The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-31
UTILITY OF THE GoURD.

From the Detroit Tribune.

From the Detroit News-Tribune.
Stopping at farm house in any of
our Southern states of North America
and asking for water, the tourist will
be directed to help himself at the well,
where a gourd dipper hangs in readi-
ness. In the South there is seldom
found a farm house where many gourd
utensils are not in evidence, and the
tourist will not be long in finding that
in some of the poorer homesteads, and,in
fact, in a great many of the well-to-do
farm houses, they are the only known
receptacles for water, milk, food, soap
and the various articles found in
country kitchens.
When a Southern farmer is about
to plant his fields and garden in the
spring of the year, he never neglects
to plant a few gourd seeds. He selects
some out-of-the-way please near
rail fence, barn, hen house or some
other outbuilding, where no other veg
etable could grow and flourish. The
vines, which are similar in appearance
to those of the pumpkins, are allowed
to run free and wild over the ground,
and when the gourds begin to grow
they will assume curious shapes.
The poisoning of the gourd vine is
much after the fasion of that of the
pumpkin and then the gourd begins
to grok. At an early age it assumes
a shape which it will hold until full
grown. The gourd must be allowed to
hang upon the vines until a heavy
frost occurs, for should it be picked
sooner it will only shrivel up and be
useless. After the frost has killed
the vines, they are gathered and
stored away to become hard and sea-
soned. Then saw is used, and if the
gourd has been allowed to stand for
two or three years, it will be found to
la as hard as walnut.
After the process of drying. the in
side is scraped out, the shell boiled in
strong solution of I've, and come
times buried in the sands or left in a
creek for two or three weeks After
the gourd has been thoroughly clean
ed it does not require further care,
with the exception of an occasional
securing with sand and a wash with
soap and water.
A gourd during its growth can be
made to assume many queer and fan
tastic shapes by a little deft work
every day for short time. The han
die can be tied into a knot and by
placing growing gourd between two
boards it can be made to grow into
the shape of a flask or bottle which
will fit the pocket, and may be used
tie or whiskey flask. Those with long
necks make excellent dippers.
Every Southern housewife has a
small-sized gourd for holding salt
one for flour, one for pepper and other
condiments and a large one for lard.
butter, corn, beans and other vege-
tables.
A prominent object in the yard of
nearly every Southern farm house is a
large pole erected in the center of the
yard, with a cross-bar at the ton.
which closely resembles a modern tel
egraph pole, on which are seen hang
ing five or six gourds attached to a
string, each gourd having a capacity
of about two quarts each with a small
hole bored in the side. The gourds
are intended for the accommodation
of the small bird known as the mar
tin. These birds are bitter enemies of
hawks and owls, and will not allow
these predatory creatures to come near
a house in which they live, and there
fore serve the purpose of protecting
the poultry.
When the small boy in the South
besides to learn to swim, several hol-
lowed-out, air-tight gourds attached to
leather belt will answer the pllrpose
or life-preserver. as they are surpris-
ingiy buoyant. and three or four small
ones Will easily support a heavy man.
The Southern milkmaid depends
largely upon 1t for the greater part OF
ner work. The housewife prides her
self on her milking gourds. which are
Kept white and clean by constant
scourings and seedlings. Large gourds
are used as hen nests, water Is car
fled TO the farm hands IN the fields in
large gourd bucket the tinsmith ana
shoemaker keep their tools IN a gourd
chest; they are also used as hanging
baskets, and when decorated and the
edges Heailoped make very pretty ones
~ thousand different ways the
sourd - Of the greatest use "a IN
southern families, and Is Appreciates
a. va 40 other place ia the World. The