Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-03

TnE SUGAR MAKING sEAsOS-Tug ORANGES AND
THE ROSES.

land sea-the goal of mariners early and
late, at once peril and I. problem trow
not. Seeing that We live bat to learn and |
be amused. will they suffer me to enligbten |
them Let the reader then turn his eye |
southwark moment, and be shall see a |
land glowing with the full radiance of sum
mer. whose coasts sparkle in sunshine or
lie sGfuscd with crimson twilights, seeth- |
ing with odors of mingled fragrance
olive. jasmine and rose-under nourishing
dews and streaming sunsets, an excess Of
glory and light peculiar to the season.
Always in the Fall of the year. the splen-
dor of the skies in Southern Louisiana is
most Observable, absolutely defying the
art Of pen or pencil. Our twilights now
are enriched with that triangular mass Of
golden rays seen ascending from the sun,
entitled by astronomers the = Zodiacal
Light Nightly We watch the broaden
ing Of the brilliant mystery. slanting up
wards from fiery horizon to the softened
zenith OF azure overhead, the whole vast
s"ceping sheal Of shining Dor. Through
ont the c1ncave depths of b. wen, from the
east even unto tue west, tl,ere is at that
hour such blending Of mospheric tints
a. the prism eathers-yivid and varied as
| i,!.-irop- flowing from a crucible We be-
| long . s,questerod region, doubtless
bat our associations are historical and pic
ture, que what We lose in practical pro-
crosses We may be all,-yei 20 exc out with
gentle eujoymcnts of climate. sunny re-
| Elections and an occasional lapse into the
/ lone realms OF dreamland. Our fantastic
thck,t, of cypress, our silent winding
| hayous. edged with morass and live oak,
are fitted 10 ineditatiye fancies-a taste for
revere j. naturally fostered where the Lo-
los flower sroWs AMI soft airs llOat in from
the margin o.. warm seas Nevertheless
the land is not dead, nor are its people
Sleeping believe we are dutifully awake
to the Interests Of our Time. the questions
IF tie day qa.eken u to effort. and what
really concerns the good of all, finds among
Is 10 lack OF pursuit
The physical features Of locality are
-ail to Influence the traits. moral and men
iai OF the race around in that case, if the
borlei~ Of the poetic Teche and ITS neigh
hor-hayo.s exhibit NJ manufactures and
tu. Few railroads. the deficiency may be
traced 30 those al.uyial deposits which
generate soil Of extreme fertility and
this in turn entails upon the inhabitants
one very geacral employment. We are |
sugar planters OF we are nothing. There |
are Other district, to be sure, where cotton
growing j. the fashion. and sill Others that
are given I'M to rice but with Us. sugar Is |
the crop. Ia our immediate vicinity, SO
close q the -e4 a. % make the salt breeze
p ,'art Of our daily nutriment, and in sum
mer perpetual >1iacc. the level acres
are devoted 10 seed cane, presenting at GER
tam seasons one successive surface Of green
hs.d> for miles IN e1tcut-a pretty sight
enough. We think
Ilc Development OF the crop j. the an
nual business of the planter from first to
last 1t necessarily cug.us-c~ all his thoughts.
cxlcting an arluou- attention to ensure
prof Before the introduction Of sugar
cane, indigo was the plant Of universal in
terc>, here, our grandiathers tell u , these
Sil4it llf'l t4ill- 1tiU- tNhtTcl hlAu It's XIII |
age. while fortunes were realized from the
produce. History often mentions indigo
a. the staple under the old regime Of Span
lard and Ffenchmsn. But sugar has now
super eiCi the indigo. the river and low
er cld>, lands, with Others equally fine.
newly opened o. settlement IN the Interior
r1'laS specially adaptei 10 it, culture.
The sugar ina King season. however j. short
10 ]. Iul-lIna, although the climate Is warm
We cannot compete with Cuba in bringing
the crop through /, j. liable TO lrusts, and
all tie -aicr OF the preceding part of the
Year has 90 DE crowded INTO the brief space
% tVo months But if these are the
busiest they ARE also the Lappiest Old and |
yuHns euii 81 them alike black and white. |
pruyerhia.iy ;her on the best of terms.
work with Il viii together. The planter
AMI Al- hnn-chnit, aroused % the import
auce % tie period. move With unwonted
1italN ~ even enlarged hospitality.
Eatae al.i sinllv faces beam everywhere
~ uai- Iae -rlrit o., the time invokes
prosperity Children rush about delig GIFTED
is. iftirV irr cane carts. rambling up and ,
down 30 .4. between .4ll- and heaps and
ml-celaucul- Uil 81. or, sitting c0ntentedly
ga the gio.ri sucking the sweet Juice from
Che NJ uuwieity stalks. | see these things
.-lr nay owl windows and have looked ,
rpon ttc same these many years, and al !
WAYS with renewed feeling.
Actrli work begins iu Octcber-ahout ,
the middle ur towards the twentieth of that
mouih-hlt weeks before this the note of
preparation sounds there is noise and
hustle ard ram1r unusual The great
field gates open 80 the arrival of newly
Turned barrels and hocsheai, The bridge q
THAI crosses the small bayou in front Of our
doors dividing tie sugar house. sheds o
smithy, and cabins from tie family grounds
and aoodc-lookiuE peacefully on through :
grove % Pecan ard Catalul-rlttlcs to the
tread 90! mules and the approach OF heavy
wagons. Lettering about under the shade
ct thee magnificent trees. rejecting deli i
cate traccry beneath the foot. in the serene
brightness % afternoon. the iiier pcIceives
q love. movement Of machinery at work
and hears the puff and pant of steam en-
gncs lah0riug with experimental strokes a
But later on. repairs ended and business r
begun IN earnest, from those huge bIick
tosers OF chimnies viii pour volumes Of n
curling yapor. clouds of steam, or. when a
the a.os ia the furnaces below are fed with
coal, dense columns Of black smoke. But
wood is plcatiiul on aur bayou, aAording t
plei~au;cr product and far prcttier view +
columns OF peariy blue mist, pillars Of Il
cloud. whica at nightiail catch sunset hues. |
and di~oivinE. 20 hlating of across the
wide Ky, or, breaking into band, of lurld ,
Igrp.., hang iu- days aiierwarI over the
= ride It woods h.ysui A. night deepens.
points a. -ilyuy light begun to twinkle tar :
up 90 the l,a,.u~. answered hv rudGier
. leans from tsc ian,t beneath Then is h
heard inc tramp I'd -j.rI, footed negroes.
passing tlaLd irl n sIoal--1elieying forces !.
for there must he no iut,rmi-~ian Of labor ID
tin tue season closes. According to an "
cIen, custom these companies march in and h
lut at iven step, chanting. as they 90
their w Old songs and low and mopot0nous n
reiraiu~ tall upon the ear at raidniqht-a -,
weird chorus. strange and lone. as the /,
echoes wander indistinct through the SOL =,
rmn sieuces Of the hour. Bu. to-day the y
sun i high in heaven CAV nroups are av-
iug hither and thithcr the children are
.nV,uSlv oatberin,r in 4bei- ba,ros, IS D.