St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-10
'PossUM AND 'TATER.
Georgia Gourmets Now Revelin
in the Chief Delight of the Year

'POsSUM AND 'TATER.
Georgia Gourmets Now Reveling
in the Chief Delight of the Year.
Atlanta Journal.
Did you see that suspicious-lOoking
animal hanging out in front of Mari
eta street restaurant yesterday? Of
course you saw it if you passed that
way. OF course you knew, even if it
didn't have any hair on it, and even if
it was butchered and ready for the oven,
that it was 'pOsSum. But did you
know that the 'pOSsum market in At
lanta was not to be ''sneeZed'' at? Did
you know that "'possum and Eaters"
was one OF the swell dishes at the res
taurantS nowadays?
Well, il you didn't, read little
further, and I'll give you some facts
about the 'possnm crop which will as
tonish you as it did me.
This file-tailed country animal has
been a 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. He is very fond of per-
simmons, from which the name opos-
sum is derived. He was nearly always
caught up persimmon tree, and years
ago was known as the animal of the
perSimmon, which was gradually con-
tracted into OpOSSum.
1t is useless to say that the 'possum is
nocturnal animal, and is caught by
means of dogs who tree him i'll some
small three which is easily cut dawn.
Strange as it may sound, old 'possum
hunters will tell you that the bigger a
'possum is the smaller the tree in which
he is caught, and it is only the young
'possums that climb very large tree
when pursued by the dogs.
Three or four years ago our commits
sion merchants began buying few
'possums from the country and selling
them to a. few select customers in
Atlanta. Before that time 'possum
now and then found its way into the
city through the agency of Howard
Horton, or some other great 'possum
warrior, who always found ready sale
for this toothsome animal.
Everything has changed since then.
and the 'possum has, through no efforts
of his own, risen to very important
place in the commercial world. One
commission merchant informed me that
he handled 300 'possums month, and
mails are butchered every month and
served out to those who are fond of
them, and that means nearly every
S0uthern-raiSed man.
The majority of the 'pOssumS sold in
Atlanta come from the country mer-
chants, and large percentage Of this
number come from up on the Marietta
& North Georgia railroad, section of
the country which is regarded as the
finest in the world for grapes, rye, pos
sums and corn liquor.
A number of countrymen living in
Fulton county catch many 'posSums
during the season, and sometimes they
bring them in by the wagonload. as they
would bring in load of chickens.
Howard Horton, the Well-known col
ored politician, is the middleman
through whose hands most of the pos
sums caught by the colOred hunters
pass. Howard, although he is great
believer in protection and Republican
ism, showed his magnanimity when
President Cleveland visited Atlanta by
baking fine 'possum with taters and
presenting 1t to him. He was very much
pleased with the gift.
'Possums are sold at various prices.
governed according to the size of the
animal.
The kittens bring from 20 to 40 cents,
while the full-grown range from 40
cents to 81.
The 'possum is ripe by the LIST of
September, and he is pulled until the
1st of March.
The average sum paid for 'possums a
month during the season will amount to
something over $500, making the pos
sum crop worth about 81, 1000 to Atlanta.
A dish of 'possum and taters at the
restaurant will cost you 80 cents, but if
you want 'possum supper it will cost
you from $3.50 to 81.
A 'posSum supper consists of whole
'possum, baked with sweet potatoes,
and then there's corn bread and coffee
thrown in as extras; for 'possum and
taters, to be enjoyed, must be eaten
with corn bread
There's very remarkable thing
about 'poSSum meat. 1t is as greasy as
can be eaten with safety by persons
with the weakest digestion.
1t won't fill you up like pork or other
meat. but you can Cat very large guam
tity of it and feel no bad effects from so
doing.
'PosSumS are caught in mile and a
half of Atlanta and, as | said before,
they are as numerous and prolific as
rabbits.
My brother, in coming home very late
one bright, moonshiny night last winter.
met very large and very fat old pos
sum Oh Wheat street. and after a little
persuasion the 'possum was induced to
accompany him home.
The next day that 'possum was the
leading attraction at the dinner table.
If you have never tasted 'possum
meat You have lived in vain; if you
have never inhaled the delicious fra
GRANGE arising from dish of 'possum
and 'taters. life has been but a mockery
to you, aud if you do not get you pos
sum and bake him with sweet potatoes
for your dinner tomorrow you'll regret
II aInn to the end of WOLFE Life