The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-31
NEGRO
OF Their Thrift nnd Ingenuity Under
UlnicultIcs.

" wv NkNHNtN SAANA
Difficulties.
The most notable economists In this country
to-day are the negro women down South. tho
field workers who keen house against odds, yet
achieve crcdiiah'c results. 81 couldn't git hold
OF no Jar nor nulhin' 10 put up peaches In this
year, but ! So got pretty near II bushcl Of cut mp
pie an peach dry an stow way in bags,"a
cabin housewife will tell you.
Them hams an sides up thcrcl' she goes on.
All both Of en- is from de shotcs what | raise
on home ~virtuals an %lcuvin's. Dey never turn
out no lard worth c%ountin', but dc meat is
sweet"
Another time She will show you her quilts, six
or seven Of them folded away neatly, one apiece
for each Of the children, Us she says. "Whcn do
you do Your sewing y you ask her. MOSTLY in
dc night time, when do chil'dcn is out de way
an tie mems is lay down or gone huntin'.'
Is You have no lamp n
NO. but | keeps n good turn OF fat splintcrs
an pine knots handy, an dcy makes Il good
blaze 10 see by. Days when | does half task In
dc field, | works bout de house in dc afternoon,
but dcrc's de washin' 10 do an de patchin' an
scruhhin'. an one ting an anuddcr. Den. IL
has new cloth. | makes brceches or frock. one.
Derc's always cwi waitin'.'
GLOW do YOU manage about the cooking when
You are 50 busy in the field T. she is asked.
81 mostly makes do children n stirabout or
some ponc bread fore | start out in dc mornin',
an every night fore l lay down l slip some
tatcrs in de ashes to done slow for dem. Den
| gcn'ally don't cook no more till l come out
de field ut shutdown. When l git chance l
does make cake an swectcnod bread il eggs is
plenty"
But you sell your eggs T.
"Ics. Dcy mostly goes for SEWN thread.
Sometimes for a little sugar an coffee. or
u,uyb, l,r,u,pn I n1,ynNa knn,s n hntfl. Of
Kerosene handy, cause it so good to drink for
misery in dc head. or to rub with when your
joints is painful.
81 does make sharp money ont of my butter,
too, when dc COW ain gone dry" she adds.
The average negro farmer who plants his little
onc.horsc Or iw0.horse acreage that he rent,
barely makes enough income TO keep body ana
soul together. In the flush harvest season he
earns the equivalent of 40 cents a day. Ills
wife, according TO her Interpretation. has to
turn swift " in order to make things hold ont.
She buys as little MS possible, and makes use Of
| such resources rs are at hand. Even food Tor
the COW has TO be considered. as is evidenced by
the going dry.
" If we could make out to g' Sock n mash of
cooked peas. night an morning, she would
keep up her milk all dc year" says SOCKS mis-.
tress; " but we can't do dat, nor rent no good
pasture Ian ncider, an in de winter de
grass what's CROWN in spare Ian amt much.
You see we got dc mule to feed. too" Thus
she tells of her simple needs. The negro house.
wifc's broom is made Of broom straw. gathered
from the fields and bound securely with strips
Of hoinespun; the scrubbing brush, that plays
an important part in the weekly cleaning VI, is
made of shuc ks from the corn house, pcggcd
into IA piece of board with n long handle To it.
BY cutting of the nccks of the gourds that
grow each year under the caves, large bowls
are made. to hold anything that needs be kept
over in the wooden cupboard. For cooking con
vCnicnccS there IS only the crane in tho open
let. and biE-mouthed, pots. which are lifted
about, no matter how hot or how full they may
be. by a bent poker or a stout, knottod stick.
The mistress of the cabin hoes her half-aCrC
task each day. She helps with every depart
mcnt OF tho field work. from getting the ground
ready for the seed in early spring TO the harvest
ing in autumn. Many of these women plough
as well, and have little side crops of rice or cot
ton. Nearly all have young children.
A good many negroes are shiftlcss and ire,
wives and mothers ON the plantations are am
bilious and MAKE a brave effort to pmt the 6es,
foot foremost and keep things shipshapc. They
rival each other at raising turkeys and chick
ems, and will walk miles hunting up som,
s%cCrctive guinea hens nest or searching for 4
missing ,%duckling that has strayed of from thu
OF the quilts that they are SO proud of lool
grotcsque enough, because of inaccurncy in th'
they are It monument TO the patience and indus
Try Of the makers. when one thinks how rough
ana. COARSE lTblh liIi IdDoT are Inc nlnuS Una
WELD the clumsy scissors, big needle. anC
coarse ball thread with which they are made
Some few plantation women are trying tC
buy sewing machines. The garments they
make are cut out on an original scale
with little regard TO fit. but the stitches hole
firmly, and the forms. large and small. that
Wear the clothes are 50 well knit and lusty that
the garments soon fall into shape. The patch
ing done by these women may be Classcd as AZ
art. Every possible economy is practiccd il
these homes. bnc set OF smoothing irons Otter
does the ironing for Il whole ncighborhood, anC
the starch that stiilcns the go.tO.mecting petit
coats and the husbands shirt is made out o
rice water boiled down to the requisite thick
ness. Every skimminE of grease or Bit OF bon,
is saved for soap, and even the I've needed 10
the soap is extracted from wood ashes.
On Il Saturday afternoon, when one of these
cabin homes is fresh scrubbed for the next day
the wooden shelves and tables white HS elhoV
grease can make them, Cfcn the brass hoops oil
the water bucket secured into ncwncss, and til
pickaninnics Spanking clean, it is a picture q
homcly simplicity, a glimpse of which would &
far toward diSpellinE the idea that because
negro is poor he must be dirty.
The negroes on plantations remote from town
are primitive in their mode OF life and re
mnrkably thrifty, Their strong picty has some
thing 10 do with their cleanliness. They regar
IL as "a sin 10 be dirty on the Sabbath.