Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-05-08
GEO. I'll. BLAKE, Publisher.

Ine women VINO 1eeQ the "cane car
rier'' work under cover and receive
seventy-fve cents per day. The
men who feed the furnace, 'sthe fire.
men," received from $50 to S1OO
month. The fuel is wood, and ex-
perience and skill are both necessary
to properly feed the great fire which
keeps the boilers always up to the
necessary degree of heat.
In good years an acre of ground,
properly cared for, is expected to
yield net profit of 800. Some
times it will go beyond that, but far
oftener it falls below. No crop is
more easily damaged by frost, espec-
tally if warm, wet weather follows
the cold. Every maple sugar maker
knows how sap will sour in such
weather, and after that will make
nothing but poor grade of molasses.
Just so with the cane; the saccha-
rine matter turns to acid and s'poor
New Orleans molasses" is the result.
and then the account-book is heavi-
est on the wrong side.
The cost of the machinery for a
sugar-hOuse runs from $4,000 to
S25, 900; the buildings may be either
expensive Oh cheap affairs, just as
suits the owner.
The houses provided for the ne
groes are one-story cabins some of
two but most of them with but one
room. They are usually ranged on
either side of a broad avenue which
leads out to the river, and in their
fresh dress of whitewash, shaded by
pimento trees, present a very pic
turesque appearance. Inside they
are very comfortless. Only the
hands necessary to work a plantation
remain after the grinding season
closes. and the household effects of
those who are only transient help
consists of a bundle of bed clothing.
a straw tick, a coffee pot, frying pan,
and kettle, and sometimes a chair or
two. The less they have to tote
from place to place the easier their
movements. and only a few utensils
are necessary to prepare their unva-
rying diet of coffee, hog and corn
bread. Few of the poor blacks eat
white bread except at Christmas
time; they are content with the
plainest, coarsest diet, and in this
respect they differ very little from
the poor whites "white trash,'
as they are known.
You have all read of the great
Louisiana Lottery; may be some of
my readers have had an of idea tax
inga few tickets, just to try their for
tune. l wouldn't advise you to do
it. Luck usually drops its Lottery
mantle only tho ohn,,1-1>..a of coma
one InSIQe the Ting.
Lying next the Kelly plantation is
that of Charles Howard, the Louisi-
ana Lottery man. The distinctive
feature about it is the immensely tall
chimney running up some 250 feet.
| rather think he set out to build a
substitute for Jacobs ladder, think
ing it might be handy to have in the
family, but the bricks gave out.
Out at the lovely Metarie Ridge
Cemetery Mr.. Howard has erected a
very elegant tomb-they bury folks
above ground down here, you know
on the top of which is the life-size
figure of man in sitting position ;
the face is the very incarnation of
kindness, goodness and mystery.
The right hand is raised to the face,
the forefnger resting on the lips, as
if to say: s'Mum's the word >
''nothing about the lottery when
Gabriel is around, if you please"
TRUFAX.
Huntscille, Ala., 4pTd 2I, 1882.