The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-01-08
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1 to the trees to gather up the fruit.
The boy wheeled the apples In, two
bushels at a load, and slowed them In
bins, built up in two rooms in the
house, where, later, they could be
kept from freezing by means Of
stove in the cellar beneath.
Catherine had thought this all out
In advance. and she had sent of for
four "evaporators, payment for
which used nearly all her remaining
money.
Carelessly dried apples, on strings,
brings no more than six or eight cents
pound, but nicely sliced, "evap-
Grated" apple always commands a
much better price. She had resolved
to put the whole crop of Baldwins
into eyaporated apple.
In almost every rural neighbor-
hood, village or small town there is
sure to be some old @aunty," grand
ma" or widow in INDECENT circum-
stances, who has outlived the most OF
her earthly ties, and must go to the
town farm" or subsist on sufferance
with some grudging relative. Life
grows very dreary to these old per-
sons. There seems to be no place
for them. In cases where a few hun
dred dollars can be raised for them.
they sometimes go to an "old ladies'
home"
Within three miles Of the Edwards
homestead there were two of these
old souls, Aunt Netty" Stiles and
Grandma" Frost, who were by no
means helpless or feeble, but had
merely outliYed their welcome on the
earth.
Catherine first made the old farm
house dining room cozy and warm,
and then invited Aunt Netty and
Grandma Frost to come and sit with
her mother and Eunice and slice ap-
pies. She offered them seventy-five
cents a week and board. Moreover,
she took them all into her confidence,
and told them her plans for saving
the old homestead.
Uncle Horace peeled the apples on
a pairing machine, and the old women
sliced them. Their tongues ran; they
were as clipper as crickets. They
had not had SO good time for years.
Catherine had to look to 1T that they
did not overwork. They produced
more sliced apple than the four evan.
orators would dry. Uncle Horace had
to contrive fifth drier over large
stove out in the woodhouse. Two
more forlorn old women from the
town farm came on foot, begging for
work. They were taken in.
Apple drying went on from the
first of October till the middle Of
January, and the whole crop was
dried. Before the first of March
Catherine had sold the entire output
at eleven cents pound. The result
was an object lesson to every apple
farmer in that locality. She received
fifteen hundred and sixty dollars; and
owing to the skill with which she
had managed the entire expenses Of
drying the apples were less than a
hundred and seventy dollars.
There was also this other curious
result: The old women did not want
to go home! In fact, the two from
the town farm cried when the last
of the apples were cut.
Then Catherine determined to keen
them all over for the next season.
She bought lot Of yarn and set them
to knitting socks and wooden gloves.
In fact, she had started happy old
Women's home before she knew it!
And the number of applications which
came to her from homeless old women
and from those who had aged rela-
tiyes on their hands whom they
wished to be rid of would have been
laughable, if it had not been pathetic.
But for the time being Catherine
could do no more than keep those
whom she had.
The year 1904 also proved to be
an apple year; and again the whole
crop was put into evaporated apple.
two other old women having been adj
mitted to the "circle of slicers.
BY this time, too, Catherine had
come to realize the possibilities Of
her new business. All the apple trees
were carefully looked after, and two
hundred young trees set out. She
planted, too, hundred and fifty plum
and pear trees, and an acre of black
berry shrubs; for now her design was
to make new venture, canning
pears, plums and berries in glass jars.
In fact, it would not surprise me if a
few years hence this neglected old
homestead were producing i've thou
sand dollars worth Of fruit annually.