The Republican journal., 1909-04-29
THE CHANGES OF TINE.

How times have changed in the last 80
or 40 years! We remember to have sat
at a we'll laden table in farmers kitch-
en- where the head of the family proudly
called attention to the fact that every
thing on the table had been produced on
the farm under his own supervision, ex-
cept the tea, salt and pepper! And it
was fine layout, too. Let's see if we
can recall at this late day what was real
ly on that farmers table. 1t was a
Thanksgiving day, and grandfather had
even made the fine dining room table
from timber that grew on the farm, and
as we now recall it the linen table cloth
was woven from linen that grandmother
had spun on her little old-fashioned spin
ming wheel, at which she sat and spun
while she told us children stories by the
hour. The flax for the linen was of
course raised on the farm, and in those
days it was quite common crop in our
neighborhood among the best farmers.
But to the dinner. 1t was roast goose
right out of grandmother flock, with
chicken pie served as a side dish. Of
course we had all the vegetables of a
well conducted farmers garden, cider,
homemade vinegar, apple sauce, great
Slices of grandmother bread from home
grown wheat, maple syrup and sugar
made from sap that we boys helped
gather with yoke of steers hooked to
the wood sled. Then for dessert came
mince pie, baked apples and cream, maple
candy and great rosy King apples. Could
any or all of the markets of the world
add to that repast? We rather think not.
Now look at another scene enacted
fifty years later. Again it is Thanks
giving time and the lads have become
old and grizzly, and they in turn become
the host and invite the children and
grandchildren to gather around the fes-
tive board and partake of a farmer S
feast. The visitors were met at the
depot by grandpa driving pair of west
ern bred horses hitched to pung brought
from Indiana. Grandma meets them at
the door and ushers them into the sitting
room, where small fire burning coal
from Pennsylvania is dimly glowing in
the CRATE built into the commodious old
fashioned fire place Of former days. A
modern oak table from Grand Rapids,
Mich, is in its accustomed place in the
dining room, but its beauty is all hidden
by elaborate Irish linen covers. Great
preparations have been made for the
dinner. A Western turkey graces the
center of the table, with Cape Cod cram
berry sauce near at hand. Dreamed oys-
tiers right from ole Virginia, and Mary
land capon, are also much in evidence.
Canned apples from New York, Vermont
cheese, Connecticut onions, New Bruins.
wick turnips and cabbage, squash from
New Jersey, Valencia oranges, celery
from Boston and several kinds Of HEM
pickles help to make the dinner appetiz-
ing. The ''Nonesuch'' mince meat fol
the pie was prepared in Syracuse, anc
naturally was ''loaded" with material sc
that it would keep" in all climates
The figs came from Spain and the nuts
and coffee from Brazil, the tea from
Japan, and the milk was canned in New
York, while the sugar was from Cuba
And this, like the feast of a half century
ago, was served by farmer on Maine
farm. Again we ask whittier are We
tending? Who can answer? Turf, Farm
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