The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-15
iPOSSUM AND 'rATER.
Georgia Courmets Who Revsl In the Chief
Delight of the Year.


Did you sec that suspicious looking
animal hanging out IN front Of Ma
riotta street restaurant the other davl
OF course you saw Il If you passed that
way. OF course you knew. even if II
didn't have any hair on IL. and even If Il
was butchcrcd and ready for theoven.
that it was 'possum But did you know
that the possum market m Atlanta
was not To be sneezcd att Did YOU
know that 'possum and taters' was
one of the swell dishes at the rost.lu-
rants Well, if you didn't read along
little further and 1T give you some
facts about the possum crop which
will astonlsh you as they did me
This file tailed country animal las
been part Of the south as long as
there has been any south. and, like
the rabbit, he is very prolific, and
seems TO increase instead of diminish
as the years roll on lie is very fond
of perSimmons, from which the name
of opoSsUm is derived. He was
nearly always caught zap q poisimm0n
tree and years ago was known as tho
animal OF the persimmon. winch was
gradually contracted into orossum
IL Is useless TO say that the poSSum
is nocturnal animal. and is caught
by means of dogs who tree him in
some small tree which is easily cut
down Strange a. II may sound old
'poSsum hunters viii tell You that the
bigger q possHm it. tine smaller the
tree In which hc Is caught. and 10 is
only the youag po,suws. that climb
very large tree when pursued by the
dogs.
Three on four years ago our commits
sion merchants began lJyiue 90 few
po,sum, from the coalty and selling
them to q few select customers n AS
lauta Before that tuca po,,m now
and then found Its way into the city
through tie agency of some great
'possum warrior who always found 10
ready sale fol this tcotl.ome animal
Everything nas changed sine. then
and the possum has through no of
forts of his own. arisen to very i'm
pOrtant place i'm the commercial world
One commission merchant informed
me that hc handled 300 po,sums
month. and ~ Folsom restaurant geo
of these animals are tulchcred every
month and served ont 90 those who
are fond Of them. and that mean,
nearly every southern raised man
The majority of the possum- sold IN
Atlanta come from the country mcr-
chants and a large percentage az tins
number come from up on tne Marietta
and North Georgia railroad. % section
of the country which Is regarded MS
the finest in the world for grapes. rye,
'pos,ums and corn liquor A number
of countrymcnliyingi I'M Fulton county
catch many 'pOssIms during the sea
son, and sometimes they bring them
IN b. thc wagon load, AS they would
bring m % load OF chickens
EOssums are sold al various prices.
governed according a. the size of tine
animal The kittens bring from 20 10
40 cents while lhc full grown range
from 40 cents 10 g. Ihe po,smm Is
ripe by the lst OF - ptomber. and he is
pulled un'il the 10 of March, The
average sum paid for pos,ums a month
during the season win amount to
something over $500 making the pos
sum crop worth about $4,000 TO At
lanta
A dish Of 'possum and Eaters 40 the
restaurant viii cost you so cents. bat
if you want "a po.sun supper ID viii
cost YOU from $3.50 tos2 A postum
supper consists oi "a whole poi m.
baked with sweet potatoes and then
there's corn bread aud coffee thrown
in as extras, for po, and ts'er io
be- enjoyed. must be eaten With corn
bread There's q very remarkable
thing about 'possum meat h a. as
greasy as the meat al a hogs but m-
like that Dr. can he eaten Al.h safety
by person. with tho weakest digestion
1t won't nh yOu nap like PORK or other
meat. hut you c.u ,at U very largo
~ DO and ieoi lo bad effects
from $50 dong
Pos-m gre caught in mile and %
half a. Atlanta, and, o. said before.
they are as numerous end prolific as
rabbits My brother. I'D coming bonn.
very late one bright noomhu1 night
last winter met a very .lr. and very
fat old pos m ON Wheat street. and
after "a htflc persuasion tlo postum
was irduesl 10 accompany hun home.
The next day that postum was the
leading attraction a. thr dinner table.
Ii you have never tasted postum
meat you have lived in vau if yon
have never inhaled the delicious fra
GRANGE arising from f. dish of possm
and Eaters, life has been bat "a mock
cry TO you. and If You do ct got YOU
q 'possum and bake him with sweet
potatoes for your dinner tomorrow
you'll regret it even % the end of your
J. tI...f., I..U....I