Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-01-01
,POSSUM AND 'TkTeR.
Georgia Gourmets Who Revel In the Chief
Delight Of the Year.


Delight Of the Year.
Did you see that suspicious looking
animal hanging out in front Of a Ma
rietta street restaurant the other dayf
OF course you saw il if you passed that
way. OF course you knew, even If IT
didn't have any hair on il, andeven II IT
was butchered and ready for the oven,
that it was a'possum. Butdid you know
that the 'possum market in Atlanta
was not TO be ''sneezed" atl Did you
know that ~'''possum and taters" was
one of the swell dishes at the restau-
rantsa Well, if you didn't, read along
a little further and I'll give you some
facts about the 'possum crop which
will astonish you as they 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 persimmons, from which the name
of opossum is derived. He was
nearly always caught up a persimmon
tree, and years ago was known as the
animal of the persimmon, which was
gradually contracted into o'possum.
1t is useless TO say that the 'possum
is nocturnal animal, and is caught
by means of dogs who tree him III
some small tree which is easily cut
down. Strange as it may sound old
'possum hunters will tell you that the
bigger a 'pDssum is the smaller the
tree i'm which he is caught, and it is
only the young 'possums, that climb a
very large tree when pursued by the
dogs.
Three or four years ago our commits
lion merchants began buying n few
'possums from the country and selling
them TO a few select customers in AT.
lanta. Before that time a 'possum now
and then found its way into the city
through the agency of some great
'possum warrior, who always found a
ready sale for this toothsome animal.
Everything has changed since then,
ana lhe 'possum has, through no ef.
forts of his own, arisen TO a very inn
portant place in the commercial world.
One commission merchant informed
me that he handled 800 'poSSums a
month, and at Folsom's restaurant 100
of these animals are butchered every
month and served out 10 those who
are fond Of them, and that means
nearly every southern raised man.
The majority of the 'posSums sold in
Atlanta come from the country mer.
chants, and a large percentage Of this
number come from up on the Marietta
and North Georgia railroad, a section
of the country which is regarded as
the finest in the world for grapes, rye,
'possums and corn liquor. A number
of countrymen living in Fulton county
catch many 'possums during the sea
son, and sometimes they bring them
in by the wagon load, as they would
bring in a load of chickens.
'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 LIST of March. The
average sum paid for 'possums a month
during the season will amount to
something over $500, making the pos.
sun crop worth about $4,000 TO At.
lanta.
A dish of 'possum and taters at the
restaurant will cost you 30 cents, but
if you want a 'possum supper it will
cost you from 81. so to 50. A 'possum
supper consists of a whole 'possum,
baked with sweet potatoes, and then
there's corn bread and coffee thrown
in as extras, for 'possum and taters, 70
be enjoyed, must be eaten with corn
bread. There's a very remarkable
thing about 'possum meat. 1t is as
greasy as the meat Of a hog; but, un.
like that, il 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 eat a very large
quantity of il and feel no bad effects
from so doing.
'Possums are caught in a mile and q
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 a very large and very
fat old 'possum on 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; il you
have never inhaled the delicious fra
GRANGE arising from a dish of 'possum
and 'taters, life has been but a mock
cry to you, and if you do not get you
a 'possum and bake him with sweet
potatoes for your dinner tomorrow
you'll regret it even to the end Of your
life. ATLANTA Journal.