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The principal difficulty now, arrises from the refusal of the Freedmen to enter into Contracts for next year. This discourages the planter, as he does not know what preparations to make for the coming year, or whether he can plant at all or not. The planters are using all the tact they can command, good wages, and all kinds of inducements, to get some kind of agreement with them for 1866. But until quite recently their efforts have been in vain. The Freedmen give various reasons for not entering into contract viz. Some fear they will be visited by some horrible punishment from the Yankees for hiring to the "[[underlined]] Rebs [[/underlined]]" without orders from "you alls." Others expect or hope to receive a donation of land from the Government, or that the Yankees will divide up the old plantation and give it to them. Others think, without means, they can rent land some where and thus "work for themselves." And still others, have so little sense or judgement they will do nothing to prepare for tomorrow and like the rest are waiting for the coming of Christmas for something to happen which will relieve them from work (as they always did.) I think they are improving some although slowly considdering the number that have been corrected in this particular