Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-01-05
'POSSuM AND 'TsTER.
-nssrEia Gourmets Who Revel in the Chief
Delight Of the Year.

Densht OF the tedfs
Did you see that suspicious looking
nnimal hanging out in front Of Ma
uiofta street restaurant the other day
Df course you saw il il you passed that
Ray. OF course you knew, even If il
Int have any hair on il, and even if il
ssss butchered and ready for the oven,
1Aat it was a 'possum. But did you know
mhat the possum market in Atlanta
Uos not To be ''sneezed" atl Did you
low that "'possum and 'taters" was
tune of the swell dishes at the restau-
nntsG Well, if you didn't, read along
aaittle further and I'll give you some
ancts about the 'possum crop which
vii astonish you as they did me.
This file tailed country animal has
been part Of the south as long as
Skere has been any south, and, like
tho rabbit, he is very prolific, and
seems TO increase instead of diminish
- the years roll ON. He is very fond
q persimmons, from which the name
sf opoSsum is derived. He was
Aearly always caught up persimmon
tree, and years ago was known as the
nnimal of the persimmon, which was
1sadualiy contracted into o'possum.
II is useless to say that the possum
ia nocturnal animal, and is caught
II means of dogs who tree him in
.s0me small tree which is easily cut
down. Strange as it may sound old
possum hunters will tell you that the
6gger a 'ppssum is the smaller the
tide in which he is caught, and it is
snly the young 'possums, that climb a
wry large tree when pursued by the
Aogs
Three or four years ago our commits
lion merchants began buying a few
'possums from the country and selling
hem 10 a few select customers in At
hnta. Before that time o, ,possum now
md then found its way into the city
1hrough the agency of some great
Possum warrior, who always found a
ready sale for this toothsnme animal.
Everything has changed since then,
and the 'possum has, through no eff
forts of his own, arisen 10 a very inn
portant place in the con- mercial world.
One commission mere lant informed
me that he handled 800 'poSsums a
month, and at Folsom restaurant 100
ef these animals are butchered every
month and served out TO those who
ere 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 large percentage Of this
number come from up on the Marietta
md North Georgia railroad, a section
II the country which is regarded as
me 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
m by the wagon load, as they would
hring in a load of chickens.
'Poss,ms are sold at various prices,
governed according TO the size Of the
animal. The kittens bring from 20 to
20 cents, while the full grown range
from 40 cents to 81. The 'possum Is
npe by the LIST of September, and he is
pulled until the LIST of March. The
average sum paid for 'possums month
during the season viii amount To
something over $500, making the pos
sum crop worth about $4,000 to At
lanta.
A dish Of 'possum and taters at the
restaurant will cost you 80 cents, but
Il you want possuin supper it will
loot ,,o,, from, St Ea A., 60 ,,,.so,,,,,
supper consists of a whole 'possum,
baked with sweet potatoes, and then
there's corn bread and coffee thrown
N as extras, for 'possum and taters, 10
be enjoyed, must be eaten with corn
bread. There's a very remarkable
thing about 'possum meat. II is as
greasy as the meat of hog; but, un-
ike that, it 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 very large
quantity of il and feel no bad effects
from so doing.
'Possums are caught in a mile and O
half of Atlanta, and, as j 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 'possum on Wheat street, and
after a little persuasion the 'possum
was induced 10 accompany him home
The next day that 'possum was tho
leading attraction ct the dinner table
II you have never tasted 'possun
meat you have lived in vain; if you
have never inhaled the delicious fra
grance arising from a dish of 'possun
and 'taters, lite has been but 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
kfe.-Atlanta Journal.