Arizona republican., 1910-01-01
AN OLD SOUTHERN CHRISTMAS
Contradictory Joys of Cracklin' Bread
 and WatermeIons.

| "Mistletoe was plenty all up and
 down our creek" says writer in the
 Circle, but nobody cared to have
 it in the house for Christmas, per-
 haps because of what the black
 in meant bringing in bad luck.
 They carried their belief so far as
 to be fearful of burning wood from trees on which mistletoe grew. To
 this day l can see no beauty in the
 stiff yellow green stalks or the leathery leaves, not even with the
 redemption of plentiful pearly ber- ries.
 The late hog killing was always
 delayed until the edge of Christ
 mas. The best lard always came
 from it. since the hogs were as fat as seals. In trying out-it was called drying up-clear, moderately
 strong lye was put with the raw fat
 at the beginning. The proportion
 was about a gallon of I've to ten
 gallons of cut up fat. The Iye ate
 up the cracklings. leaving only fine
 brown crumbs to be strained out.
 Tt increased the yield and made the lard firmer and winter, also less likely to turn rancid if kept into the second year. Such crack lings as remained were put into a stout, clean bag and pressed hard between board paddles. tied together at their outer ends. They came out of the bag in a compact. dry mass, but in spite of pressing held grease enough to make adorable cracking bread.
 'Cracklin' bread Poet Riley has hymned it. as it deserves not to be called thus out of it's name. The making is very simple. Sift fresh water ground corn meal. add well through it, then wet with boil ing water into a softish dough. Have your pan or skillet hot enough to brown without burning a sprinkle of dry meal. make the dough into small pones by tossing it from hand to hand. lay them neatly around the hot vessel. fill in the middle with other pones and bake in a quick. steady heat until the crust Is a rich brown.
 Eat with sausage or bird pie. or even roasted sweet potatoes and plenty of butter A refinement of | cracking bread is pumpkin bread. | for which stewed pumpkin is mixed | through the meal after the crack | lings. taking in large measure the 1 place of water. Pumpkin bread de- | mands about twice as much salt as I the other~sort. Misguided persona now and then put in molasses as well. but the result is saddening. !, Nothing made of corn meal takes | kindly to sweetening.
 Christmas watermelons sound | at least away from the | tropics, but they were actual upon | many plantations in the days of top l fodder, top stacks and corn shuck- 1 ings. The melons were laid two feet | or more above the earthen floor thus they did not mold or shrivel. the shocks kept -hem from freezing. and natures alchemist clean, pure air. preserved them to Christmas day.
 There was no plague of Christ 1ne's own-one's family, servants and dependents. Young fellows guilty of attentions without inten- tions often ventured upon sending to the objects of their atteptions gorgeous Annuals. Books of Beau ty,' and their like. Poems also poems bound in red morocco and -ull gilt The author didn't matter much if the binding was right. Thomas Moore had the call over his brother rhymers through the fact hat his songs were current, and Lalla Rookh.' his masterpiece. much admired by the young ladies'.
 Navel Gull Oranges. s1.00 per box.