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EXT to a Koodly supply of
turkoys tho most impor
tant rcqtilstto for a suc
cessful Thaiiksglvlng Is a
plentiful measure of cran
berries of just the proper
tart flavor. As well have
a Thanksgiving dinner
without turkey as without
the appetizing cranberry
sauce. However ill people
of the United States have
scant cause to worry be
cause of this feature of
their holiday menu. It has
been years since a failure
of the cranberry crop was
eported and cranberry growers have been so
Increasing their productive areas that despite
the increase in demand, due to the country's
Increase In population and other influences,
here continues to be year by year a pretty
lavish supply of the crimson berries, and most
Beasons find them available at very reason
able prices.
Cranberries, like so many of the other good
things of life, are distinctively American deli
cacies. To be sure, cranberries grow wild in
gome other quarters of the globe for instance
In Europe, but it is only in the United States
Rat they have been cultivated as an article of
Food. Even here tho growing of cranberries Is
confined largely to three states Massachu
setts, New Jersey and Wisconsin. How impor
tant an industry it Is may be surmised, however.
rf
J. ilx
from the fact that the
Cape Cod district in Mas
sachusetts, the greatest
cranberry region on the
globe, sends to market as
many as one-third of a
million barrels of cran
berries in a single season.
The average person is
wont to term all berry
areas "patches," but cran
berries do not grow in
patches but in bogs
and, as may be sur
mised from the name, most of these tracts are
located adjacent to rivers or lakes or ponds,
bo that they can be flooded in the late au
tumn and kept under water until spring. The
berries grow on a vino which nestles close
to the ground in a perfect tangle, and save for
keeping out the weeds and battling with tho
insect peBts, which are numerous, the cranber
ries do not require very much cultivation or
attention until harvest time approaches in the
autumn. Then the cranberry grower must look
forward to a period of anxiety, a careful, Ber
lou8 scrutiny of the weather. He must
keep close watch on the weather, for if a frost
comes ere the crop is harvested it will work
sad havoc unless the grower has been fore
warned and flooded his bog or built great bon
fires to keep up the temperature.
' In years gone by the harvesting of cranber-
)
f
V , r
ml, much as raspberries
or strawberries are
picked, and most of the
cranberry picking was
done by women nnil chil
dren. Tho "Cranberry
King" used to hire ns
many as 1,100 pickers
on his great bogs on
Cape Cod and tho pick
ers, many of whom jour
neyed long distances,
"camped out" on the
bogs during the plrking
season. The past few
years, however, has witnessed a revolution.
Now almost all cranberries aro picked by the
aid of machines, and because it is tiresome
work manipulating these machines it has come
about that most of the women and children
have been forced out of the industry and tho
task is largely in the hands of men, the moro
skillful of whom receive from $.1 to $5 per day.
The picking machine most extensively used
has the appearance of a huge wooden scoop,
the bottom of which Is mado up of a row of
metal bars, tipped with sharp prongs and set
close together. In operation this scoop Is
shoved with some considerable force Into the
tangle of cranberry vines and then is drawn up
ward and backward with the result that the
vines which have been caught slip between the
metal bars but leave the berrios, which are too
large to pass through the openings, as do tho
vines, and in consequence are stripped from
rles was done solely by tho hand picking ineth
their stems nnd remain In the scoop, whence
they are transferred to tli,. tray which each pick
er has close at hand. An expert picker with a
machine will do the work of from half a dozen
to a dozen hand pickers.
The cranberries as picked on the bogs are
placed In huge wooden boxes and transferred
to a nenrby frame building, where they aro
passed through a mnchlne known as a "separa
tor," which takes out nil the leaves, twins and
other foreign matter. Then they aro sorted for
the elimination of any bad or worm-eaten ber
ries and finally are placed In barrels, which nn
hauled away to railroad yards to be loaded into
cars to tho tune of from 220 to 240 barrels
to tho car, refrigerator cars being used exclu
slvely. Up to the present time cranberries have
been sold In bulk, but this year sees an Innova
tion In the appearance of evaporated cranberries,
for which are claimed all the advantages of evap
orated peaches or apples, and In the introduction
of cranberries put up in pasteboard cartons.
Hearing cranberry bogs of the most desir
able kind cost from $GO0 to $1,200 per acre,
but In a bumper year a grower may get his
money back the first year, and during the worst
year the industry has known In a decade most oi
the growers made from 10 to 15 per cent, on
their Investment, nnd that, too. In spite of the
fact that cranberries wero so plentiful that they
brought only $2 a barrel, whereas $5 to $7 a bar
rel is accounted an average price, and there have
been years when a famine of cranberries sent
tho price up to $10 per barrel.
(9 rpfp gf(imSP
I L Ll J L-
v'gr'W-a. ffij ,.je pre ... T-i;- -
HE autumn of 1621
waned on a prosperous
community. Plymouth,
Mass., was both
healthy and wealthy.
Sickness, though It had
destroyed one-half the
company of pilgrims,
had ceased, and the
crops, as a whole, had been good, the
peas alone failing. All the houses in
j(he settlement had been put into con
dition and a goodly stock of furs and
prepared lumber had been made ready
tor export to England by the next
ship. The waters swarmed with fish
and sea fowl were abundant. The call
of tho wild turkey was heard in the
woods and the patter of the fleeting
deer was nothing strange.
The summer was past; the harvest
ended. The pilgrims decided upon a
period of recreation. The governor
6ent out four huntsmen, who in one
day secured game to last the colony
a week. Hospitality was extended to
Massasolt, of the neighboring settle
jnent, who brought 'JO people with
him. The guests remained "0 days.
The company engaged In rounds of
amusements, in which military drills
nnd religious services formed a part.
Thus, heartily and loyally, was inau
gurated the great New England festi
val of Thanksgiving. For two centu
ries it ljas continued to be observed,
at first 'mostly In the eastern states,
but it has now become national, its
animal return finding a welcome from
boundary to boundary, both at top
and bottom and either extremity of
thc nation.
Thanksgiving day Is peculiarly an
American custom, though there are
Kiine writers who claim that it Is not
possible to determine the elate of the
first observance. Jolin A. Coodwin,
in his historical review, "The l'ilurini
Republic." is positive, however, that
th fir;t celebration occurred in the !
fall or lflCl. this being followed in 1;23
bv the fir.-1 Thanksgiving proclama
tion. Ijv tli governor of Massachu
setts. In K,",0 there arrived at Plym
outh II vessels, bringing with them
smi colonists, making the number
lie-irly 1,2i'o instead of a mere "IK). On
Ju! x, ' l; : another Thanksgiving
w.-ts held in acknowledgment for ihis
jieci ssion t i i hp ranks of ih" colon-i:-i;
The l".:!ch governors of the New
Netherlands also appointed different
dates for public thanksgiving, from
time to time, and in some historical
works there Is record of a dispute as
to which of these colonies deserved
the credit for having first inaugurated
the day. Most of the best founded
historians, however, give the credit to
the New England states.
The Dutch governors of New Neth
erlands appointed occasional days of
thanksgiving In 104 1. 1CI5, 1055 and
l(!f4, and tho English governors fol
lowed their example in 17").") and 1700,
and the Protestant Episcopal church
In the United States In its prayer
book, ratified in 17SU, recommends for
Thanksgiving day the first Thursday
ia Xoveml). v, unless some other day
he appointed by the civil authorities.
There w ere also occasional recommen
dations by other religious bodies, but
no regular annual recommendation by
the governor f ,.w York before 1817.
The struggle of the colonies for In
dependence marks the beginning of
general observances of days of thanks
giving in this country. The congress
of 1777. the one which prepared tho
articles of confederation for adoption
by tho colonies, adopted a resolution
sitting apart the eighteenth day of
December, 1777. to be observed as a
day of solemn thanksgiving and
praise throughout the United States.
Washington, during his administra
tion, issued two thanksgiving ;irocla
mutions, one In 17S9 and the other In
179."), Just after tho suppression of
the "Whisky rebellion," which had
threatened the peace of the countiy,
and Pres.i.b nl Madison Issued one
upon tho declaration of peace In
1SI.". However, in the arly years
of the nation the rule was for the co
lonial custom tu be followed and the
proclamation made emanated from
the governors. The western stateH,
largely people from New England or
New York, early followed the lead of
these portions of the country. As we
have seen, (ho annual recommenda
tion by the governors of New York
began in 1817. From that time the
observance gradually crept southward
and westward, and In 1885 Governor
Johnson of Virginia adopted it, and
though in 1857 Governor Wise of Vir
ginia declined to make tho proclama
tion on the ground that he was unau
thorized to Interfere in religious mat
ters, in 1858 a Thanksgiving day was
proclaimed In eight of the southern
states.
The dny had thus naturally gt
to be a national Institution of al:
universal observance, when the
war brought to midden rlpeneBB
along with many other tendencies
President Lincoln put upon It tho
of his official proclamation. P
dent Lincoln's first proclamation
in 1802, on account of the first in
taut victory of the national arms,
issued a similar recommcndatloi
lso.r
Decorative Conceits and Favors
For the Thanksgiving Festivities
The pious, hard-driven, worn-out, but
thankful puritans who sat down at
their tables one November, a few cen
turies ago, and mado tho llrst Thanks
giving Day, never knew to what
lengths they wero to drive tho In
genuity of their poor descendants.
Hut it wasn't their fault after all, that
the preparer of tho Thanksgiving feast
today has to attend Just as much to
the turkey's surroundings as to the
turkey itself. It was good enough for
thorn to have a well-stocked larder
from which could come the turkey, the
celery, the pumpkin pie, the cranber
ries and all the other goodies which
history puts down to their credit.
Even the comparatively recent New
Englanders were content with all
these as long as they looked tempting
and tasted good. Hut today, even the
important fowl itself Is hardly mora
important than the ribbons, the can
dles, the favors, the adornments of
all kinds, which must appear on the
Thanksgiving table.
"Don't bother about having too
much to eat," an up-to-date daughter
was heard to say to her New England
mother tho other day. "I want plenty
of room for the ribbons and the candy
boxes."
It's tho same way with other daugh
ters of nn esthetic turn of mind, rath
er than a practical one, and it looks
as if their ambitions to "make things
look pretty" may be realized this year,
for there Is a goodly array of Thanks
giving favors and table decorations of
all kinds.
Of course tlio turkey reigns su
preme, even if it is in paper, and is
seen in all sl.es, all kinds, roasted to
a beautiful dark brown as the cook
Look says, or standing Important and
majestic with its big fan-shaped feath
er tall high in the air. In most cases
the favor turkey Is meant for candy,
biit certain new china turkeys are
mustard cups.
'1 he pumpkin 1.4 next In Importance
and is seen In many of the noveltiis.
There aro large paper pumpkins for
centerpieces and all sorts of small
ones In papier macbe or tissue p
which are candy boxes. Fruits
vegetables of all kinds seem tc
suggestivo of tho season of feas
and many good imitations are f(
among the candy box collectl
Gobllncsque littlo men are madi
paper fruits nnd fixed up to hai
very grotesque appoarance, and fi
little figures are made of peanuts,
mounted on cards. Nuts are tie
in ribbons and are found to be p
packages for the receiver, for in t
aro neatly packed little stick-
whistles, etc., all carefully conce
within the paper shells.
The place cards allow of a g
many new designs, and an espec:
new feature among these Is b
small mirrors. The chrysanther
Is the leading flower among the pi
bowers, and thoHe In yellow or or:
seem to bo the most desired sha
Other Imitations which are espec:
"llfo-liko" are the painted piece of
pumpkin pie, the tin of Doston hi
beans, the plum pudding and the
of corn.
LENT INSPIRATION.
"I am gratified," said tho first pi
inent citizen, "to observe the ur
current of Joy in the Tbanksgl
proclamation of the governor. I
erto the proclamations have been a
the old cut and dried, stilted fo
but In this Instance there is a cei
tone of joyousness.of thankfulnesi
pure gratefulness that Is really
spiring."
"Yes," agrees the second promt
citizen, "but it's no wonder the gov
or felt good when be wrote that I
lamalloti."
"No. He has started on w hat sc
destined to be a good admiulstra
already there is talk of promo
I) I in to some higher oflice in tho
of the pen "
"And besides," Interrupts the soi
man, "the governor owns one of
largest turkey (arms in the state.
in Year 1795
Thanksgiving
Nowadays the Tlia;ikFf,iving proclu V;
malum of tin? stale and national cx
eeuiives am I rief compared to what
tiiey were in the early days of our
republic. In the ease of the latter he
de-n't foreshadow J.is forthcoming
unini.il tin s.;age as was somewhat the
vogue in President Washington's time.
This is seen in the Thanksgiving
proclamations issued by our great and
food tlrst president In the early part
nl 'tie year 17'.5, in which he appoint
ed Feb. P.) as "a day of public thanks
giving and prayer." The "Father of
1113 Country" was then 0 years of
ago and was serving bis sixth year as
president. It was a long document
and covered qulto a number of points.
Of these, I will advert very briefly to
only three or four which are peculiar
ly significant.
In the preamble he mentions, aa the
first subject, "demanding the public
attention on this Koh inu occasion, our
ixemjition from a foreign war" and
next proposes, as "an object of grati
tude" tho "increasing prospc-t of the
continuance of our exemptions from a
foreign war." Which propositions evi
dently relate to tho settlement,
through special envoy, John Jay, of
our serious troubles with Great lirit
ain, growing out of tho continued oc
cupation by tho Hritlsh of the western
forts on Iako Erie, contrary to the
treaty of 1783; and the seizure of
American veBieU bound for French
ports by Hritish shins and tho Impris
onment of Amerh'un seamen.
Another auso for thanksgiving, ac
cording to the anion high authority, is
"thij great di greo of Internal tran
quillity we have enjoyed." To whic h
Is added "our cause for thankiulness
for tho recent confirmation of that
tranquillity by tho suppression of an
insurrection which so wantonly threat
ened It."
And in another placo the president
repeats this Idea, asking bis people
"to render a tribute of praise and fcrat-
Clvll
this
;, and
seal
ipor
He n In
ana
be
of
'o a
nny
and
up
ilns,
ge
the
ked
ear
n, of
1n-
ern-
icuis
tlon,
'Mug
gift
:ond
the
itude to tho Great Disposer of all
events, for tho seasonable control
which has been given in u spirit of
disorder in the suppression of the lato
insurrection." What tho president
bail in mind In this allusion was the
"great whisky Insurrection" In Pemi.
(-jlvanla In I7:i1, caused by tho pas
sage by congress of acts Imposing du
ties upon spirits distilled and upon
stillh. It was finally suppressed by
Governor I.ee of Maryland, with 15,000
troops, acting under orders , of the
president.
Tho problem 1m not bow much land
you have, but bow well you cultivate
It. Mako the bay land produce nlno
tons per acre, and four or (lvo acres
of hay will bo enough. Make tho corn
land produce 200 bushels per acre, nnd
cut down the area to one-fourth. Do
the sajne with tho other crops, and
you will soon find that you have much
moro land than you can possibly cul
tivate. The farmer raises cattlo nnd hogs
Mth a view of rapid development of
fat, but the horse Is used for mechan
ical power nnd should develop great
bono and muscle. Muscular develop
ment cannot bo attained In close con
finement and the young animal should
not be tied in a stall nnd fed corn and
timothy bay to fatten him for tho
shambles.
Unless there is an experienced and
successful corn breeder In tho vicinity
who makes a specialty of growing flrst
class seed corn, every farmer had bet
ted make his own selection from his
own field or from the best . fields of
neighboring farms.
No kind of live stock can thrive and
do well in 111 lighted, poorly-aired
buildings. One of tho first require
ments In a stable Is that It should be
well provided with windows, and have
means for letting fresh air in and foul
air out.
The introduction of tho English
sparrow by Its driving away the little
native birds has been responsible for
more damage by insects and weed
pests than all other causes combined,
Including cats, and boys with guns.
It tho hens aro protected against tho
cold winds while they are enjoying the
sunshine of the yards, they will surely
lay more eggs than Jf not thus shield
ed, whilo tho reduced feed bill will
compensato for the expense Incurred.
Paint the staves on all sides before
erecting the silo, rather than to paint
tho exterior later on, slnco paint put
on the outside afterward holds water
in the cracks and causes the Btaves to
decay more rapidly.
If tho cows are stabled at night,
much fertilizer Is saved that would
otherwise be dropped In the pasture
and disintegrated by wind, rain and
sun lose its strength and be lost.
Nine tons is a large yield of hay
from a single acre, and few would ex
pect this yield from Bermuda grass,
yet Buch is the case, or at least from
an acre of vetch and Bermuda.
The largest beet sugar factory In
the United States Is at Spreckles, Cali
fornia, which has a capacity of slicing
3.000 tons of beeU per day, equal to
100 carloads of 20 tons each.
The women folks oa the farm should
assert their rights and have the mod
ern and neceBBary equipments in the
dairy, and thus produce, with less la
bor, a good article of butter.
If there Is any doubt whether land
needs lime or not, test it. One meth
od is to grow common garden beets.
This plant makes a very poor growth
on soil which needs lime.
Fashionable folks are taking up
horses again, the automobilo having
becomo too common for them. And
farmers are buying automobiles to save
their horses.
Tho dairy cow, if able to express
herself in a way which the human
family would comprehend, might well
lay claim to being man's best friend.
For home use, tho garden, the arbor,
the boundary fence and even the
veranda are the locations generally
available for tho growth of the grape.
The succulent grasses are rich In
musclo and boue-fornilng materials
and aro loosening and cooling to the
system.
Probably no one Ohfng enters more
Into commercial fruit growing than
proper packing.
No other branch of farming pays
as well as a good orchard, if well
taken care of.
Once settled indoors, tho house
plants must be sure of regular atten
tion if they are to be a success.
Horse manure is much better to be
mixed with other manure and worked
ver by swine.
A useful and ornamental plant Is
parsley. It may easily be kept for
use all wiutir.
Tho ewes Intended for breeding
purposes should bo sorted aa early
as possible and put upon good pas
ture. Ewes for breedlnij purposes should
not be overly fat, but In a utrong, vig
orous, thrifty condition.
A hog can bo starved to eat almost
anything, but seldom does well on
b polled fcec
Cabbage growers should insure fu
ture crops against club root.
Mnrcrh land Is usually rich, and aVfl
It needs to make It productive Is
drainage. The fall of the year Is the
best Mme to drain before the winter
rains set In. If the ground is not too
soft for the horses, one or more fur
rows may be run out with the two
hofse plow. Hook three horsos to
the plow. An extra man should fol
low with Sharp ax to cut the roots.
Tho ditch may be deepened by the
use of the lifting subsoil plow. To do
good work a heavy match team In the
hands of a capable plowman Is neces
sary. After land Is drained, turn the
sod over with the three-horse plow.
It Is now time to bo thinking seri
ously of winter protection for small
fruits. For strawberries, the usual
covering of straw Is good. In mild
locations a layer of straw not less
than four inches thick should be ap
plied. In more severe locations this
would be Increased to si.. iM'hos, and
In the prairie sections It Josirafjie
to use eight Inches of 6traw, or er"
more.
Tho prevailing fence of today la
the woven wire variety. No better
fence was ever devised, provided It l
put up well, and no other fence la so
poor, ugly and inefficient If it is erect
ed in a slipshod manner.
Pick tho fruit, empty It onto the sort
ing tables and pack it right In the or
chard. If this method Is practised
much labor is saved, for the whole
work is completed as soon as the fruit
la gathered from the trees.
It has been conclusively proven that
hens kept in a yard and fed right will
lay more eggs than bens that run at
large all over creation. Tho feed bill
will not be so largo either, a fact that
Is worth considering.
If swino are kept penned and are
given absorbents enough to keep them
fairly clean and dry. they will nearly
earn their keep in the amount of fer
tilizer they will make, and It Is the
best of Its kind.
Apples will not be over-produced un
til every man, woman and child in the
land has all the apples he or she can
use, and gets them at a moderate
price. If not done, plant, your gooseber
ries and currants this fall. Grape
I vine should be laid down and ooveree
with straw. Even the old Concord
cannot stand our strenuous winters.
Start the trap nests so It can be
known which are the best winter lay
ers. Almost any old hen will lay in
spring and summer; It tabes a good
ben to lay in late fall and winter.
Not all regions and all soils are suit
able for growing a good quality of
onions, and only recently have onion
growers found out that peaty, swamp
I lands made the best onion ground.
Nitrate of soda will force tho growth,
of melons, tomatoes and other plants.
A tablespoonful scattered about each
tomato plant and slightly raked In will
produce good results.
There is a great region of oountry
where the blackberry may be called
the poor man's fruit. This Is true be
cause of the ease and certainty with,
which it is produced.
Every foal at weaning age has oet
the breeder considerable money, and
the preservation and development of
the foal has much to do with the prof
Its of the farm.
In marketing onions the first essen
tial is to properly grade and clean tha
bulbs, in order that they may present
an attractive appearance when offered
for sale.
Insignificant matters often do not at
tract attention, yet a little crack in the
poultry bouse, if near where the fowls
roost, wll cause suffering sooner or la
ter. The sow that has proven herself
extra valuable as a breeder and a
mother should be one of the most
prized animals on the farm.
In mending a steep place In the
roadside, briers, brush and all fenca
row mowings make good material to
lay down to place the dirt upon.
In erecting a woven wire fence one
if the essential things to be consider
ed is that of strong und well support
ed corner or end posts.
The great value of lime in the soil
la Its power to correct soil acidity, or
sourness, and to improve its texture
or physical condition.
Well bred heifer calves ma of tea
be purchased cheaply of people who
llvo In town and keep but one oow for
family use.
The market for small fruits to great
er than ever, because the fruit Is now
bought up by the canning and preserv
ing houses.
To make a success of dairying yoa
can't know too much about your cows.
No two cows are just alike.
The products of the dairy are per
haps the most useful articles includ
ed in the human diet.
Fall rains are searching. If there
Is any doubt about the roofs get at
them now.
Location has much to do with the
profitablo disposal of second-class ap
ples. If there were no birds man could
not live on the earth, and birds aro
decreasing in this country.
The advice to rake up the fallen
leaves and use for a mulch in tho
garden Is often given.
The spring is the time whon aspara
gus roots are usually set, though tha
work may be done in the fall.
Tho Minnesota station heartily rec
ommeud fall plowing of the land for
corn.