3

Alabama Life in a Shrimping and Oyster Shucking Camp 3

"This is my wife Ezora and how old do you think she is?"

When I replied, that I thought she must be in her sixties
from what he said about his own age, he then said that she was
sixty-seven, and explained that she could not speak a word of
English.

Joe said that he had lived on the sea coast, but [begin strike through] he also [end strike through]
loved to farm also.

"The people here often say I'm a lucky old man, because every-
think I plant grows but that ain't it, I plants according to the
moon. Now let me tell you, never plant on the increase of the
moon for the plants will be big and healthy but there wont be
any vegetables on them. The time to plant is on the decrease
of the moon. That is why I'm working so hard to get my English
peas planted now, 'cause it's on the decrease of the moon. I
usually has some kind of vegetables to sell, but this year it
has been so dry I hasn't got anything now.

"B'fore coming to Bayou la Batre I farmed in New Iberia,
Louisiana, but I hunted plenty, too. I has killed over three-
hundred and thirty-five deer in my life. In 1919 I killed sixty-
six deers in twelve months time.
I always kept a pack of hounds in New Iberia, b'fore times got so hard.
Miss, a dog has got almost as
much sense as a person. When hunting with them, I
carried an old horn to blow, and I had them trained so that when
I wanted them to come offen a trail, I'd blow three long blows,
and them dogs knew to come to me."

Just then one of the women who had come into the room, spoke
up and said:

"That was the way mama had papa and us children trained, and

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