ST. STEPHEN'S PARISH. 75 



was published in 1802, did not think it worth the 

 labor of description. As I saw the process habitu- 

 ally when a boy, and continued long to associate 

 with those who were engaged in its culture, I shall 

 briefly describe the whole process from the planting 

 of the seed to its departure from the plantation. 



The land was well cleared, drained, and thor- 

 oughly broken up and pulverized ; after all appre- 

 hension of frost was over, the fields were laid off in 

 drills about an inch deep, and from twelve to fifteen 

 inches apart from each other. In these drills the 

 seeds, mixed with lime and ashes, were sown. If 

 the season was a fair one, the seeds came up within 

 ten days or a fortnight, and grew off rapidly. The 

 plants were cut three or four times in the season, 

 for making the dye ; and during all this period they 

 required nice and frequently repeated hoeing and 

 weeding. When they had grown to the height of 

 two or three feet, the plants were cut with a reaping 

 hook, and carried to the macerating vat. This vat 

 was strongly constructed of thick cypress planks, 

 raised some height above the ground. When this 

 vat, which was called the ''steeper," was furnished 

 with a sufficient quantity of weed, clear water was 

 poured into it, and the weeds were left to steep or 

 macerate until all the coloring matter was extracted 

 from them ; the fluid was then drawn off by means 

 of a faucet into an adjoining vat called the '' beater." 

 An axle to which were attached arms long enough 



