The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-08
BETSY Hamilton n

To plant some OF en-, anu III 49,
she hadn't no more II got the WORDS out u
her mouth, says she, 'Partheny ct you
Jont make haste and git them SEED 10
The ground you wouth have nary one they u
Oh be begged away from you, When the
flst thing we'uns knowed here come hVe
Of the neighbor women.
Pears ike our house is on the road to
.ror wbars. old Miss Green and her
crowd. no matter whar they are a gwlne
los IN come by a0d see %"sister Hamilton"
= ,ts a mile out'n the way; and we uns
has company continually putty nigh all
he time. But this mornin the women
iaJks gethered in to beg, borry, or swop
fcw garden seeds. Some of 'em never
rratepds TO save no seed, they depend
an nav wear after year for all they plant,
tbev know she'll give and give as long
a. she's got a seed left. Its plum funny
The way old Miss Freshours does; she
comes over here every spring and begs
ali her garden seeds, and then IN and
bcgs her garden sass; ami no use Tor
her To git no seeds. She Is too lazy to
make a garden. She scratches open the
ground draps the seed In and kIvers EN-
M, and that's the last OF EN-, she don't
strike nary mother lick, leaves 1t to work
itself, and when the grass and weeds
takes it then she complains Of Providence
and bad luck and comes over 20 sister
Hamilton's' to beg a.iittle mess OF this,
that and tother. She lays nothin to
aziness, It's all bad luck aud alters
has a sign to tell to show you that she
,Dowed before hand that this bad luck
was a comm; either she seed the moon
through the trees, or a rabbit run across
her path or else she dreampt Of crossin
muddy water; all Of them was shore signs
of bad luck and peared like she had more
bad luck anyhow than any body else In
the settlement. II never had marry
grain Of luck with nothin' | planted last
wear" says old Miss FreshOurs, taking OF
a dip out of sister Pinkncy's sDutf box,
but | kuowed after | dreampt about all
that thar muddy water-l knowed right
then how it was a gwine to be, that sign
never is failed me yit. | know IN reason
IL wasn't bekase my truck wasn't planted
right. for | walked back ards ever blessed
bean drapt, and they say that's the way
to make EN- come up, and some lows 1t
will keep the cut WORMS OUT EN- too,
and | PLANTED 'em in the light Of the
moon andswhen the sign was IN the arm
toe, and 1t never done marry smidgln er
good. | never seed a bean after | kivered
iem-pasS me hat ar Mackaboy agin
sister Pinkney, | like it better'n the
Scotch. Yes, | never seed a bean after
| drapt EN- looks to me like some folks
is list maturity born to luck and tothels
haint." Me and Caledony and Cousin
Pink was inside the shed room peeplng
through the cracks-Cal she whispered
and lowed, And some is naturally born
lazy and tothers haint," and | and Cousin
Pink snickered aloud and | was feared
thev'n hear US. Pears like old Miss
Freshours went on. that everything SIS
ter Hamilton tetches groWs-now thars
my p p says she, a spittin' IN the
hoor-they was the same seed, fer sister
Hamilton 'viGed her'n with me, ald
her'n come and mine never, and | know
in reason it wasn't bekase | wasn't mad
when drapt the seed, kase | had jist
wore Babe and Dickey bardaciously out
with a hickory for breakin' up a settln'
hen" You had orter soaked EN- in
sweet milk" says old Miss Green a
lightin' Of her pipe. (which whls-
pered Cal, Babe and Dicky or the seeds ?
and Cousin Pink she had to git out to
laugh. Yes, | had jist wore EN- both
out" she went on, and thinks 'now's
a good time to plant my pepper .
Il haint put no sorter seed in the groun
yit,' says grammar Lofts, faint no
use to put EN- thar to rot, they haint a
gwine to come up no how tell the ground
gifts warm" That's So" says Aunt
Nancy, but | alters resk a few any how,
| inglnnerly plants my English peas twixt
,11 nnI naW (NhrISt p,aS NhAla tpn ~
says old Miss Strong, but | alters waits
plants my fat horse beans. they haint the
for, ardest, but they are the best. Iye
tried 'em all; now some lows they favor
tie is the Texas terrific, and some lows
theru is the reDs egg, and the white a
some lows one. and some tother, but as
fur as I'm consarned give me the fat
horse" I'D ruther have the good old
fashion corn fel' bean as airy one, says
gran'maw Lofts. Me too" says old
Miss Green. Sister Freshours," says
old Miss Strong, you was a akin about
my ingons, | haint got zone to spar.
haint sot out marry button ylt and hits
time too-iDgOps IL a curls thing, you We
got to plant the lngons to make the but
tons and plant the buttons to make the
iugons, and its the ingon not the button
that makes the seed; and cabbagos is a
curis thing too; the way to make cabbage
seed-you take up your cabbage IN the
winter and cut off the roots and fling en-
away, then you set out your cabbage IN
trench and kiver it with pine tops, anc
in the spring when you onkiver it, il
sprouts out and make cabbage seed, buI
if you leave the roots on it makes kol-
lard seeds; for my part I'd ruther have
kollaTds as cabbage any time, but ny
Georgy Ann she'd ruther have cabbage
and I'd ruther have ingons as airy one
My Georgy Ann she don't never take NJ
intrust in no sort Of garden truck; If
set her to hoeing the cabbage and ingons
why fust thing | know she's done drap
1t aud went to wofkin, longer her lark
spurs and bachelors buttons. | tell he
wouldn't give one good mess OF baco'
and kollards for all the larkspurs AM
johnquills ever l seed"
Pears like springs been might,
back ard about comm ior'ard, this year,
says old Miss Green a putin away at he
pipe, Il haint saw a peach nor a appl
blossom yit, and inginnerly by this tim,
a year the trees is kivered with EN-.
Ldlul SOC DO SOIlSl SdiuCu eluCh Ccpt
few stumpy turnips greens, and we'un
is a gittin' plump sick and tired out Of
COW peas and taters and I've hominy.
That's better'n what we'uns has got,
says old Miss Freshours, fur we hahn
got the COW peas, and if | was a gwine t
be hung | don't believe theirs a swee
later to my name on my place, and L
be obleege to scratch around some'rs an
beg my seed taters if git any-gimm
another dip sister Pinkney-yes I'll b
obleege to beg my seed taters this year
gracious knows whar-pears like | ha
the turrihlest luck of anybody else; an
pears like providence is done plur
turned agin me, but | knowed in reaso
how 1t was a gwine to be quick as | see
all that muddy water. Providence
agin me-" Then Cal she whispered
Providence helps them that helps the