The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1885-09-17
The "Ca.juns."

+ Commissioner Harris, of Louisiana,
showed several pieceA OF hcmespun
cotton goods which ho yars were made
by the .'Caiuns' ..INho are theyf"
l asked. The word, he replied. is q
corruption OF Arcadians, and is applied
: to the descendants of those people
whose settlement in Louisiana was i'm
portalizod in Longtellow's "Eyange-
line" Then, turning to the map, he
showed mo where he .'Cajuns" live,
and gave an account of their homes
and their simplicity of lie. In plain
words he verified the words of Basil,
I the blacksmith, IS to the beauty of the
country aIG: fertility of tho soil and the
ease in which they lived. They are
! almost ike tho ''iilios OF the field in
their freedom from toll. In a little
patch around their houses they culti-
yite what cotton they need for their
wearing apparel and such Vegetables as
they use.
When ths spring rains cease they go
out upon the prairie and examine the
depressions, from one to five acres IL
extent, which are thea ponds OF water,
and if found 10 be not more than eigh-
+. teen inches dcop they prepare to SOW
! their rice. First they so:sk their seed
thoroughly then scatter it broadcast
over .he pond from the backs Of horses.
Tue weight OF the soaked rice causes it
to sink. and they hare 40 furthor care
for their crop ,,ntil the harvest time
comes. Should drought prevail III
spring they then scatter the seed upon
the dry ground. To prevent the birds
of the air from dayouring it, the
"Caiun' looks out over the prairie
whore his herds are, and riding to the
nearest he drives tho cattle back and
forth over tho seed autil il has been
trodden into the soil.
Then putting up the light fence
around his rice plantation he goes home
satisfied. In July his crop is ready for
harvesting. For this he uses 4 sickle,
tossing the sheaves as they fall into his
cart. This is a cumbrons affair OF wood,
even to the wheels and axies. No iron
Is used in its construction. The oxen
are not yoked, but the tongue is made
fast to loops fastened to thoir horns.
TIE shcaycs arc spread out upon the
prsirie and tho grain is trampled out
BY the oxen, as it used to be when the
edict went forth: Thou shalt not muz-
zle the OK that troaieth out the corn. y
The grain is swept together, sacked,
carted home, and enptied into bin.
When any is needed for a meal the
housewife takes g sufficiency, puts it
into wooden handmiil of simple con-
struction, rubs off the hulls in few
minutes, winnows it in sieve, and
soon has it cooking.
The commissioner showed on q map
q place where, for six miles, the chief
crop of the ''Cajuns" Is gathered from
the orange trees. In selling this crop
singular custom prevails. When the
trees are blooming, buyer, the
''diego' (why so called no one seems
to know appears among them. After
a week of conference, during which he
and they have had repeated whiting
matches, q bargain is struck for the
seasons crop, one-half is paid down in
cash and security given for the balance,
and then the '.Cajuns' enjoy their
dolce far niente with from $1,000 to
$1,000 in hand for every head of the
family, and as much more secured for
the fnture. Basil. the blacksmith, did
not err when he told Evangoline Of the
wealth of these teeming iowlaads. -
Ne1 Ravsas Palladium.