Sorghum Cane Grinder | History of SC Slide Collection

A Native American family near Summerville uses a sorghum cane grinder in their yard. Photograph by Marion Post, January 1939, for the Farm Security Administration.

Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

More in this Series

History of SC Slide Collection / E. Economic Activity in South Carolina | History of SC Slide Collection / A. General Agriculture

Two Mules Cultivate Georgetown County Fields with Rakes and Hoes | History of SC Slide Collection

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Two Mules Cultivate Georgetown County Fields with Rakes and Hoes | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

Two mules pull a plow while women cultivate these Georgetown County fields using rakes and hoes. Photograph album of William Doyle Morgan, around 1890. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

A Blacksmith Prepares His Forge | History of SC Slide Collection

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A Blacksmith Prepares His Forge | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

An outdoor blacksmith prepares his forge, perhaps to shoe horses or mules, widely used in South Carolina agriculture until very recently as the principle source of power for plowing, harvesting, and...

Advent of Steam Farm Equipment | History of SC Slide Collection

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Advent of Steam Farm Equipment | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 3

The advent of steam farm equipment did not make horsepower immediately out of date. Here, in October 1918 at the J.L. Coker farm in Hartsville, a steam tractor and horse-drawn wagons work together to...

Tractor and Grader | History of SC Slide Collection

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Tractor and Grader | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

Spartanburg County, August 1936. J.T. Hudson's land at Woodruff, South Carolina. "Tractor and grader used to construct terraces. In addition to this machine, Mr. Hudson is operating five teams with...

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Okra | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

Okra was a crop first brought to South Carolina from Africa. It is now a staple of southern cooking, widely used to thicken stews and gumbos. Here it is harvested around 1970 at the Clemson experiment...

Gullies in the Piedmont | History of SC Slide Collection

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Gullies in the Piedmont | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

Erosion photographs taken about 1935 by the Department of Agriculture. The caption says, "Active roadside gully formed in old roadbed. Note new location of roadbed. This is the way many gullies in the...

The Arnold Gully | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Arnold Gully | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 7

The Arnold gully, four miles west of Woodruff on Buncombe Road, South Tiger Erosion Project. The gully in the photo was measured at 20 feet deep (before treatment with kudzu, it had been 35 feet deep)...

Strip Cropping | History of SC Slide Collection

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Strip Cropping | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

Although kudzu was an effective method for healing serious erosion problems, the Department of Agriculture and county agricultural agents sought to prevent that erosion in the first place. One method...

Baling Hay | History of SC Slide Collection

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Baling Hay | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 9

These Sumter County farmers are using machinery to bale their hay around 1900. Courtesy of the Sumter County Museum Archives.

Combining Wheat | History of SC Slide Collection

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Combining Wheat | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 10

Combining wheat on the Hugh McGee farm in Anderson County, June 1954. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.

Grinding Corn Using Methods "From the Old Plantation Days" | History of SC Slide Collection

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Grinding Corn Using Methods "From the Old Plantation Days" | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 12

Mrs. Green grinds corn around 1910 using methods "from the old plantation days," according to the caption. From the Penn School Collection. Permission granted by Penn Center, Inc., St. Helena Island...

Potato Diggers | History of SC Slide Collection

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Potato Diggers | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 13

Alfred Hutty painting of "Potato Diggers." Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum.

Workers Harvest Sugar Yams | History of SC Slide Collection

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Workers Harvest Sugar Yams | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 14

Workers harvest sugar yams in Marion County during the 1930s. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

Children Working In the Fields Picking Peas | History of SC Slide Collection

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Children Working In the Fields Picking Peas | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 15

Children work in the fields picking peas. WPA photograph, 1930s. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

Men Work in Packing Plant Sorting Tomatoes | History of SC Slide Collection

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Men Work in Packing Plant Sorting Tomatoes | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 16

These unidentified men work in a packing plant sorting tomatoes around 1950. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.

Packing Shed on the Farm of Chas. E. Gibson | History of SC Slide Collection

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Packing Shed on the Farm of Chas. E. Gibson | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 17

Charleston County, east of Meggett, May 1936. The caption on the photo states this is the, "Packing shed on the farm of Chas. E. Gibson, truck farmer, morning scene, crating cabbage as it is cut and...

Mechanical Apple Harvesting Machine at Work | History of SC Slide Collection

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Mechanical Apple Harvesting Machine at Work | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 18

A mechanical apple harvesting machine at work, Long Creek, September 8, 1970. Photo by L.W. Riley. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.

Peach Orchards in Cherokee | History of SC Slide Collection

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Peach Orchards in Cherokee | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 19

An aerial view of peach orchards, Cherokee, October 1966. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.

Can Label from Carolina Peach Company | History of SC Slide Collection

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Can Label from Carolina Peach Company | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 20

The can label from Carolina Peach Co. around 1920 proclaims, "great oaks from little acorns grow!" Courtesy of the Darlington County Historical Commission.

Summerville Tea Plantation | History of SC Slide Collection

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Summerville Tea Plantation | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 21

One of the more unusual agricultural ventures in South Carolina has been the successful tea plantation located in Summerville. Here in the Pinehurst Tea Gardens are the fragile tea plants in the...

A County Agent Inspects a Peanut Farmer's Crop | History of SC Slide Collection

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A County Agent Inspects a Peanut Farmer's Crop | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 22

A county agent inspects the yield of a farmer's peanut crop after he has used fertilizer; photo by G.W. Ackerman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1923. Courtesy of the National Archives and...

Advertisement from the "Manning Times" | History of SC Slide Collection

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Advertisement from the "Manning Times" | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 23

During the 1920s, the crop that a sharecropper planted was often controlled by the market to which he sold it. Many sharecroppers' wives were able to find a market for some of the vegetables from...

State Fair Calf Competition, 1926 | History of SC Slide Collection

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State Fair Calf Competition, 1926 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 24

This photograph at the State Fair in 1926 shows boys and older men lined up in a calf competition. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

State and County Fair Competitions | History of SC Slide Collection

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State and County Fair Competitions | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 25

State and County Fair competitions were an important way for farmers to exchange information about their crops and livestock. Until the 1960s, separate segregated fairs were held, both in individual...

A Beekeeper Tends His Hives | History of SC Slide Collection

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A Beekeeper Tends His Hives | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 26

A beekeeper tends his hives in Oconee County around 1960. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.