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2 THE SOUTHERN WORLD, OCTOBER 35, 1882. PLANTATION LIFE. Aatamn Scenes an n Georgia Farm. The first work towards gathering the com crop in Georgia is to strip the stalks of their blades, i. e. “ pull the fodder, ” which is done in August or September. This work is done by hand, the laborer stri pping the blades from stalk after stalk until he gets his bands full, and then tying them together with a few blades of the same; and this constitutes a "band." These hands are hung on the stalks of corn a day or two 'until they are “ cured," after which they are tied up, three or four together, in bundles, and these bun dles are stacked in the fields or hauled up to the stables and thrown into the fodder loft. The com is thus left on the naked stalk un til sometime in October or November, by which time it will have become hard and dry. If Georgians, like the western farmers, had nothing to gather in the fail but the corn, we might spend the whole fall gather ing it, but, on any farm where cotton is cul tivated to any considerable extent, most of this season of the year must be devoted to gatheringand preparing itfor market. King Cotton is a great tyrant, and unless you are a willing and ready subject, he will make you suffer. It will appear then that the corn must be disposed of in the quickest possible manner. Now if the corn were thrown in the crib witli the shuck on it, it would probably be eaten by vermin; and besides, the farmer would be deprived of the nse of his shucks which form the chief item of food for liis cattle during the winter. If we had large barns we might throw the corn in them and shuck it at our leisure; but we have no bams, at least very few, in Georgia. Out of these conditions has sprung the corn shucking, and it has grown into importance, even more as a social than as an economic feature among our farming people. It is peculiarly suited to negro genius. Among no other people could it flourish and reach the perfection which it has attained. The farmer who proposes to have a corn shucking selects a level spot in his lot, conveniently near the crib, rakes away all trash and sweeps the place clean with a brush broom. The corn is then pulled off the stalks, thrown into wagons, hauled to the lot, and thrown out on the spot selected, in one pile. If it has been previously "no- rated ” that there is to be plenty to eat and drink at the corn shucking, and if lue night is auspicious, there wi 11 certainly be a crowd. Soon after dark the negroes begin to come in, and before long the place will be alive with them,—men women and children. After the crowd has gathered and been mod erately warmed up, two " gin’r’ls ” are cho sen from among the most famous corn- ahuckers on the ground, and these proceed to divide the ahuckers into two parties, later comers reporting alternately to one side or the other, so as to keep the forces equally divided. The next step, which is one of great importance, is to divide the corn pile. This is done by laying a fence rail across the top of the corn pile so that the verti cal plane, passing through the rail, will di vide the pile into two equal portions. Lay ing the rail is of great importance, since upon this depends the accuracy of the divis ion; it is accompanied with much argu ment, not to say wrangling. The position of the rail being determined, the two gen erals mount the com pile, and the wofk begins. The necessity for the " gin’r’ls ” to occupy the moat conspicuous position acces sible from which to cheer their followers, is one reason why they they get up on top of the corn; but there is another, equally im portant, which is to keep the rail from being moved, it being no uncommon thing for one side to change the position of the rail, and thus throw an undue proportion of the work upon their adversaries. The position of a "gin’r'l” in a com shucker differs from that of a soldier in that the former is in greater danger than any of his followers; for the chances are that, should his side seem to be gaining, one of their opponents will knock the leader off the corn pile, and thus cause a momentary panic, which is eagerly taken advantage of. This proceeding, however, is considered fair only in extreme cases, and not unfrequently leads to a general row. It it is possible, imagine a negro man standing on a pile of com, holding in his hand an ear of corn and shouting the words below and you will have pictured the "corn gin’r'l.’’ It is a prime requisite that he should be ready in his improvisations and have a good voice, so that he may lead in the com song. The cornaong is almost always a song with a chorus, or, to use the language of comshuckers, the “gin’r’ls give out" and the ahuckers "drone." These songs are kept up continuously during the entire time the work is going on, and, though extremely simple, yet, when sung by fifty pair of lusty lungs, there are few things more stirring. The most cpmmon form is for the generals to improvise words, which they half sing, half recite, all joining in the chorus. As a specimen of this style of corn song, the fol lowing will answer: First Oen. “ Here le yer eorn-ehucker." All Hands. •• Ob ho ho ho ho. '* Second Oen. “ Here Is yer nigger ruler. ” All Hands. " Oh ho lio ho ho. Both Oens. “ Oh bo ho ho ho. ” All Hands. “ Oh ho bo bo ho. " First Oen. Don’t yer hyer me holler V All Hands. " Oh bo ho ho ho. ” Second Oen. ” Don’t yer hyer me lumber?" All Hands. “ Oh bo bo ho ho," etc. In this the generals frequently recount their adventures, travels and experiences. The writer know of a negro who went down to the sea coast, and when he returned, car ried by storm a corn shucking of which he was general, with the words: “ I’ve bin ter de ilund. ’’ Of course “ Brer Rabbit” must come in for his share of the honor, as he does in the fol lowing song, which is illustrative of the ne gro's appreciation of rabbit cunning. It is sung just as the other was, the generals and shuckers alternating: Oen. " Babbit In de gyordln." Cho. " Rabbit hi oh.” Oen. " Dog can't ketch um.” Cho. Rabbit hi ob.” Oen. ” Oun can't shoot um.” Cho. “ Rabbit hi ob.” Oen. “ Mon can't skin um.” Cho. " Rabbit hi ob." Oen. “Cook can’t cook um." . Cho. •• Rabbit bl oh." Oen. " Folks can’t eat um.” Cho. “Rabbit hi oh,” etc. Any reader who has followed so far, may by courtesy be called a com general, and is therefore at liberty to add indefinitely to the verses, or repeat them as he pleases. Any words at all may be taken and twisted into a chorus, as is illustrated in the following: Gen. " Slip shuck corn little while." Cho. “Little while, little while.” Oen. " f-llp shuck corn little while.” Cho. “Little while, I soy.” Oen. “I'm gwlne home In a llttlo while," etc. The finest com song of them all is one in which the chorus is, “ Homer Riley ho," The words here given were some of them picked up in Southwest Georgia, and some in other portions of the State. Competent judges say there is really music in this song, and for this reason, as well as to give readers who have never heard the com song an idea of the tunes to which they are sung, the words of this song are given below. No full knowledge of the way in which the song is rendered can be conveyed by noteB, but it is believed that the tune is properly reported. HOMKR RILKY 1IO. " Llttlo Billy Woodcock lived o'er de mountain. Homer Riley ho. In or mighty bulldln’ lived Billy Woodcock,' Ho mcr Riley ho. “Little Billy Woodcock got er mighty long bill, Ho mer Riley ho. He stuck It though de mountain and clinch It on totber aide. Ho mer Riley ho. “ 'Possum up de gum stump, Raccoon In de holler. Ho mer Riley ho. Rabbit In de ole feel fat e> he kin waller. Ho mer Riley ho. “ Nigger In de wood-pile can’t count seb'n. Ho mer Riley ho. Put him In the tedder bed he thought he wus In heb'n. Ho mer Riley ho. " Did yer ever see er gin sling made outer brandy T Ho mer Riley ho. Did yer ever see er yaller gal lick 'lasses candy ? Ho mer Riley ho. There is one more very short song which is Bung by all hands. The work of finishing the shucking of the last few ears is called “ rounding up " the corn pile, and is almost invariably in the following words: " Round up, dubble up, round up corn; Round up, nubbins up, round up corn.” These words are repeated over and over until the last of the corn is shucked and the work finished. An amount of work which would astonish the shuckers themaelvos, and which, if de manded of them in the day time would be declared impossible, is accomplished under the excitement of the corn song. They shuck the corn by band, sometimes using a sharp stick to split open the shuck, but most com monly tearing them open with the fingers. As the feeling of rivalry grows more and more intense, they work faster and faster, stripping the shuck from the ears so fast that they seem to fly almobt constantly from their hands. A staid New England farmer and his friends, gathered in a comfortable, well- lighted barn, quietly doing the laborious part of his “ husking-bee," would think they had been transferred to pandemonium if they could be conveyed to a Georgia corn- shucking and see how our colored farmers do the same work; and I imagine the social gathering, which follows the husking-bee, and the frolic which is the after piece of the corn-shucking, resemble each other as little as do their methods of work. It is no rare occurrence for a corn-shuck ing to terminate in a row instead of a frolic. If one side is badly beaten, there is almost sure to be some charge of fraud; either that the rail has been moved or part of the corn of the successful party thrown over on the other side " unbeknownst" to them, or some such charge. These offenses are common occurrences, and are aided by the dimness of the light. If any of these charges can be proved, a first-class row ensues, in which ears of corn fly thick and fast, and some times more dangerous weapons are used. The owner of the premises can always stop them and does do so. Negroes have great respect for proprietorship, and yield when ever it is asserted. It is most often the case, however, that the race has been about an equal one, and that good humor prevails amid the great excitement. The first thing in order is to express thanks for the entertainment, which is done by taking the host, putting him on the shoulders of two strong men, and then marching around, while all hands split their throats to a tune, the chorus of which is "Walk away, walkaway!" This honpr, though of ques tionable comfort, or rather most unquestion able discomfort, must be undergone, for a refusal is considered most churlish, and a retreat gives too much license to the guests. The general feeling that most handsome be havior has been shown toward the host, raises the opinion the guests entertain for them selves, and they are prepared to begin in earnest the sports of the occasion. The fun usually begins by some one who is a famous wrestler (pronounced "rasler”) offering to throw down anybody on the ground, accom panying the boast by throwing aside his coat and swaggering round, sometimes making a ring and inviting "eny gemman ez warnts ter git his pictur tuk on de groun ’’ to come in. The challenge is promptly accepted, and the spectators gather around forming a ring, so that they may be in a position to watch and at the same time encourage and advise their friends. They keep up a con tinual stream of talk during the whole time and not unfrequently comedo blows over the merits of the wrestlers. ... The “ raster's” account of his performance is as much unlike his real conduct as can well be imagined. The fellow who swaggers around boastfully at the shucking will make himself out the most modest person in the world, in recounting his adventures the next day. There is a famous corn shucker and wrestler who is a tenant of the writer, named Nathan Mitchell, more commonly known in the neighborhood as "An’ Fran’s Nath." He loves to go over his adventures generally in about these words: " Mars Dave, yer know Ike Jones wharlive down Mr. Brittles? Well sir, I went down ter Miss Marfy Moore’s night erfore las’. Dey had er little corn shucking down dar, en arter we got done wid de shuckin’, Ike he kerminced cuttin’ up his shines, 'lowed he could fling down anything ter his inches on de groun’, en if dey did’nt b’lieve it, all dey had ter do wuz ter toe de mark. De boys dey all wanted me fer ter try him, but I wouldn't do it, kase I knowed p’intedly ef I tuk hold er dat nigger he was bound ter get hurt. When he seed me sorter hol'n back, he got wusser and wusser, twell finerly I said: 'Beenst how yer so mannish, I’ll take one fall wid yer, jest ter give yer satisfaeshun.’ Wal, sir I flung dat nigger so hard I got oneaay 'bout him; I wus nattally afeared I had kilt him, and I aint here ef he didn't get up en swor it wuz er dog fall.* Gemini! den I got mer blood up. I sed, I did: 'Jest buckle round me.’ En no sooner had he tuk his holt en gin der word ter cut mer patchin', den I took him up wid der old h’ist, en flung him clean over mer shoulder, right squar’ on top of his hed. De wust uv it wuz, arter dat he wanted ter go flte An’ Kalline’s little Jim, kase he said: 'Dat jarred de gemman.’ I tole him if he toch dat chile, I ginim de wust whlppin’ he ever toted. I dont like dat nigger nohow. ” I happened to hear this same man telling one of his companions about some corn " gin- r’l,” " who got up on de corn pile en kep’ singin’ and gwineon twel I got tired, en took him berhine der year wid er year er corn en axed him downfrom which I in ferred he had been guilty of the misconduct of throwing at the generals, which has al ready been mentioned, and which he was sufficiently ashamed to try and hide from me. A corn shucking which is to be considered in the light of a finished performance should end with a dance. Of late years colored far mers who are "members" frequently give corn shucklngs where no dance is allowed, but it is common for the party to have a dance before they disperse. These dances take place either in one of the houses, or else out of doors on the ground. The dance of late years is a modification of the cotillion, the old time jig having given place to this, just as in the cities the german and the oth ers have ousted the old-time dances. There is a great deal of jig dancing in these cotil lions, and the man who cannot "cut the pigeon-wing ” is considered a sorry dancer indeed; but still it purports to be a cotillon. Endurance is a strong point in the list of ac complishments of the dancer, and, other things being equal, that dancer who can hold out the longest is considered the best. The music is commonly made by a fiddler and a straw beater, the fiddle being far more common than the banjo, in spite of tradition to the contrary. The fiddler Is the man of the most importance on the ground. He always comes late, must have an extra share of whiskey, is the best dressed man in the crowd and unless every honor is shown him he will not play. He will play you a dozen different pieces which are carefully distin guished by names, but not by tunes. The most skilled judge of music will be unable to detect any difference between “ Run, nig ger Run, ” “ Arkansaw Traveler, ’’ “Forky Deer, ” and any other tune. He is never offended at a mistake which you may make as to what piece he is playing; he only feels a trifle contemptuous toward you os a per son utterly devoid of musical knowledge. The straw-beater is a musician, the descrip- • tion of whose performances the writer has never "read or heard repeated.” No pre liminary training is nepessary in this branch of music; anyone can succeed, with proper caution, the first time he tries. The per former provides himself with a pair of straws about eighteen inches in length, and stout enough to stand a good smart blow. An ex perienced straw-beater will be very careful in selecting his straws, which he does from the sedge-broom; this gives him an import ance which he could not otherwise have, on account of the commonness of his accom plishment These straws are used after the manner of drumsticks, that portion of the fiddle strings between the fiddler’s bow and his left hand serving as a drum. One of the first sounds which you hear on approaching the dancing is the turn te turn of the straws, and after the dance begins, when the shuf fling of feet destroys the other sounds of the fiddle, this noise can still be heard. With the cotillion a new and very im portant office, that of “caller-out,” lias be come a'necessity. The " caller-out, ” though of less importance than the fiddler, Is second to no other. He not ouly calls out the fig- urss, but explains them at length to the ig norant, sometimes accompanying them through the performance. He is never at* loss, “Gemmen tode right!” being a suffi cient refuge in case of embarrassment since this always calls forth a full display of the dancers’ ability and gives much time. The corn shucking is one of the institu tions of the old plantations which has flour ished and expanded since the negroes were freed. With the larger liberty they enjoy there has come increased social intercourse, and this has tended to encourage social gath erings of all kinds. Then too, the great number of small farmers who have sprung up in the 8outh since the war necessitates mutual aid in larger undertakings, so that at this time the corn shucking, as an insti tution, is most flourishing. No doubt with improved culture its features will be changed and, in time, destroyed. Indeed, already it Is becoming modified, and the great im provement which the negro race is continu ally manifesting indicates that in time their simple songs and rough sports must yield to higher demands.—Century Magazine. David C. Barrow, Jr. •I. e. a drawn battle, both striking the ground at the same moment. A correspondent of the Country Gentleman writes concerning poisoning by ivy:—“I have found a free use of cold water to be the beat remedy for poison from poison vine. On the first appearance of the poison on the skin, no matter on what part of the body, pour cold water on it till thoroughly chilled. On reappearance of the fever, or redness with itching, again douche as fully as at first, and repeat, if necessary, several times. If the face is poisoned lie down and shut the eyes, letting another do the pouring. Where the hands have touched the poisoned skin be sure to wash them at once. No one need suffer more than twenty-four hours who uses cold water as above.” Rat holes may be stopped with broken glass and plaster of par is.