The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-01-18
THE WILD GOOSE BEAN.
uoW A FAMOUS LUMBERMAN PRE-
PARES BAKED BEANS.

aid his identity ever be discovered,
-pricking monument erected from
lint contributions of grateful and
led jewellers in the lumber camps
3ipe would rise upon the banks OF
bscot river, where the wild goose
, best known, and most used and
appreciated.
- bean in and of itself is an insig-
mt affair, grayish white as to color,
ned oblong as to shape, and no
I than "a bit of chalk" as to size.
re the wild goose bean was found
.xpIoited Oh the slab tables in the
~ camps, the old "yellow-eyed'
was the standard of excellence,
handing 10 cents more on the bush
an the pea bean or the lazy wife
of the l000-to-1 bean.
sooner had the wild goose variety
IFS advent among bean lovers than
anced all rivals and became the
fjgn of the grooming board that
IS umbermen to overload their
sghs and grow fat upon a steady
baked beans and hard work for
Its every day.
4if a century ago there were two
-aimants for the earlier discovery
. Wild goose bean, living in eastern
81 ohm Goddard of Bangor, after
.1Ionel of a Maine regiment III the
H. and Henry X. Robinson, en-
. .umberman and camp boss OF
aimed that he had made the
.scovery, and each asserted that
.. wild goose bean was the only
article on the market, all others
rHtfts or base limitations. Col.
... told how he had discovered
loose bean as follows:
-.r spring of 1916 l had a crew
- entrance to the west branch,
~ miles above Midway, The
ere growing small and hard to
... The men were complaining be
-y could not fell all the trees
..t right in to the ice of the
% they would be ready to go
.ih the drive as soon as the ice
lay when we had received no
.-at for week, and the going
umpy that no tote team could
. river for beef, | told the cook
. up the gun and shoot halt a
Wild geese, as the tlocks were
..orth in herds as thick as spar
II was late when the cook re-
IS with his geese, and as the men
red of salt junk, / took hold and
linn fix them for dinner.
. crops of the birds were nearly
inst little dried grass and a
-,ilgs of green clover. But III the
one Young gander | found three
aue that was shrunken and
.. md two which looked sound. L
. 4.1 of them and took them home
mted them in my garden that
.rL From the two bean plants
zane up | harvested almost a
p ar sound beans. And from that
arcel of seeds came all the real
goose beans that have made so
men rejoice"
account given by Mr.. Robinson
more explicit. He had shot the
Gliding the wild goose beans
his own gun. The shooting took
l ls42, and in the fall of the
when the geese were moving
From this Mr.. Robinson had
.-i that the beans were hardy and
Ell early, as they could not be
l>p at the far north, from which
- the slain goose had come.
wing that he had found a variety
H Il rlpen every year before frost
lie had selected five of the
.1rct beans foundin the crop OF
$50 and taken them home and
-l tuem on his farm in Brewer.
eH seeds proved to be capable
ming every feat demanded of
Yeaus. They were prolific. free
E. very early, and delightful to
-u cooked iii the bean-hole IN
.fun with an abundance OF fat
pork.
Years after shooting the bean
goose. Nh Robinson was able
e his lumber camp with Wlld
ans, since which time no t:ue
man VIII ever sign to work III
Us unless an assurance OF haY-
g Of baked wild goose beans IS
lltIact. While the rival claim
ere living, the controversy as to
Of discovery ragged tiercely,
the animosity has subsidized
decease of the antagonists.
while the demand for wild
ans in the Maine lumber camps
-reat that the fayorite variety
pds 81 extra on the bushel in all
lame markets.
lost of the talk you hear about the
loose beans is nonsense said Ed
rrafton, an aged woodsman.
.a was a young man, 40 years
gerybody took one side or the
III the argument, and when a
of woodsmen got about Ban
u and the toddy was strong and
-i IN big glasses, there used to be
hard things said. Good New Eng
an sold for 25 cents pint then,
As as strong as it is today.
eu four men would sit around a
and order two gallons of rum and
x { all at a sitting, you might ex-
lngs to be said | have spent
tran 40 winters in the Maine lum-
amps as cook, cooks helper, team
ud swamper, and | know that any
RS OF beans is good enough for the
PARTICULAR men in the world to
( You cook them right.
rs over a peck of beans at night
them in a dish with cold water
to cover them, and let them
Il morning Then drain off the
nd weigh out a pound of thick
pork for every pound of beans.
inside of the bean pot with
Ices of the pork and pour i'll the
userting the surplus pork in the
# the pot. Now pour in a
af black molasses, and four big
"iuns that have been peeled, and
se with gill of ground mustard
"Qr in hot water until the pot is
seal on the lid with wet clay
1 10. Il