Below are some items of possible interest if you're looking for something a bit different in your story. The source for this information comes from "The Sugar-Beet Industry: by Harvey Washington Wiley ©1890. The author does state in his introduction that previous reports have been written on the Sugar Beet industry but were now out of print.
Some of the best places to grow sugar beets are: Coast Valleys of California, Coastal areas in Oregon & Washington, Certain parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michican, Northern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and New York.
Other states that have raised sugar beets are: New England, New Jersey, Delaware and Kansas.
Some reports indicate that summers are too hot in Kansas to have a high percentage of sugar.
For 25 years many attempts have been made to introduce the beet sugar industry into the United States.
Factories locations: Maine, Massachusetts, Delaware, Illinois and California financially disasterous with two exceptions One in Alvarado, California the other Watsonville, California.
Showing posts with label 1890. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1890. Show all posts
Friday, April 14, 2017
Monday, November 28, 2016
Around the World in 80 Days
This post probably isn't going to be what you are thinking it should be. Yes, Jules Verne wrote the novel but did you know that in 1889-1890 Nellie Bly a female journalist completed the journey? You can read about Nellie at Wikipedia.
Below I've included an excerpt from
Recollections of "Nellie Bly."
The filing for probate in New York City, the other day, of a second will purporting to be made by Robert Seaman, president at the time of his death of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company, brings once again to mind the personality of the former famous newspaper correspondent, who was known by the pen-name of "Nellie Bly."
At one time, when she out-did "Phineas Fogg's" mythical circumnavigation of the globe in eighty days, "Nellie Bly" occupied the attention of two hemispheres. In her early career as a newspaper worker she successfully surrounded herself with a mystery as to her identity, which added to the value of her writings.
At that time she was variously pictured as a gushing school girl, an embittered old maid, a grass widow, a real widow, a wife and mother, an effeminate man disguished as a woman, and as a myth altogether, kept before the public eye by an enterprising syndicate of three journalists, with Joe Howard at the head.
Not one newspaper reader in a thousand was quite sure whether "Nellie Bly" was of feminine gender. Those who believed that she was a woman held the opinion that she was of great beauty of face and form. There were a score of men in New York who were ready to make affidavit that they possessed an intimate personal acquaintance with the writer of the "Nellie Bly" articles, and that in private life this writer wore trousers and drank absinthe frappe in inordinate quantities. Indeed, it has been asserted in all seriousness that "Nellie Bly" was the father of an interesting trio of bouncing baby boys, and that his wife wrote all his articles.
* * * * * "Nellie Bly"—as of course we all know now— is in reality a woman; a young woman past the school girl age, and not yet at the quarterpost of old-maidism when she entered newspaper life. She was then, as far as appearances go, a very ordinary everyday young woman, rather slight in form, leaning to eccentricity in dress, masculine in her tastes and ideas, and a man hater from 'way back. That may sound strange, but it is true nevertheless. Beyond business relations with the male sex "Nellie Ely" had at that time no further use for them. All her love was extended to her mother, and to make that mother comfortable and happy was the one thought that actuated her in every undertaking.
In the pursuance of this ambition she has endured what would drive almost any other woman wild with shame, mortification or chagrin. The basest motives were at times attributed to her by thoughtless and brutal carpers and cynics. She was declared unwomanly, unmaidenly, bold, presumptuous, by men, and brazen and forward by her sister women. While it is true that the vast majority of persons who felt an interest in her novel and original line of work entertained only the kindest sympathy for her, the very nature of her occupation subjected her constantly to the crudest kind of unthinking animadversion.
* * * * * "Nellie Bly" is a Pittsburg girl by birth. Her first attempt to gain a livelihood with her pen was made early in 1886, on The Pittsburg Dispatch. She had written a communication to that journal on the condition of workingwomen in the city of Pittsburg, and there being something in it that caught the fancy of Mr. Madden, the managing editor, she was requested to send her name and address. With this she complied, and as a result was engaged. It was Mr. Madden who suggested the title of Steven C. Foster's lullaby, "Nellie Bly" as a signature, and at his instance the name, being euphonious and easily remembered, was adopted. The young woman's real name was kept an office secret, and for some months successfully, but The Pittsburg Leader finally discovered and published it. Numerous cognomens were afterwards published in different cities, purporting to reveal the identity of the new woman writer, whose real name is "Pink" Elizabeth Cochrane. Her father, who has been dead for a number of years, was an Associate Judge in one of the oil region towns. "Nellie Bly's" first important mission was a trip to Mexico, where she traveled for six months, learning to speak Spanish with fair fluency in that time. Her letters were published in The Dispatch and attracted attention because of their originality and quaint treatment of old subjects in a new way. "Miss Bly" was honored during this her first practical newspaper experience by a love-lorn Mexican, who became desperately enamored of her, and who thummed his guitar with such savage persistency and wrote so many notes breathing "love or death" that the object of his admiration was obliged for her own peace of mind to take a hasty departure. He was a particularly handsome fellow, this Mexican, and took a solemn vow that the young American should either become his bride or he would convert himself into a cold, clammy corpse. Whether he carried out his latter alternative or not was never learned. At all events he missed making good the first section of his oath.
***** When "Miss Bly" returned to Pittsburg, she was put in charge of the society column of The Dispatch, alternating this work with writing theatrical notices and criticisms, and in preparing articles on woman's work. With her added experience, these papers attracted attention in New York, and were frequently introduced in the Metropolitan dailies. This gave "Miss Bly" the idea that she could better herself in the bigger city, and she secured a letter of introduction to Joe Howard, Jr., from one of her newspaper friends in Pittsburg. With nothing more definite than this, she said good-bye to her mother, and started out with the full determination to win or die, and, as she has confessed herself, it came nearly being a "die."
Arrived in New York, she presented her letter, and was given several large chunks of fatherly advice and the cheerful opinion that she had made a mistake, and ought to go home. She didn't go, but sought out Foster Coates, managing editor of The Mail and Express, and one of the leading spirits in a newspaper syndicate. It was just at this time that Andrew Carnegie, the millionaire, had taken unto himself a bride, and it was estimated that if "Miss Bly" could interview Mrs. Carnegie, such service might be acceptable. Small hopes were held out that success might attend this effort, as the most experienced New York interviewers had triefl and failed. "Miss Bly" started in, and by perseverance and the exercise of a little feminine diplomacy obtained a very complete and exhaustive talk with the bride, touching upon every subject that would be of interest to women readers.
* * * * *
The news market was not glutted with millionaires' brides, and that field promised no further crop.
Like all beginners in newspaper work in the big city, "Miss Bly" speedily reached that period when it appeared that there was not a single new thing under the sun to write about. She thought and thought and thought, and tried and tried, but met rebuffs at every turn. She was boarding at a modest little boarding house 'way up in Harlem, where the fare was just about generous enough to support life because of the moderate price paid for it. Cheap as this living was, it could not be paid for without an income. The little store of money that the girl had hoarded was becoming rapidly exhausted. She was indebted to her landlady, and could not meet the obligation. To make matters worse, "Miss Bly" one day lost her purse, and with it every dollar she possessed in the world. This misfortune did not discourage her, however, and she was too proud to make her loss known. Every day she walked from six to eight miles, because she had actually no money to pay her carfare. The situation began to look desperate. Days were slipping by, and the board bill was growing. Something had to be done, so without much hope of success letters of introduction were obtained from Joe Howard to every editor in New York. After a great struggle and the exercise of a most extraordinary amount of perseverance, interviews were obtained with the editors or the editors-in-charge of The Herald, The Sun, The Times and The Tribune. Not one of them professed to believe that "Nellie Bly" would be a profitable investment. They had heard of her in a perfunctory way, but they did not believe they had any work which she was capable of doing. The old and favorite method of politely disposing of the applicant by taking her name and address was adopted, and "Miss
Bly" was informed that if her services were needed she would receive a notification by mail.
*****
Then the young woman, who refused to be disheartened, betook herself to the office of The World and secured an audience with Joseph Pulitzer.
Below I've included an excerpt from
Recollections of "Nellie Bly."
The filing for probate in New York City, the other day, of a second will purporting to be made by Robert Seaman, president at the time of his death of the Iron Clad Manufacturing Company, brings once again to mind the personality of the former famous newspaper correspondent, who was known by the pen-name of "Nellie Bly."
At one time, when she out-did "Phineas Fogg's" mythical circumnavigation of the globe in eighty days, "Nellie Bly" occupied the attention of two hemispheres. In her early career as a newspaper worker she successfully surrounded herself with a mystery as to her identity, which added to the value of her writings.
At that time she was variously pictured as a gushing school girl, an embittered old maid, a grass widow, a real widow, a wife and mother, an effeminate man disguished as a woman, and as a myth altogether, kept before the public eye by an enterprising syndicate of three journalists, with Joe Howard at the head.
Not one newspaper reader in a thousand was quite sure whether "Nellie Bly" was of feminine gender. Those who believed that she was a woman held the opinion that she was of great beauty of face and form. There were a score of men in New York who were ready to make affidavit that they possessed an intimate personal acquaintance with the writer of the "Nellie Bly" articles, and that in private life this writer wore trousers and drank absinthe frappe in inordinate quantities. Indeed, it has been asserted in all seriousness that "Nellie Bly" was the father of an interesting trio of bouncing baby boys, and that his wife wrote all his articles.
* * * * * "Nellie Bly"—as of course we all know now— is in reality a woman; a young woman past the school girl age, and not yet at the quarterpost of old-maidism when she entered newspaper life. She was then, as far as appearances go, a very ordinary everyday young woman, rather slight in form, leaning to eccentricity in dress, masculine in her tastes and ideas, and a man hater from 'way back. That may sound strange, but it is true nevertheless. Beyond business relations with the male sex "Nellie Ely" had at that time no further use for them. All her love was extended to her mother, and to make that mother comfortable and happy was the one thought that actuated her in every undertaking.
In the pursuance of this ambition she has endured what would drive almost any other woman wild with shame, mortification or chagrin. The basest motives were at times attributed to her by thoughtless and brutal carpers and cynics. She was declared unwomanly, unmaidenly, bold, presumptuous, by men, and brazen and forward by her sister women. While it is true that the vast majority of persons who felt an interest in her novel and original line of work entertained only the kindest sympathy for her, the very nature of her occupation subjected her constantly to the crudest kind of unthinking animadversion.
* * * * * "Nellie Bly" is a Pittsburg girl by birth. Her first attempt to gain a livelihood with her pen was made early in 1886, on The Pittsburg Dispatch. She had written a communication to that journal on the condition of workingwomen in the city of Pittsburg, and there being something in it that caught the fancy of Mr. Madden, the managing editor, she was requested to send her name and address. With this she complied, and as a result was engaged. It was Mr. Madden who suggested the title of Steven C. Foster's lullaby, "Nellie Bly" as a signature, and at his instance the name, being euphonious and easily remembered, was adopted. The young woman's real name was kept an office secret, and for some months successfully, but The Pittsburg Leader finally discovered and published it. Numerous cognomens were afterwards published in different cities, purporting to reveal the identity of the new woman writer, whose real name is "Pink" Elizabeth Cochrane. Her father, who has been dead for a number of years, was an Associate Judge in one of the oil region towns. "Nellie Bly's" first important mission was a trip to Mexico, where she traveled for six months, learning to speak Spanish with fair fluency in that time. Her letters were published in The Dispatch and attracted attention because of their originality and quaint treatment of old subjects in a new way. "Miss Bly" was honored during this her first practical newspaper experience by a love-lorn Mexican, who became desperately enamored of her, and who thummed his guitar with such savage persistency and wrote so many notes breathing "love or death" that the object of his admiration was obliged for her own peace of mind to take a hasty departure. He was a particularly handsome fellow, this Mexican, and took a solemn vow that the young American should either become his bride or he would convert himself into a cold, clammy corpse. Whether he carried out his latter alternative or not was never learned. At all events he missed making good the first section of his oath.
***** When "Miss Bly" returned to Pittsburg, she was put in charge of the society column of The Dispatch, alternating this work with writing theatrical notices and criticisms, and in preparing articles on woman's work. With her added experience, these papers attracted attention in New York, and were frequently introduced in the Metropolitan dailies. This gave "Miss Bly" the idea that she could better herself in the bigger city, and she secured a letter of introduction to Joe Howard, Jr., from one of her newspaper friends in Pittsburg. With nothing more definite than this, she said good-bye to her mother, and started out with the full determination to win or die, and, as she has confessed herself, it came nearly being a "die."
Arrived in New York, she presented her letter, and was given several large chunks of fatherly advice and the cheerful opinion that she had made a mistake, and ought to go home. She didn't go, but sought out Foster Coates, managing editor of The Mail and Express, and one of the leading spirits in a newspaper syndicate. It was just at this time that Andrew Carnegie, the millionaire, had taken unto himself a bride, and it was estimated that if "Miss Bly" could interview Mrs. Carnegie, such service might be acceptable. Small hopes were held out that success might attend this effort, as the most experienced New York interviewers had triefl and failed. "Miss Bly" started in, and by perseverance and the exercise of a little feminine diplomacy obtained a very complete and exhaustive talk with the bride, touching upon every subject that would be of interest to women readers.
* * * * *
The news market was not glutted with millionaires' brides, and that field promised no further crop.
Like all beginners in newspaper work in the big city, "Miss Bly" speedily reached that period when it appeared that there was not a single new thing under the sun to write about. She thought and thought and thought, and tried and tried, but met rebuffs at every turn. She was boarding at a modest little boarding house 'way up in Harlem, where the fare was just about generous enough to support life because of the moderate price paid for it. Cheap as this living was, it could not be paid for without an income. The little store of money that the girl had hoarded was becoming rapidly exhausted. She was indebted to her landlady, and could not meet the obligation. To make matters worse, "Miss Bly" one day lost her purse, and with it every dollar she possessed in the world. This misfortune did not discourage her, however, and she was too proud to make her loss known. Every day she walked from six to eight miles, because she had actually no money to pay her carfare. The situation began to look desperate. Days were slipping by, and the board bill was growing. Something had to be done, so without much hope of success letters of introduction were obtained from Joe Howard to every editor in New York. After a great struggle and the exercise of a most extraordinary amount of perseverance, interviews were obtained with the editors or the editors-in-charge of The Herald, The Sun, The Times and The Tribune. Not one of them professed to believe that "Nellie Bly" would be a profitable investment. They had heard of her in a perfunctory way, but they did not believe they had any work which she was capable of doing. The old and favorite method of politely disposing of the applicant by taking her name and address was adopted, and "Miss
Bly" was informed that if her services were needed she would receive a notification by mail.
*****
Then the young woman, who refused to be disheartened, betook herself to the office of The World and secured an audience with Joseph Pulitzer.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Turkey Recipes
Below are a couple of recipes for Turkey from 19th century cookbooks:
The first recipe comes from Riverside Recipe Book ©1890
Roast Turkey.
183. Allow % of a pound of dressed fowl to a man. Pick and clean the turkey well—saving the heart, liver, and gizzard for the stuffing. To prepare the stuffing, take 1-3 bread and soak well in water and squeeze out with the hands. Add 1-3 minced potatoes and 1-5 brown minced onions. Season with pepper, salt and a little sage, thyme or other flavor. Mix well and stuff into the turkey filling the space vacated by the entrails and craw. Sew up the turkey with a strong thread, and bend the wings under the back and tie down to the body. Make a batter, with flour and fat, seasoning it with pepper and salt and rub over the turkey with hand, before placing in the oven. Place in the oven. In about 20 minutes add a little hot water and baste frequently until done. This willigenerally take about 2VZ hours, but depends greatly Upon the particular fowl roasted, as some are small and tender and others large and tough. Turkeys, as a rule, have a dry skin, and it is for that reason that the batter is rubbed on; if the turkey is very fat it may be omitted, but it will do no harm to use it under any circumstances. The above stuffing is the one generally used, but as an alternative the bread may be soaked in oyster juice and the oysters (proportion 1-3) may be used in the preparation. Again the sliced onions may be replaced by chopped celery; or, the bread may be cut into 1%-inch cubes, toasted and used as bread. A little lemon juice may well be added. Sometimes in Spanish countries, the onions or celery are replaced by currants or raisins. This stuffing may be used at any time when stuffing is required. It is equally good for fowl or fish.
To Serve Turkey.
Remove the stuffing and place on the platter; then carve the turkey, cutting the breast pieces as large and thin as possible. Take the breast bone and press into the stuffing on top. Place the legs, wings and finer parts around the stuffing then spread the large white pieces over the whole. Make a little gravy in the pan where the turkey was roasted and pour over. Garnish the dish with greens of some description—water cresses or parsley preferred. Serve hot with cranberry sauce.
The recipe comes from a 1896 publication "The Young Woman's Journal" Vol. 7 Pg. 103
RECIPE FOR COOKING TURKEY.
Select a nice young turkey. Clean and wash thoroughly; wipe dry, as moisture will spoil the stuffing. Take one loaf of stale bread, grated fine; mix into this one teacup of melted butter, and if not moist enough a little water or milk; season with pepper, salt and a little powdered sage, if liked, also onion. Rub all together and fill the turkey, sewing it up so that the stuffing cannot cook out. (We need hardly say that the strings are to be clipped and removed before placing upon the table.) Rub salt on the outside, put in some large vessel to steam, where it will not touch water. Steam till tender, which will require two hours or more, according to size and age.
Remove to your dripping pan, pour in a cup or more of boiling water, and some pieces of butter; baste frequently, till nicely browned, then remove. After taking out the turkey, add flour; stir until brown. Add the giblets (which have been previously steamed with turkey), chopped fine; serve hot.
Elmina S. Taylor.
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Sugar cane in Georgia
The information below is from "Georgia, Historical and Industrial" ©1901
Sugar-Cane.—Sugar-cane yields a handsome profit. A steadily increasing demand for sugar and molasses in the United State makes it certain that there will always be a ready sale for the product of the sugar-cane. Over large areas of the United States sugar and various syrups are being extracted from the beet cultivated for that purpose. But no other known plant equals the sugar or ribbon-cane in its capacity for supplying those two articles of universal consumption. When we consider that from 1880 to 1895 the United States produced only onetenth of the sugar consumed in this country, and paid out $1,500,000,000 for imported sugar, it can be readily seen that there is no immediate danger of overstocking the market. The 20,000 acres in Georgia devoted to the sugar-cane in 1890 produced 1,307,625 pounds of sugar and 3,223,194 gallons of molasses. Some of the best yields were: 700 gallons of syrup to the acre in Bulloch county; 695 gallons in Thomas county; 600 gallons in Brooks county, and 480 gallons in Burke county. Of these counties Burke and Bulloch are in the northern part of the Southern Georgia belt, while Brooks and Thomas are in the extreme south on the Florida line. In Rockdale county in Middle Georgia 600 gallons of cane syrup were the product of one acre of the farm of Hon. W. L. Peek. The growing of sugar-cane and manufacture of syrup in South. Georgia has doubled in two years. Twenty-five thousand barrels of syrup have been sold in one year from a small section of the extreme southern part of Georgia. In the fall of 1899 a gentleman in Tennessee sold 150 barrels of Georgia syrup in six days. A great deal of it has been sold to people in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Boston, who, after mixing it with glucose, put the blended article upon the market as Georgia White Syrup.
The planters are finding out every year that no country on the face of the globe can make as good syrup as Southwest Georgia, and are increasing their acreage. Before many years this industry will equal that of cotton. Pittsburg, Pa., is getting to be a strong market for Georgia syrup. The present estimate is that the sales of Georgia syrup in Pittsburg for the year will amount to 10,000 barrels. A sample of Georgia cane tested by Professor Wm. C. Stubbs of New Orleans, in 1899 showed 16£ per cent, sugar content and not quite one per cent, glucose, with a purity coefficient of nearly 90 per cent. Another sample contained 13J per cent, sucrose (cane sugar), and only 1 and four one-hundredths per cent, of glucose, with a purity coefficient of 81 per cent. This means more than 12 per cent, of sugar available in ordinary mills, and upon a 75 per cent, extraction would be equivalent to 180 pounds of C. P. sugar to the ton of cane, or nearly 200 pounds of commercial sugar as usually made in Louisiana sugar-houses from firsts, seconds and thirds. The better grade of lands with ordinary cultivation and fertilization will yield from twenty to twenty-five tons to the acre, and the same land under the best methods will yield from thirty-five to forty tons to the acre.
Professor Stubbs, already mentioned, is authority for the statement that the price per ton of sugar-cane in Louisiana will average about 80 cents for each cent that prime yellow clarified sugar is worth on the New Orleans market.
Hence, if prime yellow clarified sugar is worth five cents a pound, the price for a ton of cane will be five times eighty cents, or four dollars a ton.
The number of gallons of syrup that can be obtained from a ton of Louisiana cane will depend entirely upon the extraction of the mill and density of juice. A mill getting as high as 75 per cent, extraction, or fifteen hundred pounds of juice to a ton of cane, will give from twentyfive to thirty-five gallons of syrup cooked to a density of 34 degrees Baume. The variation is due to the "total solids" contained in the cane juice. The same statement will apply to Georgia cane.
A complete plant for making syrup can be obtained at several places in the United States. But probably the most improved machinery can be better obtained in New Orleans, where every manufacturer is familiar with its practical use. For an up-to-date factory there is needed a first-class mill with filter presses, clarifiers and evaporators. There are also needed settling tanks, juice tanks and syrup tanks.
Any one who contemplatee embarking in the business of syrup-making, should study the question of sterilization of syrup, which can now be easily dona The syrup, after being sterilized, must be put into sterilized vessels, where it will keep indefinitely, if the work has been well performed.
Soils adapted to cane are those naturally rich and fertile, though upon soils of very moderate fertility, well prepared and fertilized, remunerative crops can be grown. In cane culture climate, rainfall and manures are more important factors than soils. In sandy soils without manures the cane is small. Calcareous soils develop a superior cane, rich in saccharine matter. On rich alluvial soils, not properly drained, the canes are poor in sugar produce, and though they yield a large quantity of syrup, it is not a first-class article.
As to whether the entire cane should be planted or only that portion which is the least fitted for making sugar Dr. W. C. Stubbs of Louisiana says: "It can be positively asserted that the upper third of our canes can be profitably used for planting our crop, and we can send the lower two thirds of our entire crop to the sugar-house, thus increasing largely our sugar yields and diminishing our heavy outlay annually for seed."
Before planting all soils should be well-prepared, properly fertilized, and perfectly drained. It is best to break or flush the land, then bed into rows from five to six feet wide; then open the bed and in this furrow plant the cane. The part of the stalk selected for seed should be deposited in an open furrow and well covered. In the fall this covering should be several inches thick. Remove the extra soil in early spring to secure early germination. The cultivation best for corn land is generally good for sugar-cane. Let there be thorough and deep preparation of the soil; then cultivate rapidly and as shallow as the soil will permit, and "lay by" when canes shade the ground.
The fertilizers for cane should contain enough nitrogenous matter to insure a large growth by September 1st Phosphoric acid is very beneficial to cane. Potash may be demanded upon light sandy soils. Experiments have shown that the limits of prifit in the use of fertilizers are between forty and fifty pounds of nitrogen obtained from cottonseed-meal, and from forty to eighty pounds of phosphoric acid.
If under favorable conditions the above formula is used on our best cane lands in South Georgia, we should obtain from twenty to thirty tons of cane to the acre.
It should be remembered that Georgia was the original cane-growing State of the Union. In 1825 she gave to Louisiana the seed of the ribbon-cane, thus bequeathing to that State a mine of wealth. And now the genial soil of Southern and Middle Georgia offers this same source of wealth to her own people or to the stranger seeking a home within her gates.
The establishing of sugar refineries will greatly promote the interests of the cane growers. There will be no scarcity of capital for such enterprises if sufficient quantities of cane are grown. We predict for the near future the establishment of a number of sugar refineries in South Georgia.
Syrup-making in Georgia commences about the last of October or the first of November, and continues until Christmas. At this season the traveler journeying on a country road will see on almost every farm the smoke issuing from the syrup furnace, an invitation to either neighbor or stranger to enter the home and share the hospitalities to which every one is made to feel welcome in cane-grinding time. Here youths and maidens, with those of riper years, engage in the sports of the holiday season, or seated near the cheerful fire regale themselves with the healthful and delightful beverage extracted from the sugar-cane. At this season of cane-grinding and syrup-making, the sick and feeble recuperate and often find their health again. The negroes, too, both young and old, have their part in the good cheer, and even the stock upon the farm share in the general glee.
The stalks of the cane shredded are worth more as forage than cornstalk or cottonseed-hulls. •
The little, old-time sugar mill on each man's farm ought, in this progressive day, to give place to well equipped, up-to-date syrup mills and sugar refineries. This would transfer the syrup-boiling and sugar-making to the mill, just as cotton is taken to the factory, and not spun upon each farm.
If the most improved methods are used, the cost of extracting the juice from the stalks and converting it into syrup is a mere fraction of a cent per gallon.
It has been estimated that the average farmer can count on getting $120 gross to the acre for syrup, at a general average product of 600 gallons to the acre.
In 1890 the area devoted to sugar-cane in Georgia was 20,238 acres, which produced 1,307,625 pounds of sugar and 3,223,194 gallons of molasses.
In 1890 the area devoted to sorghum in Georgia was 22,089 acres, which produced 1,342,803 gallons of molasses.
CASSAVA.
Recent experiments go to prove that cassava will make a profitable I crop for South Georgia. The species of this plant recommended for Georgia, is the sweet cassava, which does not, like the bitter cassava, require boiling to drive out poisonous juices, but can be fed to stock in its natural state without risk of harm. It also makes a very paltable table vegetable. But its chief excellence consists in the fact that it yields abundance of the best starch. One acre of South Georgia land planted in sweet cassava will yield 4,000 pounds of starch, while the best corn or potato lands in Illinois or Michigan can produce only 1,200 pounds of starch from these vegetables.
Cassava is easily propagated by cuttings of the stem and grows rapidly, attaining maturity in six months. The production is at least sixteen times that of wheat.
When the farmers of South Georgia become thoroughly convinced of its worth and embark extensively in its cultivation, starch factories will be started on every hand. It has been estimated that these will pay five dollars a ton on the cars, at any station within one hundred miles of their factory.
With sugar-cane and sugar refineries, cassava and starch factories, South Georgia possesses grand opportunities for profitable farming.
Sugar-Cane.—Sugar-cane yields a handsome profit. A steadily increasing demand for sugar and molasses in the United State makes it certain that there will always be a ready sale for the product of the sugar-cane. Over large areas of the United States sugar and various syrups are being extracted from the beet cultivated for that purpose. But no other known plant equals the sugar or ribbon-cane in its capacity for supplying those two articles of universal consumption. When we consider that from 1880 to 1895 the United States produced only onetenth of the sugar consumed in this country, and paid out $1,500,000,000 for imported sugar, it can be readily seen that there is no immediate danger of overstocking the market. The 20,000 acres in Georgia devoted to the sugar-cane in 1890 produced 1,307,625 pounds of sugar and 3,223,194 gallons of molasses. Some of the best yields were: 700 gallons of syrup to the acre in Bulloch county; 695 gallons in Thomas county; 600 gallons in Brooks county, and 480 gallons in Burke county. Of these counties Burke and Bulloch are in the northern part of the Southern Georgia belt, while Brooks and Thomas are in the extreme south on the Florida line. In Rockdale county in Middle Georgia 600 gallons of cane syrup were the product of one acre of the farm of Hon. W. L. Peek. The growing of sugar-cane and manufacture of syrup in South. Georgia has doubled in two years. Twenty-five thousand barrels of syrup have been sold in one year from a small section of the extreme southern part of Georgia. In the fall of 1899 a gentleman in Tennessee sold 150 barrels of Georgia syrup in six days. A great deal of it has been sold to people in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Boston, who, after mixing it with glucose, put the blended article upon the market as Georgia White Syrup.
The planters are finding out every year that no country on the face of the globe can make as good syrup as Southwest Georgia, and are increasing their acreage. Before many years this industry will equal that of cotton. Pittsburg, Pa., is getting to be a strong market for Georgia syrup. The present estimate is that the sales of Georgia syrup in Pittsburg for the year will amount to 10,000 barrels. A sample of Georgia cane tested by Professor Wm. C. Stubbs of New Orleans, in 1899 showed 16£ per cent, sugar content and not quite one per cent, glucose, with a purity coefficient of nearly 90 per cent. Another sample contained 13J per cent, sucrose (cane sugar), and only 1 and four one-hundredths per cent, of glucose, with a purity coefficient of 81 per cent. This means more than 12 per cent, of sugar available in ordinary mills, and upon a 75 per cent, extraction would be equivalent to 180 pounds of C. P. sugar to the ton of cane, or nearly 200 pounds of commercial sugar as usually made in Louisiana sugar-houses from firsts, seconds and thirds. The better grade of lands with ordinary cultivation and fertilization will yield from twenty to twenty-five tons to the acre, and the same land under the best methods will yield from thirty-five to forty tons to the acre.
Professor Stubbs, already mentioned, is authority for the statement that the price per ton of sugar-cane in Louisiana will average about 80 cents for each cent that prime yellow clarified sugar is worth on the New Orleans market.
Hence, if prime yellow clarified sugar is worth five cents a pound, the price for a ton of cane will be five times eighty cents, or four dollars a ton.
The number of gallons of syrup that can be obtained from a ton of Louisiana cane will depend entirely upon the extraction of the mill and density of juice. A mill getting as high as 75 per cent, extraction, or fifteen hundred pounds of juice to a ton of cane, will give from twentyfive to thirty-five gallons of syrup cooked to a density of 34 degrees Baume. The variation is due to the "total solids" contained in the cane juice. The same statement will apply to Georgia cane.
A complete plant for making syrup can be obtained at several places in the United States. But probably the most improved machinery can be better obtained in New Orleans, where every manufacturer is familiar with its practical use. For an up-to-date factory there is needed a first-class mill with filter presses, clarifiers and evaporators. There are also needed settling tanks, juice tanks and syrup tanks.
Any one who contemplatee embarking in the business of syrup-making, should study the question of sterilization of syrup, which can now be easily dona The syrup, after being sterilized, must be put into sterilized vessels, where it will keep indefinitely, if the work has been well performed.
Soils adapted to cane are those naturally rich and fertile, though upon soils of very moderate fertility, well prepared and fertilized, remunerative crops can be grown. In cane culture climate, rainfall and manures are more important factors than soils. In sandy soils without manures the cane is small. Calcareous soils develop a superior cane, rich in saccharine matter. On rich alluvial soils, not properly drained, the canes are poor in sugar produce, and though they yield a large quantity of syrup, it is not a first-class article.
As to whether the entire cane should be planted or only that portion which is the least fitted for making sugar Dr. W. C. Stubbs of Louisiana says: "It can be positively asserted that the upper third of our canes can be profitably used for planting our crop, and we can send the lower two thirds of our entire crop to the sugar-house, thus increasing largely our sugar yields and diminishing our heavy outlay annually for seed."
Before planting all soils should be well-prepared, properly fertilized, and perfectly drained. It is best to break or flush the land, then bed into rows from five to six feet wide; then open the bed and in this furrow plant the cane. The part of the stalk selected for seed should be deposited in an open furrow and well covered. In the fall this covering should be several inches thick. Remove the extra soil in early spring to secure early germination. The cultivation best for corn land is generally good for sugar-cane. Let there be thorough and deep preparation of the soil; then cultivate rapidly and as shallow as the soil will permit, and "lay by" when canes shade the ground.
The fertilizers for cane should contain enough nitrogenous matter to insure a large growth by September 1st Phosphoric acid is very beneficial to cane. Potash may be demanded upon light sandy soils. Experiments have shown that the limits of prifit in the use of fertilizers are between forty and fifty pounds of nitrogen obtained from cottonseed-meal, and from forty to eighty pounds of phosphoric acid.
If under favorable conditions the above formula is used on our best cane lands in South Georgia, we should obtain from twenty to thirty tons of cane to the acre.
It should be remembered that Georgia was the original cane-growing State of the Union. In 1825 she gave to Louisiana the seed of the ribbon-cane, thus bequeathing to that State a mine of wealth. And now the genial soil of Southern and Middle Georgia offers this same source of wealth to her own people or to the stranger seeking a home within her gates.
The establishing of sugar refineries will greatly promote the interests of the cane growers. There will be no scarcity of capital for such enterprises if sufficient quantities of cane are grown. We predict for the near future the establishment of a number of sugar refineries in South Georgia.
Syrup-making in Georgia commences about the last of October or the first of November, and continues until Christmas. At this season the traveler journeying on a country road will see on almost every farm the smoke issuing from the syrup furnace, an invitation to either neighbor or stranger to enter the home and share the hospitalities to which every one is made to feel welcome in cane-grinding time. Here youths and maidens, with those of riper years, engage in the sports of the holiday season, or seated near the cheerful fire regale themselves with the healthful and delightful beverage extracted from the sugar-cane. At this season of cane-grinding and syrup-making, the sick and feeble recuperate and often find their health again. The negroes, too, both young and old, have their part in the good cheer, and even the stock upon the farm share in the general glee.
The stalks of the cane shredded are worth more as forage than cornstalk or cottonseed-hulls. •
The little, old-time sugar mill on each man's farm ought, in this progressive day, to give place to well equipped, up-to-date syrup mills and sugar refineries. This would transfer the syrup-boiling and sugar-making to the mill, just as cotton is taken to the factory, and not spun upon each farm.
If the most improved methods are used, the cost of extracting the juice from the stalks and converting it into syrup is a mere fraction of a cent per gallon.
It has been estimated that the average farmer can count on getting $120 gross to the acre for syrup, at a general average product of 600 gallons to the acre.
In 1890 the area devoted to sugar-cane in Georgia was 20,238 acres, which produced 1,307,625 pounds of sugar and 3,223,194 gallons of molasses.
In 1890 the area devoted to sorghum in Georgia was 22,089 acres, which produced 1,342,803 gallons of molasses.
CASSAVA.
Recent experiments go to prove that cassava will make a profitable I crop for South Georgia. The species of this plant recommended for Georgia, is the sweet cassava, which does not, like the bitter cassava, require boiling to drive out poisonous juices, but can be fed to stock in its natural state without risk of harm. It also makes a very paltable table vegetable. But its chief excellence consists in the fact that it yields abundance of the best starch. One acre of South Georgia land planted in sweet cassava will yield 4,000 pounds of starch, while the best corn or potato lands in Illinois or Michigan can produce only 1,200 pounds of starch from these vegetables.
Cassava is easily propagated by cuttings of the stem and grows rapidly, attaining maturity in six months. The production is at least sixteen times that of wheat.
When the farmers of South Georgia become thoroughly convinced of its worth and embark extensively in its cultivation, starch factories will be started on every hand. It has been estimated that these will pay five dollars a ton on the cars, at any station within one hundred miles of their factory.
With sugar-cane and sugar refineries, cassava and starch factories, South Georgia possesses grand opportunities for profitable farming.
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Ice Skating
During the 19th century Ice Skating developed not only as a past time but also as a sport. Speed skating competitions were held as early as 1863 in Norwegian clubs. Figure skating as we're accustomed to it was introduced by Jackson Haines in the mid 1860's he's said to be the "father of modern figure skating."
The actual skates were blades that were strapped on to a person's boot or shoe.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica Juvenile Non fiction ©1890 copied below will help you get a better picture of how the 19th century viewed skating.
SKATING, as at present practised, may be defined as a mode of progression (usually rapid) upon smooth ice, by the aid of steel blades attached to the soles of the feet It probably originated in the far north of Europe, in Scandinavia and Germany, where it is still in common use. In Russia it has never been a national pastime, as no smooth ice is formed in the rapidly running rivers. Even in St Petersburg it is mainly engaged in by English and Germans. The earliest skates appear to have been certain bones of large animals, but wood was also used from an early period.
In modern skating there are two totally distinct styles, which require different skates differently attached to tbe feet, and different extents and qualities of ice. The first, the "running " or "fen" style, simply consists in going straight ahead at the highest possible speed. Its home is on the fiords of Scandinavia, the fens of Lincolnshire, and the large rivers and lakes of North America. In Holland, Denmark, and North America it is the medium tor carrying a large winter market traffic. It first became common in England in 1662 after the return of the Stuarts. The wooden part or stock of a running skate s from 8 to 12 inches long, according to the length of the foot The blade is made of the best steel, with an average width of y6T inch. The heel is at right angles ;o the surface of the ice. The prow begins to rise off the ice at the fore end of the stock, at a gradually increasing angle, and projects 4 inches. The entire skate s attached to the foot by an iron screw in the heel of -he stock which enters the skater's boot heel and two ong straps which pass through slots in the stock and asten round the ankle and toes of the skater. The length of the heel strap varies from 22 to 32 inches, and that of he toe strap from 15 to 23 inches. Formerly the bottoms of the blades were fluted. A concavity is now effected by grinding; and, when in motion, the blade is rarely flat on the ice. The curve should be slight, and the depth no greater than will ensure a curve being made without touching the ice. The feet are placed at right angles to each other with the toes turned out1 and the body bent slightly forward. Each foot is then raised alternately and set down slightly on the inside edge. It immediately acquires a forward motion, which is increased by pushing with the other foot, that being at right angles and having no sliding motion. The feet must be kept perfectly level when raised and set down, and the skate carried in the Bame manner an inch above the ice when going forward. The forward stroke is made on the outer edge, and the pressure applied to the inner edge of the other foot. The arms are swung across the chest from side to side, and opposite to the direction of the striking leg in order to balance the weight The quickest method of stopping is to place the feet parallel, dig the heels into the ice, and arch the back. A longer but more graceful method is to turn the toes inwards, thus spreading the outside edges athwart the line of going. The feet should never be looked at, as the balance of the body is thereby disturbed. The eye should always be on a line with the horizon.
The fastest skating times recorded, from a standing start, and with no rear wind, have all been made in the United States, at Sew York, as follows:—
(This section is too blurred to copy correctly so I omitted it.)
The second style, termed "figure skating," is quite modern and purely English in its origin. This may be practised on any small pond, provided the ice is clear of snow and perfectly smooth. The more numerous opportunities thus afforded make it the more popular style in Great Britain, where the large streams seldom freeze. Figure skating consists in cutting arcs, circles, figures, letters, serpentines, and spirals,—either forwards or backwards, slowly or rapidly, on one or both feet, singly or in combination. The style can ultimatoly be analysed into four kinds of strokes, all made on the edges of the blade— the inside forward, the outside forward, the inside backward, and the outside backward. The variety of evolutions which can be developed from these four movements ii endless. The figure skate is made entirely of metal, is
strapless and fixed to the boots by clamps or like devices. Unlike the running skate, it can be instantly put on or taken off. Many kinds have been invented, but the " Acme," firs* produced in Canada, is generally acknowledged the best. The blade projects the merest trifle beyond the length of the foot and is rounded off in-an upward direction from the ice at both toe and heel. The bottom i.s J inch wide, and the best curve for grinding it is to that of a sovcnfoot radius, equal throughout and not increased fit cither end. In stopping, the end of one skate is placed at right angles to the other.
Summer skating has been occasionally provided in " glaciariums " by means of artificially produced ice.
The London Skating Club, founded in 1830, ii tho lending skating society of Great Britain. Comprising bnt 170 members, including 20 ladies, and practising on exclusively private water in Hegeut's Park, it countenances figure akating only and gives no oncourngoment whatever to the spread or teaching of a national pastime. The National Skating Association was formed in the year 1879, and, on December 8, held tho first raco for the running championship at Thorney, Cambridgeshire. The objecta of the association are as follows:—
To promote, ascertain, and reward speed In skutlnj*,—by the establishment and management of amatear and open akating championships of England; by stimulating and aupplemenling local action In holding of skating matches; by establishing an order of merit for speed skatcn. and awarding badges for tho Bftme; by assisting In providing facilities for skating by the shallow flooding of land In each locality where local branches exist; and by collecting through corresponding members Information of tho existence of loo on which skating Is practicable, and tho supplying of such Information to Its members; and to promote anil encourage figure skating, by tho establishment of standards at which figure skitters may aim, by bestowing bndges of merit on those who attain tlieso standards, and by promoting and aatUtlng In the formation of skating clubs. To provide rules and regulations for tho gamo of hockey on tho Ico, Also to promote the establishment of International skating contests In various countries. under the direction of an International council.
In the United States and Canada large and shallow artificial ponds under cover, termed "rinks," are in winter frozen by filling them with water. Each uight the surface is covered with a layer of water, which gives a fresh sheet of ice by morning. The coven protect the rinks from snow, another great advantage.
As regards a substitute for ico and ice akating on wooden or asphalt floors, the only invention that has ever been found even partially successful is that of James !.. Plimpton of New York in 1869. The implements may bo described as skatea with two parallel wheels at tho toe and heel, so hung that tho whool axloa are moved out of parallel by the transverse rocking of tho skater's foot, the wheela setting squarely on tho surface whether the skater be upright or cantod. Tho fatigue caused by these "roller skates" is quadruple that of ordinary ice skating.
The actual skates were blades that were strapped on to a person's boot or shoe.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica Juvenile Non fiction ©1890 copied below will help you get a better picture of how the 19th century viewed skating.
SKATING, as at present practised, may be defined as a mode of progression (usually rapid) upon smooth ice, by the aid of steel blades attached to the soles of the feet It probably originated in the far north of Europe, in Scandinavia and Germany, where it is still in common use. In Russia it has never been a national pastime, as no smooth ice is formed in the rapidly running rivers. Even in St Petersburg it is mainly engaged in by English and Germans. The earliest skates appear to have been certain bones of large animals, but wood was also used from an early period.
In modern skating there are two totally distinct styles, which require different skates differently attached to tbe feet, and different extents and qualities of ice. The first, the "running " or "fen" style, simply consists in going straight ahead at the highest possible speed. Its home is on the fiords of Scandinavia, the fens of Lincolnshire, and the large rivers and lakes of North America. In Holland, Denmark, and North America it is the medium tor carrying a large winter market traffic. It first became common in England in 1662 after the return of the Stuarts. The wooden part or stock of a running skate s from 8 to 12 inches long, according to the length of the foot The blade is made of the best steel, with an average width of y6T inch. The heel is at right angles ;o the surface of the ice. The prow begins to rise off the ice at the fore end of the stock, at a gradually increasing angle, and projects 4 inches. The entire skate s attached to the foot by an iron screw in the heel of -he stock which enters the skater's boot heel and two ong straps which pass through slots in the stock and asten round the ankle and toes of the skater. The length of the heel strap varies from 22 to 32 inches, and that of he toe strap from 15 to 23 inches. Formerly the bottoms of the blades were fluted. A concavity is now effected by grinding; and, when in motion, the blade is rarely flat on the ice. The curve should be slight, and the depth no greater than will ensure a curve being made without touching the ice. The feet are placed at right angles to each other with the toes turned out1 and the body bent slightly forward. Each foot is then raised alternately and set down slightly on the inside edge. It immediately acquires a forward motion, which is increased by pushing with the other foot, that being at right angles and having no sliding motion. The feet must be kept perfectly level when raised and set down, and the skate carried in the Bame manner an inch above the ice when going forward. The forward stroke is made on the outer edge, and the pressure applied to the inner edge of the other foot. The arms are swung across the chest from side to side, and opposite to the direction of the striking leg in order to balance the weight The quickest method of stopping is to place the feet parallel, dig the heels into the ice, and arch the back. A longer but more graceful method is to turn the toes inwards, thus spreading the outside edges athwart the line of going. The feet should never be looked at, as the balance of the body is thereby disturbed. The eye should always be on a line with the horizon.
The fastest skating times recorded, from a standing start, and with no rear wind, have all been made in the United States, at Sew York, as follows:—
(This section is too blurred to copy correctly so I omitted it.)
The second style, termed "figure skating," is quite modern and purely English in its origin. This may be practised on any small pond, provided the ice is clear of snow and perfectly smooth. The more numerous opportunities thus afforded make it the more popular style in Great Britain, where the large streams seldom freeze. Figure skating consists in cutting arcs, circles, figures, letters, serpentines, and spirals,—either forwards or backwards, slowly or rapidly, on one or both feet, singly or in combination. The style can ultimatoly be analysed into four kinds of strokes, all made on the edges of the blade— the inside forward, the outside forward, the inside backward, and the outside backward. The variety of evolutions which can be developed from these four movements ii endless. The figure skate is made entirely of metal, is
strapless and fixed to the boots by clamps or like devices. Unlike the running skate, it can be instantly put on or taken off. Many kinds have been invented, but the " Acme," firs* produced in Canada, is generally acknowledged the best. The blade projects the merest trifle beyond the length of the foot and is rounded off in-an upward direction from the ice at both toe and heel. The bottom i.s J inch wide, and the best curve for grinding it is to that of a sovcnfoot radius, equal throughout and not increased fit cither end. In stopping, the end of one skate is placed at right angles to the other.
Summer skating has been occasionally provided in " glaciariums " by means of artificially produced ice.
The London Skating Club, founded in 1830, ii tho lending skating society of Great Britain. Comprising bnt 170 members, including 20 ladies, and practising on exclusively private water in Hegeut's Park, it countenances figure akating only and gives no oncourngoment whatever to the spread or teaching of a national pastime. The National Skating Association was formed in the year 1879, and, on December 8, held tho first raco for the running championship at Thorney, Cambridgeshire. The objecta of the association are as follows:—
To promote, ascertain, and reward speed In skutlnj*,—by the establishment and management of amatear and open akating championships of England; by stimulating and aupplemenling local action In holding of skating matches; by establishing an order of merit for speed skatcn. and awarding badges for tho Bftme; by assisting In providing facilities for skating by the shallow flooding of land In each locality where local branches exist; and by collecting through corresponding members Information of tho existence of loo on which skating Is practicable, and tho supplying of such Information to Its members; and to promote anil encourage figure skating, by tho establishment of standards at which figure skitters may aim, by bestowing bndges of merit on those who attain tlieso standards, and by promoting and aatUtlng In the formation of skating clubs. To provide rules and regulations for tho gamo of hockey on tho Ico, Also to promote the establishment of International skating contests In various countries. under the direction of an International council.
In the United States and Canada large and shallow artificial ponds under cover, termed "rinks," are in winter frozen by filling them with water. Each uight the surface is covered with a layer of water, which gives a fresh sheet of ice by morning. The coven protect the rinks from snow, another great advantage.
As regards a substitute for ico and ice akating on wooden or asphalt floors, the only invention that has ever been found even partially successful is that of James !.. Plimpton of New York in 1869. The implements may bo described as skatea with two parallel wheels at tho toe and heel, so hung that tho whool axloa are moved out of parallel by the transverse rocking of tho skater's foot, the wheela setting squarely on tho surface whether the skater be upright or cantod. Tho fatigue caused by these "roller skates" is quadruple that of ordinary ice skating.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Christmas Cookies
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
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.
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
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.
Saturday, September 24, 2016
German's Mining in Colorado
There were three boom period representing Pikes Peak, gold fever 1859, the silver discoveries in Leadville in the late 70's and in 1890 the gold discoveries in Cripple Creek. In Colorado with the influx of immigrants because of the lore of gold, the German's being a rather thrifty sort would find their gold, make their pile and invest in other enterprises. Of course, not all German's stopped mining but they tended to help settle the area after the gold rushes had run their course.
Some would find nothing and turn to farming. Colorado didn't have much rainfall and the need for irrigation farming took route. Soon irrigation companies started to spring up and this increased production of the farms. Then other businesses of irrigation systems and constructing canals and water supply and storage started to spring up.
Eventually the territory moved forward enough to become a state. Now, Germans were not the only folks who came to Colorado but they were the focus of an article that I read and thought I'd share these tidbits with you.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming was established in 1867 mainly due to the expansion of the transcontinental railroad. The nickname for the town's founding was "hell on wheels." 4000 wild and rowdy men came into town quickly. Half of the town's businesses were saloons. It took a few years for the town to settle down and become respectable. In 1880 they had revamped their image. It became a wealthy town from Cattle Barons. Arts & Culture moved in. IN 1890, when Wyoming became a state, Cheyenne became the capitol. By 1893 large churches were being completed. Oddly enough by 1897 the cow barons were gone and the town folk were feeling nostalgic for the good old days and started the tradition of Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Below is a link to a photo of Cheyenne in 1876
1876 Cheyenne Wyoming
Note the order to the buildings, streets and pens for the cattle.
Below is a link to a photo of Cheyenne in 1876
1876 Cheyenne Wyoming
Note the order to the buildings, streets and pens for the cattle.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Jesus Only
The words for this hymn are from Albert B. Simpson ©1890. Albert Simpson is the founder of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. He believed in the fullness of Christ through what he called the Fourfold Gospel: Jesus Christ our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. He also believed strongly in the need to send missionaries out to a lost and perishing world. Simpson wasn't seeking to start a denomination but merely a tool to send missionaries out with the Gospel message to all peoples.
Below are the lyrics to Jesus Only
Jesus only is our message,
Jesus all our theme shall be;
We will lift up Jesus ever,
Jesus only will we see.
Refrain
Jesus only, Jesus ever,
Jesus all in all we sing,
Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer,
Glorious Lord and coming King.
Jesus only is our Savior,
All our guilt He bore away,
All our righteousness He gives us,
All our strength from day to day.
Refrain
Jesus is our Sanctifier,
Cleansing us from self and sin,
And with all His Spirit’s fullness,
Filling all our hearts within.
Refrain
Jesus only is our Healer,
All our sicknesses He bare,
And His risen life and fullness,
All His members still may share.
Refrain
Jesus only is our Power,
He the Gift of Pentecost,
Jesus, breathe Thy pow’r upon us,
Fill us with the Holy Ghost.
Refrain
And for Jesus we are waiting,
List’ning for the advent call;
But ’twill still be Jesus only,
Jesus ever, all in all.
Refrain
Below are the lyrics to Jesus Only
Jesus only is our message,
Jesus all our theme shall be;
We will lift up Jesus ever,
Jesus only will we see.
Refrain
Jesus only, Jesus ever,
Jesus all in all we sing,
Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer,
Glorious Lord and coming King.
Jesus only is our Savior,
All our guilt He bore away,
All our righteousness He gives us,
All our strength from day to day.
Refrain
Jesus is our Sanctifier,
Cleansing us from self and sin,
And with all His Spirit’s fullness,
Filling all our hearts within.
Refrain
Jesus only is our Healer,
All our sicknesses He bare,
And His risen life and fullness,
All His members still may share.
Refrain
Jesus only is our Power,
He the Gift of Pentecost,
Jesus, breathe Thy pow’r upon us,
Fill us with the Holy Ghost.
Refrain
And for Jesus we are waiting,
List’ning for the advent call;
But ’twill still be Jesus only,
Jesus ever, all in all.
Refrain
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Dental Work Crowns
I stumbled on this tidbit of dental history quite by chance. I'm taking the time to post it because the information surprised me, I suppose it shouldn't but it did. And because of this I thought it best to pass this information along. Are you aware in the Southern Dental Journal of 1890 there is an article about capping root canals? Yup, that surprised me too.
The details were in how to make this cap what we call a crown today. I'm not a dentist but the process seemed very familiar to the crowns currently in my mouth. The article concluded with a comment that Natural Enamel for inlays is what Dr. R. Heid, of Paris, is using.
The details were in how to make this cap what we call a crown today. I'm not a dentist but the process seemed very familiar to the crowns currently in my mouth. The article concluded with a comment that Natural Enamel for inlays is what Dr. R. Heid, of Paris, is using.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Enameled Cast Iron Tub
In 1883 the first cast iron clawfoot bath tub was introduced. The process of enameling the cast iron tub was developed to provide a smooth, easy to clean surface for the tub.
By 1890 production of enameled sinks were being advertised.
By 1896 a company named Lodge sold enameled covered cast iron pots. This same company today still produces many cast iron products.
The above dates are a historical marker of some of the events revolving around the process of enameling cast iron. The process actually dates back to 1850, with regard to commercial uses of enameling iron. Prior to that it was used in art and enameling porcelain dates hundreds of years before that.
By 1890 production of enameled sinks were being advertised.
By 1896 a company named Lodge sold enameled covered cast iron pots. This same company today still produces many cast iron products.
The above dates are a historical marker of some of the events revolving around the process of enameling cast iron. The process actually dates back to 1850, with regard to commercial uses of enameling iron. Prior to that it was used in art and enameling porcelain dates hundreds of years before that.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
A Boy's Town
I've been reading from A Boy's Town by W. D. Howells ©1890. In this story he's recounting the days of his youth, the games he played, the things he and his friends did to occupy their time and the innocence of youth with the belief that the world totally revolved around themselves. It's a great read and I would encourage you to read over it if you're interested in writing during 1840's, and setting a story by a river.
Below is a brief description of the river the author writes in his story "A Boy's Town" for Harpers Young People
But the spring, short as it was, had its great attractions, and chief of these was the freshnet which it brought to the river. They would hear somehow that the river was rising, and then the boys, who had never connected its rise with the rains they must have been having, would all go down to its banks and watch the swelling waters. These would be yellow and thick and the boiling current would have smooth, oily eddies, where pieces of drift would whirl round and round, and then escape and slip down the stream. There were saw-logs and whole trees with their branching tops, lengths of fence and hen-coops and pig-pens; once there was a stable; and if the flood continued, there began to come swollen bodies of horses and cattle. This must have meant serious loss to the people living on the river-bottoms above, but the boys counted it all gain. They cheered the objects as they floated by, and they were breathless with the excitement of seeing the men who caught fence-rails and cord-wood, and even saw-logs, with iron prongs at the points of long poles, as they stood on some jutting point of the shore and stretched far out over the flood. The boys exulted in the turbid spread of the stream, which filled its low western banks and stole over their tops, and washed into all the hollow places along its shores, and shone among the trunks of the sycamores on Delorac's Island, which was almost of geographical importance of The Island in Old River.
Below is a brief description of the river the author writes in his story "A Boy's Town" for Harpers Young People
But the spring, short as it was, had its great attractions, and chief of these was the freshnet which it brought to the river. They would hear somehow that the river was rising, and then the boys, who had never connected its rise with the rains they must have been having, would all go down to its banks and watch the swelling waters. These would be yellow and thick and the boiling current would have smooth, oily eddies, where pieces of drift would whirl round and round, and then escape and slip down the stream. There were saw-logs and whole trees with their branching tops, lengths of fence and hen-coops and pig-pens; once there was a stable; and if the flood continued, there began to come swollen bodies of horses and cattle. This must have meant serious loss to the people living on the river-bottoms above, but the boys counted it all gain. They cheered the objects as they floated by, and they were breathless with the excitement of seeing the men who caught fence-rails and cord-wood, and even saw-logs, with iron prongs at the points of long poles, as they stood on some jutting point of the shore and stretched far out over the flood. The boys exulted in the turbid spread of the stream, which filled its low western banks and stole over their tops, and washed into all the hollow places along its shores, and shone among the trunks of the sycamores on Delorac's Island, which was almost of geographical importance of The Island in Old River.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Census
In researching family genealogies I've discovered the valuable uses of censuses. But in the 19th century there were very new. The first census in the U.S. was in 1790.
2nd 1800 It counted Men under 10, M10 & Under 16, M 16 & under 26, M 26 & Under 45, M 45 & up as well as the same for Females. It also listed the Names of Heads of families
3rd 1810
4th 1820
5th 1830
6th 1840
7th 1850 This census marked a change they attempted to count every member of the household including women, children & slaves.
8th 1860 This census counted American Indians
9th 1870
10th 1880 This census allowed women to be enumerators.
11th 1890 Announced that the frontier region of the U.S. no longer existed. So, it was no longer needed to track westward migration. This census was also notable for the use of the tabulating machine, reducing the time to tabulate the census from 7 years to 2.5.
2nd 1800 It counted Men under 10, M10 & Under 16, M 16 & under 26, M 26 & Under 45, M 45 & up as well as the same for Females. It also listed the Names of Heads of families
3rd 1810
4th 1820
5th 1830
6th 1840
7th 1850 This census marked a change they attempted to count every member of the household including women, children & slaves.
8th 1860 This census counted American Indians
9th 1870
10th 1880 This census allowed women to be enumerators.
11th 1890 Announced that the frontier region of the U.S. no longer existed. So, it was no longer needed to track westward migration. This census was also notable for the use of the tabulating machine, reducing the time to tabulate the census from 7 years to 2.5.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Sex of Eggs
Okay this is a rather strange tidbit but in Dr. Chase's Recipes ©1866 I found this tidbit:
The Sex Op Eggs.—Mr. Genin lately addressed the Academy des Sciences, France, on the subject of the sex of eggs. He affirms that he is now able, after having studied the subject for upwards of three years, to state with assurance that the eggs containing the germ of males, have wrinkles on their smaller ends, while female eggs are emooth at the extremities.
While on the subject of eggs, you will excuse me for putting in a couple of items more which appropriately belong to other departments:
The above tidbit had me searching for more information on this during the 19th Century. I came up with this next tidbit from "The Book of the Farm" ©1890:
Sex of Eggs.—It has been said that the position of the cell that contains the air in an egg determines the sex of the chick — if the cell occupies the exact apex of the end, which is always the large end, the chick will be a male; and if on one side of the apex, it will be a female. But this cannot be accepted as being reliable, nor can any of the other numerous supposed methods for predetermining the sex of eggs.
Hens are required to lay eggs for the dealers of eggs, and young cocks are required for the dealers of fowls, and for converting into capons. Both businesses are carried on by different persons, and .hence the utility of determining the sex of eggs. M. G6nin says, that as the female skeleton of a fowl contains smooth bone, and that of the male rough, so the male egg is wrinkled at the small end, and the female is smooth at both ends. This is the result after three years' experience.
But all the indulged notions as to determining the sex of eggs, and regulating sex in breeding, have, in the case of poultry as of other animals, been proved over and over again to be fallacious. We take it that this is a law wisely kept beyond the knowledge and control of man.
The matter of sex of the egg is of no importance on a farm, as good chickens of both sexes are valuable as an article of food.
I point out these two tidbits as a reason to search further, know your time period, know what was proven to be a fallacy or just an oddity. Then have fun with it.
The Sex Op Eggs.—Mr. Genin lately addressed the Academy des Sciences, France, on the subject of the sex of eggs. He affirms that he is now able, after having studied the subject for upwards of three years, to state with assurance that the eggs containing the germ of males, have wrinkles on their smaller ends, while female eggs are emooth at the extremities.
While on the subject of eggs, you will excuse me for putting in a couple of items more which appropriately belong to other departments:
The above tidbit had me searching for more information on this during the 19th Century. I came up with this next tidbit from "The Book of the Farm" ©1890:
Sex of Eggs.—It has been said that the position of the cell that contains the air in an egg determines the sex of the chick — if the cell occupies the exact apex of the end, which is always the large end, the chick will be a male; and if on one side of the apex, it will be a female. But this cannot be accepted as being reliable, nor can any of the other numerous supposed methods for predetermining the sex of eggs.
Hens are required to lay eggs for the dealers of eggs, and young cocks are required for the dealers of fowls, and for converting into capons. Both businesses are carried on by different persons, and .hence the utility of determining the sex of eggs. M. G6nin says, that as the female skeleton of a fowl contains smooth bone, and that of the male rough, so the male egg is wrinkled at the small end, and the female is smooth at both ends. This is the result after three years' experience.
But all the indulged notions as to determining the sex of eggs, and regulating sex in breeding, have, in the case of poultry as of other animals, been proved over and over again to be fallacious. We take it that this is a law wisely kept beyond the knowledge and control of man.
The matter of sex of the egg is of no importance on a farm, as good chickens of both sexes are valuable as an article of food.
I point out these two tidbits as a reason to search further, know your time period, know what was proven to be a fallacy or just an oddity. Then have fun with it.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Clam Recipes
Clams were being canned during the 19th Century, which allowed people not living on coast access to them. Below are some recipes from the era.
Clam Fritters.
Two dozen clams chopped. Stir into them three well beaten eggs and three tablespoonsful of their own liquor; add flour enough to make a thin batter; fry in a spider in hot butter and lard. When brown on one side, turn the other side.
Margery Daw in the Kitchen.
Source: Riverside Recipe Book ©1890
Clam Cocktails
Select firm, small, round tomatoes, scald, peel them, chill on ice, remove the centers, drain and chill again. For six persons allow three dozen little neck clams. Mix together six tablespoons of lemon juice, six tablespoons of tomato catsup, one third of teaspoon of a teaspoonful of tabasco sauce and one and a half teaspoonfuls of salt. Into each tomato cup put half a dozen clams, add two tablespoons of dressing and serve each on a lettuce leaf.
Source: Table Talk ©1899
CLAMS A LA NEWBURG.
One pint raw clams, take out the soft part, remove the black end and chop the tough parts very fine.
Put one tablespoon of butter in a stew pan with one-half teaspoon salt and a salt spoon of paprika, add the clams and simmer ten minutes. Then add two tablespoons of sherry and the soft part. Beat yolks of two eggs, mix with half a cup of cream, and stir in quickly and remove as soon as the egg thickens.
SCALLOPED CLAMS.
Cook one-fourth cup of soft bread crumbs in half cup milk, and when thick add one tablespoon butter, one salt spoon of salt and pepper, one teaspoon chopped parsley, and one dozen large clams chopped fine. Sift in the
yolks of two hard boiled eggs, and then the whites, using a potato ricer. Fill large clean shells with the mixture, cover with buttered cracker crumbs and bake until brown.
CLAM FRITTERS.
Chop twelve large raw clams very fine, season them with salt and black pepper and stir in half a cup of flour, and two well beaten eggs. When well mixed add more flour if too thin, then drop by tablespoonfuls into hot lard, and when brown skim out, drain on paper and serve.
CLAM SALAD.
Procure clams in the shell, wash and scrub thoroughly and steam until shells open, using only half a cup of water or enough to keep them from
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"burning. When cool enough to handle, remove from the shell, strip off the dark membranes, cut off the black end, and separate the soft body from the tough strap. Chop that fine, then mix and set away to cool. Dress them with a French dressing made quite acid, and serve with lettuce.
CLAM AND POTATO SALAD.
Prepare as for the former recipe, but use only the tough part chopped fine. Use twice as much sliced potato, and the yolk of one hard boiled egg and one teaspoon of sliced onion for each cup of potato. Season highly with salt and black pepper, then pour on as much oil as the potato will absorb, and half as much vinegar as oil.
Or omit the egg and oil, and moisten with a boiled dressing.
CLAM BOUILLON.
Select clams in the shell, wash and scrub thoroughly and change the water until clean. Put them in a kettle with a pint of cold water for half a peck of clams. Cover tightly and let them cook until the shells open. Skim out the clams, pour off the liquor carefully into a pitcher, and let it stand until clear. Then pour off again from the sediment, and if too strong dilute it with water as desired, and to each quart of liquid, add the white and crumbled shell of one egg, and a little pepper.
Place over the fire and let it boil five minutes, constantly stirring until the egg has thickened. Draw it back and when it is clear, strain it carefully. Serve hot or cold, in cups with whipped cream and wafers.
Recipes for Clam Chowder, Fritters and Steamed Clams were given in the August, '95, number, page 238; Cream of Clams in May, '96; Clam Frappe, June, '97; Gam Juice and Puree in January, '98; Clam Fritters and Clam Soup in March, '98.
Source: Everyday Housekeeping ©1898
Clam soup is a common dish in America. Clam is a shell-fish, in shape like our oyster, and tins of clams can now be bought in England. For clam soup, take twenty-five chopped clams, to their liquor add two quarts of water, and boil slowly for an hour, and then add a quart of milk; mix five tablespoonfuls of flour, with a good-sized piece of butter, and stir gently into the broth, then beat up three eggs, and add them carefully, or the soup will curdle, for which reason the milk must be warmed separately before it is added to the broth; now strain out the clams to make it clear, and serve at once. Pepper, salt, and a little chopped parsley should be added before the milk is poured into the broth.
Source: The Girl's Own Indoor Book ©1892
Clam Fritters.
Two dozen clams chopped. Stir into them three well beaten eggs and three tablespoonsful of their own liquor; add flour enough to make a thin batter; fry in a spider in hot butter and lard. When brown on one side, turn the other side.
Margery Daw in the Kitchen.
Source: Riverside Recipe Book ©1890
Clam Cocktails
Select firm, small, round tomatoes, scald, peel them, chill on ice, remove the centers, drain and chill again. For six persons allow three dozen little neck clams. Mix together six tablespoons of lemon juice, six tablespoons of tomato catsup, one third of teaspoon of a teaspoonful of tabasco sauce and one and a half teaspoonfuls of salt. Into each tomato cup put half a dozen clams, add two tablespoons of dressing and serve each on a lettuce leaf.
Source: Table Talk ©1899
CLAMS A LA NEWBURG.
One pint raw clams, take out the soft part, remove the black end and chop the tough parts very fine.
Put one tablespoon of butter in a stew pan with one-half teaspoon salt and a salt spoon of paprika, add the clams and simmer ten minutes. Then add two tablespoons of sherry and the soft part. Beat yolks of two eggs, mix with half a cup of cream, and stir in quickly and remove as soon as the egg thickens.
SCALLOPED CLAMS.
Cook one-fourth cup of soft bread crumbs in half cup milk, and when thick add one tablespoon butter, one salt spoon of salt and pepper, one teaspoon chopped parsley, and one dozen large clams chopped fine. Sift in the
yolks of two hard boiled eggs, and then the whites, using a potato ricer. Fill large clean shells with the mixture, cover with buttered cracker crumbs and bake until brown.
CLAM FRITTERS.
Chop twelve large raw clams very fine, season them with salt and black pepper and stir in half a cup of flour, and two well beaten eggs. When well mixed add more flour if too thin, then drop by tablespoonfuls into hot lard, and when brown skim out, drain on paper and serve.
CLAM SALAD.
Procure clams in the shell, wash and scrub thoroughly and steam until shells open, using only half a cup of water or enough to keep them from
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"burning. When cool enough to handle, remove from the shell, strip off the dark membranes, cut off the black end, and separate the soft body from the tough strap. Chop that fine, then mix and set away to cool. Dress them with a French dressing made quite acid, and serve with lettuce.
CLAM AND POTATO SALAD.
Prepare as for the former recipe, but use only the tough part chopped fine. Use twice as much sliced potato, and the yolk of one hard boiled egg and one teaspoon of sliced onion for each cup of potato. Season highly with salt and black pepper, then pour on as much oil as the potato will absorb, and half as much vinegar as oil.
Or omit the egg and oil, and moisten with a boiled dressing.
CLAM BOUILLON.
Select clams in the shell, wash and scrub thoroughly and change the water until clean. Put them in a kettle with a pint of cold water for half a peck of clams. Cover tightly and let them cook until the shells open. Skim out the clams, pour off the liquor carefully into a pitcher, and let it stand until clear. Then pour off again from the sediment, and if too strong dilute it with water as desired, and to each quart of liquid, add the white and crumbled shell of one egg, and a little pepper.
Place over the fire and let it boil five minutes, constantly stirring until the egg has thickened. Draw it back and when it is clear, strain it carefully. Serve hot or cold, in cups with whipped cream and wafers.
Recipes for Clam Chowder, Fritters and Steamed Clams were given in the August, '95, number, page 238; Cream of Clams in May, '96; Clam Frappe, June, '97; Gam Juice and Puree in January, '98; Clam Fritters and Clam Soup in March, '98.
Source: Everyday Housekeeping ©1898
Clam soup is a common dish in America. Clam is a shell-fish, in shape like our oyster, and tins of clams can now be bought in England. For clam soup, take twenty-five chopped clams, to their liquor add two quarts of water, and boil slowly for an hour, and then add a quart of milk; mix five tablespoonfuls of flour, with a good-sized piece of butter, and stir gently into the broth, then beat up three eggs, and add them carefully, or the soup will curdle, for which reason the milk must be warmed separately before it is added to the broth; now strain out the clams to make it clear, and serve at once. Pepper, salt, and a little chopped parsley should be added before the milk is poured into the broth.
Source: The Girl's Own Indoor Book ©1892
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Catfish Part 2
I decided to include this additional tidbit regarding the catfish. Hopefully you'll find this useful for your novels or general knowledge.
Here's a list of the various kinds of catfish and some descriptions about them.
The Common Catfish
The Brown Catfish
Description. Head flattened, with a granular surface above; its length compared to the total length, is as one to four and a half. The upper jaw slightly the longest. Lateral line slightly concave under the dorsal fin, and then straight. Breadth of the head slightly less than its length. Eyes small, two-tenths of an inch in diameter, and far apart. Nostrils double; the posterior pair half an inch apart, patent, oval, with an erectile cirrus on their anterior margins ; the anterior pair subtubular, and near the edge of the jaws. A long cirrus, stout and fleshy at its base, at each angle of the jaws, and an inch and a half long. A pair of slender cirri 0-6 long, on the summit of the head; four others under the lower jaw, arranged in a curved line an inch in extent; the internal pair shortest, and all slender. Humeral bone with a blunt spine over the pectoral, and a short obtuse angular projection beneath. Mouth very ample and dilatable. A band of small recurved teeth in each jaw, broadest in the centre, and diminishing to a point on the sides. Vomer and palatines smooth. Two rounded patches of minute recurved teeth in the upper pharyngeals; opposite to them, a few scattering minute teeth.
The dorsal fin commences half an inch posterior to a point vertical to the origin of the peetorals, subquadrate, and a little more than an inch high. Its first ray is a robust spine, slightly serrated on its posterior margin, and much shorter than the remaining rays. Adipose fin rounded, and opposite the termination of the anal fin. Pectorals placed low down, and in advance of the posterior angle of the opercle; its spine stout and pointed, with its anterior and posterior margins serrated, and its upper and under surfaces corrugated: the spine is shorter than the four following rays. Ventrals somewhat pointed, and originate at a point three-tenths of an inch behind the end of the first dorsal. Anal fin with seventeen rays, an inch and a half long, and six-tenths of an inch high. Caudal fin slightly but distinctly emarginate ; the accessory rays indistinct. Vent with a double orifice.
Color. A uniform dusky brown above, approaching to black ; beneath bluish white. Fins and cirri black ; the former tinged with red.
The Black Catfish
Characteristics. Black. Adipose dorsal long and slender; the rays of the fins passing beyond the membrane. Caudal emarginate, ro'und, with numerous accessory rays. Length four to eight inches.
Description. Surface smooth and sealeless. Lateral line distinct, nearly straight, slightly convex under the dorsal fin. Head depressed, sloping. The barbels, in number and arrangement, resemble those of the preceding species. Lips fleshy, with minute punctures. Teeth in the jaws minute, long, conical and crowded. Tongue smooth. Humeral bone with a long concealed spine above the pectoral, and a short blunt rudimentary process directed downward at the upper angle of the branchial aperture.
The dorsal fin higher than long, arising midway between the pectorals and ventrals; the first ray an acute triangular spine ; its anterior surfaces marked with oblique rugze or wrinkles ; its anterior edge smooth; a small accessory bone at its anterior base; six soft rays, the first and second longest. The adipose dorsal as far from the last rays of the first dorsal, as the anterior ray of that fin is from the end of the snout; long and slender, rounded, and laciniate at the tips. The pectoral fins nearly on the plane of the abdomen, and anterior to the upper angle of the branchial aperture, containing one spinous and seven branched rays: the spinous ray robust, triangular, slightly curved, with its anterior edge roughened, and its sides channelled as in the spine of the first dorsal; a small filamentous ray is connected with it, its posterior edges with decurved spines; the second, third and fourth rays somewhat longer than the spines. Ventrals small and feeble, pointed, their tips scarcely reaching the third anal ray; the third and fourth rays longest. Anal fin long; the first four successively longer, when they become subequal to the last four or five rays, when they gradually diminish in length. Caudal slightly emarginate, rounded at the tips.
Color. Deep black, occasionally blackish brown above and on the sides ; ashen grey beneath.
The Blue Catfish of Ohio and the Lakes.
The Yellow Catfish
The Channel Catfish
The Mud Catfish, recognized by the scarified and clouded appearance of its skin.
The small Black Bullhead of the northern streams and lakes.
Young Catfish, with the rudiments of an adipose fin.
Source: Reptiles & Amphibia ©1842
Bull-head. Black Catfish. Horned Pout. Small Catfish. Schuylkill Cat,
Adipose fin free posteriorly; head flat, wedge shaped; skin thick; branchiostegals, eight to eleven; dorsal fin higher than long, with six branched rays; lateral line incomplete; caudal fin truncate; color varies from nearly black to yellowish; anal fin about twenty-one rays. Length, 18 inches.
"This fine species is not frequently met with, and only in the rivers, where occasionally specimens are captured, associated with the following common species."
Long-jawed Cat. Common Catfish.
Lower jaw projects beyond the upper; head longer than broad and narrowed in front; profile steep and convex; color dark reddish or blackish; size of foregoing.
This is the most abundant species of the catfish found in the State. It is a lover of quiet waters, with a deep deposit of mud on the bottom of the stream. It would not be a misnomer to designate it as the ' mud ' catfish. They afford moderate sport to the angler, and, except in July and August, are a fair article of food. They are less abundant in the smaller creeks of the northern part of the State."
A. natalis, Le S., var. cupreus, Jord. (Silurus lividus, Raf.-, &c.) Yellow Cat. Chubby Cat.
Body stout, with large head; upper jaw projecting; color yellowish brown. This may possibly occur in the valley of the Delaware, but it is difficult to distinguish species so variable.
White Catfish. Channel Cat of the Potomac.
Body slender, compressed; head conical; branchiostegals eight to nine; six rays in dorsal fin; caudal deeply forked; mouth rather narrow, upper jaw longer; rays of anal fin about twentyone; pale olive bluish above and silvery below. Length, I8 inches.
Source: New Jersey State Documents ©1890
CATFISH
We do not now appreciate our several varieties of catfish. But coming generations will do so. The- fish is valuable for food. Some of the smaller varieties, living in running waters, being as delicate as any of our native fish. As is known to all our people, the catfish is extremely hardy and thrives in all our waters. To propagate him, it is only necessary to put the proper variety in waters suited to him, and then give such waters reasonable protection. The Mississippi river and its tributaries is the home of the catfish. The largest catfish of which I have authentic information, weighed 196 pounds, and was caught in the Mississippi, near St. Louis. My authority is M. B. Curtis, the oldest fish dealer of St. Louis. The largest catfish which came under my personal observation was caught in the Mississippi river, near St. Louis, in 1879, and was presented to Professor Spencer F. Baird, for the National Museum, by the Missouri Fish Commission. It weighed 150 pounds, and, when examined, proved to be an undescribed species. It has been named by Professors Jordan and Gilbert, lctal-ur'us pondero-sus—Bean—Great catfish. They think this variety of catfish attains a larger size than any other.
There are small varieties which never exceed two pounds in weight, and probably much less. The Missourian who visits the magnificent Fairmount Park of Philadelphia, is amused to read the signs on the little resturants by the roadside, “catfish and waffles," showing the dish to be a delicacy in the estimation of the inhabitants of the Quaker City. Catfish spawn in spring and summer. The eggs are deposited in lumps or masses, varying in size from a small marble to a hen’s egg. The spawn and young fry are carefully guarded by the parent fish until able to care for themselves. From experiments made by Col. Marshall McDonald, Assistant U. S. Fish Commissioner, at '1 Commissioner for Virginia, he concludes that the male acts as guar. . This care by the parent, and the formidable spines, or stickers, with which the catfish is armed. account for his ability to hold his own in our depleted waters. It is a veritable eXemplification of the “survival of the fittest.”
Source: Appendix to the House and Senate Journals ©1885
Here's a list of the various kinds of catfish and some descriptions about them.
The Common Catfish
The Brown Catfish
Description. Head flattened, with a granular surface above; its length compared to the total length, is as one to four and a half. The upper jaw slightly the longest. Lateral line slightly concave under the dorsal fin, and then straight. Breadth of the head slightly less than its length. Eyes small, two-tenths of an inch in diameter, and far apart. Nostrils double; the posterior pair half an inch apart, patent, oval, with an erectile cirrus on their anterior margins ; the anterior pair subtubular, and near the edge of the jaws. A long cirrus, stout and fleshy at its base, at each angle of the jaws, and an inch and a half long. A pair of slender cirri 0-6 long, on the summit of the head; four others under the lower jaw, arranged in a curved line an inch in extent; the internal pair shortest, and all slender. Humeral bone with a blunt spine over the pectoral, and a short obtuse angular projection beneath. Mouth very ample and dilatable. A band of small recurved teeth in each jaw, broadest in the centre, and diminishing to a point on the sides. Vomer and palatines smooth. Two rounded patches of minute recurved teeth in the upper pharyngeals; opposite to them, a few scattering minute teeth.
The dorsal fin commences half an inch posterior to a point vertical to the origin of the peetorals, subquadrate, and a little more than an inch high. Its first ray is a robust spine, slightly serrated on its posterior margin, and much shorter than the remaining rays. Adipose fin rounded, and opposite the termination of the anal fin. Pectorals placed low down, and in advance of the posterior angle of the opercle; its spine stout and pointed, with its anterior and posterior margins serrated, and its upper and under surfaces corrugated: the spine is shorter than the four following rays. Ventrals somewhat pointed, and originate at a point three-tenths of an inch behind the end of the first dorsal. Anal fin with seventeen rays, an inch and a half long, and six-tenths of an inch high. Caudal fin slightly but distinctly emarginate ; the accessory rays indistinct. Vent with a double orifice.
Color. A uniform dusky brown above, approaching to black ; beneath bluish white. Fins and cirri black ; the former tinged with red.
The Black Catfish
Characteristics. Black. Adipose dorsal long and slender; the rays of the fins passing beyond the membrane. Caudal emarginate, ro'und, with numerous accessory rays. Length four to eight inches.
Description. Surface smooth and sealeless. Lateral line distinct, nearly straight, slightly convex under the dorsal fin. Head depressed, sloping. The barbels, in number and arrangement, resemble those of the preceding species. Lips fleshy, with minute punctures. Teeth in the jaws minute, long, conical and crowded. Tongue smooth. Humeral bone with a long concealed spine above the pectoral, and a short blunt rudimentary process directed downward at the upper angle of the branchial aperture.
The dorsal fin higher than long, arising midway between the pectorals and ventrals; the first ray an acute triangular spine ; its anterior surfaces marked with oblique rugze or wrinkles ; its anterior edge smooth; a small accessory bone at its anterior base; six soft rays, the first and second longest. The adipose dorsal as far from the last rays of the first dorsal, as the anterior ray of that fin is from the end of the snout; long and slender, rounded, and laciniate at the tips. The pectoral fins nearly on the plane of the abdomen, and anterior to the upper angle of the branchial aperture, containing one spinous and seven branched rays: the spinous ray robust, triangular, slightly curved, with its anterior edge roughened, and its sides channelled as in the spine of the first dorsal; a small filamentous ray is connected with it, its posterior edges with decurved spines; the second, third and fourth rays somewhat longer than the spines. Ventrals small and feeble, pointed, their tips scarcely reaching the third anal ray; the third and fourth rays longest. Anal fin long; the first four successively longer, when they become subequal to the last four or five rays, when they gradually diminish in length. Caudal slightly emarginate, rounded at the tips.
Color. Deep black, occasionally blackish brown above and on the sides ; ashen grey beneath.
The Blue Catfish of Ohio and the Lakes.
The Yellow Catfish
The Channel Catfish
The Mud Catfish, recognized by the scarified and clouded appearance of its skin.
The small Black Bullhead of the northern streams and lakes.
Young Catfish, with the rudiments of an adipose fin.
Source: Reptiles & Amphibia ©1842
Bull-head. Black Catfish. Horned Pout. Small Catfish. Schuylkill Cat,
Adipose fin free posteriorly; head flat, wedge shaped; skin thick; branchiostegals, eight to eleven; dorsal fin higher than long, with six branched rays; lateral line incomplete; caudal fin truncate; color varies from nearly black to yellowish; anal fin about twenty-one rays. Length, 18 inches.
"This fine species is not frequently met with, and only in the rivers, where occasionally specimens are captured, associated with the following common species."
Long-jawed Cat. Common Catfish.
Lower jaw projects beyond the upper; head longer than broad and narrowed in front; profile steep and convex; color dark reddish or blackish; size of foregoing.
This is the most abundant species of the catfish found in the State. It is a lover of quiet waters, with a deep deposit of mud on the bottom of the stream. It would not be a misnomer to designate it as the ' mud ' catfish. They afford moderate sport to the angler, and, except in July and August, are a fair article of food. They are less abundant in the smaller creeks of the northern part of the State."
A. natalis, Le S., var. cupreus, Jord. (Silurus lividus, Raf.-, &c.) Yellow Cat. Chubby Cat.
Body stout, with large head; upper jaw projecting; color yellowish brown. This may possibly occur in the valley of the Delaware, but it is difficult to distinguish species so variable.
White Catfish. Channel Cat of the Potomac.
Body slender, compressed; head conical; branchiostegals eight to nine; six rays in dorsal fin; caudal deeply forked; mouth rather narrow, upper jaw longer; rays of anal fin about twentyone; pale olive bluish above and silvery below. Length, I8 inches.
Source: New Jersey State Documents ©1890
CATFISH
We do not now appreciate our several varieties of catfish. But coming generations will do so. The- fish is valuable for food. Some of the smaller varieties, living in running waters, being as delicate as any of our native fish. As is known to all our people, the catfish is extremely hardy and thrives in all our waters. To propagate him, it is only necessary to put the proper variety in waters suited to him, and then give such waters reasonable protection. The Mississippi river and its tributaries is the home of the catfish. The largest catfish of which I have authentic information, weighed 196 pounds, and was caught in the Mississippi, near St. Louis. My authority is M. B. Curtis, the oldest fish dealer of St. Louis. The largest catfish which came under my personal observation was caught in the Mississippi river, near St. Louis, in 1879, and was presented to Professor Spencer F. Baird, for the National Museum, by the Missouri Fish Commission. It weighed 150 pounds, and, when examined, proved to be an undescribed species. It has been named by Professors Jordan and Gilbert, lctal-ur'us pondero-sus—Bean—Great catfish. They think this variety of catfish attains a larger size than any other.
There are small varieties which never exceed two pounds in weight, and probably much less. The Missourian who visits the magnificent Fairmount Park of Philadelphia, is amused to read the signs on the little resturants by the roadside, “catfish and waffles," showing the dish to be a delicacy in the estimation of the inhabitants of the Quaker City. Catfish spawn in spring and summer. The eggs are deposited in lumps or masses, varying in size from a small marble to a hen’s egg. The spawn and young fry are carefully guarded by the parent fish until able to care for themselves. From experiments made by Col. Marshall McDonald, Assistant U. S. Fish Commissioner, at '1 Commissioner for Virginia, he concludes that the male acts as guar. . This care by the parent, and the formidable spines, or stickers, with which the catfish is armed. account for his ability to hold his own in our depleted waters. It is a veritable eXemplification of the “survival of the fittest.”
Source: Appendix to the House and Senate Journals ©1885
Friday, March 20, 2015
A Woman's Column from The Railroad Trainman 1890
Below is a copy of the "Women's Department" in an 1890 Railroad Trainman journal. Please note this was a two column article, which will make sense of the order and wording of some of the text below.
In the recent election of School Board in Boston, over six thousand ladies cast ballots.
The veil is said to have originated with the Hebrews, and was made of silk instead of lace.
The color of the Eiffel tower will have its influence in the world of fashion. Its brownish red will be conspicuous in French novelties this season.'
Mes. Ellen M. Giffoed, of New Haven, has given over 1116,000 to institutions and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals. $30,000 of it was donated to a home for suffering animals in Boston.
We desire to again call attention to the necessity of sending all contributions for the Woman's Department directly to this office. They must reach Galesburg early in the month to appear in the following issue.
Conteirutions of several pages must possess unusual merit to be accepted. Observe that no long articles now appear in the Journal. We prefer those which make less than a page in print, and which never exceed two pages.
The Trainmen's Journal has undertaken to present each month the portrait of a remarkable woman. It is not possible, of course, to always give our readers the likeness and sketch of a woman conspicuous in labor circles. Such an undertaking would not only be impossible, but would confine us to a circle too limited to be thoroughly interesting. The intention is to have the range of subjects such as will give the life and variety that is pleasing.
Advice For American Women.
"I say to American girls who want to marry English dukes and marquises, earls and barons, lords and honorables and sirs, preserve your beauty; wear your veils and broad brimmed hats; keep out of the sun and wind: dread tan and freckles as you would the bite of a rattlesnake; retain your peach-like skins and your fragile figures. English dukes and marquises, earls and barons, lords, and honorables, and sirs, have enough bronze, leather-faced young women to choose from in Engiand without wanting any more from America. Give up tennis, unless beneath a wideawake, and even then just think of your poor hands! A backhander, which skims the net may cause you a thrill of delight, but it adds to the circumference of your wrist every time.
*****
"It is my belief that in their endeavor to be rough and mannish, brawny and brown-skinned, the American girls are overdoing it. It is a fad that will soon fade. It is too hot to last. There is really no stay in it. Unaccustomed to exercise, as exercise and for exercise's sake, these American girls will presently tire of their muscle and brown skins. Muscle and brown skins will then cease to be the fashion, and the pale faces and pink-and-white complexions will 'come in' again. In England, however,there will be no change."—[A London Press Correspondent.
It is fortunate for American women that the writer of the above advice lived to get across the Atlantic. Had anything prevented him studying the tastes of English noblemen American girls might have gone on indefinitely taking a little exercise, venturing out into the open air,and occasionally allowing a stray sunbeam to peep into their windows. It is quite unfortnnate this information didn't come months ago. The young women have been encouraged to ride and row and tramp through the woods, and even to play tennis, never dreaming, poor things, that it is dreadfully coarse and vulgar to increase the strength and circumference of their white wrists. They have even ventured to become florists and cultivate roses in the greenhouse without suspecting that it was foolish to bring the roses of health to their cheeks. And more; they have even dared to be gardeners and actually take right hold of a common hoe and massacre the -weeds in an onion bed. Ugh! The horrid creatures! And all this time they were unconscious of the fact that this was all wrong—that it is not what English nobility wants them to do, at all. This is a truly dreadful state of affairs and must be stopped instanter. The Journal hastens to assure tha London correspondent that the advice is fully appreciated on this side of the pond, and that it will leave nothing undone to hasten the "pink-and-white" millennium. And venturing to speak for the ladies, we further assure him that their only desire is to please Englishmen, and that the ambition of their lives is to lessen the frowns of English disapproval. In fact they don't give any other excuse for being in existence at all.
The correspondent may rest assured that all these awful practices will be promptly stopped. He did the proper thing by springing right into the gap. These relics of barbarism must be stamped out. Tennis must be tabooed. The sidesaddle must go. The hoe must be everlastingly banished. It may be a little unpleasant for the girls to stay out of the open air all the time, but they will have it to do. It may seriously injure their health, but that is a small matter if they can win an English smile. It may kill half of them off. What of it? The survivors will be sure of "pale faces and pink-and-white complexions," and it shall be done. Just let the nobility have a little patience and feminine barbarism over here will get a black eye.
A Woman with a record is Mrs. Emma Bull, of Maple, Maine, now ninety years old. She was one of the first settlers on the Aroostook river, and during the first three months did not see even an Indian woman.
ELIZABETH BISLAND.
On the opposite page we present the portrait (recently published by Leslies') of a young woman who has performed a remarkable feat. Without employing any unusual mode of conveyance—without chartering any fast special trains or using any other than the ordinary mode of transportation at the command of every traveler, and being subjected to the same delays as the regular tourist, she circumnavigated the globe in seventy-five days — the best record ever made without employing special facilities. In this remarkable trip the courageous young woman traveled entirely alone, and whiled away her time by preparing a description of what she saw and learned, for publication in the Cosmopolitan upon her return.
Miss Bisland is a native of the South, and made her first appearance as a writer by occasional sketches in the New Orleans newspapers. After attracting some attention by literary ability she went to New York city about three years ago and became a contributor to a number of excellent publications. About three months ago the Cosmopolitan made an arrangement whereby her entire time is to be devoted to that rising star in the literary firmament, and her first work written while circumnavigating the globe, will be eagerly awaited by everybody who longs to see the strange sights of foreign countries as pictured by her pen.
In the recent election of School Board in Boston, over six thousand ladies cast ballots.
The veil is said to have originated with the Hebrews, and was made of silk instead of lace.
The color of the Eiffel tower will have its influence in the world of fashion. Its brownish red will be conspicuous in French novelties this season.'
Mes. Ellen M. Giffoed, of New Haven, has given over 1116,000 to institutions and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals. $30,000 of it was donated to a home for suffering animals in Boston.
We desire to again call attention to the necessity of sending all contributions for the Woman's Department directly to this office. They must reach Galesburg early in the month to appear in the following issue.
Conteirutions of several pages must possess unusual merit to be accepted. Observe that no long articles now appear in the Journal. We prefer those which make less than a page in print, and which never exceed two pages.
The Trainmen's Journal has undertaken to present each month the portrait of a remarkable woman. It is not possible, of course, to always give our readers the likeness and sketch of a woman conspicuous in labor circles. Such an undertaking would not only be impossible, but would confine us to a circle too limited to be thoroughly interesting. The intention is to have the range of subjects such as will give the life and variety that is pleasing.
Advice For American Women.
"I say to American girls who want to marry English dukes and marquises, earls and barons, lords and honorables and sirs, preserve your beauty; wear your veils and broad brimmed hats; keep out of the sun and wind: dread tan and freckles as you would the bite of a rattlesnake; retain your peach-like skins and your fragile figures. English dukes and marquises, earls and barons, lords, and honorables, and sirs, have enough bronze, leather-faced young women to choose from in Engiand without wanting any more from America. Give up tennis, unless beneath a wideawake, and even then just think of your poor hands! A backhander, which skims the net may cause you a thrill of delight, but it adds to the circumference of your wrist every time.
*****
"It is my belief that in their endeavor to be rough and mannish, brawny and brown-skinned, the American girls are overdoing it. It is a fad that will soon fade. It is too hot to last. There is really no stay in it. Unaccustomed to exercise, as exercise and for exercise's sake, these American girls will presently tire of their muscle and brown skins. Muscle and brown skins will then cease to be the fashion, and the pale faces and pink-and-white complexions will 'come in' again. In England, however,there will be no change."—[A London Press Correspondent.
It is fortunate for American women that the writer of the above advice lived to get across the Atlantic. Had anything prevented him studying the tastes of English noblemen American girls might have gone on indefinitely taking a little exercise, venturing out into the open air,and occasionally allowing a stray sunbeam to peep into their windows. It is quite unfortnnate this information didn't come months ago. The young women have been encouraged to ride and row and tramp through the woods, and even to play tennis, never dreaming, poor things, that it is dreadfully coarse and vulgar to increase the strength and circumference of their white wrists. They have even ventured to become florists and cultivate roses in the greenhouse without suspecting that it was foolish to bring the roses of health to their cheeks. And more; they have even dared to be gardeners and actually take right hold of a common hoe and massacre the -weeds in an onion bed. Ugh! The horrid creatures! And all this time they were unconscious of the fact that this was all wrong—that it is not what English nobility wants them to do, at all. This is a truly dreadful state of affairs and must be stopped instanter. The Journal hastens to assure tha London correspondent that the advice is fully appreciated on this side of the pond, and that it will leave nothing undone to hasten the "pink-and-white" millennium. And venturing to speak for the ladies, we further assure him that their only desire is to please Englishmen, and that the ambition of their lives is to lessen the frowns of English disapproval. In fact they don't give any other excuse for being in existence at all.
The correspondent may rest assured that all these awful practices will be promptly stopped. He did the proper thing by springing right into the gap. These relics of barbarism must be stamped out. Tennis must be tabooed. The sidesaddle must go. The hoe must be everlastingly banished. It may be a little unpleasant for the girls to stay out of the open air all the time, but they will have it to do. It may seriously injure their health, but that is a small matter if they can win an English smile. It may kill half of them off. What of it? The survivors will be sure of "pale faces and pink-and-white complexions," and it shall be done. Just let the nobility have a little patience and feminine barbarism over here will get a black eye.
A Woman with a record is Mrs. Emma Bull, of Maple, Maine, now ninety years old. She was one of the first settlers on the Aroostook river, and during the first three months did not see even an Indian woman.
ELIZABETH BISLAND.
Miss Bisland is a native of the South, and made her first appearance as a writer by occasional sketches in the New Orleans newspapers. After attracting some attention by literary ability she went to New York city about three years ago and became a contributor to a number of excellent publications. About three months ago the Cosmopolitan made an arrangement whereby her entire time is to be devoted to that rising star in the literary firmament, and her first work written while circumnavigating the globe, will be eagerly awaited by everybody who longs to see the strange sights of foreign countries as pictured by her pen.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
On Women's Rights
Women's Rights came into the forefront during the later part of the 19th Century. Below is an article in response to another article that the writer totally disagreed with. Personally, I agree with the writer of this article but that's my own personal opinions and those of a 21st Century woman. However, it is always good to hear from those who were living at the time their opinions on Women's Rights. Enjoy!
The Husband Question.
[Written for the Journal.] Not long since, my eye fell upon an article in the Ladies' Home Journal, which struck my bump of combativeness, and aroused me to pass all former bounds and express myself on paper. The article mentioned was in answer to the question, "How shall I keep my husband at home?" and the answer in substance was that a woman should give her husband to understand that she knows nothing—therefore nothing must be expected of her; then he will be surprised and pleased should she give any evidence of possessing a little intellect and finally, if well entertained with all the neighborhood gossip and well fed, he will find his home attractive.
Now, I consider such an article [as that as just so much of a hinderance to the progression of woman. Through all the centuries since Adam and Eve, woman has been gradually lifting herself up to the plane upon which she will be recognized as the equal and natural companion of man, and every word which advises a woman to accept a position less than this has, in a measure, a tendency backward toward barbarism.
In this stage of civilization, and more especially in our own land of freedom, where young men and women mingle in society without the restraint of a chaperone and where marriages are founded on mutual attraction and without the services of a "go-between," it is reasonable to suppose that, as a rule, a man chooses one whom he regards as his equal to be his companion through life. Hence I say, the inequalities of married life are not intellectual inequalities, but differences arising from uncontrolled tempers and appetites, or from diversities of tastes.
If this be true, no amount of humbling one's self before one's husband is going to restore the lost congeniality. The man of the nineteenth century is prone to accept his wife's own estimate of herself, and if we give our husbands to understand that we are know-nothings, who can blame them if they treat us as such? If we entertain our husbands with neighborhood gossip and society scandal, can we blame them if they think us capable of nothing higher or better?
Since the beginning of civilization, homes have been held as sacred places. If a man be but one degree above a savage he expects the home influence to be elevating. If he be disappointed in this—if he feels that the sanctuary is desecrated, can he be blamed if he turn from it? Though he may go where a worse influence prevails, it will be where nothing better is expected; where he will not feel that there is a perversion of that which should be holy. Sister Lit.
Source: The Railroad Trainman ©1890
The Husband Question.
[Written for the Journal.] Not long since, my eye fell upon an article in the Ladies' Home Journal, which struck my bump of combativeness, and aroused me to pass all former bounds and express myself on paper. The article mentioned was in answer to the question, "How shall I keep my husband at home?" and the answer in substance was that a woman should give her husband to understand that she knows nothing—therefore nothing must be expected of her; then he will be surprised and pleased should she give any evidence of possessing a little intellect and finally, if well entertained with all the neighborhood gossip and well fed, he will find his home attractive.
Now, I consider such an article [as that as just so much of a hinderance to the progression of woman. Through all the centuries since Adam and Eve, woman has been gradually lifting herself up to the plane upon which she will be recognized as the equal and natural companion of man, and every word which advises a woman to accept a position less than this has, in a measure, a tendency backward toward barbarism.
In this stage of civilization, and more especially in our own land of freedom, where young men and women mingle in society without the restraint of a chaperone and where marriages are founded on mutual attraction and without the services of a "go-between," it is reasonable to suppose that, as a rule, a man chooses one whom he regards as his equal to be his companion through life. Hence I say, the inequalities of married life are not intellectual inequalities, but differences arising from uncontrolled tempers and appetites, or from diversities of tastes.
If this be true, no amount of humbling one's self before one's husband is going to restore the lost congeniality. The man of the nineteenth century is prone to accept his wife's own estimate of herself, and if we give our husbands to understand that we are know-nothings, who can blame them if they treat us as such? If we entertain our husbands with neighborhood gossip and society scandal, can we blame them if they think us capable of nothing higher or better?
Since the beginning of civilization, homes have been held as sacred places. If a man be but one degree above a savage he expects the home influence to be elevating. If he be disappointed in this—if he feels that the sanctuary is desecrated, can he be blamed if he turn from it? Though he may go where a worse influence prevails, it will be where nothing better is expected; where he will not feel that there is a perversion of that which should be holy. Sister Lit.
Source: The Railroad Trainman ©1890
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
1890 Birdie's Diary Excerpts
Historical Fiction Writers all love it when we find diaries written during the time period we're working on. I stumbled on these excerpts in The Railroad Trainman 1890 from a young wife named Birdie. Some of the comments are wonderful. I think I would have liked to have met Birdie. I believe she has a great sense of humor. Enjoy!
Extracts from Birdie's Diary.
Some Valuable Hints on Housekeeping.
She was the sweetest little girl in the whole city and when she and George were married, the wedding was one of the most brilliant social successes of the season. After they had settled down to housekeeping in an elegant new house. Birdie concluded to keep a diary, and happening to peep inside of it one day we copied the following quaint and curious extracts:
May 10.—George said last week that we must economize, for trade seemed to be paralyzed. It is funny that trade should have waited till we got married and then get paralyzed. But we must do all we can, George says, to save our money; I am trying every way to save what he makes.
May 13.— For three days I have been making my husband a pair of the cutest night-shirts that anybody ever saw. They are long and graceful and trimmed with pink embroidery. George put one of them on last night and we had our first harsh word.
George said that anyone with brains enough to soil a silk handkerchief ought to know that the buttons should be on the right side.
I also made a mistake in putting in the sleeves, so that they pointed back into the dim past. George said he felt all the time as if he had been turned around in a cyclone, and that while struggling to peer into the future his arms were striving to lay hold on the dear, dead past. He can be quite eloquent when he feels like it, and he writes just too lovely for anything for the papers, and those who have read his pieces say he is bound to be one of the most brilliant amateur writers some day. I think nobody can equal him now.
May 15.—I can see now that if I had put in more time at home in
learning to sew and cook, and less time thumping a piano and studying elocution it would have been better for Georte. Poor, dear George, I believe I love him more and more every day and I am going to commence learning everything right away for his sake.
May 17.—Yesterday I bought a little red receipt book of a pleasing young man who called at the door. The book is a very useful one and is bound in the same color of my new dress. It tells how to make custards, blanc manges and floating island. It also tells you in the back part how to cure heaves, glanders and botts. I can hardly wait till George gets the botts so that I can bring out my little red volume and win him back to life and joy again. It also gives away other information. Any one with this book in the house can go to work and take a person right through a long siege of croup or yellow fever without a doctor, and there is a whole lot of law in it so that George can use it in his business and we won't ever have to have a doctor either. Why will people fritter away their money on doctors, when they can get one of these books so cheap?
May 20.—George promised me last night that I could have a new dress. I know what kind I will have. It will be of white flannel, trimmed with wide bands of white satin, and white hat to match, I know that will look lovely. He is is a dear.
I bought some rhubarb at the drug store this morning and to-morrow I will make a couple of pies. George is passionately fond of rhubarb pies. There would be far less connubial unhappiness if wives would study their husbands' wants and supply them, I think.—Frog.
Extracts from Birdie's Diary.
Some Valuable Hints on Housekeeping.
She was the sweetest little girl in the whole city and when she and George were married, the wedding was one of the most brilliant social successes of the season. After they had settled down to housekeeping in an elegant new house. Birdie concluded to keep a diary, and happening to peep inside of it one day we copied the following quaint and curious extracts:
May 10.—George said last week that we must economize, for trade seemed to be paralyzed. It is funny that trade should have waited till we got married and then get paralyzed. But we must do all we can, George says, to save our money; I am trying every way to save what he makes.
May 13.— For three days I have been making my husband a pair of the cutest night-shirts that anybody ever saw. They are long and graceful and trimmed with pink embroidery. George put one of them on last night and we had our first harsh word.
George said that anyone with brains enough to soil a silk handkerchief ought to know that the buttons should be on the right side.
I also made a mistake in putting in the sleeves, so that they pointed back into the dim past. George said he felt all the time as if he had been turned around in a cyclone, and that while struggling to peer into the future his arms were striving to lay hold on the dear, dead past. He can be quite eloquent when he feels like it, and he writes just too lovely for anything for the papers, and those who have read his pieces say he is bound to be one of the most brilliant amateur writers some day. I think nobody can equal him now.
May 15.—I can see now that if I had put in more time at home in
learning to sew and cook, and less time thumping a piano and studying elocution it would have been better for Georte. Poor, dear George, I believe I love him more and more every day and I am going to commence learning everything right away for his sake.
May 17.—Yesterday I bought a little red receipt book of a pleasing young man who called at the door. The book is a very useful one and is bound in the same color of my new dress. It tells how to make custards, blanc manges and floating island. It also tells you in the back part how to cure heaves, glanders and botts. I can hardly wait till George gets the botts so that I can bring out my little red volume and win him back to life and joy again. It also gives away other information. Any one with this book in the house can go to work and take a person right through a long siege of croup or yellow fever without a doctor, and there is a whole lot of law in it so that George can use it in his business and we won't ever have to have a doctor either. Why will people fritter away their money on doctors, when they can get one of these books so cheap?
May 20.—George promised me last night that I could have a new dress. I know what kind I will have. It will be of white flannel, trimmed with wide bands of white satin, and white hat to match, I know that will look lovely. He is is a dear.
I bought some rhubarb at the drug store this morning and to-morrow I will make a couple of pies. George is passionately fond of rhubarb pies. There would be far less connubial unhappiness if wives would study their husbands' wants and supply them, I think.—Frog.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Railroad Timbers
Here are some interesting tidbits concerning wooden railroad timbers from a Report about the substitution of metal for wood in railroad ties. ©1890
The Grand Trunk Railway desires that a tree should average four ties, and says "it matters not whether they be hewn or sawn, so long as the upper and lower faces are flat and the sides uncut. Oak ties are taken when sawn on four faces, but no other kind." The ties used by the road—oak, tamarack, hemlock, and cedar—average six to seven years in duration.
The Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad, using oak with a life of eight and hemlock with a life of fiv^e years, finds no difference between hewn and sawed ties, " if made of similar timber."
The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad, using oak with a life of eight years, says: "If made from large timber, no preference is had between ties that are sawn and those that are hewn. Large timber is deemed best."
The preference is given to sawn ties, and from large trees, by the Oregon and California Railroad, using red fir of eight years life; by the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad, with cedar of fourteen and tamarack of seven years' duration (put iu track when half seasoned, although full seasoning is recognized as preferable); by the Mobile and Northwestern Railroad in Mississippi, "if all heart can be obtaiued and large timber, as it has less sap-wood. The small trees along the lino of road do not make as good ties as the large timber."
The Arkansas Midland Railroad prefers sawed ties, although they are more costly. "Cypress ties should only be sawed from large trees, post oak and white oak ties from small trees are equally as good as from large ones."
The Alabama Great Southern makes a point that the ties should "not be cut through the heart of the tree," the philosophy of which is, probably, that the long-leaf pine ties are liable to have the heart break out and sliver. The significant statement is also made that the oak from the south end of the road is not as durable as that from the mountains on the north end. The difference is probably due to track conditions rather than to locality of growth.
Durability or life of ties.—The life of timber in use as ties is reduced by two causes, namely, a mechanical one, the breaking of the wood fiber by the flange of the rail and by the spikes, and a chemical or physiological one, the rot or decay which is due to fungus growth.0 These causes work either in combination or, more rarely, independently. A soft wood may be easily out into and made useless before rot takes place— as, for instance, in the case of such otherwise durable woods as redwood, chestnut, etc., but the breaking of the fibre iu most cases is only the antecedent and forms part of the favorable conditions for the fungus growth—other timbers may be attacked by rot first, which, of course, is followed soon by a breaking of the fiber.
The exterior conditions6favorable to decay have been discussed at length in Bulletin l; the controllable ones consist mainly in the drainage conditions of the road-bed. Rock ballast is best drained, and hence the best record comes from such road-beds; gravel is next best and clay or loam is about the worst; on the other hand, where soft-wood ties, like chestnut, are used, the hard rock ballast, while unfavorable to decay, reduces their life by pounding and cutting. Sand ballast seems to vary considerably; a sharp, coarse silicious (not calcareous) sand with good under-drain age should be next best to gravel, while some reports give a heavy black soil and loam as better than sand. The reason why sand, although offering good drainage, is favorable to decay, may be sought in its great capacity for heat, which induces fermentation.
Iu Louisiana " ties on black loamy soil rot out in one-third the time of those laid in a clay soil. Ties exposed to the sun all day rot out in less time than those which are shaded a part of the day. Shade and a free circulation of air are requisite to the best lasting of any timber in our climate."
From fifteen years' experience on the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad it is stated that ties supported in stone ballast have 20 per cent. longer life, as far as rot is concerned. The Eastern Kentucky Railroad claims that with slag ballast oak ties will last two years longer than in sand, while on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cinncinnati, and Indianapolis Railway such ties were found to last two years less in slag ballast than in gravel. The nature of the slag, it should not be forgotten, is very varying, and hence its value for ballast. The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad allows in rock ballast eighteen months longer life than in a soil bed, and notes in sandy soil the most rapid decay.
Experience on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad ranges the various kinds of ballast as follows: stone ballast best; next,coarse gravel; next, soil, and worst, cinder and sand ballast.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, six years ago, ballasted its road with broken stone to a depth of 14 inches; stone of not more than 2 inches in size was used, and at the rate of 4,000 cubic yards to the mile. It was expected that ties in such a road bed would last two years longer than in gravel ballast. Yet now it is found that, with the heavy traffic, the high rate of speed, and weight of engines and trains and the use of chestnut ties, these do not last more than live years, the cutting of the rail on the upper aud of the stone on the lower side wearing the ties rapidly.
Even the oak tie will succumb to the pounding it receives from such ballast, as the report of the Erie Railroad shows, which, while admitting that ties are less liable to decay in broken stone ballast, finds this ballast "on the heavily used portions of the line hard on the ties, by cutting, so that the oak ties are worn out before they rot."
Thus the life of ties of the same timber varies.considerably, not only according to climate, and character of the timber, and the treatment the ties receive before being laid, but also according to the character of the road bed aud the traffic. From the reports of the283 companies in 1883—which, bythe-by, are now so consolidated that the 85 companies reporting to this year's inquiry represent almost 50 per cent, more mileage than the former 283—the following tabulation has been made, showing the range and average duration of ties of various timbers under present usage. The aim of well-managed roads, of course, should be so to combine conditions of road-bed, inspection, and handling of ties, that the highest average duration at least should be obtained.
The long life given to honey locust in the table on page 25 is probably due to a misnomer, black locust being meant, as honey' locust is probably not a very lasting timber. The duration of mesquite, if sound, is claimed to be interminable.
The Grand Trunk Railway desires that a tree should average four ties, and says "it matters not whether they be hewn or sawn, so long as the upper and lower faces are flat and the sides uncut. Oak ties are taken when sawn on four faces, but no other kind." The ties used by the road—oak, tamarack, hemlock, and cedar—average six to seven years in duration.
The Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad, using oak with a life of eight and hemlock with a life of fiv^e years, finds no difference between hewn and sawed ties, " if made of similar timber."
The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Gulf Railroad, using oak with a life of eight years, says: "If made from large timber, no preference is had between ties that are sawn and those that are hewn. Large timber is deemed best."
The preference is given to sawn ties, and from large trees, by the Oregon and California Railroad, using red fir of eight years life; by the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad, with cedar of fourteen and tamarack of seven years' duration (put iu track when half seasoned, although full seasoning is recognized as preferable); by the Mobile and Northwestern Railroad in Mississippi, "if all heart can be obtaiued and large timber, as it has less sap-wood. The small trees along the lino of road do not make as good ties as the large timber."
The Arkansas Midland Railroad prefers sawed ties, although they are more costly. "Cypress ties should only be sawed from large trees, post oak and white oak ties from small trees are equally as good as from large ones."
The Alabama Great Southern makes a point that the ties should "not be cut through the heart of the tree," the philosophy of which is, probably, that the long-leaf pine ties are liable to have the heart break out and sliver. The significant statement is also made that the oak from the south end of the road is not as durable as that from the mountains on the north end. The difference is probably due to track conditions rather than to locality of growth.
Durability or life of ties.—The life of timber in use as ties is reduced by two causes, namely, a mechanical one, the breaking of the wood fiber by the flange of the rail and by the spikes, and a chemical or physiological one, the rot or decay which is due to fungus growth.0 These causes work either in combination or, more rarely, independently. A soft wood may be easily out into and made useless before rot takes place— as, for instance, in the case of such otherwise durable woods as redwood, chestnut, etc., but the breaking of the fibre iu most cases is only the antecedent and forms part of the favorable conditions for the fungus growth—other timbers may be attacked by rot first, which, of course, is followed soon by a breaking of the fiber.
The exterior conditions6favorable to decay have been discussed at length in Bulletin l; the controllable ones consist mainly in the drainage conditions of the road-bed. Rock ballast is best drained, and hence the best record comes from such road-beds; gravel is next best and clay or loam is about the worst; on the other hand, where soft-wood ties, like chestnut, are used, the hard rock ballast, while unfavorable to decay, reduces their life by pounding and cutting. Sand ballast seems to vary considerably; a sharp, coarse silicious (not calcareous) sand with good under-drain age should be next best to gravel, while some reports give a heavy black soil and loam as better than sand. The reason why sand, although offering good drainage, is favorable to decay, may be sought in its great capacity for heat, which induces fermentation.
Iu Louisiana " ties on black loamy soil rot out in one-third the time of those laid in a clay soil. Ties exposed to the sun all day rot out in less time than those which are shaded a part of the day. Shade and a free circulation of air are requisite to the best lasting of any timber in our climate."
From fifteen years' experience on the Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad it is stated that ties supported in stone ballast have 20 per cent. longer life, as far as rot is concerned. The Eastern Kentucky Railroad claims that with slag ballast oak ties will last two years longer than in sand, while on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cinncinnati, and Indianapolis Railway such ties were found to last two years less in slag ballast than in gravel. The nature of the slag, it should not be forgotten, is very varying, and hence its value for ballast. The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad allows in rock ballast eighteen months longer life than in a soil bed, and notes in sandy soil the most rapid decay.
Experience on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad ranges the various kinds of ballast as follows: stone ballast best; next,coarse gravel; next, soil, and worst, cinder and sand ballast.
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, six years ago, ballasted its road with broken stone to a depth of 14 inches; stone of not more than 2 inches in size was used, and at the rate of 4,000 cubic yards to the mile. It was expected that ties in such a road bed would last two years longer than in gravel ballast. Yet now it is found that, with the heavy traffic, the high rate of speed, and weight of engines and trains and the use of chestnut ties, these do not last more than live years, the cutting of the rail on the upper aud of the stone on the lower side wearing the ties rapidly.
Even the oak tie will succumb to the pounding it receives from such ballast, as the report of the Erie Railroad shows, which, while admitting that ties are less liable to decay in broken stone ballast, finds this ballast "on the heavily used portions of the line hard on the ties, by cutting, so that the oak ties are worn out before they rot."
Thus the life of ties of the same timber varies.considerably, not only according to climate, and character of the timber, and the treatment the ties receive before being laid, but also according to the character of the road bed aud the traffic. From the reports of the283 companies in 1883—which, bythe-by, are now so consolidated that the 85 companies reporting to this year's inquiry represent almost 50 per cent, more mileage than the former 283—the following tabulation has been made, showing the range and average duration of ties of various timbers under present usage. The aim of well-managed roads, of course, should be so to combine conditions of road-bed, inspection, and handling of ties, that the highest average duration at least should be obtained.
The long life given to honey locust in the table on page 25 is probably due to a misnomer, black locust being meant, as honey' locust is probably not a very lasting timber. The duration of mesquite, if sound, is claimed to be interminable.
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