The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-12-20
Pecans from Mississippi

The Reporter is in receipt or very
agreeable information to the effect
that a shipment of pecans is on the
way from Mississippi and that they
are to be distributed, in part, among
the employees of this establishment.
The nuts themselves have not arrived
but the bill-of-lading is at hand and
from it we find that there are 100 lbs
in the lot. These are sent by cour-
tesy of Horatio S. Weston of Logtown,
Miss, a stakeholder in the Independ-
ent-Reporter corporation. Mr.. Wes-
ton was born in Mississippi but has
occasionally been in Skowhegan, the
home of his ancestors. He was here
in 1920 and again in, 1922. On his
last visit, among others, he made the
acquaintance of Sheriff John A
Mooers and Edward F. Merrill. With
the last named, a common ground OF
interest was the Masonic Fraternity,
the Skowhgaen gentleman having
been Eminent Commander of De Mo
lay Commandery and his southern
friend Grand Commander of the
Grand Commandery of Mississippi.
In writing about this shipment of
nuts, Mr.. Weston said you may
give some to the Sheriff 'and some to
your landlord Mr. Merrill gets the
latter designation from the fact that
the building where the Independent
Reporter is printed is owned by the
e. N Merrill Estate. Mr.. Weston
further suggested that his Skowhe-
gan cousins, Miss Gertrude S. Weston,
Miss Clara B. Varney and Henry Var
ney, be remembered and that his
three northern nieces, Mrs. Irving e.
Symonds, Miss Eunice F. and Lois VI.
Patten, be taken into the distribution,
together with the Independent-Repo
ter employees.
The pecan is perhaps the most de-
licious nut that grows. Those who
have not noted them recently hardly
appreciate the improvement which
has been going on A few years ago
the nut in the market under that
name was a small reddish brown af-
fair with a shell which would only
yield after a very vigorous blow.
The proportion of meat to shell was
very small. These were a wild nut,
chiefly gathered in Texas. Scien-
lists and nut growers have been
working toward a better product for
at least fifty years. OF late progress
has been very rapid and there is as
much difference between the paper
she'll pecan of the present day ana
| the small nut above described as
there is between the Mcintosh Red
apple and the fruit which grows on a
roadside seeding. The aristocratic
apple and the highbrow nut are de-
licious and satisfactory. The pie
beian varieties in both cases are just
about worthless.
Now, to get the full value Of a Pc
can, or any other nut for that matter,
you need the right kind of a cracker.
Even the paper-shell pecans, unless
properly cracked, will yield badly
broken meat. There is modern
device on the market which handles
them to perfection. With its use
meats come out almost whole. 1t is
known as the Perfection Nut Cracker
We noted themsadyertised in some OF
the national magazines something
like ten years ago. At that time we
induced the Bowman Hardware Com
pany to put them in and they have
ever since carried them in stock. As
they have not been locally advertised
the sale has been somewhat limited
Those who have bought them, how
ever, speak of them as among the
most satisfactory small investments
they have ever made. The Bowman
people will be glad to sell you one
at SIPS. Doubtless they would be
entirely willing to let you have on
fYio1 IF Nou o0pa ncn II Won will
never let it go back. While they fit
the peculiar shape of the pecan per-
fectly they are very we'll adapted to
an kinds of nuts.