It's that time of year again. And I've been trying to figure out what Christmas cookies I'm going to make this year. This made me wonder what kinds of cookie recipes were available in the 19th century. Note the oldest recipe I found of a "Christmas Cookie" was 1845. Another tidbit is that in a fictional story I found cookie spelled cookey. Another fictional story ©1866 mentioned the character looking up from her Christmas Cookies. I found a reference to an article written in 1994 saying that Christmas cookies made there way to America with the Dutch in the 1600's. This may be the case, I just haven't found any reference to that authentic that information.
Below you will find some recipes of various Christmas cookies.
Another source: The New England economical housekeeper, and family receipt book By Esther Allen Howland ©1845
Christmas Cookies, No. 3.
* Take one pound and a half of flour, three quarters of a pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, half a cup of milk, and two spoonfuls of caraway seeds; melt the butter before you put it in. It is rather difficult to knead, but it can be done. Roll it out and cut it in hearts and diamonds, and bake it on buttered tins.
Another source: Mrs. Owens' cook book and useful household hints: ©1884
CHRISTMAS COOKIES.
Mrs. W. F. Van Bergen, Oak Park, Illinois.
Four eggs and I pound sugar stirred together for one hour. Add \ teaspoon pulverized hartshorn; then enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out and cut. Keep in a warm room all night. Then bake in a slow oven. Sprinkle the pans with anise seed before putting cookies in. Make as stiff as you can roll out. There is no butter used in them.
Another set of recipes comes from: The new practical housekeeping: A compilation of new, choice and carefully tested recipes. ©1890
North German Christmas Cookies.—Six pounds flour, two each of'sugar, butter, and molasses, one teaspoon saleratus dissolved in rose water, arrack, or spirits, a few cloves and cinnamon pounded together, one pound raisins pounded in a mortar, half pound citron chopped fine. Warm molasses, sugar and butter slightly, and gradually stir in the flour; knead well and roll out, and cut in various ' c«,k shapes. One-half the dough may be flavored with anise or cardamon, omitting the raisins. This recipe will make a large quantity, and they are pretty to hang upon the tree during Christmas week, and to pass in baskets to holiday callers. This is the bona fide Christmas cookie.
Another Source: The Home-maker: an illustrated monthly magazine ..., Volume 3 ©1890
CHRISTMAS COOKIES.
These cookies should be mixed two or three weeks before Christmas.
Boil five pounds molasses, one pound butter, and one-half pound lard together (the molasses is weighed,instead of measured, because, in winter, a measure is not exact). Boil 10 minutes.
When cold, dissolve five cents' worth of cooking potash in a little warm water, and add to the syrup. Add flour to make a very stiff dough. Add
1 Ib. of citron, chopped fine.
1 Ib. blanched almonds, ditto.
1 Ib. sugared or dried lemon peel.
3 teaspoonfuls cinnamon.
3 teaspoonfuls cloves.
3 teaspoonfuls cardamun seed.
Another source: The Ann Arbor cookbook © 1899
CHRISTMAS COOKIES.
One gal. molasses, y2 pt. sour milk or cream, 2 cups lard, 2 lbs. brown sugar, 5 tablespoons Wyandotte soda, 3 tablespoons of cinnamon, 2 grated nutmegs; add citron, nuts, lemon and orange peel. Stir in flour until no more can be added, and let it stand over night. Mrs. Schlotterbeck.
CHRISTMAS FRUIT COOKIES.
(Lebkuchen)
One qt. sour cream, 1 qt. molasses, 2 lbs. brown sugar, 1 lb. each of orange, lemon and citron (sliced quite fine), cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg to suit taste, a handful of salt, 3 teaspoons of Wyandotte soda dissolved in cream, 1 pt. hickory nut meats and 2 lbs. seeded raisins. Mix thoroughly, add flour to make a stiff dough; let stand over night. Miss I. J. Braun.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Basketball
The game of basketball was invented in the 19th century. James Naismith a physical ed instructor developed the game in 1891 while at the Springfield, MA. YMCA.
Originally the game was played with a soccer ball and it was pitched into peach baskets. The bottoms of the baskets were still attached. The first game was held Mar. 11, 1892. Springfield, Mass. is the home for the basketball hall of fame.
Originally the game was played with a soccer ball and it was pitched into peach baskets. The bottoms of the baskets were still attached. The first game was held Mar. 11, 1892. Springfield, Mass. is the home for the basketball hall of fame.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Female Steamboat Captain Mary Greene
Below you will find an article that was written in 1896, primarily about Mary Greene earning her Master Pilot license. Many report that she was the only female Captain but in fact there were a few others, which is reported in the second to the last paragraph. This information come from the Ohio public library site http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/bus/river/m_greene.htm
I like what I've read about Mary, but more importantly, I like the actual interviews that have been reported and the account her granddaughter gave in a recent book, an excerpt is at Google books. Link
Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Feb. 3, 1896; p. 2
A WOMAN PILOT
Mrs. Gordon Green Tells of Her Experience on the River.
Since Mrs. Gordon Green, wife of Captain Green, of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh packet, H. K. Bedford, took out papers making her a fully authorized pilot on the river between Pittsburgh and Marietta, there has been much interest in the incident. The Pittsburgh Post prints an interview with Mrs. Green, in the course of which she tells her story as follows:
"Well, it was very easy: you see, I spend a good bit of time in the pilot house with the captain -- my husband, you know -- and it is only natural that I should get to know the river. Of course, he took a great deal of pains to show me everything and often let me try my hand at managing the boat. In the course of the five years of our married life I have seen a great deal of the river, and it seems very natural that I should learn something of it. It requires only a good memory to know the channel, and, as for learning to ring the bells, and how to handle the boat, that is comparatively easy.
"You see, we have never gone to housekeeping yet. This boat has been my home ever since the captain and I were married, and I nearly always stand watch with him. Five years as a 'striker' ought to qualify almost anyone for a pilot, even if they had a less able and willing instructor than I had."
"But do you like the river? Is your floating home as pleasant as one on the bank would be?" asked the reporter.
"Oh, yes. I like the river ever so much. The captain has to be with his boat nearly all the time, and if we were keeping house we would be practically separated. Then I have very nice rooms here, and when I want to get away from the passengers I can retire to them. There is a constant change of scene, which is very agreeable, and then one is always meeting so many people that one knows. A great deal of my time is spent in the pilot house though, and altogether, I think it very nice to live on a boat."
"Do you intend to stand a regular watch on the boat?" queried the reporter.
"No, indeed; I didn't get my license for that. We have a pilot and Mr. Green stands one watch, so there is no necessity for my doing anything of the kind. I wanted my license because I felt that I was entitled to it. Then I can help the captain when he is on watch, or take the wheel for awhile for amusement if I like. If we should be left without a pilot for a time I could take a turn in the pilot house until we could get someone else. That is all the piloting I expect to do."
"But don't you find it hard work?"
"Oh, it is easy to handle the Bedford. It is a small boat, you know, and by being careful I have no trouble. Sometimes the wheel throws me around a little, but I always manage to keep it under control."
"Are we to infer from your entering the ranks of pilots that you look with favor on the new woman idea?"
"Several of my friends have asked me that since I got my license," she said, laughing. "I always tell them that I don't bother much about such stuff. I am contented to be just what I am, a woman, in the good old-fashioned way. I don't think there is anything unwomanly or advanced in my being able to steer a boat, and I am contented to let the captain do the voting for the family."
The captain has a far higher opinion of his wife's abilities than she has herself. In response to a query as to whether he was not a little proud of his new pilot, he straightened himself up, and said in a way that was eloquent of his earnest sincerity:
"You bet I am."
Mrs. Greene was Miss Mary Becker before her marriage, and her home is on Little Muskingum creek six miles from Marietta. Her father was the proprietor of a prosperous country store, and before Captain Greene won her, at the age of twenty-two, she had proved herself a shrewd business woman. One of her brothers is a prominent physician of Cincinnati, and the family are at least well-to-do.
Mrs. Greene is the only woman who ever took out her initial license at the Pittsburgh office. Mrs. Callie French, however, renewed her papers as pilot at this port last year. She is the wife of the proprietor of the French's show boat, and is said to be the best pilot that ever turned the wheel on the Ruth, the little craft that pushes the show up and down the rivers. Mrs. T. P. Leathers is licensed as a pilot at the New Orleans office, and stands a regular watch on her husband's boat, the T. P. Leathers, running out of New Orleans. A Mrs. Miller, formerly held a pilot's license at Cincinnati, but is not now on the river. Mrs. Ben Young, of Cincinnati, holds a master's license, and spends her time on her husband's boat, the Lee H. Brooks.
When the H. K. Bedford left the harbor Friday afternoon, Mrs. Greene was in the pilot house, and her husband stood on the roof watching her clever manipulation of the big pilot wheel. As it spun around and the Bedford rounded out into the stream, he looked as well satisfied as if he owned the whole river.
I like what I've read about Mary, but more importantly, I like the actual interviews that have been reported and the account her granddaughter gave in a recent book, an excerpt is at Google books. Link
Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Feb. 3, 1896; p. 2
A WOMAN PILOT
Mrs. Gordon Green Tells of Her Experience on the River.
Since Mrs. Gordon Green, wife of Captain Green, of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh packet, H. K. Bedford, took out papers making her a fully authorized pilot on the river between Pittsburgh and Marietta, there has been much interest in the incident. The Pittsburgh Post prints an interview with Mrs. Green, in the course of which she tells her story as follows:
"Well, it was very easy: you see, I spend a good bit of time in the pilot house with the captain -- my husband, you know -- and it is only natural that I should get to know the river. Of course, he took a great deal of pains to show me everything and often let me try my hand at managing the boat. In the course of the five years of our married life I have seen a great deal of the river, and it seems very natural that I should learn something of it. It requires only a good memory to know the channel, and, as for learning to ring the bells, and how to handle the boat, that is comparatively easy.
"You see, we have never gone to housekeeping yet. This boat has been my home ever since the captain and I were married, and I nearly always stand watch with him. Five years as a 'striker' ought to qualify almost anyone for a pilot, even if they had a less able and willing instructor than I had."
"But do you like the river? Is your floating home as pleasant as one on the bank would be?" asked the reporter.
"Oh, yes. I like the river ever so much. The captain has to be with his boat nearly all the time, and if we were keeping house we would be practically separated. Then I have very nice rooms here, and when I want to get away from the passengers I can retire to them. There is a constant change of scene, which is very agreeable, and then one is always meeting so many people that one knows. A great deal of my time is spent in the pilot house though, and altogether, I think it very nice to live on a boat."
"Do you intend to stand a regular watch on the boat?" queried the reporter.
"No, indeed; I didn't get my license for that. We have a pilot and Mr. Green stands one watch, so there is no necessity for my doing anything of the kind. I wanted my license because I felt that I was entitled to it. Then I can help the captain when he is on watch, or take the wheel for awhile for amusement if I like. If we should be left without a pilot for a time I could take a turn in the pilot house until we could get someone else. That is all the piloting I expect to do."
"But don't you find it hard work?"
"Oh, it is easy to handle the Bedford. It is a small boat, you know, and by being careful I have no trouble. Sometimes the wheel throws me around a little, but I always manage to keep it under control."
"Are we to infer from your entering the ranks of pilots that you look with favor on the new woman idea?"
"Several of my friends have asked me that since I got my license," she said, laughing. "I always tell them that I don't bother much about such stuff. I am contented to be just what I am, a woman, in the good old-fashioned way. I don't think there is anything unwomanly or advanced in my being able to steer a boat, and I am contented to let the captain do the voting for the family."
The captain has a far higher opinion of his wife's abilities than she has herself. In response to a query as to whether he was not a little proud of his new pilot, he straightened himself up, and said in a way that was eloquent of his earnest sincerity:
"You bet I am."
Mrs. Greene was Miss Mary Becker before her marriage, and her home is on Little Muskingum creek six miles from Marietta. Her father was the proprietor of a prosperous country store, and before Captain Greene won her, at the age of twenty-two, she had proved herself a shrewd business woman. One of her brothers is a prominent physician of Cincinnati, and the family are at least well-to-do.
Mrs. Greene is the only woman who ever took out her initial license at the Pittsburgh office. Mrs. Callie French, however, renewed her papers as pilot at this port last year. She is the wife of the proprietor of the French's show boat, and is said to be the best pilot that ever turned the wheel on the Ruth, the little craft that pushes the show up and down the rivers. Mrs. T. P. Leathers is licensed as a pilot at the New Orleans office, and stands a regular watch on her husband's boat, the T. P. Leathers, running out of New Orleans. A Mrs. Miller, formerly held a pilot's license at Cincinnati, but is not now on the river. Mrs. Ben Young, of Cincinnati, holds a master's license, and spends her time on her husband's boat, the Lee H. Brooks.
When the H. K. Bedford left the harbor Friday afternoon, Mrs. Greene was in the pilot house, and her husband stood on the roof watching her clever manipulation of the big pilot wheel. As it spun around and the Bedford rounded out into the stream, he looked as well satisfied as if he owned the whole river.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Steamboat-Inspection Service
Below is an excerpt from Houghtalings Handbook of Useful ©1887
Salaries of United States Officials
(salaries per Year, unless otherwise noted)
Steamboat-Inspection Service
Washington DC
Supervising Ins. Gen'l $3,500
San Francisco, Cal
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls $2,000
Inspector of Boilers $2,000
Clerk $1,200
Portland, Oreg.
Inspector of Hulls $1,200
Inspector of Boilers $1,200
Clerk $1,000
Inspector of Hulls $800
Inspector of Boilers $800
New York, N.Y.
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls 2,200
Inspector of Boilers 2,200
5 Assist. Inspec. of Hulls 2,000
5 Asst. Inspec. of Boilers 2,000
Clerk 1,200
Assistant Clerk 1,000
1 Assistant Clerk 75 a month
Clerk of Sup. Insp. 75 a month
Other towns with Inspection Services were: I listed the information below because in a paragraph the cities seemed to blur.
Albany, NY,
Philadelphia, PA.,
Boston, MA,
Portland, ME,
New London, CT.,
Baltimore, MD.,
Norfolk, VA,
Charleston, SC,
Savannah, GA.,
St Louis, MO.,
Saint Paul, Minn.,
Galena, Ill.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Louisville, Ky.,
Nashville, Tenn.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Evansville, Ind.,
Cincinnati, OH.,
Pittsburgh, PA.,
Wheeling, W. VA.,
Gallipolis, OH.,
Detroit, Mich.,
Chicago, Ill.,
Grand Haven, Mich.,
Marquette, Mich.,
Milwaukee, Wis.,
Port Huron, Mich.,
Buffallo, NY,
Cleveland, OH.,
Oswego, NY,
Burlington, VT,
New Orleans, LA.
Mobile, AL.,
Galveston, TX.,
Apalachicola, FL.,
Salaries of United States Officials
(salaries per Year, unless otherwise noted)
Steamboat-Inspection Service
Washington DC
Supervising Ins. Gen'l $3,500
San Francisco, Cal
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls $2,000
Inspector of Boilers $2,000
Clerk $1,200
Portland, Oreg.
Inspector of Hulls $1,200
Inspector of Boilers $1,200
Clerk $1,000
Inspector of Hulls $800
Inspector of Boilers $800
New York, N.Y.
Supervising Inspector $3,000
Inspector of Hulls 2,200
Inspector of Boilers 2,200
5 Assist. Inspec. of Hulls 2,000
5 Asst. Inspec. of Boilers 2,000
Clerk 1,200
Assistant Clerk 1,000
1 Assistant Clerk 75 a month
Clerk of Sup. Insp. 75 a month
Other towns with Inspection Services were: I listed the information below because in a paragraph the cities seemed to blur.
Albany, NY,
Philadelphia, PA.,
Boston, MA,
Portland, ME,
New London, CT.,
Baltimore, MD.,
Norfolk, VA,
Charleston, SC,
Savannah, GA.,
St Louis, MO.,
Saint Paul, Minn.,
Galena, Ill.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Louisville, Ky.,
Nashville, Tenn.,
Memphis Tenn.,
Evansville, Ind.,
Cincinnati, OH.,
Pittsburgh, PA.,
Wheeling, W. VA.,
Gallipolis, OH.,
Detroit, Mich.,
Chicago, Ill.,
Grand Haven, Mich.,
Marquette, Mich.,
Milwaukee, Wis.,
Port Huron, Mich.,
Buffallo, NY,
Cleveland, OH.,
Oswego, NY,
Burlington, VT,
New Orleans, LA.
Mobile, AL.,
Galveston, TX.,
Apalachicola, FL.,
Monday, November 30, 2009
Ice box Refrigeration
Below are some interesting facts regarding refrigeration using an icebox. Often times today we think of those in the 19th century of not having refrigeration. And in terms of what we have today, that's somewhat true. However, below I've listed a few facts to help us rethink what our ancestors might have been using in the 19th century.
A lawsuit: Alaska Refrigerator Co. v. Wisconsin Refrigerator Co. et al. (Circuit Court, AT. D. Illinois. July 13,1891.)
Dealt with a patent violation: Here's the facts. The original patent No. 8,463, reissued October 22, 1878 and originally issued July 24th, 1877.
In another lawsuit it states "The original letters patent were granted to Azel S. Lyman, as inventor, Mar. 25, 1856 and were extended for seven years from Mar. 25, 1879 and were reissued to Lyman, Dec. 26, 1871 ...
This notes that the ice box was patented as early as 1856.
According to Ellen Plante in her book "The American Kitchen." She states that iceboxes were available in 1860 but not widely used until 1880.
In 1864 we have reference to the Refrigerator (icebox) in "The American Home cook Book: with several hundred excellent recipes by American Lady ©1864.
Well that's what I have for now. I suspect there was an earlier patent but I haven't had time to research further. So, at sometime in the future if I find additional information, I'll post again.
A lawsuit: Alaska Refrigerator Co. v. Wisconsin Refrigerator Co. et al. (Circuit Court, AT. D. Illinois. July 13,1891.)
Dealt with a patent violation: Here's the facts. The original patent No. 8,463, reissued October 22, 1878 and originally issued July 24th, 1877.
In another lawsuit it states "The original letters patent were granted to Azel S. Lyman, as inventor, Mar. 25, 1856 and were extended for seven years from Mar. 25, 1879 and were reissued to Lyman, Dec. 26, 1871 ...
This notes that the ice box was patented as early as 1856.
According to Ellen Plante in her book "The American Kitchen." She states that iceboxes were available in 1860 but not widely used until 1880.
In 1864 we have reference to the Refrigerator (icebox) in "The American Home cook Book: with several hundred excellent recipes by American Lady ©1864.
Well that's what I have for now. I suspect there was an earlier patent but I haven't had time to research further. So, at sometime in the future if I find additional information, I'll post again.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thanksgiving 1865
This is the first Thanksgiving after the Civil War, it is two years after Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclaimation. Primarily it was a day of prayer and praise of thanking God for all his good provisions. Below is a letter written Dec. 7, 1865 (Thanksgiving) by Amos A. Lawrence to his Uncle.
December 7, 1865. Thanksgiving Evening.
My Dear Uncle, — On these anniversary days the memory runs back to the days long passed away, and it requires a great effort for any except the very young to avoid an overpowering feeling of sadness. I think of you in what was not many years ago your " new home," surrounded with all that makes life sweet. The glad voices of your children, the tender smile of their mother, all united to warm your heart and to make you thank God for so much happiness.
Now in your " old home " you sit by your hearth, an old man, the lamp growing dim, the bright lights of former days gone out. The forms so dear are not seen; their cheerful voices are not heard. Yet in your own imagination you do see them, and you do hear their voices. But their forms are more heavenly, and their voices are calling on you to prepare to rejoin them. No doubt you will gladly obey the summons when in God's good time it shall come. Meantime you will live for those who remain to you, cheerful and cheering, in the service of the Lord, and in communion with his saints.
All this reminds me of my own life, so filled with blessing, yet fast gliding away. All my dear ones remain with me. My good wife, seven children, and one grandchild, all are here under this roof. I see their forms, to me the most beautiful on earth, and I hear their voices on this Thanksgiving evening. Indeed, I have cause for thankfulness, though the black clouds of sorrow should gather from this very hour ; still I could be thankful, for my cup of blessing has long been full and running over. Who that has lived fifty years can enjoy these family days without some sadness, if those cannot who have been prospered all the time.
Sunday 10th. My note was stopped by the influx of some twenty young people, chiefly nephews and nieces, who assembled here to have " high jinks " on Thanksgiving evening. There were two families of Uncle William L.'s grandchildren (Sprague and Whitney), two families of Uncle Abbott's grandchildren (Abbott L.'s and Rotch), and an equal number of Appleton grandchildren. They soon had possession of my sanctum where this is written, and turned me out to help play the " elephant," to " wind the bottle," to see "the dwarf" and the "giant." The sport ran high from six o'clock till nine, and then they disappeared into the snow-storm to their homes. They like to come to Uncle Amos's ; they think, no doubt, that I have been here always, and that I am as lasting as the hills. If the new heaven and the new earth are to be our everlasting home, then in our human weakness some might pray that this present home may be ours hereafter. Certainly I should be one to ask to live right here.
Your affectionate nephew,
A. A. L.
December 7, 1865. Thanksgiving Evening.
My Dear Uncle, — On these anniversary days the memory runs back to the days long passed away, and it requires a great effort for any except the very young to avoid an overpowering feeling of sadness. I think of you in what was not many years ago your " new home," surrounded with all that makes life sweet. The glad voices of your children, the tender smile of their mother, all united to warm your heart and to make you thank God for so much happiness.
Now in your " old home " you sit by your hearth, an old man, the lamp growing dim, the bright lights of former days gone out. The forms so dear are not seen; their cheerful voices are not heard. Yet in your own imagination you do see them, and you do hear their voices. But their forms are more heavenly, and their voices are calling on you to prepare to rejoin them. No doubt you will gladly obey the summons when in God's good time it shall come. Meantime you will live for those who remain to you, cheerful and cheering, in the service of the Lord, and in communion with his saints.
All this reminds me of my own life, so filled with blessing, yet fast gliding away. All my dear ones remain with me. My good wife, seven children, and one grandchild, all are here under this roof. I see their forms, to me the most beautiful on earth, and I hear their voices on this Thanksgiving evening. Indeed, I have cause for thankfulness, though the black clouds of sorrow should gather from this very hour ; still I could be thankful, for my cup of blessing has long been full and running over. Who that has lived fifty years can enjoy these family days without some sadness, if those cannot who have been prospered all the time.
Sunday 10th. My note was stopped by the influx of some twenty young people, chiefly nephews and nieces, who assembled here to have " high jinks " on Thanksgiving evening. There were two families of Uncle William L.'s grandchildren (Sprague and Whitney), two families of Uncle Abbott's grandchildren (Abbott L.'s and Rotch), and an equal number of Appleton grandchildren. They soon had possession of my sanctum where this is written, and turned me out to help play the " elephant," to " wind the bottle," to see "the dwarf" and the "giant." The sport ran high from six o'clock till nine, and then they disappeared into the snow-storm to their homes. They like to come to Uncle Amos's ; they think, no doubt, that I have been here always, and that I am as lasting as the hills. If the new heaven and the new earth are to be our everlasting home, then in our human weakness some might pray that this present home may be ours hereafter. Certainly I should be one to ask to live right here.
Your affectionate nephew,
A. A. L.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Cranberry Part 2
Happy Thanksgiving! from my home to yours.
Continued from yesterday: From the Cyclopedia Of American Horticulture ©1906
Planting.—There are several methods of planting vines. One way is to sort the vines and then cut them up, roots and all, in pieces about eight inches in length, laying them down three or four in a place, pushing the lower end into the ground by means of a stick shaped like a paddle; or it is sometimes done by a piece of iron fastenened to the bottom of a shoe. This method leaves the plants in an upright position, and they do not grow so rapidly as when pushed into the ground obliquely or laid on top of the ground, as their first growth is to make runners. Sometimes the vines are cut in a hay cutter, sown by hand like wheat, and then rolled. A good method of planting in the west is to take vines without cutting and drop two or three in a place and step on them; if put a foot apart, they will soon cover the ground, anil will bear a good crop in three years. The greatest care must be taken, while sorting vines, that they do not dry out, for if they do they are worthless.
In subsequent culture is when water comes into use. The ditches should be about ten rods apart, each ditch having a dam built below it of the material thrown from the ditch ; the drain ditches running down through the marsh need not be quite so close together. To promote the growth of vines, it is only desired to hold the ditches about half full, so that the ground may be moist, but if water is kept up onto vines at this time thev will bedrowned and do nothing. When frosty nights come, after vines have begun to grow, water should be drawn from the reservoir to cover them, and let off the next morning. If the ends of the new shoots get frozen, it is a decided set-back, and especially so when the vines have reached the bearing age, as then it cuts off the crop and hurts the prospect for the coming year by taking the terminal bud. The vines do throw out side shoots, however, and sometimes the second season's crop does not seem to be much affected by it. When the plants are in blossom (which is all through July) the ground must not get too dry, or the blossoms will blast. This trouble was experienced in many places during the summers of '86 and '87, when it was so dry that nothing but a stream fed by springs could begin to furnish a supply of water. Through the most of the summer, it is best to keep the water from 4 to 8 inches below the surface, but before the spring frosts are over it is better to keep it nearly to the surface, and if it is a season of drought, draw water down over the marsh about once a week. After the fruit has set, if obliged to flood as a protection against frost, be sure to draw the water off quickly the next morning, or the berries will be scalded.
The marsh should not be flooded for winter till quite late, some time in November, generally, as the fall frosts do not injure the vines, but help them harden, so that they will endure the winter's snow and ice without injury. Sometimes during the late winter, a rain or thaw will let surplus water on the marsh and this may lift the ice, and that will take the vines with it, right out of the ground. This should be guarded against by opening waste-gates and drawing off the extra water. The flood should be left on the marsh in the spring until the spring frosts are over ; in Wisconsin the time for drawing off the water is generally about the 20th of May, and it must be closely watched afterwards, as the vines are then very tender and will not bear as hard a frost as they will after they have been uncovered a few weeks.
Berries are gathered in two different ways : one is to pick them by hand, the other to rake them. The handpicking is mostly done by women and children or Indians. Every thirty pickers should have an overseer, whose duty it is to see that the vines are picked clean and that no refuse is allowed to go into the box; also to give a check for every bushel box filled, and to carry the full boxes to the wagon, car or boat. The pickers in the west use shallow peck boxes to pick in, and when these are filled they empty them into the bushel box. The pickers are placed in a row, thirty of them occupying from 80 to 90 feet, and a rope should be stretched each side of them to keep them going straight ahead, or else they are very apt to turn to the right or left for better picking.
The cheapest way of gathering berries is to rake them \vithwhat is called a " scoop rake "(Fig. 573). It needs stout men to use these to advantage, at least those who are not troubled with backache, as they must keep a stooping position almost constantly. Rakes should not be used in young vines where there are a Ljrrut many runners, as they would pull them up by the roots too much, but as the vines get older and the fruit shoots stand up out of the way of the runners, raking does not seem to injure them. The rakers should have ropes stretched between them, each man being given a space from one to three rods wide, and every ten should have an overseer, who will also rake most of the time. Rakers are hired by the day, but hand pickers pick by the box. The rake is much used in the west.
If the berries can be taken to the warehouse in a boat along the ditches, it is the best way, as they bruise easily and should be carefully handled ; but if that is not practicable, then thev must be taken in wagons which are driven as close to the picking ground as pos, sible ; or a portable track may be laid onto the marshand a car used. The bushel boxes which are used have the sides and bottom made of lath, with small spaces between; and these boxes are used to cure the berries in, being piled up in tiers, so that the air can circulate between them. The berry-house should be built with dead air spaces in the walls, and windows should be darkened and building kept closed during the day. See Storage.
Cranberries are generally shipped in barrels, but some use bushel crates, though in whatever they are packed, the greatest care should be taken to put them up in good shape. If picked before they begin to ripen, and then packed so that when they reach their destination they are settled from one to three inches in the barrel, dealers will not want them, and this kind of management has much to do with low prices. Before putting into barrels, the berries are put through a Cranberry mill, and then, if there are still a few bad berries, they are put on tables made for the purpose, and tbe rest of the bad ones picked out by hand.
The profits of the business depend so much upon the amount of expense which has been necessary to improve the marsh that it is impossible to give any exact figures. The smaller the marsh, the quicker it can be improved and made to begin to pay a profit. Anyone who undertakes to improve a large marsh ought not to expect much from it short of ten or fifteen years, though, if carefully managed, it may be made to pay cost of improving after three or four years.
There is a small sand marsh in Wisconsin, made after an attempt to farm the land had utterly failed because the soil was so poor, which has yielded a better income for several years than the best farm in the county. It is a profitable business when honest work and careful management are united in it, but not otherwise.
Continued from yesterday: From the Cyclopedia Of American Horticulture ©1906
Planting.—There are several methods of planting vines. One way is to sort the vines and then cut them up, roots and all, in pieces about eight inches in length, laying them down three or four in a place, pushing the lower end into the ground by means of a stick shaped like a paddle; or it is sometimes done by a piece of iron fastenened to the bottom of a shoe. This method leaves the plants in an upright position, and they do not grow so rapidly as when pushed into the ground obliquely or laid on top of the ground, as their first growth is to make runners. Sometimes the vines are cut in a hay cutter, sown by hand like wheat, and then rolled. A good method of planting in the west is to take vines without cutting and drop two or three in a place and step on them; if put a foot apart, they will soon cover the ground, anil will bear a good crop in three years. The greatest care must be taken, while sorting vines, that they do not dry out, for if they do they are worthless.
In subsequent culture is when water comes into use. The ditches should be about ten rods apart, each ditch having a dam built below it of the material thrown from the ditch ; the drain ditches running down through the marsh need not be quite so close together. To promote the growth of vines, it is only desired to hold the ditches about half full, so that the ground may be moist, but if water is kept up onto vines at this time thev will bedrowned and do nothing. When frosty nights come, after vines have begun to grow, water should be drawn from the reservoir to cover them, and let off the next morning. If the ends of the new shoots get frozen, it is a decided set-back, and especially so when the vines have reached the bearing age, as then it cuts off the crop and hurts the prospect for the coming year by taking the terminal bud. The vines do throw out side shoots, however, and sometimes the second season's crop does not seem to be much affected by it. When the plants are in blossom (which is all through July) the ground must not get too dry, or the blossoms will blast. This trouble was experienced in many places during the summers of '86 and '87, when it was so dry that nothing but a stream fed by springs could begin to furnish a supply of water. Through the most of the summer, it is best to keep the water from 4 to 8 inches below the surface, but before the spring frosts are over it is better to keep it nearly to the surface, and if it is a season of drought, draw water down over the marsh about once a week. After the fruit has set, if obliged to flood as a protection against frost, be sure to draw the water off quickly the next morning, or the berries will be scalded.
The marsh should not be flooded for winter till quite late, some time in November, generally, as the fall frosts do not injure the vines, but help them harden, so that they will endure the winter's snow and ice without injury. Sometimes during the late winter, a rain or thaw will let surplus water on the marsh and this may lift the ice, and that will take the vines with it, right out of the ground. This should be guarded against by opening waste-gates and drawing off the extra water. The flood should be left on the marsh in the spring until the spring frosts are over ; in Wisconsin the time for drawing off the water is generally about the 20th of May, and it must be closely watched afterwards, as the vines are then very tender and will not bear as hard a frost as they will after they have been uncovered a few weeks.
Berries are gathered in two different ways : one is to pick them by hand, the other to rake them. The handpicking is mostly done by women and children or Indians. Every thirty pickers should have an overseer, whose duty it is to see that the vines are picked clean and that no refuse is allowed to go into the box; also to give a check for every bushel box filled, and to carry the full boxes to the wagon, car or boat. The pickers in the west use shallow peck boxes to pick in, and when these are filled they empty them into the bushel box. The pickers are placed in a row, thirty of them occupying from 80 to 90 feet, and a rope should be stretched each side of them to keep them going straight ahead, or else they are very apt to turn to the right or left for better picking.
The cheapest way of gathering berries is to rake them \vithwhat is called a " scoop rake "(Fig. 573). It needs stout men to use these to advantage, at least those who are not troubled with backache, as they must keep a stooping position almost constantly. Rakes should not be used in young vines where there are a Ljrrut many runners, as they would pull them up by the roots too much, but as the vines get older and the fruit shoots stand up out of the way of the runners, raking does not seem to injure them. The rakers should have ropes stretched between them, each man being given a space from one to three rods wide, and every ten should have an overseer, who will also rake most of the time. Rakers are hired by the day, but hand pickers pick by the box. The rake is much used in the west.
If the berries can be taken to the warehouse in a boat along the ditches, it is the best way, as they bruise easily and should be carefully handled ; but if that is not practicable, then thev must be taken in wagons which are driven as close to the picking ground as pos, sible ; or a portable track may be laid onto the marshand a car used. The bushel boxes which are used have the sides and bottom made of lath, with small spaces between; and these boxes are used to cure the berries in, being piled up in tiers, so that the air can circulate between them. The berry-house should be built with dead air spaces in the walls, and windows should be darkened and building kept closed during the day. See Storage.
Cranberries are generally shipped in barrels, but some use bushel crates, though in whatever they are packed, the greatest care should be taken to put them up in good shape. If picked before they begin to ripen, and then packed so that when they reach their destination they are settled from one to three inches in the barrel, dealers will not want them, and this kind of management has much to do with low prices. Before putting into barrels, the berries are put through a Cranberry mill, and then, if there are still a few bad berries, they are put on tables made for the purpose, and tbe rest of the bad ones picked out by hand.
The profits of the business depend so much upon the amount of expense which has been necessary to improve the marsh that it is impossible to give any exact figures. The smaller the marsh, the quicker it can be improved and made to begin to pay a profit. Anyone who undertakes to improve a large marsh ought not to expect much from it short of ten or fifteen years, though, if carefully managed, it may be made to pay cost of improving after three or four years.
There is a small sand marsh in Wisconsin, made after an attempt to farm the land had utterly failed because the soil was so poor, which has yielded a better income for several years than the best farm in the county. It is a profitable business when honest work and careful management are united in it, but not otherwise.
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