The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1910-11-25

pdSSSuSSlS LuS udy OSAAe Jun
day and the lid we'll clamped
down, even in the Ozark country,
where the moon is said to shine In
the darkness occasionally. Neverthe-
less the passengers got something
worth while stopping for. What they
got was picture. It was a simple
composition with a background OF
crimson autumnal foliage, a weather
stained log house in the middle dis
tance, we'll screened in woodbine and
trumpet creeper, the frost-nipped re-
mains Of an old-fashioned garden and
right in the middle foreground. not
stones throw from the track-the soli-
tary figure. He stood beside the squat
gatepost, just as If he had been paint
ed there a good half century ago,
cob pipe in his mouth and a somewhat
tattered straw hat pushed well back
from his forid brow and straight gray
hair. His lean arms embraced, as far
as human arms could reach, NAM
moth pumpkin that reposed on the
gatepost, and into the side of the gel
low rind he had cut, "Prize-winner. 216
pd."
Il thought he'd be there" one of the
passengers laughed. He hasn't done
thing but flaunt that pumpkin at the
passengers the past four days since he
got it back from the county fair. You
know it isn't easy to raise big fellows
like that in these Ozark hills. 1t takes
rich bottom soil to make 'em grow to
any considerable size, and the Ozark
farmer needs his little bottom patches
for something besides show fruit. That
old chap got some of the best pumpkin
seed that ever was brought into mar
ket and he's been at 'em ever since.
That 216-pounder did actually cap
ture the prize in a certain Missouri
county, but there was a pumpkin
shown at the Merchants Exchange in
st. Louis that would have broken the
old Ozark farmers heart. 1t was the
great achievement of Tom Powell, who
has been raising big pumpkins good
many years and who supplied the seed
from which that one great hill pump
kin was developed. 1t took three
horse team to haul thirty pumpkins
to st. Louis for the display. The COM
bined weight of the load, exclusive of
the wagon and driver, was something
over 5000 pounds, and the largest of
the pumpkins tipped the beam at 237,
the heaviest pumpkin ever brought to
St. Louis. 1t was converted into 100
succulent pies.
The demand for pumpkin has not in
creased in proportion to the popula-
tion's increase. In the days of our
grandmothers canned things were al
most unknown. And there was the
tradition that in the fall, from the mid
die Of October to Christmas, there
must be long row of pumpkin pies
on the pantry shelf every Saturday
night For moderate-sized family
ten pies would suffice, but there was
boast, I've baked two dozen this
morning, and l do hope there will be
enough left for Monday dinner"
In the old days, the pumpkin was
put to another use. 1t was the basis
for a very delicious soup-strange as
this may seem. Even now in the mar
kets of Paris there is the custom of
crowning King Pumpkin the last Sat
urday in September. The largest and
shapeliest is elected king, and there Is
a regular ceremonial, an hour of the
afternoon being given up to the parade
through stalls and adjoining streets
of the market, the trades people in cos
tune and the pumpkin adorned with
a gorgeous crown of tinsel and imita-
ton Jewels. When the parade is over
the fruit is uncrowned, cut into Sec
tions and these auctioned off to the
highest bidder, to be taken home and
made up into soup.
Long before the Thanksgiving sea-
son of pie baking, many pumpkins
have been diverted from their normal
purpose of food and have served thu
merrymakers at Halloween, made
over into jack-o' lanterns, with grin
ming or sorroWful countenances.
Centuries ago in Europe there was
another kind Of jack-o-lantern, the
marsh fire or will-o the Wisp, elf-fire
or whatever you wish to call it, that
was frequently seen in low, marShy
places at night, fitting about like tiny
lanterns in the gloom. When these
phosphorescent lights appeared at the
time of All Saints day they were said
to be the souls Of sinners that had