, 1869-02-19

souud, white il the ca1y1, yet adhsrinx to n
Ac parent stem, Is the ''SquAre" or "form," t.
be germ ot tbs fpturu cotton boil. Is
In this region d lu1n11aht vegetation u b
sau!.e. egs sho,t s5fod Tor tn ths st ;,
stage, msy be described as glossy. 4
gg. shapcd, ec0~sized, compact, soltd-ior. I,
hn partitions into which the ripenins, cx- h
,anclng fibre forces the rind are rot yet !ndi.
:ated. The :: boil " opens much after the q
Aul spectacle Is that of thea loug, 0cecy
ocks, falr as the snowdrift, depending from
thc brown, gaping cups. # any thing, The
sight ot the bursting "bolt" aWakens Ehc
enthusiasm Of the most Indifferent slave: It.
is the ardnt eoufaef Of the icotton-pIcking
eeason-s season .alwaya welcomed as the
closing Of the years labors-the finale Of !
wcsrY programme, to be followed by an In.
tcr1ude, billet, but sweet IS the sight ut green
feld5 to the captiSc's cyes-an iute1iudc en-
bgacing, the Christmas holidays, the slave's
saturnhlla.
The olcning of the picking season depends
Oh several Contingencies, In any circum-
stances, its beginning is not tar removed
IRON the 1st OF August. Though the pick
trg is entered npon xith Ut mpSh tS enthnsm
weary OF 1t from its monotony. Each
"p,ckes'' Is supplied with wallet or sack
of coarse homcspun, bcltcd abCut the waist: |
"pIck basket" Of d capacity for holdiu, |
fifty or seyenty-dve pounds Of seed cotton, |
ard a larger basket, lett at the end OF the |
cotton row, which will accommodate from
two to three hundred pounds. These cotton
baskets arc braided annually from white.eak |
splits. BY certain OF the negroes who from
practice acquire sliu IN thar manufacture.
The interval between the "layfng by'' OF The
crops aud picking seasop, Is devoted to this
The wallet being filled, 1t is cmptied in
the " pick-pasket,'' whose contents, in turn,
find their war to the large I" hamper at the
head OF the Tow. 1fthe field Is near the gin
yeyed on the heads Of their respective Own
ers TO the :" packing room," which is the ion
| Of the gin house, where, It the weather for
the few days pteyl3us has been sunny. the
cotton Is emptIed. But fffhere is q Suspicion
Of dampness in the cotton, it Is spread on
scat1olus built against the clubhouse, and lett
to dry. If the cotton field Is removed from
I the gin housc, as 1t sometimes Is By miles,
the filled cotton baskets are conveyed
to the packing-room in wagons. Ar
rived at the: gin house, 1t Is interesting,
sometimes painful. to witness the eaeeEness,
With which the slaves listen as the weights
Of their baskets are announced. Some nrc
only anxious to escape the lash-they have
no ambition about tue matter; Others have
made a but; others have been racing for
stimulate their narcpg interest, while Others
1.picle1s.' The average quattity Of cotton
| picked 1aily By q 'hand" is hardly two hun.
drel pounds, though it is not uuusual fol
negroes Of extraordinary skin to gather foul
During straIuy days." when the slaves
deia, Their lime Is proataIly
employed IN the *'paeking house, vt pick
Ing the trash from the cotton. This pack
ipE room, as has been remarked. Is the LOT
Of the clubhouse, and Is over the gin.stand
Down causewny leading from this room
the cotton is ehoved to the Efn-hoppcr. Th
ginning Of the cotton--that Is the separation
Of the flbrc from the seed which 1t ensclops-
!! l! or as soon rs there is material for operation
each planter being ambitious to open the cot
ton market, especially as prices are usuall
. good. One hand Is sufficient to attend
sinelc gin~stand, imp lied by four 1nulcG
Such xiu. in good condition, VII work ou
! pounds OF ginncd cotton per day. Or over 81
thousand pounds Of seed Gotten, On som
! large plautatlous the steam eugtae las bee
= introduced as prope,llng power, cnIrytuE
y :, large number Of gins, and turu!ng ont an |,
Z credible amount Of einncd cotton.
: The cotton discngnGed from the seed
n driven from the GIN, through slnooth flu
- Into the pick-roou,,'' where X iastcns
= Eoss1mer {cstoLns upon the wnlis, piles
= lcccy, snow-lkc banks on the aoor, whlc
Il l grow aHu grow uDtl LHc Auc - cnokt
:. y Then the SOFT. beautiful dbre Is throwL in
- q prrts preparatory to batiug. fhis :
;. y. certas!e bGitg filled, the cotton ia tsausp'
r. and pnckrl bJ cue Or more ncKrocs un
there !; aaantity IN t., The Ers,'s s,.'ni,e
1877 s,e ws!s@ .SEss ~ wSGot a1In NJ
y, upper door Is then shnt down, eingfc, b
~ powerful, screw, moved hy lUrsc-pU wcr,
,r run down, comprcsslng the cotton into
y. ~ nnaes utmost as hard and solid rs lend
.f-,n. rxf 1st,&,.t 5t%1rt
rs wo ytr, Is, In tlr beginning Of thc tajlrY p1
~ ~ cess, sn placed as to receive the prc**ed C
:, ton strong rppct arc passed. AROUND t
u, iunss usually In three ptaccs. and secure
-, tied. A wuMnn, With baliDR nocd]c q
81 81 twinc, closes the oprn!nu in the hanxlr
y Tlcn tbc srtuw i riln UP, tho eOtt0n or xbat1
~ ~ With 1mnltusr fufec and tiUhtchs tho tu|
". W n1,opt II. Tho cntton IL LOW rrMly lur hi
II II kct. On t,nnll plantations The ln1lDK
~ ~ usually tfcnc n: n'lhs r''cn tho days work
as i lir Yield NJ eossnn IL 4 matter ot too mt
" importance tn l'n forgotten ~ this nr,il
Tln aycsngn yirid per nrtn II, The rn,is
4 growing scglon, IN q favorable sras N. tnl
y, not lu antu,y ptsre,! ut higher figure til
=, eight nr "snr hundred pounds q! "sofd :, !.
~. ~ IL trnhh virgin roll. and ln o.lacr loeAl'
TTs nrunlns,nl irrtlly, t9!u Yield would pr''ba4
~ rIEe ain'ye t1u thlN a,ld i.ouRtts - Tin NJ
~, or u bale and third, rtckontnK fur lsntI
nG plantess of .ha silaslaslpni bottom" .ayt It
~, NJ they can afford to lhsc every third crap
~. 'ar totion IRON lnu da'ious, and snstl!n the
~, nhuul mortality oi their slaves from tlb pt
~ ~ onn,ss lnaiu'ia Of the region. and yet uls
ns plunters OF The "upLlpds." The ricL "b
,.u ION" sn,l has the fertility Of the valley Of
~ ~ Mic yielding three or four bales to the &c
re- r., Conccrnlue the mo, cy 10 be made at.co
~ ~. raising hare rotiirg to>ay,. The p'
w.. which cotton brings, as It Is with other r
nm m duce, depends upon supply and dsma
W. selves 10 tho reader. We know snat daz
up the Tar, the price reached fahulau, hgu
NV, ,nn Almost every locality OF the 5ou.h b eni<
- ~ to-day, reasonable factlit1es for getting
's'' produce to market. .su rot aa Ole n
,s. yet can remember The time when the
.s ass' ion, every pound Of it, had to be hsu1ed,
~ horsts or mules. or oxen. to market
lhe h cali now the days in which used to STAN
feo the gate. in the misty early morning.,
~ ~ watch the wagons, loaded the prev
, nee &C cotton bales and drawn By six horse,
III y. mules, move slowly OF, bound for a
. i.at distant AID mysterious to boys fa
KY Ky Bow long and weary vas the waiti, do
'tle: tec the three or -four weeks which elapsed
lore it, .,t,ssfion rstsfns Aad ia win u,uess wess
tns tor hcoming from the roomy wagon bo
ano barrels Of apples. AID sugar and molas
ant- or sacks OF coffee, OF boxes Of cheese
ush, raj ius ard oranges OF tubs OF macserel
'u}e cases Of sardine6! Il the contents o
'et largest wholesale grocery In the u
)ned i,T no,,I5 n.t ona.hrF rho so.istvrtion n
tne them, eyen With the shrcwdrst MANAGER
ome thot ,sed n come IN T1,c Il, one nnIoeii{n
l!pn re."-n. 4 ,nttor nornw sn1 N;ntan
ndH nsa,o.,s assg p,1Iar a,i III ~ r.st :.
~ uoyelists combined, could not arouse Ii
.-o the 1as.nsc eaPerness with which lis
'vp. ~ by the "cabfn''fres 10 the wagone g. acca
,.a aIe of the beauties and wonders Of the
i.ts .h cotton mart, SO far, 1ar away; and 10
.us Wonderful stones o1 robbers, AID Of VI
sarJ "mfred in," where they had TO- lend
'al- horses and hands to extr1catc the ye
~, from the s1ouZhs.
SOL nd can ! ever forget the time when
plow The trip to and from the came wont
VIVA market town, now perched 90 a c
" no hale, now exploring eome inviting d
op Is and now seeking ior nuts and sutuml
y rs rics, counting the long trains Of wagoI
wan 1crc and behind us, sleepiug By camp
,1ess1 over which our suppers of bacon aud
sae cnke" had been coe ked, half AFRAID to
pun both eyes lest roabereIni.ht steal upo
,sess' y and nraliy wandering in wonder anc
Thich ,atai1 honsas NJ y is,;snt ahonse
-. sny. never rget It., for 1t was 3 boys tir:
We OF fr,m his p1anta ation home, 8. "
gulXr 1 f'-N.-
OUR NEXT PRESIDENT
en-
T and .n ~. s,r