre of first quality Pine Land, as now offered by me at an half dollar per acre, will prove which suits the new settler best.

The Sea Islands are covered with a heavy growth of Live Oak, Pine, &c. are full of undergrowth of shrubs and Palmetto, which require much labour and a great many hands to prepare for cultivation a Cotton Plantation. A labouring hand generally tends four acres, besides provision ground, which produces on an average from One thousand to twelve hundred pounds of clean Cotton.

The Oak and Hickory Lands bear much the same comparison as to labour of clearing, and a hand can tend the same quantity of land: and where it is of the first quality, which commands the prices before quoted, will produce upon an average about Eight hundred, to one thousand pounds of clean Cotton to each hand.

The Pine Lands are covered with stately trees, with but little undergrowth; those trees being high, and their limbs a great distance from the ground, require no more attention in clearing, than to cut round the trees, commonly called girdling; this kills them; such only as are necessary for fencing and building are cut down, and there is but little necessity for grubbing. The Planter by penning his cattle at night kills the grass and prepares the land for