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30.

a far greater number of persons are directly interested in the soil. The freedmen being in possession of stock necessary to work the lands rented by them have incentives to industry and independence never before experienced.- Their failures and present necessities have occasioned a self reliance and economy which are peculiarly the fruits of their misfortunes.- The crops of cereals and roots give abundant promise and the cotton crop so far as can be judged at this early day is unusually forward and healthy. The season of most imminent risk of an overflow has passed and the rivers are falling without any damage having been occasioned.- Should no extraordinary accidents affect them disastrously the crops of this year will exceed any gathering for many years, and one year of renumeration employment will do more to advance the permanent prosperity of the freedmen than any other agency which can be devised.-