The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-20

While you're talkn' about county fairs" said the leader to a group of ex- hibitors who were looking over a fine selection of pumpkins and turnips at fair in the Hawkeye state, T can well remember when Snake Hollow was the pumpkin center of this state just as Palestine Siding was the record breaking hog-raisin district. Pumpkin raisln' was the pride of Snake Hollow and for twelve straight years hand runnin' it took the first prize. No one outside the Hollow dared think of competin with Ofld Dan Heckathorne who had carried off the honors ever since Uncle Joe Watts had moved out of the county, and I suppose he'd be doin' 1t yet if he hadn't got into trouble with Aus Shank lin about an ash tree that stood on the line between the farms of them TWO.
 Aus was a mighty good neighbor and he never would throw any stones into anyone's garden, but the minute Hecka- thorne began rubin it in on him that he had the best farm, Aus took 1t Into his head to beat Dan at the pumpkin raisin' business.
 "On the very day that Heckathorne cut down that ash tree and hauled II away Aus goes home to his wife and tells her to stir up a half gallon of paste and then he pulls for the pumpkin patch in the clearin'. I was workin over on knob sinkin a ngger-head on that same day
 Well Aus picks out good sized COW pumpkin and then he scrapes little holes into the shell and gratis on one vine after another until he gets about twenty five shoots a runnin' to that one pump kin It bein' a good hot day the paste soon dried and in about a half an hour longer the whole twenty-five of them shoots began working like blazes on that COW pumpkin. I've seen in good growth weather corn and water melons stretch out fast enough for you to see good and plain how they do 1t. But that was nothing like the experience of Aus With all them vines a shootin juice into that pumpkin the rind was stretched up to the screechin' point anu Aus told me afterward, although he was always prety close-mouthed about the affair, that the pumpkin grew so fast it played some of the purtiest tunes he ever hear.
 But he didn't have much time to watch the vegetable grow, for when he heard tfe rind singin' he took the hint and jumped behind a tree. Within thirty minutes after 1t began to swell havin got the size of a smolxe-house, the thing busted. I see the dirt fly from where I was workin and then I see Aus get away from behind the tree and laugh like as if he had a fit.
 Well, the whole neighborhood heard the explosion but no one ever knew ex" ceptin' myself who or what had caused 1t. I had gone over to Aus to see what was up, but he wouldn't say anymore than that he'd made a big discovery that would cook the goose of old Dan Heck athorne As Aus was the best thrashin' hand in the Hollow and as he had done give him away.
 'Shanklin's and Heckathornes farms Joined at one place in a piece of mellow bottom land and Heckathorne always sowed a row of corn and pumpkins along the line fence. Shanklin never made any objections no matter how far into his field Heckathorne's pumpkin vines went, for he was one of the whitest farmers in the Hollow, as I have said before. Dan trained the vines to run into the fence corners, but he didn't stop them when they kept on goin' out across the field of Shanklin. It was a dirty trick without a doubt but no one ever heard Aus say so.
 Shortly after Aus had the the explo- sion in the clearin' he goes down into the bottom and sticks some pumpkin seeds along the line fence. It was rather late in the season and when Heckathorne see him at work he came over and told him so but Aus said he thought 1t was a mistake to plant too early. Dan Just grinned as he sized up his crop. some of them already the size of a bushel bas- ket, and here was Aus just plantin' his. Aus didn't say anything till he was ready to leave for the house when he says to Dan, I'm goin' to take that prize at the fair this fall see If I don't. I can grow bigger pumpkins over here in one month and half than you can perduce over there in three Then he starts for the house.
 Dan ha had for all he was worth, for he was tickled most nightly at what Aus said about the pumpkins and what