The Lien Law securing the collection of ad vances made on growing crops, often even be fore they were planted, and the Lien Law re quiring the enclosure of all livestock, leaving lands under crops unenclosed, promoted exist ing tendencies in agriculture. Removing the cost of fencing on lands under crops led to a wide deforestation and careless cultivation.
In 1880 there were 93,864 farms in the State containing 13,457,613 acres, of which only 4,132 acres were improved. In 1890 the number of farms had increased to 115,008, with 13,985,014 acres, of which 5,755,741 acres were improved. There are now (1919) 176,434 farms in the State, covering an area of 13,512,028 acres, of which 6,097,999 acres are improved. Farm property, machinery and livestock had a total value of $84,079,702 in 1880. This value is now well over $400,000,000. About 68 per cent of the area of the State is woodland. The chief cereal crops in 1918 with their acreage and production were: wheat, 205,1300 acres, 2,225,000 bushels, valued at $5,863,00b; maize, 2,250,000 acres, 38,250,000 bushels, valued at $74,588,000• oats, 500,000 acres, 11,000,000 bushels, valued at $12,980,000; rice, 4,500 acres, 104,000 bushels, value $203,000. Of greater importance in the agricultural life of the State is the cotton crop, to which 3,047,000 acres were planted in 1918, producing 1,500,000 bales of upland variety, valued at $20,700,000. Tobacco in the same year was planted in 86,400 acres and yielded 62,208,000 pounds, valued at $18,662,000. The hay crop of 1918 was taken from 260,000 acres, yielded 286,000 tons, valued at $7,465,b00. Pea nuts were planted on 14,000 acres, yielded 630, 000 bushels, valued at $1,840,000. About 80,000 acres were planted to sweet potatoes, of which 7,600,000 bushels were produced, valued at $10,792,000. Potatoes were planted on 28,000 acres, yielded 2,856,000 bushels, valued at $5,512, 000. The farm animals in the State 1 Jan. 1919 were 82,000 horses, 194,000 mules, 203,000 milch cows, 244,000 other cattle, 29,000 sheep and 1,056,000 swine. The value of these livestock was $76,577,000.
More than 50 per cent of the farms are negro farms; about 25 per cent of the negro farmers are owners, 50 per cent cash tenants and 25 per cent share tenants. A higher per
centage of white farmers are owners. Poultry products amounted to about $2,000,000 in 1918. Honey and beeswax were produced in the same year to the value of $80,000.
Fisheries.— The State has active fisheries, mainly oysters, whiting, shad and sea-bass. The industry gives employment to about 3,000 per sons and has an invested capital of $125,000. The annual catch rarely exceeds $300,000 in value.
Forest Yellow pine, also called Southern pine, is the chief lumber resource of the State. The stand of this wood alone is estimated at 3,000 million feet. It is being de pleted at a rapid rate. There are about 450 mills which cut about 750,000 M. F. B. per year. The value of all forest products in 1918 was over $5,000,000. Cypress, oak, locust and other pines are also being exploited.
Antedating the establish ment of the Patent Office by more than a cen tury, the colonial assembly in 1691 passed an act for rewarding ingenious and industrious per sons to essay such machines as may conduce to the better propagation of the produce of this In 1778 tide water power was for the first time utilized in milling for cleaning rice. The machinery of these mills is the model on which this Industry (performed before by hand) has since been conducted. A cotton fac tory was established in 1784 at Murray's Ferry, Williamsburg. and one at Statesburg a few years later. The first saw gin — patented by Ogden Holmes and serving as the type of all the short staple cotton gins of the South ever since— was erected in 1795 on Mill Creek, Fairfield County. Mills in the statistics of South Carolina, 1826, states that Mr. Waring operated a small cottonseed-oil mill at Columbia and from cotton seed a very good oil' In addition to this the improved gins operated at these mills have greatly cheapened the cost of ginning, which, together with high prices paid for seed, adds a few cents per pound to the value of lint cotton. The oil is a good edible oil and the by-products, meal and hulls are the cheapest form of stock food and fertilizer.