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Ebook has 114 lines and 9627 words, and 3 pages

HENRY HOLCOMB BENNETT.

OLD GLORY

WHILE every American citizen recognizes the significance of the term "Old Glory" as applied to the national flag, when and where and by whom the nation's emblem was christened with this endearing and enduring sobriquet is a matter of historic interest less understood.

On this first voyage the courageous spirit of the youth manifested itself in a determination to disprove the words of the ship's owner, made to him at the beginning of the voyage: "All boys on their first voyage eat more than they earn."

In appreciation of the mettle shown by the lad, the owner presented him, upon the return from the cruise, with twenty-eight dollars in silver, besides his wages of five dollars per month. He carried the money to his mother, who wisely admonished him to do the very best he could under every circumstance, a charge he never forgot.

His intrepid spirit brought the youthful mariner rapid and deserved promotion. His eighteenth year found him master of a vessel. Those were hazardous days upon the sea, and more than once his ship was subjected to indignity and outrage incident to seafaring of that period. But throughout a long career as master of a merchantman the Stars and Stripes was never lowered from the masthead nor sullied by defeat or by dishonor.

The sailor, of all men, venerates his nation's flag. To him it is the visible and tangible token of the government he serves, and in it he beholds all the government's strength and virtue. To William Driver, therefore, the Stars and Stripes typified the glory of the land and of the sea. And seeing his nation's symbol float dauntless and triumphant above stress of every encounter and happening upon the deep enkindled the inherent love in his heart for it to enthusiastic ardor, and in thought he called the flag "Old Glory."

A simple incident, but fraught with unread meaning, gave the name into the nation's keep, albeit its formal christening and national adoption was not to come until the soil beneath its folds should be deep-dyed with the blood of conflict between the land's own countrymen.

With glistening eyes the captain watched the hoisting of the flag; and as it fell into position at the masthead of his ship and the colors unfurled to the breeze, he shouted: "I'll call her Old Glory, boys, Old Glory!"

Cheer after cheer rent the air. The signals of departure were sounded, the cables were cast off, and the good ship set sail for foreign ports.

He left the sea in 1837 to become a resident of Nashville, Tenn. He carried Old Glory with him as a sacred relic, carefully deposited in a heavy, brass-bound, camphorwood sea chest that had accompanied him on all his voyages. On legal holidays, on St. Patrick's day , and on days of especial celebration in the Southern city Old Glory was released from confinement and thrown to the light from some window of the Driver residence or hung on a rope across the street in a triumphal arch under which all processions passed.

At the outbreak of the civil strife Captain Driver avowed his Union sympathies and stood openly for his convictions in the face of business losses, arrest, and threatened banishment.

Just after the secession of the State he daringly flaunted his Old Glory flag from his window; then, fearing its confiscation , he procured a calico quilt of royal purple hue, and with the aid of two neighboring women sewed it up between the coverings and hid the quilt in his old sea chest.

Again and again the house was searched by Confederate soldiers for this flag, but without success.

Under the purple Old Glory rested. The flag of the Confederacy waved above the Capitol; and Nashville, in pride, prosperity, and splendor, basked in the promise of ultimate victory to the Southland.

But to a rude awakening this fancied security was foredoomed. Suddenly, like the breaking of a terrific thunderclap above the city, came the awesome cry: "Fort Donelson has fallen!"

Fort Donelson fallen meant Nashville's subjection. Terror-stricken, the people rushed wildly in every direction, and the most ill-founded reports in the excitement gained ready credence. It was announced that General Buell would speedily arrive and open his batteries from across the river, and that gunboats would lay the city in ruins. Some of the citly filtered or has not been filtered at all. In other cases the juice has been sterilized at such a high temperature that it has a disagreeable scorched taste. It should be remembered that attempts to sterilize at a temperature above 195? F. are dangerous, so far as the flavor of the finished product is concerned.

Another serious mistake is sometimes made by putting the juice into bottles so large that much of it becomes spoiled before it is used after the bottles are opened. Unfermented grape juice properly made and bottled will keep indefinitely, if it is not exposed to the atmosphere or mold germs; but when a bottle is once opened it should, like canned goods, be used as soon as possible, to keep it from spoiling.

MANUFACTURE OF LARGER QUANTITIES.

Another method of making unfermented grape juice, which is often resorted to where a sufficiently large quantity is made atone time, consists in this:

Take a clean keg or barrel . Lay this upon a skid consisting of two scantlings or pieces of timber of perhaps 20 feet long, in such a manner as to make a runway . Then take a sulphur match, made by dipping strips of clean muslin about 1 inch wide and 10 inches long into melted brimstone, cool it and attach it to a piece of wire fastened in the lower end of a bung and bent over at the end, so as to form a hook . Light the match and by means of the wire suspend it in the barrel, bung the barrel up tight, and allow it to burn as long as it will. Repeat this until fresh sulphur matches will no longer burn in the barrel.

A FEW USEFUL APPLIANCES.

Fig. 7 shows a very practical and inexpensive corking machine. The illustration shows the cork in place, ready to be driven through the tapering hole in the machine into the neck of the bottle underneath. The corks should be put in hot water and allowed to stand for a few minutes before using in order to soften and make them pliable. This enables one to use a cork large enough to seal securely.

Care should be taken to set the bottles on a flat piece of rubber or on a piece of cloth folded several times, as shown in the figure, so as to take the jar of the blow when the cork is driven. It is even a wise precaution to have a pan underneath, as it frequently occurs that bottles thought to be entirely good have blemishes and break.

An ordinary cider press is not expensive; nevertheless the majority of farms do not have one, and it frequently occurs that a farm is located so far away from any establishment dealing in such implements that the fruit might spoil or not be sufficiently valuable to justify the purchase price and time lost and expense incurred in getting it. Fig. 8 gives an illustration of a lever press, very efficient for this and similar uses, which any farmer handy with tools can make, the material for which can be found on almost any farm at any time. The press consists of the following parts:

Two upright posts set deep and firmly in the ground side by side and about 12 inches apart. Between these posts the lever is hung by means of a bolt , or the lever may be hung to the side of a building, or a hole notched into a tree large enough to admit the end of the lever and a bolt run through that. At the other end of the lever are two posts, so set that the lever can be raised up between them by means of block and tackle. The press itself consists of two timbers , on which the press bottom rests, and on this bottom is the press basket, consisting of the two sides and two ends, and so constructed that it can be easily taken apart and set up again, being held together at the ends by means of rods . The sides and ends should be bored full of small holes from three-eighths to one-half inch in diameter to allow exit for the juice.

After the press is filled, the top and cross blocks are put on and the lever is then allowed to press down on it. A press like this has the advantage that it can be filled in the evening and left to press until morning while the farmer sleeps. The precaution, of course, must be taken to set a tub large enough to hold the juice under the press.

It is perhaps well to state that the longer and heavier the lever the greater the pressure it exerts. Where it is not convenient to make the lever very long, weights are placed or hung on the outer extremity of the lever to increase the pressure. It will thus be seen that with a little ingenuity a person can adapt the press to suit his individual requirements.

For ordinary purposes a press basket 3 feet square and 2 feet high will be found a very convenient size. This will accommodate a ton of crushed grapes.

COMPOSITION OF UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE.

Herewith are given the component parts of a California and a Concord unfermented grape juice, the former being analyzed by the California Experiment Station, the latter by the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Department of Agriculture:

Concord. California.

This table is interesting in so far that California unfermented grape juices are made from Viniferas or foreign varieties, whereas the Concord is a Labruska or one of our American sorts. The difference in taste and smell is even more pronounced than the analysis would indicate.

FLAVOR AND QUALITY IN GRAPE JUICE.

In the making of unfermented grape juice a great deal of judgment can be displayed and many variations produced so as to suit almost any taste by the careful selection of the varieties of grapes from which it is made. From the Mission grape, for instance, when fully ripe, a juice would be obtained that would be delicate and simply sweet, without any other taste; from the Muscat we would get that rich musky flavor found in our leading raisins; in the Concord that sprightly foxy taste so well known; in the Catawba or Isabella that fragrance so peculiarly their own, and in the Iona a pleasing, mild, yet just pronounced enough aroma and taste to strike the right spot. Thus we might continue along the list.

Equally as pronounced variations in color can be had, as, for instance, almost colorless, yellow, orange, light red, red, and a deep purple.

The writer has often been asked what kind of grapes should be used in making unfermented grape juice, when, as a matter of fact, it can be made from any grape; not only this, but unfermented juice is made from other fruits as well, for instance, apples, pears, cherries--and berries of different kinds yield excellent juices. It is really good judgment in selecting the right varieties when planting for fruit production. That also determines the quality of our unfermented juice. For instance, the richer, sweeter, and better in quality the fruit we use, the richer, sweeter, and better will be our unfermented juice. If, on the other hand, the fruit is sour, green, and insipid, the juice will be likewise. As stated before, the intention of this bulletin is to show how to avoid some wastes, and to increase income by utilizing those products of which there is a surplus, and instead of, as is usually done, letting them rot, convert them into something that can be kept, used, and disposed of at any time when desired, or when fresh fruit is not available.

USES OF UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE.

The uses are indeed many. It is used in sickness, convalescence, and good health; as a preventive, restorative, and cure; by the young, by persons in the prime of life, and by those in old age. It is used in churches for sacramental purposes; at soda fountains as a cool and refreshing drink; in homes, at hotels, and at restaurants as a food, as a beverage, as a dessert, and in many other ways. When people become accustomed to it they rarely give it up. When properly prepared, unfermented grape juice can be made to please the eye by its color and attractive appearance, the sense of smell by its aroma or fragrance, the palate by its pleasant flavor.

It is food and drink, refreshment and nourishment, all in one. Not a by product, but made from fruit going to waste--one of the blessings given us, that some are too careless, others too ignorant, to make use of.

FOOD VALUE OF UNFERMENTED GRAPE JUICE.

The effects of unfermented grape juice on the human system have been studied for a number of years, especially at the so-called grape cures so long in vogue in Europe. A smaller number of investigations have been made in laboratories.

It is quite generally claimed that using a reasonably large amount of unfermented grape juice with an otherwise suitable mixed diet is beneficial and that digestion is improved, intestinal fermentation diminished, and that gains in body weight result. It should not be forgotten that the abundant diet and hygienic methods of living practiced at the grape cures play an important part, but even taking all this into account it seems fair to conclude that some of the good results can be directly attributed to the unfermented grape juice.

Grape juice contains the same kinds of nutrients as other foods. The percentage of water is high, and thus it resembles liquid foods more closely than solid foods. It is sometimes compared with milk, the most common liquid food. It contains less water than milk, more carbohydrates, and less protein, fat, and ash. Carbohydrates, largely present in the form of sugar, are the principal nutritive ingredients. It is evident, therefore, that grape juice is essentially an energy yielding food, and may help the body to become fatter, though it can not materially assist in building nitrogenous tissue. Sugars in moderate amounts are wholesome foods, and grape juice offers such material in a reasonably dilute as well as palatable form. Undoubtedly the agreeable flavor increases the appetite, a by no means unimportant consideration.

A FEW GOOD RECIPES.

GRAPE NECTAR.

Take the juice of 2 lemons and 1 orange, 1 pint of grape juice, 1 small cup of sugar, and a pint of water. Serve ice cold. If served from punch bowl, sliced lemon and orange add to the appearance.

AN INVALID DRINK.

Put in the bottom of a wineglass 2 tablespoonfuls of grape juice; add to this the beaten white of 1 egg and a little chopped ice; sprinkle sugar over the top and serve. This is often served in sanitariums.

GRAPE PUNCH.

Boil together 1 pound of sugar and half a pint of water until it spins a thread; take from the fire and when cool add the juice of 6 lemons and a quart of grape juice. Stand aside overnight. Serve with plain water, apollinaris, or soda water.

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