228 Next to the Ground 



borrowing a chunk handy, a flint, often an 

 Indian arrow-head, a pocket-knife, and the 

 ever faithful punk, soon had a roaring blaze. 

 You may still hear about the countryside as a 

 hurried visitor goes after the briefest possible 

 stay : " You must have come after a chunk 

 of fire." Thus there is recalled the time 

 when all the household economy lagged until 

 the chunk of fire came. 



Because the old pigeon-roost was so quick 

 and so rich. Major Baker resolved to keep 

 the most part of it for plantbeds, clearing only 

 a few acres of it at the back side of his new 

 ground. Fine plant beds are the first essen- 

 tial of a good tobacco crop. The Major 

 knew there was money in raising fine tobacco, 

 and loss in raising poor trashy stuff. So he 

 always burned land a plenty, beginning in 

 December, if the ground was dry, and finish- 

 ing in March. Sometimes early-sown plants 

 do best, sometimes late-sown ones. Dan said 

 truly, Marse Majer he always did hit de season, 

 'case he took an' tooked hit bofe comin' an' 

 gwine. Beds are burned either by piling or 

 pulling. Either way it is hard work but pic- 

 turesque. In piling, the whole space to be 

 burned over is raked clean of leaves, then 

 grubbed and covered thickly first with brush, 

 then with green sticks three inches through, 

 and on top of them with logs from six inches 



