The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1903-01-01


opening running from end to end bslow
the arepIsces fer draft. Aiene the top
and at regular Intervals are fow Iron
iirepIaees Ave inches square and four
Inches deep, 80 set int the steve that
the tops are en- level With the top 81
the steve. A maid wins often nssisets
one fire would feel everbuFdeaed With
the care Of these fsuF separate nres at
the same time, ~ 10 necessary with these
stoves. The American housewife who
prefers ts have her feed baked can Use
q zaseiine even ever one Of these aros,
and the result IL quite satisfactory.
But even this stove, however crude and
lnoonvsnient, II seen only In the hetter
hemes Of Porto Rloe, After good
natured Candida has finished her days
work and has found her way down the
hill along the steep, narrow path that
leads to "ghaoiktown." where she lives. II
she wishes to prepare an svsnina meal
for hungry children she viii bring out
from the corner Of the room an empty oil
missionary and which has been attsd mp
By the hnxmith with CRATE near the
top and an opening below for draft.
The makinR Of the stove has cost her %
cents. and she possesses better outfit
for housekeeping than many Of her
neighbors. The writer had one Of these
steves made for her own use. ana ~ II
oan be easily carried about Il In very con-
venient. Many times has she sat on
low bench and popped corn over the
Goals Ia the oii-can stove. while one
or mere wondsring natives stood around
seeing the operation for the flrst time.
and afterward some Of Thorn would try
to pop their own corn. Charcoal Ii the
fuel used Ia these stoves. but many Of
the poor people are too poor to buy char
GOAL and make their IRE with bits Of
wood and sticks which can be picked
up.
Small green bananas ara the most COM
mon food Of the poor people; cooked with
little Goldfish they are considered
great treat. II I want 70 give especial
pleasure to my cook furnish the bana-
mas and cod fsh and she win prepare
her fAvorite dish.
To the houselsesper who IL providing
for the needs Of q large family the daily
supply Of milk 10 important. and In the
home Of the missionaries we can always
depend upon the coming Of Mary, the
miikwoman. She walks barefooted two
or three miles often coming through the
mud and pouring rain. II you 80 to her
home yeu win fnd house. standing In
the midst Of orange and banana trees and
the fragrant coffee, itself the only thing
to mar the beauty Of the tropical land
soaps. Inside you viii fnd her three
children not az clean 90 herself. and q
room still less 90. All the time that the
mother 10 gone. which IL usually half
the day, these children are alone. caring
for one another, and the Oldest b only
Q years Of age.
We have been called pioneers In Porto
Rico. and many times what we do and
see reminds Va OF some Of the stories
we have heard cur grandfathers tell Of
the pioneer days out West. when many
Of the needs OF the family were supplied
by labor within the household. Many
times have difficulty In buying corn
mean, which 10 favorite article OF food
In the family. One day. after an un-
successful search for the meal, Candida
helped me out Of my dificulty by Of
fering to have the corn ground for me
in her own mill. ana I gladly accepted
the offer. Candida's mill, like those seen
throughout the interior Of the island. dit
fers little from the mills used In Bible
times. Il consists Of two stones, re-
sembling grindstones. each Q foot or
more in diameter and from three to ave
inches In thickness, the upper and neither
millstones'' of the Scriptures. The lower
stone. which rests on the floor, has It's
upper surface slightly followed. and into
this concavity fits the convexity Of the
upper stone. Through the center of the
upper stone is a hole, through which Is
corn passes down to the grinding sur
face between the stones. Near the outer
rim Is another hole for the end of the
handles pole. seven or eight feet long,
with Its upper end slipped into q loop
fastened to beam above. Occasionally
this pole Is replaced by short handle.
only six or eight inches long. as In the
mill used 2.0o0 or 5000 years ago.
The women or children who do the
grinding sit on the floor and slowly pour
the corn or rice into the central open
Ing as they rotate the upper stone, the
flneness OF the meal being determined
by the amount OF PRESSURE, the rate OF
rotation or the number Of times II Is pass
ed through the mill. The meal escapes
at the sides from between the stones.
Travelling along the mountain roads OF
the Interior the s'sound Of tn grinding
can often be heard. It II slow work
and tiresome, and the workers have to
change or but the result Is satisfac-
tory and the meal is always fresh They
grind the rice In the same way, and from
both kinds Of flour Candida can make
fritters that are very pleasant to the