The Seaforth News, 1961-11-09, Page 7When Punkin Pie
Weis The Real Thing
Now comes the punkin season
to the canning factories of Maine,
and as the orange and yellow
,loads Move over the roads the
factories are obscured by the
piles of grist. The canned pie
punkin, es en is really a squash
now, is lndsome critter, and
it is plc; et to contemplate the
great activity of the mills and
reflect on the pleasure this will
bring to millions out yonder who
can no longer have the punkin
pie of tradition, and must rely
on the grocer.
'It takes, a real old-timer any
more to tell you the difference
between a squash and punkin
pie. The biological variance be-
tween the two breeds boils down,
in the garden, to a hard stem and
HOBGOBLIN FRUIT - These
fivegiant pumpkins are des-
tined to become impressive
Jack-o'-lanterns. Mike Christ,
12, looks over the quintet
which grew from a single seed.
a soft stein, The squash has a
soft stem, and as you wander
about the corn patch and cut
your harvest you can tell easily
enough. When made into a pie,
they seem now to have no dis-
tinction. The can in which
squash is packed now has, a
recipe on the label for punkin
pie, which they spell pumpkin.
But there always was a dif-
ference. At our . famous public
suppers the waitresses always
offered squash OR punkin, and
saw nothing wrong with a pref-
erence. When they'd bring a slab
and start to set it before a pay-
ing customer thh customer would
sometimes say, "Is it squash or
punkin?" And a waitress could
lift it to her nose, inspect it in-
timately and tell. Now, this is
not to say that you couldn't make
a squash pie from punkin, or
punkin pie from squash, and no
doubt it . was done, but it does
mean that one had spices and
sweet'nin' the other didn't, and
custom kept the two as careful-
ly distinct as they kept blueber-
ry and apple.
The canning factories long ago
Upsidedown to Prevent Pee sing
I'
1
5
an
found a certain globular orange
squash made a better punkin
than punkin, Mercenary motives
caused this, and the eating hab-
its of the nation conformed. It
is a matter of yield per acre, per
cent of solids, reaction to retort
heat, and persistence of flavor.'
Years ago, around hero, the lead-
ing squash was the old green
Hubbard, and this was said to
be the direct descendant of the
Indian's favorite. The pumpkin
casae in two kinds -- the old
cow -punkin which was huge
and could build up to 60 pounds
or so if it had a chance, and the
little pie punkin, which wouldn't
get much bigger than maybe 10
or 12 inches across and had less
water in it, It was drier. This
stewed up into a better pie mix-
ture, although the flavor of both
was about the same.
But a perfectly good pie could
be made from the cow -punkin
and since it was bigger you fre-
quently got a bigger pie, which
was a fine idea. It was a great
day in the household when some-
body staggered in with the first
ripe punkin and the clamor
went up for a pie, You'd get
about a half -peck of seeds from
one of these cow -punkin, and
they had to be washed and dried
and laid away for next year. It
was always wise to select your
seeds from the early -ripening
fruits, the idea being that this
precocity was communicated.
Our growing season was always
too short, and the quicker we
could get production the better.
Then with a good knife the
punkin was cut into "junks," the
peel taken off, and the result
boiled, This could give you a
very moist product if the punkin
was watery, and the cook had
to judge this matter with skill.
The punkin pie of tradition,
and I have often wondered if the
Pilgrim mothers really made the
round pies you see in the draw-
ings, was rectangular. The pan
would be a cake tin, not a pie
plate. Most families had a big
one nearly the full size of the
oven, for there were several
things in farm life you needed a
big pan for. Trying out lard, for
instance, (This, incidentally, is
the first meaning of"try" - the
other ways we use this word
are derivative.) Such pans would
be used for roasting, too, and
corn breads. They might be 20
inches, even more. Into it the
cook would fit a good lining of
piecrust, and no matter what
new ideas prevail there has
never been anything better for
piecrust than old-fashioned leaf
lard.
The filling was as variable as
weather - so much punkin,. eggs,
milk, molasses, cinnamon, nut-
meg, ginger, and maybe a little
cornstarch. With punkin and
squash pies you don't -pre-bake
the shell as you do with a lemon
or chocolate pie. And one of
these old square punkin pies got
a superstructure design by the
little trick of adding some more
juice after the top. part of the
shell had firmed a little in the
heat.
True, you got•crust if you had
an outside piece - a corner
piece gave you' twice as much.
The inside cuts were all pun-
kin, with only the skin of crust
underneath. This was generous-
ly believed by the younger set
to be a good thing, and as pun-
kin pie was believed. to be nour-
ishing as well as tasty, there was
seldom any objection fro m
Mother about a second or third
piece. Besides, punkin pie made
no great drain on resources, for
phnkins grew by the ton.
Once, I remember, when the
kitchen crew neglected this won
derful subject overlong, Grand-
father made a sarcastic crack
about how the hogs lived better
than we did. After that he got
punkin pies until they ran out
of his ears, and he was the hap-
piest man in town. - By John
Gould in the Christian Seienco •
Monitor.
A whisper gets about much
faster than a shout.
THERE ARE SMILES . With a broad smile that indicates
he knows where 'game abounds, 'hunter Mukopai prepares
to go hunting in the forests of the Altai Mountains in Sin-
kiang, China, ' •
HOLDING HER OWN - Mrs. -Fay Champlain holds her own
"Crazy Cat," who holds her own, a kitten named "76th.'I
The kitten is so named because she has seven toes on both
front feet and six on both hind feet.
TIlL FAiN FONT
Jolw%
Majority of the registered egg
producers in. Canada are small
operators producing less than
4,000 dozen grade A large or
Extra large eggs each year. ` A'
handful, or only 0.2 per cent of
the estimated 100,000 registered -
producers market mote than
40,000 dozen such eggs annually.
* *
According to figures compiled
by the Canada Department of
Agriculture's data processing
section, 93 per cent of all egg
producers in Canada are cov-
ered 100 per cent by the Agri-
culture Stabilization Bo a r d
which providesfor a deficiency
payment on all Grade A Large
eggs marketed up to a maxi-
mum . of 4,000 dozen annually.
The ether 7 per eaett also art
covered by the Board but only
up to the 4,000 dozen level.
* * $
The figures indicate that 68.3
per cent of the registered egg
producers produce 799 dozen or
less annually or only` 12.5 per
cent of Canada's total egg pro-
duction. On the other hand, 0,8
per cent of the producers mar-
ket between 16,000 - 39,999 dozen
eggs annually or 14.1 per cent
of the total egg production.
* * *
Further proof that majority
of Canada egg producers are
small operators, a Board spokes-
man said, is the fact that 80 per
cent of the producers accounted
for only 23 per cent Of all grade
A Large eggs marketed at reg-
istered egg grading stations in
1960.
Grade A Large eggs are sup-
ported by the Agricultural Sta-
bilization Board at 33 cents per
dozen, If ' the national average
weighted price for the year is
below this figude the farmer can
expect this price and the gov-
ernment's pre-set n a t i o n a 1
weighted average support price
on a maximum of 4,000 dozen.
* * *
The total number of eggs
during the first half of 1961
amounted to 3.6 -million cases,
or 107.2 million dozen. This, it
was reported, represented a
drop of 4,1 per cent compared
with the first six months' pro-
duction in 1060.
* * S
In milder regions of Canada
it may be economical to feed
market pigs in an open -front
pole barn, says R. J. Curtis of
the Canada Department of Agri-
culture'sresearch station at
Fredericton, N.B. He found it
produced 50 per cent more Grade
A's .than the closed -in building
did., * * *
He described tests over a 14
month period with four groups
of pigs in a piggery of usual
construction and an open -front
barn - the latter 39 feet square
with an aluminum roof, Half
the best pigs were transferred
to the pole barn when weighing
40 to 60 pounds and all remain-
ed on test until marketed at 190
to 210 pounds.
Those in the pole barn did
better in' summer but not as
well in the winter as the pig-
gery lots, however, the saving
in housing and labor costs fav-
ored the pole barn operation.
* * •
Compared with the test groups
in the piggery, those 'In the pole
barn had an average gain for
summer' and winter -fed, pigs of
.07 pounds less, and they re-
quired 30 pounds more feed per
100 pounds gain, and three days
longer to reach market weight.
On the other hand 78 per cent
of the pole barn test groups
graded A compared with 58
per cent graded A from the pig-
gery. The balance of costs was
in favor of the pole -barn groups.
* * *
Viruses- are the main cause of
degeneration of garden chrysan-
themums, reports W. G. Kemp,
an expert in ornamental plant
diseases at the Canada Depart-
ment of Agriculture's Research
Laboratory, Vineland, Ont.
Of 74 varieties of chrysanthe-
mums' he tested in 1980-61, he
said, 63 had one or more types
of virus infection. Six distinct
viruses, some not previously re-
ported in Canada, were detected.
* a *
Mr. Kennp's studies indicated .
the effect -of viruses on chrys-
anthemums varies considerably.
When a plant is affected with
the stunt virus its flowers are
sdmetimes bleached to lighter
shades. Plants infected with the
aster yellows virus may have
green blooms. Some of the virus
symptoms persist throughout the
season while others are transi-
tory. Many varieties carry vir-
uses without showing any rec-
ognizable symptoms.
* * *
Certain virus types cause lit-
tle damage in some varieties and
severe damage in others, and a
particular combination of vir-
uses can be very severe,
He believes that once a virus
infects a plant it becomes a per-
manent inhabitant of ' it and of
all its vegetative • progeny. Prop-
agating virus-infected chrysan-
themums has caused much of
the present trouble although
viruses are' sometimes spread by
handling and by insects.
* * *
Grafting with chrysanthemum
varieties susceptible to speci-
fic viruses is useful' in detecting
infection but has not yet been
fully exploited to overcome the
problem in hardy varieties.
Mr. Kemp believes that if
home gardener continually root
out and destroy their worst
plants, select and propagate only
from the most vigorous ones, and
discard varieties that are total-
ly infected, a noticeable im-
provement will be apparent in
a few seasons.
Drudgery, Despair
In Sunny Florida
Some 50 migrant workers mill-
ed uncertainly about their bar-
racks at a huge potato farm near
Hastings, Fla. They had jest
learned that, despite promises,
there was no work for them -
the crop was not ready for har-
vest, Ahead lay the prospect of
no jabs, no food, not even enough
money to move • on. One husky,
light -skinned N e g r o detached
himself from the group and
headed for the hi g h w' ay bus
stop. "Boy, I wouldn't do that,"
the farm boss called. "The police
down' here will work you over
good if you go hanging around
town and making trouble. And
if they don't' get you, i will my-
self," Silently, the picker plod-
ded on toward .the road, The.,
threat of a beating worried him
less than the chance that ,some-
one might discover his sc`11 Iden-
tlty-reporter Dale Wright e4'
Scripps - Howard's New Yorlc
World -Telegram and Sun.
Wright, a former Ebony Magas
sine associate editor who has
been with The World -Telly for
two years, was on leis first major
assignment -an eyewitness story
On the plight of migrant laborers.
Last month, as the ten -part series
began to appear, he recalled the
Hastings incident as "about my
lowest ebb, personally. Like ev-
erybody else there I was depress-
ed, tired, and hungry. The only
difference was, I could walk out
of it the rest of them couldn't."
Wright volunteered for the as-
signment last March "to see from
the inside if there had really
been any improvements" in the
migrant workers' plight since
1953, when World -Telegram re-
porter Allan Keller did a scorch-
ing expose that led to passage of
some corrective legislation. In
April, Wright set off for south-
ern Florida with some old cloth-
es, a money belt containing $25,
and managing editor Wes 1 e y
FIrst's home phone number in
case of emergency.
Until Aug. 30, with one break
for a trip back to New 'York to
see his. wife, Dolores ("she was
awfully decent about this thing"),
and to check in with the office,
56 -year-old reporter Wright har-
vested his way through Florida
tomatoes, Carolina corn, New
Jersey peas, and Long Island
potatoes, mailing his notes home
regularly. In September he re-
turned to The World -Telegram's
drab downtown city room to
write the series -a chronicle of
drudgery and despair.
He told of one migrant tuber-
culosis victim who couldn't quit
because his family would starve
if he did; of a baby born in an
insect -infested shack. Of squalor
and hardship, he wrote: "I saw
it with my eyes, I felt it in my
blistered hands." He cited ex-
periences such as earning $4.32
for the dawn -to -dark tomato
picking, all-night rides in crowd-
ed, rickety buses, $1.50 a night
charges for filthy shacks, break-
fast - furnished by labor con-
tractors -of "one chicken wing,
a spoonful of watery rice, and a
slice of bread" -for 75 cents.
The World -Telegram began
running the series before the last
article was even completed, "I
just hope it does.. some good,"
said reporter Wright. "These
people have gotnobody to speak.
for them. Nobody gives .a damn.
Allan Keller went' over,a lot of
this ground eight years • ago and,
as near as I can tell, things
haven't improved a bit."
From NEWSWEEK
Art Of Tattooing
Gets A Jolt
A tattooed ex -merchant mar-
iner rolled into Mike's Artistic
Electric Tattoo Parlor on New
York's Eighth Avenue recently.
With a note of urgency, he asked
Jimmy, the co-owner, to cover
"Dot," the name of a former
wife. "My new wife doesn't go
for it," he explained.
This particular customer and
others had a Nov. 1 deadline to
get their tattooing done in the
nation's largest port because
that's when the Board of Health
had sounded taps for the city's
eight tattoo parlors. The reason:
Of every thousand persons tat-
tooed in the city (from 6,000 to
10,000 per year), one or two get
serum hepatitis from unsterile
tattooing needles, board member
Dr. Lewis said.
Back at Mike's place Jimmy
Colantuono protested: "I sterilize
my needles." But when it came
time to change inks, Colantuono
ran the head of his buzzing
electric needle under a hot-water
faucet and wiped off the instru-
ment on a facial tissue.
The board's decree obviously
had gotten under his skin, for
Colantuono vowed to go to court
with his fellow artisans to get
the ban lifted. If that doesn't
work, he snapped, "we'll move
to. Newark or go underground."
NDAY SCI1001
LESSON
By 'Rev. R. iiarci iy Warren
,111,tl;
Growth Through Stewardship
Matthew 20:1,4-30
What a thrill it is to realize
that we are stewards of God!
Our time, our talents, our money, `
our energy, our all, is at His dis-
posal. Here is happiness found. .,
Then it is natural for us to ful-
fill the exhortation of Paul, - (1
Corinthians 10:31),' "W N e t h e r
therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God,"
People who live for themselves
are miserable. They may live In
the most beautiful house on the
street, drive the biggest car and
have the largest bank account.
But if they haven't entrusted
themselves and their all to God
through faith in Jesus Christ,
they are missing life's best,
It isn't how much we have that
matters, but have we committed
it to God? God said to Moses,
"What is that in thine hand?" It
was only a rod. But as Moses
gaye himself to carry out God's
purpose, how that rod become
the symbol of God's power!
The men who used their talents
soon had more. Here is one area
of life where use makes for in-
crease. Next month, it will be
twenty years, since, in obedience
to God's directive, I wrote a
short devotional message for the
Christmas issue of the local
newspaper. Doors began to open.
Now I write two weekly columns
for more than a hundred news-
papers, edit a religious magazine
and write for others, and for
some books, including one of my
own which has been published. I
give God thanks. So it has been
in other phases of ministering to
others. Do the best you can with
the little you have and your
talents increase and opportunities
for using them to the glory of
God will multiply. The man who
lazily conceals his gift, soon loses
it. He lives an empty life and
contributes little or nothing to
help his fellowmen.
The way to get started to grow
through stewardship is set forth
in the memory selection, (Ro-
mans 12:1, "I beseech ye there-
fore, brethern, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, accepta-
ble unto God, which is your rea-
sonable,'service." We must give
our all, Nothing less will do.
MAID OF MILK - Barbara Jo
Finley, 19, uses the lactic
lucre her eight Jerseys pro-
duce to pay for her education
at Drury College. She's milk-
ing a Holstein at Missouri
Agriculture College where she
was chosen Missouri's Maid of
Milk,
ISSUE 44 - 1961
CROS
9S
7WORD
PUZZLE
ACROSS
1. In this place
5. Nimbus
0. Crow's note
12. In very truth
12. Athletic field
14. Seaweed
15. riamera'eeye
10, Porhrarance
1R. Tneffeetdal
50 Preceding
• 31. Overlay with
gold
51 Abscond
20, Ransacks
30. Trllatery ^
21. Tliertrie
nariicle
82. Willow
34. Sooner than
35,. Places
27, Device for
scattering
89. Redacts
41, any
42, Chain armor
44, whirlpools
40. Lowborn
5l. T.tythieat
alewife).
52. Anoint
53. Manner of
wanting
84, Arm bane
sa. Single one,
of many
50. Makes n•
mistake
57. Tron
rnrrnvInn
nowN
I, Mntcto
2. Ostrich -like
bird
3, Hire
4. National flag
5, 0espa ring
6. The have.
7. Long delayed
-2, Patty fruit 2f Pierce
9. Soothed
33 :;e«! CBrltleb
10. Curve spelling)
11. Very saran 90. Blockade
17. Congers 43. Prevaricator
10. Italian resort 45. Tiskimn hitt
22. Trickles (var.)
24. Orifice
25. Pitcher 46. Sea birds
25. Conduit • 47. Location
27.'Stentor to 40. Bluegrass
rvs
20. inopportune 40. de
Atherton
29. Poisonous Athrrton'e
ennkea pen name
33. study 50. 'rune
2
3
4
S
7.
s
9
fel li
12.
13
4
15
17
Ie
19
tee- exeetie
11
21,
2.4 25'
7b
31
35
39
27
2.0
R9
33
37
30
323
54
.40
41
47.
4s
47
48
Answer elsewhere on this page