Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-12-26
CHRISTMAS BASKETS
FROM THE FARMS

r. CHRISTMAS BASKETS :
FROM THE FARMS :
BY hilda Richmond.
Nobody seems to knOw just why 30
many country women. are Frightening
|fcriorn homes by sending them Christ
mas baskets annually, but among h
theories advanced Is that, In late
years. country women nave visited h
cities more frequently than of yore.
and are beginning to have their eyes
opened az to the cost OF CITY iiv wing
enough goes to waste on the average
farm to comfortably support. almost.
q tenement family, and to begin to
gather up some of the fragments for
the poor and distressed. Whether this
Is the reason or not. certain 1t is h a
there are hundreds OF thousands Of
women living on fine farms who have
their proteges In towns or cities, and
who remember them literally at
Christmas time, and often at other
wife had her lesson when some city
people admired the p%rOfusion Of ap-
Piles all about the fine home. and they
are 80 common to her that h forgot
the invitation to Help yourselves"
Afterwards she found out that the
L B1AU CdIu1uk very IleIl0 lAlOllCy d1kO
his children seldom saw apples except
In front Of groceries, as the moderate
price asked In the bountiful season
was still too much for his purse. After
that apples were freely distributed to
the poor. and they. really cost nothing
but the labor Of picking them up and
taking them to town. There are farm
ers who are very liberal when appeals
J are made and there is someone to
| gather up the stuff. u who consider
taking q basket to a poor person too
much trouble. II they ever taste the
delights OF seeing a poor woman IN
pack q basket before q hungry fam
lily, or the Joy displayed by an elderly
person who is almost forgotten by the
busy world when q basket comes her
way, they will never think of the
trouble again.
What are they putting into the bask-
cts? Well. some pride themselves up
on taking only the things that would
60 to waste. just to see what car be
done. while others put In the best the
an enlisted the help OF the children.
and every walnut on the place was
gathered. Usually they went to waste
or were burned up to get them out of
the way. The walnuts were sold m
the money used to pay for farm prod
from strangers. It astonished every
body to see what those walnuts
brought in market at 80 cents q bushel,
q 1t also astonished them to see
what quantities Of good things wen
into the baskets. Another family, for
an experiment. disposed Of the waste
apples by making them into cider and
the cider into vinegar, and thus they
produced their money. In these cases
the money was not earned because
baskets. but simply to show what
could be done.
Where the baskets are Just filled
from the farm bounties, all sorts Of
good things 80 into them. Potatoes.
egss. lard, beans. dried corn. butter.
milk. turnips, cabbage, canned goods.
Jellies. pickles, jams, and all the other
good thing. the mistress OF the house
serves on her table. To be sure all
basket, blu there is always enough
variety to insure q good Christmas
dinner. with something left over for
several days. Often when poultry is
scarce. q nice pork q or a string OF
taRes tlas ol e p1e fSe c q tender LEI .d beef
Y whatever 1t IL. II 10 always well
coined by the poor. Nearly every time
baskets are sent, good bread, pies and
cookies aas tucked in. as poor people
things. and It 10 impossible for the
appreciated.
For the children there are always
some goodies. and these are usually
homegrown or homemade. pop corn.
nuts. apples. molasses candy and nut
taffy are exceedingly ommon to farm
children. but great Injuries to the poor
children Of III city. Ginger cookies
Or cakes Of any kind usually 90 into
2 Christmas baskets for young and
Old. and where. there are sick or old
people ~ the home. bottles OF grape
way Of 1ellies o. honey. There isn't a
thing raised on the farm that viii not
work into the Christmas baskets wen.
basket, try 4 this year. Just 70 into
Y bountt1ul store closet. your fruit
cellar. your vegetable closet and your
s1pply q rood things all about the
up 70 rive Away.
q chRIsTMAs IN PARIS.