Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-06-13

our door for five cents per quart. Soon
another variety will be ripe and will
last till August. About the first week
in May we ate our first ripe peaches
They are now very abundant and lus-
cious but rather high, owing to the large
shipments north. We shall soon be able
to buy them for one dollar per bushel,
Apples, plums, cherries and raspberries
are very plentiful, and cheap. We be-
gan eating green peas and new potatoes
about the LIST of April and still have
them in great abundance. Most of the
ground from which our earliest vegeta-
bles were taken has been cleared off and
replanted with sweet potatoes, crow peas,
corn or some product peculiar to the
South. The amount of fruit and vegeta-
bles shipped from here since the LIST of
March is enormous and the profits have
been very satisfactory. / am not able to
give statistics to any great extent but
have, from good authority, al statement
in regard to three acres of early cabbages
raised by DIR. Seelcy, cousin of the
President of Amherst College. The
cabbages were planted and worked once.
Monday ofthis week returns were receiv.
ed from the last of the crop making
total of ST, 100. The three acres will be
planted again and another crop obtained
by October and still another by Febru
airy or March. Corn is looking remarka-
bly, we'll. | have several fine pieces
more than six feet high and very rank.
Cotton is in fine shape and every available
person is engaged in bringing it to "a
stand" A word of explanation will
make this expression clear. The cotton
is very tender plant so when put in it is
drilled in very thlckly. After it is we'll
up the aim of the planter is to bring it
to stand. This he does by first going
through it with plow which turns the
dirt away from the cotton, then hands
follow, with hoes, who cut out all weeds
and chop out all the cotton except little
groups OF four or five plants of about
eighteen inches apart. After this comes
another pillow which throws the dirt up
to the cotton again. The hoes then come
back again and reduce the groups of
plants to single one in place. 1t is
then considered as brought to stand
and, If there are none or but few missing
places, it is said to be at a good stand
and then the hotter the weather the bet
ter and from this time there is but little
fear of drought but there must be a con-
slant hoeing and plougting going on.
Cotton is looking very well but not quite
as forward as some years. The weather
has been little too cool for it but Just
right for almost everything else
A few weeks ago we had very strik-
ing illustration of the credulity and SUI
perstition of the colorei people. 1t was
about the time Of commencement at the
various medical colleges of the South and
the air was fuller than common of
medical students. There were quite
number in Montgomery. They were
more or less talked about and at last the
question was asked why they were here.
Some one, with little thought as to what
he was saying, replied that probably
they were here after bodies for dissection.
This came to the ears of the darkies and
soon was their only theme of converse
ton. The waggish whites saw their OPP
portunity and wherever they encoun-
tered group of negroes would put in a
startling word. Soon the widest stories
were afoat. 1t was told in solemn earn
est that these "studers" or, as some
called them, "smothering' doctors" were
| here to carry out law Of the State
which gave them the privilege of taking
certain number of bodies from each
city, according to its size. The exact
number for Montgomery 10 one could
tell but it was so large that no one was
considered safe. The darkies seemed to
think it their duty to go but each one re-.
solved on doing his best to escape. The
manner of capture was for the students
to wait till dark and having fixed on his
victim to come suddenly upon him,
throw plaster over his mouth then,
taking him away to some secret place,
to cut him up, put him on ice and send
him off to the nearest medical college.
The city was full of rumors as to the
sudden disappearance of this one and
that one and in every case it was taken
for granted that they had fallen victims
to the smothering doctors. Many diff
ferent persons received letters through
the P. O. telling them they must be
ready to recall their bodies at such a