Le MeschaceÌbeÌ. [volume] ([Lucy] La.) 1853-1942, 1875-10-09

wreathes and verGnt arches O
the silent swamp, the tall column,
of cypress rise up on every sid
like huge stalagmites, upholdinl
the leafy, living cavern above
from the roofofwhich depend :ons
masses Of moss, like innuEJ J:abl,
gray stalactites, 80 shutting Out
the sun as to make it twilight al
noon. u. a D.. o., IN.
THE living moss is of a greenist
gf6y color. It has long branching
6bers or fllaments, aud at eacl
hfhrcation produces tiny, trumpet
shaped flowers, smaller than to
bacco flowers, and of q peach bios
som color. 1t grows rapidly, and
il easily propagated; a single
thread blown from one tree tO
another, soon grows into = mass
0G moss.
In good localities, the bunches
will grow twenty to thirty feet
long. Often a single live oak tree,
such as may he seen near the
mouth of the Atchafalaya, will,
in addition to the enormous weight
ofits own ponderons, horizontal
branches, carry twenyS to twenty.
five tons ofgreen mos
The great moss ragion is all
Southwestern Louisiana, wherever
swamps exist, from Alexandria, on
Red River, to the Sabine, and
from Alexandra, down Red River,
to the City Of New Orleans. This
includes the Atchafalaya basin
and Tache; all the main lakes
and bayous with the Crosse Ttte,
Plaquemine, Lafourche, Terre.
bonne and Barataria regions.
o. The Rss'.. Over II Lake
also furnishes q considerable yield
Of moss; this region includes all
East Louisiana, Lower Mississippi,
Alabama and Florida.
a The best Mess Csncs
from the Atachafalaya basin. 1t
is long, soft, fine threaded and
glossy !; this moss is the product
of cypress swamps alone.
That from Lafourche, Terre-
bonne and Bayou Black is coarse,
gummy, hard to clean, but very
strong. 1t is gathered largely
from gum trees and seems to be
glued with the gum.
1t is gathered by woodchoppcrs
and laborers who follow the wood
choppers, but there are hundreds
Of whites and blacks who make it
a business. They 60 into the
swamps t..i1ough canals and
bayous; they push their way along
in skiifs, flats or canoes; they
carefully pick up all that the wind
has blown down in great fakes !;
they reach up long poles, armed
with hooks, aud pull down the
hanging punches, aud they, if
necessary, climb the trees and
throw the moss down. IT is piled
up in heaps, if oAhighl hid, where
it is gathered, or ofin the swamps,
it is brought ont in boats and piled
up in heaps, if on highland. it is
gathered, or if in the swamps, tits
brought out in boats and piled in
convenient heaps Of several hun.
dred pounds, like hay ricks or
shocks. 4
After a few months exposure to
tie rain and sun, with perhaps
sometimes a few buckets Of water
thrown on the heap to wet them,
the heat and fermentation Of the
mass causes the grey skin or back
of the moss to peal OF and drop
away. At this stage it is usually
turned over once OF twice, and
shaken mp to remove thoroughly
the grey cuticle. In . little while
it begins to blasken and the longer
II remains 10 ths.heap the, more
clear Of back and the blaeker it
becomes; ltwelve months is the
longest time usually allowed for
curing, and two the! shortest.
When cured to the owners salts.
faction, it i scattered and dried,
it is then hauled or sold to the
country dealers who bale it. Coun-
try moss IS baled like hay in bales
Of unequal size, weighing from 200
to 400 ibs. weight.
It is baletl by horse or hand
power by screw, presses. and by
lever presses, the latter being
llxr allv n Inn n loO mt, into n ,nnrk