108 
AMEEIOAl^ AGEIOULTUEIST. 
[Makch, 
Confining the Cow’s Switch. 
The best method of confining a cow’s switch 
■during milking, so that it sliall not invade the 
milk pail, or disturb the milker while at work, has 
probably not yet been discovered. Tying with 
strands of hair to the leg, confining with a loop 
•of rope over the loins, or fastening upon the knee. 
THE PLANTER. 
■with the fore arm, might answer for last year, but 
it will hardly do for the progressive year of ’84. In 
this year of grace, we have it thus : Seated at the 
cow with the milk-pail between the legs in the old 
fashioned way, drop the switeh between the side of 
the pail and the calf of your left leg, and, with a 
firm pressure of the leg again.st the pail, you have 
the bush completely under your control. This 
does not interfere with the security of the pail, 
•or with the free use of the arms in milking. It 
works well. The only patent on this is issued from 
the office of the American Agriculturist. Try it. 
Southern Plantation Life. 
• Last summer the writer enjoyed for a couple of 
Weeks the hospitality of one of the fine plantations 
in Virginia, and the novel and picturesque impres- 
“ LITTLE MISSEE.” 
sions of its daily life are of the most enduring 
character. Our host was a gentleman of the old 
school, and his household was organized upon the 
patriarchal system which prevailed “before the 
war.” He ruled his family and subjects like a 
king, but his sway was gentle and humane, and he 
enjoyed a popularity which nowadays falls to no 
real king.—The “old master,” as he was generally 
spoken of, directed and supervised the operations 
of his miniature State very much as a general does 
his army. He had a lieutenant in the person of a 
stalwart and intelligent overseer, who previous to 
the emancipation had been his slave. “ Captain 
Bill,” as he was called, was one of the most thor¬ 
ough drillmasters I ever eneountered. Scrupulous¬ 
ly accurate, and severe but just, under his control 
the labors of the plantation were performed with 
the exactitude of a machine. Upwards of a hun¬ 
dred field hands were divided into bands, each un¬ 
der a sort of corporal who received his orders from 
Captain Bill, and his movements were subject to 
general orders from headquarters. The result of 
this system was a model establishment, one having 
few equals on the continent. 
The laborers received a stated sum per day the 
year round, and were furnished with homes on the 
plantation and certain staples of food. Their 
houses formed a little village on the border of a 
grove of oaks grown gray with the moss of more 
than a century. These dwellings, erected from 
designs by the proprietor, were picturesque and 
comfortable. A distinctive feature of the village 
was a larger house devoted to worship, education, 
and merry making.—The characters familiar from 
descriptions of a plantation in the olden time were 
still present here. “ Young Massa” rode to school 
every morning, and every afternoon tipped his 
chair back on the verandah to smoke his Virginia 
reed, and study. “ Little Missee” was in special 
charge of a black nurse, whose features were 
wreathed in a perpetual grin of mingled pride and 
importance at the responsibility imposed on her. 
There was “ Uncle Anthony,” the sable hued, 
frosty haired old butler, who was in a stew over the 
internal economy of the household, and waged con¬ 
stant war with the cook upon whose domain he 
persisted in intruding, much to her disgust. Next 
to the cook the children were his pet grievance. 
They were always doing or breaking something, 
and “ dem bressed ehillum agin” was his regular 
complaint every day.—These children were a char¬ 
acteristic accessory of the plantation. In all va¬ 
rieties of color, from white to coal black, they 
swarmed about the house and in the village. If 
the young master and his pet hound took 
to the fields bird hunting, a train of 
admiring juveniles followed them; if 
the mistress chaffered with a pedler on 
the porch they gathered around with 
broad grins and flashing eyes; and 
the old master never made his rounds, 
or held a conference with a visitor in 
the door-yard, without a gaping throng 
of puny attendants. The wonder 
was not that “ dem bressed ehillum ” 
gave Uncle Anthony so much trouble, 
but that they gave him so little.—He 
was an ordained minister, and on Sun¬ 
days conducted service in the village 
chapel. Sometimes a visiting clergy¬ 
man of the same sort would officiate, 
and then Uncle Anthony assumed 
general control of the congregation. 
As the visitor was always entertained 
at the expense of the master, whose 
hospitality was famous, these visits 
were by no means few or far between. 
Captain Bill led the merry-makings 
of the plantation, as Uncle Anthony 
did its worship. He was always first 
in every scheme of gayety. A portion 
of the expense these events entailed 
was borne by the master himself. Cap¬ 
tain Bill contributed a share, and 
the rest was assessed on the partici¬ 
pants. The Mistress of the house 
bore her share of the burden, by 
the care of its dependants. Under 
her direction a School was maintained for the 
home children. The teacher was a young woman 
of color, pretty and intelligent, who occupied a 
room in the plantation house and ate at the mas¬ 
ter's table. The rudiments of English were the 
chief knowledge impressed upon her pupils, who 
also made regular classes in sewing. Among these 
pupils were a couple of old men, far past the age of 
active labor, but still ambitious to improve them¬ 
selves. There was something absolutely pathetic 
in the spectacle of these battered graybeards, sit¬ 
ting among their grandchildren and painfully plod¬ 
ding through simple lessons which to the young¬ 
sters were mere play.—The ordinary day school 
“DEM BRESSED CHILLHM AGIN.” 
and the Sunday-school kept the teacher busy. 
Over both the mistress presided, instructing espe¬ 
cially bright scholars in advanced tasks. Another 
branch of education was attended to by a young 
mulatto man who travelled from plantation to 
plantation, giving a weekly music lesson at each. 
The well-known adaptability of the colored race to 
such instruction was shown here. The children 
formed a chorus for the execution of the simple 
melodies of the plantation and the camp-meeting, 
which I have never heard excelled anywhere else. 
The admirable provisions for the care of the sick 
struck me especially. A telephone extended to the 
study of one of the doctors of the district, who 
lived a mile away, and for ever}’ serious case he 
was promptly summoned. Ordinary cases were 
cared for by the master on the spot. Every morn¬ 
ing he received a deputation of the ailing, who 
were commonly afflicted with the simplest disor¬ 
ders, of which they gave, however, the most ex- 
