Litchfield enquirer., 1860-09-27
Whole No. 1s4s.

day in spring, since which it only deigns to
 carry little saw-miIl. -, -.
 A great deal of limestone is qaarried in
 thls vicinity to be ground up for plaster. but
 there IS @ difference in limestone. as some
 what too enterprizing company found to their cost, after building half a mile of heavy em.
 bankment and an expensive culyert for n
 railroad to connect their quarry with the Housatonic road; for after all this was done.
 the stone was found to be unsuitable for the purpose.
 The hill sides are full of never-failine springs, so that every farm house has it's stream of water falling into mop-covered tub beside the door, and in the larger hous. es you may often find it in the second story. A ride of four miles through promising fields of corn, potatoes, and tobacco, (for hence comes much of the "genuine Havana, past Cobole Hill, terminating with a.sharp pull half way up Peet's Mountain, leaves us at @ pair Of bars on the edge of @ little gully. where strange sights meets our eyes. Scat. tered about upon little level are heaps of some white substance, which several men are shovelling into vats half full of water, and poking about and worrying in every pos sible way. Higher up, where the gully is narrower, threo men are squatted upon a small platform, gazing intently into square hole in the ground, as if Truth lay at the bottom of it. This is porcelain clay pit, or mine, as we must soon call it, for already has our sturdy Cornwall miner, Capt. Pinch, sunk his shaft twenty feet into the "lode," and to use his own words, "Hevery kebble comes hup better than hevery hotherv' A kebble, mind you, is bucket Capt. Pinch has dictionary of his own, wherein every utensil bears different name from what we ever heard before, with most ingenious ex- cision and substitution of Ps, so that his conversation, still further enriched by the peculiar beauties of the Cornwall dialect, is pretty much unintelligible This deposite of clay, which in whiteness and purity rivals the best imported, was laid open last spring through the agency of friend of mine, who mites business with pleasure in his frequent shooting excursions, by melting in the mind Of his dog suspicious of woodchuck, and inducing him to dig hole, whenever in the hill-sides he discovers indications of clay or mineral. This is certainly labor-saving arrangement, but think he should at least have the dogs nose shod with iron.
 An unfortunate brook which happened to be passing, was seized and led into the vats, to do the work of washing the clay, which is finally collected in huge basin, holding for. ty or fifty tons, where it looks like sea of milk, guiltless of the pump. From this it is ladled out into shallow pans, dried in the sun, barrelled, and sent to market.
 Seated on logs near by, or perched upon knoll overlooking the shaft, are sundry wlseacres of the neighborhood, occasionally ly offering their comments or advice ahnnt tho work, to which the captain gives not the slightest heed, and going home at night with the conviction that they have been of great service. This is tho last day of hay making, and at supper, ten or dozen men, none the more savory for their labors in the field, seat themselves around the farmers table, ard in ten minutes sweep everything eatable from it, after the manner of Charley Mays charge at Palo Alto. When pork, cabbage, dumpings, gingerbread, doughnuts and cider have absolutely vanished, all rise from the table, and now the fun begins. Young Peet brews huge pitcher of milk punch, favored and supported by the Zap pie jack" which every farmer in that region makes for himself, and which he never al- lows to spoil on his hands; this is filled and passed round again and again. Then songs are called for. The feature of the evening was ballad by Capt. Pinch, about "gal- liant young poacher," who was "happrehen- ded in the hact, tried at the hassizes, and hafterwards sent with 'eavy 'eart to Van Dieman's Land" all which, the captain as- sured me in whisper at the close, was true. The songs were for the most part remarka. ble for strength rather than melody; but one young fellow, with broad blue collar, marked with an anchor, turned over his shoulders, sailor boy, just off the Adriatic, really had fine voice, and sung all sorts of sougs-except sea songs-which sailors nev- CT sing. In this way, with negro minstrel variations, and acrobatic feats, the hay-ma- kers made merry till bedtime; when, es- chewing the ancestral feather bed prepared for me by the good dame in the spare roofn," whose windows had not been opened all summer, I threw myself upon settee in the "keepin' room," aud was soon dreaming of another Harvest Home, DEW.