In consequence of my inability in cotton-picking， Eppswas in the habit of hiring me out on sugar plantationsduring the season of cane-cutting and sugar-making. Hereceived for my services a dollar a day， with the moneysupplying my place on his cotton plantation. Cuttingcane was an employment that suited me， and for threesuccessive years I held the lead row at Hawkins’， leadinga gang of from fifty to an hundred hands.
In a previous chapter the mode of cultivating cotton isdescribed. This may be the proper place to speak of themanner of cultivating cane.
The ground is prepared in beds， the same as it isprepared for the reception of the cotton seed， except it isploughed deeper. Drills are made in the same manner.
Planting commences in January， and continues untilApril. It is necessary to plant a sugar field only once inthree years. Three crops are taken before the seed orplant is exhausted.
Three gangs are employed in the operation. One drawsthe cane from the rick， or stack， cutting the top and flagsfrom the stalk， leaving only that part which is sound andhealthy. Each joint of the cane has an eye， like the eye ofa potato， which sends forth a sprout when buried in the soil. Another gang lays the cane in the drill， placing twostalks side by side in such manner that joints will occuronce in four or six inches. The third gang follows withhoes， drawing earth upon the stalks， and covering themto the depth of three inches.
In four weeks， at the farthest， the sprouts appearabove the ground， and from this time forward grow withgreat rapidity. A sugar field is hoed three times， the sameas cotton， save that a greater quantity of earth is drawnto the roots. By the first of August hoeing is usually over.
About the middle of September， whatever is required forseed is cut and stacked in ricks， as they are termed. InOctober it is ready for the mill or sugar-house， and thenthe general cutting begins. The blade of a cane-knife isfifteen inches long， three inches wide in the middle， andtapering towards the point and handle. The blade is thin，and in order to be at all serviceable must be kept verysharp. Every third hand takes the lead of two others， oneof whom is on each side of him. The lead hand， in thefirst place， with a blow of his knife shears the flags fromthe stalk. He next cuts off the top down as far as it isgreen. He must be careful to sever all the green from theripe part， inasmuch as the juice of the former sours themolasses， and renders it unsalable. Then he severs thestalk at the root， and lays it directly behind him. His rightand left hand companions lay their stalks， when cut inthe same manner， upon his. To every three hands there isa cart， which follows， and the stalks are thrown into it by the younger slaves， when it is drawn to the sugar-houseand ground.
If the planter apprehends a frost， the cane is winrowed.
Winrowing is the cutting the stalks at an early period andthrowing them lengthwise in the water furrow in such amanner that the tops will cover the butts of the stalks.
They will remain in this condition three weeks or a monthwithout souring， and secure from frost. When the propertime arrives， they are taken up， trimmed and carted tothe sugarhouse.
In the month of January the slaves enter the field againto prepare for another crop. The ground is now strewnwith the tops， and flags cut from the past year’s cane.
On a dry day fire is set to this combustible refuse， whichsweeps over the field， leaving it bare and clean， and readyfor the hoes. The earth is loosened about the roots of theold stubble， and in process of time another crop springs upfrom the last year’s seed. It is the same the year following；but the third year the seed has exhausted its strength， andthe field must be ploughed and planted again. The secondyear the cane is sweeter and yields more than the first， andthe third year more than the second.
During the three seasons I labored on Hawkins’
plantation， I was employed a considerable portion of thetime in the sugar-house. He is celebrated as the producerof the finest variety of white sugar. The following is ageneral deion of his sugar-house and the process ofmanufacture：
