Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-12
COFFEE IN THE coNfEoGaAcx.
The Various Substitutes Tried In Turn.
Cotton seed as u Beverage.

The Various Substitutes Tried In Turn
Cotton seed as u Beverage
Coffee had been almost the sole table bev-
eTage Of the south, and no privation caused
more actual discomfort among the people at
large than the want OF II There was nothing
for which they strove SO eagerly and unceas-
ingly to procure a substitute Few, indeed
were the substances which did not, first and
last, find their way into the coffee pot. Wheat,
rye, corn, sweet potatoes, peanuts, dandelon
SEED, okra seed, peTsimmun seed, melon seed
are but few OF the substitutes which had
their turn and their day. A tig for the differ
enoe between Rio and rye" said the wits.
Eureka criet an enthusiaSticnewspaperc cor
respondent Another of the shackleS which
holds the south TO the commercial thrall of
the world IL severed. lie South America
keep its Rio and the antipodes its Java Ii is
discovered TO be true beyond peradyenture
that aS a beverage the s,s~d of the sea island
cotton cannot BE- distinguished from the hest
Java, unless by its superiority; while the ssed
Of the ordinary variety is found 10 he not a
whit behind the best Rio" What a fiutter of
excitement and joy it RAISED in many house
hold-and doubtless the scene IN ours WAS
typical-to find that the great national plant
the very symbol Of the Confederacy, was in
deed 80 many sided! 1t gave us greater CON
fidence, if it were possible 10 have greater, in
the power and possibilities of the south, now
that cotton, the great king, had had another
crown laid on his brow
80 oppOrtune was the discovery too that il
struck us a. almost divine revelation, indi-
eating the interposition of Providence in our
favor. So eager were we to test it-or rather
q, for II to- Ynt 20 lsa
tIIIe-that we could not await meal time Re
siding in North Carolina and up the country,
We had never seen any sea island cotton, but
the prospect Of being confined to Rio was by
no means appalling A pickaninny was forth
with hurried off to the cotton patch, then
sparsely flecked with newly-opened bolls. The
aprunful of precious stuff, now veritabls
mamma. was hardly indoors before a dozen
hand of all sizes and cOlors were tearing, pick
ing at the diScreiited fiber, in quest of the
more priceless SEED. The Rio was made and
drunk Despite the sorghum sweetening, the
verdict was unanimous i'll its favor. ! hope
that the communication of this stupendOus
discovery To our neighbors adde,i as immense
ly to our happiness As to our self-importance |
But if in the last respect we sinned, retribu |
ton could not have heen laggard; for al |
lDplHn, OWE 10 Itlt' ld'b lltt tlhpllN tiie ftN'-
objection of diSappontmentS and humiiia- |.
tions is less abiding than the opposite feelings,
/ am unable to tell exactly why and when .
we returned to parches bran, it is neverthe-
less true that we did.
Recipes for making coffee without coffee
when the real article was alluded to, strong .
emphasis on the word left no doubt as TO .
which kind was meant-were extensively ad- /
vertised in the newspapers, and in some in.
stances sold by canvassing agents But rye,
okra seed and meal or bran held in the long
run the popular favor. Those who could .
afford an ntiniteSimal quantity of the real
article, counted out by the grain TO flavor the
substitute. Were the envy Of the neighbor-
hood A cup Of pure, genuine coffee would
in the eyes of many have been an eNtrava-
gancc akin to Clenpatra's famous draught
itself The contents uf small gourd, which
held our entire stock of the genuine article
for many months before the close Of the war,
must have gone towards the making Of an
Incredible lake of coffee.-David Dodge in
Atlantic Monthly.