The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-17
IN WAR TIMES.
PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE CON
FEDERATE STATES.
Primitive Threshing-A Substitute
for Pie Crust--Rice and Sugar
Cane Mills-Utilizing Brown
Paper-Primeval Farming.

NrlClnS auouI liic Ill lhS 'ouetA N'|S
the Civil War, Philadelphia Times cor
respondent says: Of curse there was
some bother about thrcshing the wheat.
While some could thrash" and ian
at their gin houses, there were those who
would bide the time for the travelling
threshcr to come around. Others whose
sowing and reap:ng was on small scale
would maui the wheat out with nails OF
their own make. One day we went to
see the threshing arrangement one woman
whose husband and sons were IN the
army had devised. We found the room
carpeted with sheets and tapestrlcd Win
coycrlcts and the woman seated in hair,
with q common-sixcd barrel before her.
A shcaf of wheat WAS in her hands and
she was pounding the grains of w@eat
out over u barrel. She would IN this
primitive way fail as much as two or
three bushels and then sp:eal the sheets
on the ground in the open air, the wheat
being poured on in continuous stream.
The wind acted US the great fan and car
ried the half lightly away. The wheat
being ground at some Touring mill would
last her quite awhile. When used up the
same rude failing would be resorted to,
Hundreds during the war threshed IN
the same primitive manner.
Notwithstanding the South put torth
her best energies to the raising of wheat,
-four was scarce. 1t is amusing to think
of our resort for ''pie cru t. when no
-four scould be had. Meal would be
sifted through fine sieve, again through
a fine muslin cloth and MIXED up with
scalding water to mike it more vlscld
and adhesive. When finished Oft with
the rolling pin and baked brown it was
by no means bad substitute for pic
crust.
For want of rec mills to strip the
coarse husks from the rice wooden NOR
tars had to be used 4 tree Of the proper
size would be fellcd from which q block
of suitable size w u d be sawed. A cav
ity would be hollowsd with an adEe IN
the end, and it wou be made smooth
by burning with fire fo: the want OF bet,
ter polishing tools Then the tharred
surface would be scriped smoothly and
evenly. and the hollow freed from the
coal dust. The "peStle" m !de perhaps
from the bough of the same tree, com
pleted the rice mill. The rough rice,
poured in such rude mortars and win
nowed by the Wind, was very nice
"Mills had also to be erected Tor
crushing the juice from suSar'cane.
Wooden cylinders wtre almost unlvtr-
SALLY used, as those of iron were scarcely
obtainable during the wa:. While
wooden cylinders were not satisfactory,
rs all the juice of the cane could not
thoroughly BE- pressed from the crushed
cane. the farmers cheered themselves
with the idea that there was no great
loss, as the swine could draw from it the
Ieavings. The furnaces for syrup and
sugar boiling were raised on rocks, II
bricks were not convenient, though many
small brick yards were put in operation
during the four years of the war. Long
wooden troushs, followed from trees,
were also indcspcn abe fol- pouring the
syrup from the boi!cIs to cool. The
syrup was thick ami Gear. The sugar
was unavoidably brown. as there was no
means in the great stress of the times OF
clarifying it. I have seen the planters
work long smooth oak splits, cut thin
from the top to the bottom of the barrel
filed with the home made sugar, to aid
the dripping and to bitter free the sugar
from moisture. There was q pleasing
and gratifed delight among the planters
when they had been successful in making
their sugar very g!.t and dry and it not
infrequentlY happened that OF ne gh'
Dor calling the fir.t thing after the con-
ventional greeting would be to bring
forth small ackagc of his make Of su-
gar wrapped in brown paper.
Our writing paper was also brown, as
we'll as the school books printed in thu
South during the war, because we could
not buy nor make white paper. The cas-
tor-bean plant, being nati> >e to the South
growing luxuriouSlr in the wild state
was soon brought into cultivation, an(
from it was extracted pure, thick ant
transparent castor oil.
As leather and shoes soon became high
priced, farmers were reduced to the ne
cessity of tanning their own leather fol
home use, as we'll us in lending their ait
in supplying the soldiers of our arm.
with Shoes. There were mauy tanncrie
put in ope alton during the war. Ie
every farmer could not carry the few
hides he might have 20 the tanyards. s.
the question was how to tan them q
home. The hides W re soaked for a few
days in q ba rel OF water, in which som
very weak I've filtratcd with wood ashes
had been mingled The hair was thel
easily removed. Imay also add that fey
hides were then paSSci by as useless. Th
home process of tanning was perhals q
primeval as that belonging to the earlics
ag.s. A pit of size to suit the number o
hides would be dug in the gtouud near
spring or stream OF water. have hcar'
many say they never bought better leathe
than that tanned by their simple method
Saddles were repaired or made anew
gear of all kinds used on the plantation
mended or newly made; harness 70
Wagons, buggies and carrs"ges to max
and keep rcpaircd-the amy wagon
and the outfit for our cavalry, togcthe
with shoes for our army and the HON
ones. 70 meet the demands it is n
wonder that tn; hides of horses, mule
aud hos were utilized.
As no shoe backing or polish for shoe
could be bought during the war, tn
e. want of blacking was supplied with soo
and oil mixed. The shoes would the
be painted with the SCOT backing. I'll
polish, thin paste made of -four woul
be applied, and when dry the shoe
presentel as black aud as glossy appea
ance as if 'shined" by the best boo
blacks.
Obtaining salt was at times quite
bother, especially to those remote frol