her niggers to git buttermilk and clabber, when de cows in full, to
carry to de field fer drinking at noon, dat is twelve o'clock. All de
things was fetched in waggins and de fire was built and a pot was put to
bile wid greens when dey was in season. Over coals meat was baked and
meal in pones was wrapped in poplar leaves to bake in de ashes. 'Taters
was done de same way, both sweet 'taters and irish. Dat made a good
field hand dinner. Plenty was allud had and den 'lasses was also fetched
along. Working niggers does on less dese days.

"Does you know dat de poplar leaves was wet afo' de meal pone was put in
it? Well, it was, and when it got done de ashes was blowed off wid your
breath and den de parched leaves folded back from de cooked pone. De
poplar leaves give de ash cake a nice fresh sweet taste. All forks and
spoons was made out'n sticks den; even dem in de big house kitchen.
Bread bowls and dough trays was all made by de skilled slaves in de
Marse's shop, by hands dat was skilled to sech as dat.

"Young chilluns and babies was kept at home by de fire and nursed and
cared fer by de ole wimmens dat couldn't do no field work. De chief one
on our plantation during my 'membrance was ole aunt Abbie. She had head
o' de chilluns all over de plantation when dey mamies was a working in
de field. Marse Tom used to ride through de 'quarters' every day to see
about ole lady Abbie and de chilluns when dey parents was at work in de
fields during de working season. Ole lady Abbie had to see to it dat dey
was kept warm by de fire and dat dey clothes was kept up wid while dey
mammies was in de field. Dem chilluns on our plantation was well looked
after. De seamstresses also kept our work clothes patched and darned,
till new ones was wove fer us.

"Sides dat dem chilluns was fed. Each child had a maple fork and spoon
to eat wid. Lil' troughs was made fer dem to eat de milk and bread from.
'Shorts', low stools, was made fer dem to set up to de troughs to,
whilst dey was eating. De other ole ladies helped wid de preparations of
dey messes o' vittals. One ole woman went her rounds wid a wet rag a
wiping dem chilluns dresses when dey would spill dey milk and bread.
Marse Tom and sometime Missus come to see de lil' babies whilst dey was
a eating. De other ole ladies 'tended to de small babies. Sometimes it
was many as fifteen on de plantation at one time dat was too little to
walk.

"Dey mammies was not worked on our plantation till