Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-11-23

~, passengers, the day being Sun
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 a picture. It was a simple
composition with a background OF
crimson autumnal foliage, a weather
stained log house in the middle dis"
lance, we'll screened In woodbine and
trumpet creeper, the frost-nipped re-
mains of an old-fashioned garden ana
right in the middle foreground. not
stones throw from the track-the soil
tary figure. He stood beside the squat
gatepost, just as if he had been paint
ed there good half century ago,
cob pipe in his mouth and a somewhat
tattered straw hat pushed well back
from his ford 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 vel
low rind he had cut, "Prize-winner, 216
pd."
II thought he'd be there" one of the
passengers laughed. "He hasn't done
thing but f1aunt 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. It 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 certain Missouri
county, but there. was pumpkin
shown at the Merchants Exchange in
st. Louis that would have broken the
old Ozark farmers heart It was the
great achievement of Tom Powell, who
has bsen raising big pumpkins good
many years and who supplied the seed
from which that one great hill pump.
kin was developed. It took a 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. It was converted into 100
succulent pies
The demand for pumpkin has not in
creased in proportion to the popula.
tons 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
many housewife who made her tired
boast. give baked two dozen this
morning. and I do hope there will be
enough left for Monday dinner"
In the old days, the pumpkin was
put to another use. It was the basis
for very delicious soup-strange as
this may seem. Even now in the mar
kets Of Paris there is the custom of
browning King Pumpkin the last Sat
urday In September. The largest and
shapeltest IL elected king, and ther4 Is
| regular ceremonial, an hour of the
afternoon being given up to the parade
through stalls and adjoining streets
of the market, the trades people ia cos.
tune and the pumpkin adorned WIKI
gorgeous crown of tinsel and innita-
ton jewels. When the parade is over
the fruit is uncrowned. cut into sec
tons and these auctioned of 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 the
merrymakers at Hallowe' ZEN. made
over into JACKIE lanterns. with grin.
ming or sorrowful1 ountenances.
Centuries ago in Europe there was
another kind OF Il JACKIE Lantern, the
marsh fire or will -the-wisp. elf-flre
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
phosphore lights appeared at the
time Of All Saints day they were said
g 30 the souls g sinners that had