Edited by C. F. LANGWORTHY, PH.D. Author of "On Citraconic, Itaconic and Mesaconic Acids," "Fish as Food," etc. DATES AND DATE GROWING. The valley of the Euphrates is said to be the birthplace of the date palm. Whether this is true or not, it is certain that nowhere else in the world are more favorable conditions for the cultivation of the date to be found than along the shores of the Persian gulf and in Lower Mesopotamia. According to Mr. Fairchild, "the Persian gulf date region is doubtless the largest in the world and furnishes the greatest part of all the dates sold in the American markets. Two million cases, or over 100 million pounds of dates, have been exported in a single year from the principal shipping port; and at a moderate estimate there must be not less than 15 to 20 million date palms in this great territory. This strip of forest varies in width from less than a mile to over 3 miles, and more than 5.000,000 trees, it is estimated, are packed into it. There is certainly nothing comparable to it in the world, either as regards size or the ease with which it can be irrigated. "Date growing in Arizona is rapidly passing the experimental stage. The fact that this fruit could be grown there, however, was first called to the attention of the public by the success of a number of chance seedlings which bore good crops of fine fruit. The seeds from which these seedlings were raised came probably from Persian gulf dates, since these are the most common ones in our markets. The excellence of the fruit from these seedlings and the fact that they ripened early made it seem probable that the Persian gulf dates, as a class, might prove on investigation to ripen earlier than those of North Africa, and therefore be better suited to the short, hot seasons in Arizona. "Packing dates for shipment is an important branch of the date industry. Scarcely any of the packing firms own date plantations but obtain their dates from the Arab land-owners through trusted Arab buyers. Some of these buyers who have been in the business many years are intrusted with £10.000 to £20,000 in cash at a time, with which they buy the tons of dates that are necessary to supply the packing sheds. As in most businesses of this kind, there are risks to be taken, for the packer must buy in August and sell in November, during which time the price may have fluctuated considerably. It requires good judgment to decide how much to pay in August for November delivery. The New York shipments to be most profitable must be in before Thanksgiving day, and when this comes unusually early in the month, the packers have their hands full to get their shipments through in time." Judging from Mr. Fairchild's account, improvements in the methods of packing are to be desired. "Dates are no doubt one of the stickiest and most difficult fruits in the world to keep clean, and the Persian gulf varieties are particularly hard to pack in an attractive shape; nevertheless, the stories one hears in the region, of the conditions in the packing sheds and the personal uncleanliness of the men, women, and children who put up the dates, are enough to disgust a sensitive person and to prevent his ever eating packed dates again without having them washed. No old inhabitant thinks of eating a date without first thoroughly washing it in a glass of water, unless the cook has prepared it beforehand, and the sale of dates in America might fall off decidedly were it generally known how intimately the unwashed hands, bodies, and teeth of the notably filthy Arabs often come in contact with the dates which are sold by every confectioner." The following statements regarding the date as a food product occur: "The doctors seem agreed that sweet things in excess are injurious to the digestion, and the dentists claim that sugar ferments between the teeth, forming lactic acid which attacks the dentine; but for all this, it is doubtful if there can be found a sounder, stronger race, with better digestion and finer, whiter teeth than the date-eating Arabs. The town Arabs and the Arabs of the seacoast cat quantities of dried fish and other sea animals, but the denizens of the Arabian desert live almost exclusively on dates and bread, with occasional feasts of sheep, goat, or chicken. Travelers across those deserts report that 3 pounds of dates and a few thin loaves of hard wheat bread a day will keep an Arab in good health for years. The quantity of these packed dates that a healthy Arab can consume at a sitting is astonishing. Two pounds would not be much more than an ordinary meal. The re markable physique of the Arabs and their resistance to the almost unbearable heat of their country might be attributed, in part at least, to the nature of their simple food. At any rate, a thorough investigation of the food value of the date and its adaptability to the formation of foods for our hot summer season should be made, and possibly this wonderful vegetable product, which is now used in America only as a second-class confection, might be utilized as a basis of a nutritious new food. Such investigations will never be made in that part of the world where the dates are grown, but must be undertaken by some country like America, which is interested in increasing the number of its food products." OLD DAYS IN A WESSEX VILLAGE. A writer in a recent English review gives an interesting account of life in the early days in a West of England village. Of culinary matters he says: "I do not think that Wessex breeds cooks easily. Those of us who are not too Keltic are at any rate too Saxon to achieve kickshaws. The fine art of cooking comes by nature, and, in Western Europe at least. is monopolized by the Latin peoples. What we had of food we had in plenty, and, although distress spread wide, and quickly became acute when harvest failed, as a general rule even the poorest in our West country had enough to eat. Beef, mutton, pork, fish, we had abundantly, for Wessex lies between 2 seas, and we are a seafaring people. These, with cabbage and bread, formed the staple of the prospering poor, while the more fortunate added venison, capons, chickens, and wild fowl to this diet. For the last 200 years, a loin of mutton stewed and served in a thick broth has been a favorite West country dish. I am afraid we habitually overate and overdrank but we loved plenty and our hands were open. When some Wessex lord kept high festival, the scene was Gargantuan. At a great junketing which was held 150 years ago at Ford House, not far from here, this was the provision for the guests: 140 partridges, 71 turkeys, 112 chickens, 258 larks, 3 deer, 6 oxen, 5 sheep, and 21⁄2 calves.' This feast was as remarkable for the variety as for the abundance of the provender. In addition to the foregoing, there were also cooked and eaten mallards, plovers, sea larks, pea hens, gulls and curlews. Shell fish was much accounted of in those days, for our neighboring borough provided for the judges, as they passed through on circuit, what they then called 'a treat,' one which surely must have been remembered, seeing that it consisted of 30 lobsters, as many crabs, 100 scallops, 300 oysters and 50 oranges. "The men of Wessex have long been credited with a particular capacity for liquor, which, with the mead they still drink in some of our villages, they inherit from the earliest wassailing times. Of all drinks, of course the cheapest and most plentiful were cider and beer. Then came ale, not the mild dinner beverage of today, but strong old beer, which was drunk out of long wineglasses. We did not traffic much in wine, though canary, malaga, claret and sack had each their vogue and were not expensive. In the days of our grandfathers' great grandfathers canary was 2 shillings and claret a shilling a quart, and at any entertainment the cost of wine bore a proportion to the whole bill very different from what it bears now. Sherry, by the way, was scarcely known with us till the middle of the 18th century, and just before then, too, punch begins to figure in the old bills." MINCE PIE. I love to sit and think a while I love to sit and think a while, I love to grab the sprinkler in I love to grab the sprinkler in And then I love to take my ease And then I love to take my ease I love to taste the toothsome dish That I might taste the toothsome dish And then, when everything is done, And then, when everything is done, STORIES OF BIRD LIFE. Professor T. G. Pearson, of Greensboro, North Carolina, has written one of the most interesting and fascinating bird books that has ever come to my desk. It almost makes one weary to think of the hundreds of writers who are working the birds and the wild animals for revenue only. Few of the writers have any real love for or personal interest in these creatures; the others simply strive to turn them to financial account. Mr. Pearson's book is different. It is plain to see that he follows and studies the birds from pure love of them, and because he wants other people to know and love them. His book is not one of the dry, scientific kind. It is made up of a series of breezy, chatty talks about birds. It reads as his talks would sound if you were sitting next to him. He comes from the woods or fields and tells you all about what he has seen there, and he has learned so much of them that he apparently is at a loss to know what to say first or where to stop. Yet there is not a word in this whole book that you would cut out. On the contrary you wish, after he has finished talking of any one of the birds, that he would go on and on, for hours at a time. His book is intended mainly for children, but a man or a woman 70 years old will feel reluctant to lay it down until the last page has been read. "Stories of Bird Life" should be in the hands of every man, woman and child in the land, and I earnestly hope hundreds of thousands of copies of it may be sold in the next 2 years. The book is printed by the B. F. Johnson Publishing Co., Richmond, Va., and sells at 60 cents. In ordering please mention RECREATION. BUSINESS AND ROMANCE. A story of the experiences of 2 young business women in New York, by Harriet C. Cullaton, bears the semi-explanatory title, "Firm of Nan & Sue, Stenographers." On a thread of romance Mrs. Cullaton has strung actual incidents in the daily life of 2 stenographers who have a miscellaneous assortment of patrons. No one has a better opportunity to learn the real nature and all the affairs of a man than the stenographer who writes his letters and other business papers. Secrets that a man will hide carefully from the wife of his bosom and from his male associates he will reveal to a stenographer, sometimes from necessity, in dictating a letter, sometimes inadvertently, but often merely in a spontaneous and inexplicable burst of confidence. Mrs. Cullaton has taken a shrewd, humor ous, philosophical view of the vagaries of the genus dictator, and every stenographer will recognize him. It will also interest the dictator to see the mirror held up to himself by a not unkindly hand. Stenographers can get some mighty good, practical suggestions from Nan and Sue, and no one will begrudge the 2 girls the happy outcome of their business experiences. "Firm of Nan & Sue, Stenographers," is brought out by the Broadway Publishing Company, New York, and the price is $1. DR. SENN'S NEW BOOK. Dr. Nicholas Senn, of Chicago, has written a book entitled "Our National Recreation Parks," which has been published by W. B. Conkey Co., of Hammond, Ill. Dr. Senn is well known as an enthusiastic lover of nature, as an extensive traveler and as one of the greatest surgeons in the world. President McKinley appointed him Chief of the Operating Staff of Surgeons of the U. S. Army during the Spanish War. Dr. Senn also holds the rank of Surgeon General of the Illinois National Guard and at this writing is with the Field Hospital Service of the Japanese Army. Dr. Senn is a trained observer and has made a close study of the Yellowstone National Park, the Yosemite National Park, and the Sequoia Groves of the Sierras. He wields a graceful and facile pen and portrays what he sees so vividly and forcibly that the reader may see it almost without the aid of other than the pen pictures. Notwithstanding this the book is profusely illustrated with half tone reproductions of photographs, and must prove a most delightful piece of reading, either for vacation days or for the long winter evenings. The book sells at $1. A book of short stories by Jack London bears the title of one of them, "The Faith of Men." For fire and originality the author of "The Call of the Wild" is unmatched among fiction writers of the hour, and his many admirers will enjoy these masterly tales of the ever new Northwest. "The Faith of Men" is published by The Macmillan Company, New York and London, and the price is $1.50. "Brave Hearts" is the title of a series of thrilling stories of the race track, written by W. A. Fraser and published by Charles Scribner's Sons. Mr. Fraser is well known as a vigorous and forceful writer and all horsemen and lovers of the sport of racing will find absorbing interest in the pages of this book. Price, $1.50 net. PUBLISHER'S NOTES. AN IDEAL VACATION. Eaton Brothers, Wolf, Sheridan county, Wyoming, have established what they term a Vacation Ranch and have provided a complete supply of horses, pack outfits, tents and other camping accessories for the purpose of showing Eastern people the high places and special shady canyons of the Rocky mountains. A part of the plan will be to take parties on camping trips to and through the Yellowstone Park. a Howard Eaton is well known to many readers of RECREATION as an old time stockman and as a contributor to this magazine and I cheerfully recommend him as man thoroughly capable of giving any visitor an ideal recreation tour. I first met Howard when he was camping in a little shack in the Bad Lands on the Little Missouri in 1879 and he has been hanging out in the wild and woolly country ever since. He probably knows Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and the Yellowstone Park as well as any man in that country. He is thoroughly honest and reliable in every way and knows how to get all the fun out of a rough and tumble trip that is possible. He knows where to find the game and the good fishing waters. If you contemplate a trip in the West at any future time you should certainly communicate with Mr. Eaton and should read the beautiful book he has issued entitled "An Ideal Summer Resort in the Far West." In writing please mention RECREATION. WHERE TO PUT YOUR MONEY Nearly all careful business men realize the value of life insurance, not only as a provision for their families in case of death, but as a safe and profitable business investment. It is not, therefore, necessary to advise readers of RECREATION as to the wisdom or the necessity of carrying life insurance; but I do earnestly advise all readers of this magazine to communicate with the Equitable Life Insurance Co., 120 Broadway, New York. This is one of the oldest, wealthiest and most thoroughly reliable companies in the world. There are few people in this country who have not seen one or more of the massive business blocks which this company has erected in the various leading cities, and these alone furnish substantial evidence as to the permanency and the reliability of this great corporation. If you are not carrying as much life insurance as you should cut off the coupon from the Equitable ad, printed on page 129 of this issue of RECREATION, fill it out and send it in. If you will do this you will get some facts and figures by return mail which will interest you. an NEW PATENTS. Patent No. 759,415 has been issued to George C. Bourne, Worcester, Mass., for improvement on pistol and revolver butts. The device consists of a ring at the lower end of the butt in which the little finger is to be inserted, and of notches or cells in which the second and third fingers are to be inserted. Patent No. 744,364 has been issued to J. E. Krewson, St. Louis, Mo., for a device for decapping and loading cartridges. Patent No. 744,454 has been issued to Oscar Allen, Lincoln, Ill., on a fishing reel. Patent No. 744,462 has been issued to A. W. Bishop, Racine, Wis., for a fishing hook shield. Patent No. 744,651 has been issued to V. P. Vickery, Bradley, Ill., for a front sight for shot guns. Full particulars regarding any of these patents can be obtained by addressing the Patent Office, Washington, D. C. A NEW STEAMER LINE. The Dominion and Atlantic Railway has established a steamer line between New York, Yarmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia. The boats on this line will sail from the Munson pier, foot of Wall street, at II a. m., every Saturday, reaching Yarmouth the following Monday morning. The boat remains there during the day, leaves in the evening and arrives at Halifax Tuesday morning. The round trip occupies 6 days and the ticket, including meals and berth, costs only $32. One of the steamers to run on this line is the Prince Arthur, one of the most substantial, commodious and comfortable coast liners that enters this port. This is the boat that recently beat the Monmouth, of the Jersey Central Line, on a hot race from the Narrows to Sandy Hook. Further information regarding this new line may be had by addressing the Munson Line, Pier 14, East River, New York City. When writing please mention RECREATION. The U. S. Marine Corps has placed an additional order with the Ideal Mfg. Co., New Haven, Conn., for another quantity of complete outfits with which to equip the various Marine Corps stations, each set consisting of an Ideal Loading Press with appurtenances, Universal Powder Measure No. 5, Armory Mould, bullet Lubricator and Sizer, lubrication, etc., all of which are to be used in reloading the 30-40 Krag ser vice shell with the Ideal bullet No. 308245 and a charge of 3 grains of smokeless powder. Reloaded ammunition of this description is said to be extremely accurate and is cheap, showing a great saving over the cost of new cartridges, which fact the militia of the various States as well as Uncle Sam are not slow to recognize. The use of reloaded ammunition for all ranges up to and in under 500 yards greatly reduces the cost of practice. The Weedless Hook, made by the West Weedless Hook Co., 12 Pearl street, Council Bluffs, Iowa, is fitted with a light wire guard which is attached by one end to the shank of the hook, having a loop on the other end which rests on the point of the hook in such a way as to throw off weeds or grass which would otherwise be caught by the hook. I have not had an opportunity to test one of these hooks, but it looks practical and is certainly worth a trial at the hands of any angler. The hook is made in a variety of sizes and is adapted to the use of minnows, frogs, or cut bait. It would be well for anglers to write the makers of this hook for a descriptive circular. When you do so please inention RECREATION. A. M. Cleland, G. P. A. of the Northern Pacific Railway, has issued a new and beautiful folder describing and illustrating the Yellowstone National Park. It contains full information as to the various routes through, and the attractions in the Park, and many of the latter are illustrated with fine half tone cuts, printed in tints. There are also complete maps of the entire Northern Pacific Territory and of the Park itself. The latter is in relief and shows every brook and every landmark of any importance in the Park. Every person who has ever seen the Park or who hopes to see it in future should have a copy of this folder. In writing for it please mention RECREATION. J. A. Lowell & Co., 147 Franklin street, Boston, Mass., have made a steel engraving from John Marshall's painting of the cup defender Reliance, which must appeal with especial force to all yachtsmen. It is a real pleasure to see after so many years, so fine a specimen of the almost lost art of steel engraving, and it would be difficult to find a subject on which the engraver's art could be employed to greater advantage than on this picture of the cup defender. The engraving is 27 x 34 inches in size, and will constitute one of the most interesting illustrations yet produced of the sport of yachting. The picture sells at $3. In writing for it please mention RECREATION. B. Koenig, 875 Broad Street, Newark, N. J., is issuing a little pamphlet entitled "Shots" which contains many valuable hints and suggestions for sportsmen. The June number of this booklet is devoted to the use of the camera and contains an important announcement regarding a free trip to the World's Fair, which Mr. Koenig offers his customers on certain conditions described therein. Every amateur photographer in the country should write Mr. Koenig for particulars of this offer and every sportsman should be on Mr. Koenig's mailing list for future issues of the pamphlet. It is sent gratuitously. In writing for it please mention REC REATION. Every man who goes into the woods in summer, for any purpose, should provide himself with some effective remedy for mosquitoes, flies and gnats. There are many preparations on the market for this purpose, but only a few of them are durable and reliable. Presto, which is advertised in RECREATION, is pronounced by many, who have tested it, the best remedy yet offered to sportsmen. A sample package costs only 25 cents and it is certainly worth that much to know of a good sure dope that will keep the insects off. Presto is made by the Presto Mfg. Co., Ossining, N. Y. When you write please mention RECREATION. F. I. Whitney, G. P. A., G. N. Railway, St. Paul, Minn., has issued the 7th annual edition of his book entitled "Shooting and Fishing on the Line of the Great Northern Railway." The book is full of valuable information, interesting pictures and has a large map of the Northwestern hunting and fishing grounds. It would be well to have a copy at hand for reference. In asking for it, please mention RECREATION. On June 1st at Square Lake, Aroostook county, Maine, on the line of the Bangor & Aroostook R. R., 2 square tail trout were caught, weighing 7 and 91⁄2 pounds respectively. The larger fish was caught by a woman. The fishing at Square Lake this season has been exceptionally good, and the lake has become a popular resort for sportsmen. The catch above mentioned certainly will not detract from its popularity. Upper Troy, N. Y. E. F. Pope, Colmesneil, Texas. Dear Sir: The pair of flying squirrels given to me as a premium arrived in good condition and I am pleased to say they are entirely satisfactory. Please accept my thanks. Yours truly, John Rasmussen. |