Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-20

pioneer.
For decades the fruitful valley mas
produced the plant to be converted
into the oil Of curative properties.
Originally the seeds We're sown broad
cast upon the freshly plOwed land and
without cultivation the plants We're
permitted to grow during the first
summer. The plants We're not dis
| titled the first season, as they We're
considered too small for the purpose.
and. besides. it was desired that they
become well established for the rigors
of the approaching winter and be
ready for an excellent growth the next
year.
| For about thre. seasons the pId ITS
| were cut away for distillation pur-
poses and then the land was devoted
| to some other crop in order to give II
an opportunity 10 renew its lost vital
| ity. Owing to climatic changes newer
methods are now employed. There has
been p"rceptible decrease in the snow
! fall of central and southern Wisconsin
| during the last decade. and for this
reason the plants are now set out in
| rows ana cultivated tn. first year the
sam" AZ tobacco In this way the
1 SipNti IL t"i tdIii Va 81 crop lflf IlIst
| year. and the plant becomes hardy.
| In due time the plants stand abOu,
| four feet high and are cut down TO
supply the distiIlery just before they
reach their maturity. During the har-
vest season about half an acre a day
| falls before the reaper's knife and is
hauled to the distitlery. where II is
| crowded into an immense vat in order
| that the oil may he set free. The same
as in any process of this kind the
/ plants are heated by means of steam
pipes. and as the oil escapes with the
| steam il is condensed in coil cooled
| with water in tank. The oil is Sc
| cured as ii drips from tn, end Of the
still. and is usually sent direct 10
/ some wholesale druggist to be- used in
| compromising various medicines.
| There is an old German colony near
Watertown where tn. stuffing Of geese
| has become vocation in order TO OBJ
| tain IN. delicious pate de foie gras. a
| rare dclicacy which is the chief in
eredient in goose liver pie. To stuff
| one Of these fowl requires abou, IS
| days and in that time his weight in
creases by one half. There is great
danger in continuing the process FOR a
longer period. as the goose is liable to
succumb to the inevitable on account
| of the corpulent condition attained.
which involves several layers Of fat
about the neck, preventing his res
piratory organs from performing their
natural functions.
When he has become corpulant 10 tho
proper degree his weight has increased
from about 20 pounds to at least 80,
and the price of his flesh is no longer
~ cents per pound. but has bounded
up 10 81. In order to facilitate the
fattening process the bird is placed in
| small. darkened box. where he not
only eats all that he wants. but is
| forced to gormandize himself by hav-
ing soft balls of cornmeal forced down
his throat until his crop is full TO its
utmost
This overlooking enlarges the goose's
liver until II is no longer in proportion
to the size of the bird The peculiar
thing about the process is that the
liver turns white. The change in color
comes with the overgroWth which
often reaches TWO pounds. worth 81 a
pound. and used as the basis for
goose liver pie. This queer food prod
uct is always sold before being re-
moved from the fowl and the delicacy
is produced in such few places that
Wat"rtown enjoys the distinction of
being a shipping point for pate de foie
eras. ConSignments are frequently
mad" to Germany. the home of the
stuffed goose
TO the farmer who has found II
| necessary to exercise all his ingenuity
nrI.sr -, fro II,
minks as poultry pests. the idea of de-
liberately breeding them and even
maintaining a farm for their comfort
seems almost preposterous But f. y.
Harvey. at Lake Mills has attained no
lttle experience in the mink growing
business. and says he is not Obliged
tc worry as to whether there is room
at the top in his line, FOR he is prob
ably the only person in the rep,;blic
who is reaping profit from the rro-
duction of the sleek skins
MinkS manage to make life a success
when undisturbcd in their native habitat.
but when il comes to mining wealth By
engaging In raising these uuadrupeds
due caution must BE- exercised in the ,n-
dertakiug in oruer to prevent the animals
from escaping. Mr.. Harvey constructed
a uEht board fence several feet high
around the plot of land devoted 10 the
mnkS, and stone foundation extending
two feet under the surface of the soil
does not allow the creatures to burrou
out. The pioneers of the colony he cap
tured from a swamp close by. and there
has been no difficulty in increasing the
population for the animals are character
's'ically prolific in the wild state and
even more 50 when partially domesticat-
ed. for then there is slight opportunity to
be b"set by their enemies
Onc of the three best herds Of pure
blood buffaloS In America is owned BY
Huber Bros. at Cochrane Buffalo county
Wis. There Is left but = remnant nf less
than son head Of buffalos in this country
and of these the Wisconsin herd numbers
more than third. The buffa"s are KEEP,
on a farm which includes many acres
and although their surroundings differ
materially from those to which they wcr,,
accustomed in their wild state they
seem 70 thrive and be content and are. it
| Is said. easily controlled. unless some un-
nsu3i disturbance occurs which frightens
them. The population of the herd in
creaSeS under ,..ese conditions with suffi-
c1ent rapiditN 10 make the venture of buf-
! falo farming one of profit to the owners
Old Reitan of Bayfield,, is the proud pos
SCISSOR Of more angora goats than any
! man in 10, lat,