The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-12-30
EVER CHEW SUGAR CANE 7
IF Not, Yen Have Missed One of the Rare
Delights of This lie.

IL Sot, fGn EaVo Missed tGe OF the tSafe
Delights of This lie.
On the sugar T!sntatjc.-' tho tail,
thick stalks iull Of goo:!'less &re be-
ing pulled up by the roots and bun
died honeward OH stalwart heads
and shoulders. Wagon loads are be-
ing carried to mill, Ganked by the
jugs and demijohns in which the
sirup will he put after It has been
cooked and a due measure of toll
deducted. Many ard many a digni-
fed carryall or rockaway making
its way along the roads has teth-
ering Of stalks stoutly !ashed to-
gether leaning upon the back seat
and destined for some boy or girl
whose home crop Of cane mas not
turned out well. Even the sports
man who drives in his buggy to the
appointed meeting place takes along
q stalk OF two OF cane to top Off his
midday meal. The school children
all have the purplish sticks. On
every juggling board in hall or
piazza, every settle or rustic seat
where the young people gather in
the afternoon or evening, the cane
tipple goes on. Those accustomed
to chewing cane are fastidious as to
the kind offered them.
/ II say, Charley. when did you
pull up that stake Last week. 1t
isn't nice Bit" says girl con-
noisseur. throwing the strip she has
been working on as far out among
! The flower beds as she can.
; Now, Miss Fussy," protests
Charley, who is stripping off another
joint, Il pulled that stalk as rode
up from Durland's yesterday after
noon. 1t couldn't have gone off in
favor in that little time"
/ Ibid it have the roots on all right,
or did somebody cut them of when
you brought it in the house,"
! 1T had the roots on until ten
minutes ago. There was no chance
for the goodness to escape"
well, then, don't like the favor
! of that patch on the road to Dur
! laud's. The cane down there in the
hollow back of the stables Is twice
as good. and, besides, any cane to
be first class ought to be eaten just
the minute it's picked.
The sugar cane season is level
er, inasmuch as it reminds women
OF their dependence upon men. The
plantation girl can't cut and peel
her canestalk any more than she
can sharpen her pencil. If she gets
hold of a Gne locking stalk, she
waits until Jack or John or Charley
is On hand to peel it for her.
Here. Miss Nancy, you chew
partners with me, says some boy
ish sprite Of mischief to the new
conner who does rot know the ropes.
Miss Nancy agreeing, the longest
joint to he found is cut, peeled and
split to convenient size. A pretended
measurement of the girls mouth
having been taken in order that the
slice may not be too wide, Miss
Nancy begins chewing at one end
and her partner at the other. When
middle ground is reached, the two
faces are, OF course. close together,
and Miss Nancy retires, scarlet,
amid peals of laughter, declaring
that she will never, never, never
speak to that odious boy again. T"
If anything can approach the
watermelon in the darky's favor,
sugar cane does. Very few Of the
negro small farmers can afford to
raise the genuine cane, as the cul-
ture requires rich ground and the
product is not regarded as necessi-
ty. They all have little patches of
millet, however, or of sorghum, and
those who are employed about the
places where cane ls grown are IN
clover. The pickarinnies do not
wait for knives when they want TO
get at the sugary fluid of either sor-
ghum or cane. They bite pieces out
of the hard rind with their teeth
and then pull the remainder of
somehow and break the stalk of
above a joint by hitting it on hard
surface. The pickanipnies demon
strate every day the uselessness of
! many articles that enlightened peo-
pie think Indispensable. a figure
OF bliss is a black youngster of 6 or
2 clinging to a stalk of cane for dear
life and dancing up and down with
satisfaction as the Juice trickles
down his throat. His elders, though
less demonstrative, are by no means
above showing their love of the
sugary deiicacy.
II amt plant nc cane myself, see