The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-07-05


story OF How IL Is pone by the Dnrk'cs In
sunny isarmddt
Tho mixing OF a I,ermuJa onion tied
Is n work that requires a vast amount of
time and calculation. There was n lot
about two hundred fcct square ON tlo
outskirts of Hamilton, enclosed with n
high wall, SO near the hotel saw 1t cv-
CRY day and had an cYecllnnt chance to
watch tho operation oscu)tlvating IL. The
soil was dark and rich. smooth and fria-
ble, IA most of the tillable soil in Bcr-
muda is Three men, all colored, wont
to work Mt that lot the last week In jan
nary and began tho preliminary work
toward making an onion bed. They
paced 1t oil from north to south, cast to
west; measured IL with poles, paced 1t
oil again, then lay down under tree to
rest. This measuring and resting took
several days When they were sure of
the oxact sizn they brought in horse
and plow and began to turn over the
soil, one man driving the horse, another
holding the pillow, while the third rested
under n treo After two or three burrows
were made thoro was evidently n differ
nnco Of opinion as to whether the lot
should be plowcd up and down or across.
There was an earnest conversation, a
vast amount Of pointing and gesticula-
ting, and the horse and plow were taken
away. The next day tho plowing began
again, and after three days OF what in
Bcrmula is called labor, tho lot
was plowed. Such oxertion of course
demanded poriod OF rcst, and
after tho lapse OF one day the threo mon
rcappeared armed with hoes and rakes
and began to Smooth down" the soil
This IL work that the Bermuda darky
must delight in. He must first deter
mine where to bagin, and that requires
some hours of dclibcration. Thcn, hav-
ing made up his mind, he attacks one
corner with hoo and strikes several
effective blows. A carriage drives past,
and he stops and leans upon the hoe
handle till 1t IL out OF sight. Two or
three more blows and he goes slowly off
TO distant part Of the lot for drink OF
water. On his return " work he breaks
two or three more clods, finds stono or
a bit Of broken glass that attracts his at
tontion, picks it up and carries 1t to one
OF his fellow-workmen to got his opinion
OF 1t. Returns to work breaks few
more clods. and by this time is so
fatigucd that he has to stretch out under
n tree and rest 1t is only, OF course,
while ho is under tho boss eye that he
nxerts himself In this way. When the
boss is absent tho darky Is asleep under
n tree. lie gets four English shillings
day for. this business, and does not
IA a. ~ ,,,1 Inr
* better educated and generally more
riyilizcd than his brother In the West
Indies, he is just as lazy aad just as
thoroughly worthless.
At tho end of two wocks tho lot was
plowcd aud raked down to proper
smoothness. Then followed a period OF
inactivity, perhaps TO let the soil recov-
CT from Its unwonted cxortion. After a
lapse Of three or four days the men ap-
psared again and repeated their former
pacing df and measuring, alternating
kiis with siestas under the tree, and
heatod arguments about whothcr tho
beds should run lengthwisc or across.
This important matter took days OF de-
liberation. and at longth the beds were
marked out. Then came putting out
the "sets,- for in BERN uda the orion
seed Is sown in the open ground and al
lowed to grow until the bulbs arc rs
lnrgc as tho end of a small hnger, the
plants being thcn transplanted to
long bods OF ak straight rows
each, with narrow walks between.
1t took more than week to put out
tho sets, and February was almost gone
before the garden was plun ted. Those
three men were at work at II for three
weeks. doing what one good American
gardener would have done in four days |
This was good example OF cheap
colored labor: Thrce mon at 81 day
each; twonty-four days, s7e: on Ameri-
can gardener ut 8. day. days. So. The
owner OF thnt lot would be frightened
to pay lnborcr s. day, but he was
really paying his men OF the rate Of
$40 day each. considering the work
they did. but when the men went home
to rest aftor thcir arduous toll nature be- !
gan hor work-and it is q good thing for
lormuda that nature Is not ns lazy Us
the darkies. For two or three days the |
tops OF the little onions were wilted |
and brown. and 1t was hard to see that |
any thing was planted at all. But they |
began to pick up. Thcre came warm
rain and sunshine, and more warm
showcrs, and at tho end OF the week the |
onion beds wero as green as they would |
be with US In month.-Cor. n. Y