The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-08-07
COFFEE IN THE coNFEpsRAcY.
The Various Substitutes Tried In Turn.
Cotton Seed ~ u beverage.

Coffee had been almost the sole table bev-
erage Of the south aud no privation caused
more actual discomfort among the people at
large than the want OF it. There was nothing
for which they stroye so eagerly and unceas-
mgly 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, dandelion
seed Okra seed, peTslmmon seed, melon seed
are but II few of the substitutes which had
thcirturn and their day. Aiig for the differ
cncc between Rio and rye" said the wits,
Eureka" cried Ian enthusiastic newspaper cor
respondent Another of the shacAlcs which
holds the south TO the commercial thrall of
the world i, severed Let South America
keep iJs Rio and the autipodcs its Java 1t is
discovered to be true beyond prradventure
that as beverage the seed Of the sea island
cotton cannot be distinguished from the best
Java. unless by its superiority; while the seed
Of the ordinary variety is found to be not a
whit behind the best Rio What a lluttcr Of
excitement and joy it raised in many a house
huld-und doubtless the scene in ours was
typical-lo find that the great national plant,
the very symbol Of the COnfederacy, was in
deed so many sided, 1t gave Us greater con-
idcnce, if it were possible to have greater, i'll
the power and possibilities of the south, now
that cotton, the great king had had another
crown laid on his brow.
So oppprtuue was the discovery, too, that it
struck us rs almost divine revelation, lndi-
eating the interposition of Providence in our
favor SO eager We're we to test lt--or rather
to confirm it, for it was too good not to be
true-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 pickannny was forth
with hurried off to the cotton patch, then
sparsely fiecked with newly-opened bolls. The
apronful Of precious stuff, now veritable
mamma was hardly indoors before dozen
hand Of all sizes and colors were tearing, pick
ing at the discredited fiber, in quest of the
more priceless seed. The Rio was made and
drunk Despite the sorghum sweetening, the
verdict was unanimous in its favor. hope
that the communication of this stupendous
discovery to our neighbors added as immense
" TO our happiness rs to our selt-lmportance.
But if in the last respect we sinned, retribu
ton could not have been laggard; for al
though, owing to the fact that happily the rec
OIlttllOu Oh uISuplplHJlu'HlS ail't huiliiiId-
tons is less abiding than the opposite feelings,
| am unable to tell exactly why and when
we returned to parched 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 rs to
which kind was meant-were extensively adj
vcrtised in the newspapers, and in some in
stances sold by canyaSong agents. But rye,
okra seed and meal or bran held III the long
run the popular favor Those who could
afford an intintcSmal quantity of the real
article. counted ont by the grain to flavor tho
substitute were the envy of the neighbor-
hood. \ cup of pure, genuine coffee would
in the eyes of many have been an extrava'
gance ukin to Cleopatra's famous draught
itself The contents OF a 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 III
Atlantic Monthly.