St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-03-16

were acquired from tho savage-modea
Of hunting, the ''blazing" Of trees TO
mark new forest paths. twisting Of ropes
from the inner bark of the slippery
elm. the pounding Of corn in wooden
mortars the setting Of fish wires, heat
ing water by dropping it on hot stones.
the manufacture of maple sugar from
sap the pounding Of ash wood to make
splints for baskets. etc. The earliest
lights in common use were pieces Of
resinous pitch pine. thoroughly dried.
and when lighted. placed in the corner
Of the fireplace. where the smoke could
be drawn up the spacious chimney.
Then came tallow candles, or tall0w
dips, followed by the whale-oil lamp.
The Pilgrims had hoes made Of wood.
Turtle shells, ingeniously affixed to
sticks and sharp stones, held by withee.
acted a conspicuous part in the cultiva-
tion Of the soil The method Of plant
ing Indian corn. four or five grains in a
hill and rows three or four feet apart
with beans running up the stalk and
pumpkin vines In the intervening
spaces. were all borrowed. as We arc
told. from the aborigines. William
Penn, it is said. found the savagcs eat
ing baked beans as white people do
now in Boston. In all the New Eng
land settlements one common article OF
food was bean porridge. Baked pump
kin was another article Of food. In Sc
lecting a pumpkin for cooking the col
onists picked out one thoroughly ripe,
with . hard shell. A hole five or six
inches in diameter was cut in the stem
end. the piece taken out being kept
whole, the seeds and all the soft,
stringy substance were scraped out
leaving nothing but the solid matter.
Thus prepared. it was filed with new
milk. then covered with the piece
which had been cut out, and put into
well-heated oven. where it was permit
ted to remain six or eight hours. and
was usually allowed to cool in the oven.
1t was then eaten with milk. Turnips
and parsnips were the most common
vegetables in the earliest times. potatoes
not becoming common until after the
middle Of the last century. OF the ed
ible grains. wheat was not much used.
except in well-to-do families. The
bread everywhere used was the famous
RYE and Indian" Indian puddings
were in great use. Calkins, in his his
tory Of Norwich, Conn. relates q fsbu-
lous story: The Inhabitants of that
place fell into strife which could boil
the largest Indian pudding. One day.
Is the story goes, one of the enormous
puddings. on baing cut open. rolled
over and killed two men sitting on each
side OF the table. After that law was
passed that no boiled Indian pudding
should be made containing more than
three pecks Of meal.
DR.. Dorchester spoke Of other food
dishes. and then. touching on drinks.
said that punch was one OF the most
common prior to the middle OF the last
century. It was made and drank in
bowls, the same bowl being passed
around to all the company. 'Black
strap" or rum sweetened with molas-
ses, coming into use in the early part Of
the last century. became very common
before its close. Rum was first made
in New England about 100. and from
1850 to 1925 drunkenness held high car
nival among all classes. not excepting
clergymen and deacons.
Large quantities OF cider were drunk.
Apple trees were introduced into Mas
sachusetts by Governor Winthrop, to
whom, in consideration Of this service,
Governors Island, in Boston Harb0r,
was given. and it was long covered with
apple trees.
The germ of some Of tho early New
England institutions and customs is
found in the earliest recorded history
of the Anglo-Saxons, in their primevnl
German home. We find there the prim-
tive idea of the town. When the le-
gions Of Rome attempted to conquer
the Anglo-Saxons. they found the
tribes bound together by league they
had nowhere else encOuntered-the
league of the tuns. Each village was a
tun, independent, managing its own af-
fairs, each household having the right
of suffrage on all questions affecting the
welfare OF the tun. Every village had
its moot or Westinghouse, where the
inhabitants met to discuss all questions
in tun meeting. Each tun managed its
own affairs, and each united with its
neighboring tun to repulse invaders.
Rome could not conquer this people.
The town moot, signifying debate. gave
character to the buildings used for
mooting. and the mooting-hOuse in
course of time was called a meeting
house. The first settlers at Plymouth
Rock we're a tun-the beginning OF a
State. q republic-and the town meet
ings held in New England meeting
houses became potent factors in the ma
ton. Noting some Of the queer records
Of town meetings, the speaker referred
to "a vote authorizing a committee to
purchase a pitch pipe for the use OF the
choristers." For many years. said he.
this was the only instrument used in
connection with singing. A bowl ol
rum ito raise the Westinghouse" was
another town charge.
1t was in those days the custom to
build churches without means for
warming them. q custom which. 1t ID
said. still prevails in Holland. Switzer'
land and other places in Europe. In .
climate so rigorous IS New England 70
ligious observances in winter mus,
have been hideously unattractive. Ont