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0935

who make agreements for a share in the crops generally get from one third to two thirds of the crop and some have agreed to work for one quarter of the crop the farmers finding everything. Where two thirds is agreed upon the freedmen finds the teams & feeds them also furnishes seed &c the farmer only furnishing the land. I find the freedmen much prefer to work the land on shares, though in many instances for lack of judgment in its cultivation. I am of the opinion it would have been better for them to have worked for a stated salary by the year. Many of the freedmen have however, the past year done remarkably well [[strikethrough]]the past year[[/strikethrough]] working upon share, instances of which I believe I noticed in a former report.

The demand for laborers is much greater than the supply. There are but few idlers among the freedmen in my Division. The zeal with which they labor, even under, (in many instances) great disadvantages is worthy of emmulation  among the land holders.

Several freedmen have recently signified their desire to purchase land but say that although they are able to buy a small tract, that they feel uncertain as to the result of reconstruction &c - or in the words of one old colored man who visited me, he "didn't want to buy until de constitution

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Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-23 13:48:01 -added NARA # -trancscribed final (split) word on page in full on this page and next, as per TC instructions. -Corrected typos. -removed bracket notation for misspelled words where meaning is clear, towards TC goal of reducing use of brackets where possible