,transcriber's note3  ,text enclosed by 
underscores is in italics 7italics74    
,text enclosed by equal signs is in bold
 face 7bold74  ,small capital text has  
been replaced with all capitals4        
,illustration3 ,publisher's ,mark       
,,home ,,and ,,world ,,series     ,,how 
,,we ,,are ,,fed    ,a ,,geographical   
,,reader    ,,by    ,,james ,,franklin  
,,chamberlain1 ,,ed4,b41 ,s4,b4         
,,department ,,of ,,geography1 ,,state  
,,normal ,,school   ,,los ,,angeles1    
,,california    ,new ,york   ,,the      
,,macmillan ,,company   ,,london3       
,,macmillan  ,,co41 ,,ltd4   #aiab      
,all rights reserved    ,,copyright1    
#aijc1   ,,by ,,the ,,macmillan         
,,company4    ,set up1 electrotyped1 and
 published ,june1 #aijc4 ,reprinted     
,january1 ,june1 ,august1 #aijd3 ,july1 
#aije2 ,january1 #aijf2   ,august1      
,december1 #aijg2 ,september1 #aiji2    
,august1 #aiaj2   ,august1 #aiaa2 ,june1
 #aiab4     ,norwood ,press   ,j4 ,s4   
,cushing  ,co4--,berwick  ,smith ,co4   

,norwood1 ,mass41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4           
,,preface   ,in the ordinary course of  
events1 most individuals take some part 
in the manifold industries which engage 
the mind and the hand of man1 by which  
alone our present-day civilization can  
be maintained4 ,these great world       
activities touch the daily life of every
 member of society1 whether child or    
adult1 worker or idler4  ,a chain of    
mutual dependence1 too often            
unrecognized1 binds together the members
 of the human family1 whether they      
belong to the same community or dwell on
 opposite sides of the earth4 ,the links
 of this chain are made up of the       
articles which constitute our daily     
food1 our clothing1 homes1 fuel1 light1 
our means of communication and          
transportation1 and only by continuous  
cooeperation are they kept together4    
,the highest motive in education is to  
present the conditions which will lead  
to the most complete living2 to build up
 the best possible members of society2  

to develop character4 ,an individual who
 does not understand the life of which  
he finds himself a part1 cannot be in   
full sympathy with its conditions and   
hence cannot be of the most service to  
himself or to others4 ,only to the      
extent that education and life follow   
the same general course1 can each be    
truly successful4 ,far too little is    
done in our schools to acquaint children
 with their relations to the great      
industrial and social organization of   
which they are members4 ,even grown     
persons have1 as a rule1 a very         
indefinite knowledge of these relations4
  ,it is a recognized principle that our
 knowledge of geography has its         
foundation in our knowledge of the home4
 ,the natural connecting link between   
the immediate surroundings and the      
outside world is the present daily life 
of the home4 ,through the industries    
seen in the community1 the commodities  
in general use1 and the history of their
 creation and supply1 the pupil acquires

 an insight into the life about him as  
well as into that of other parts of the 
world4 ,he also realizes the great truth
 that the world and its people are in   
intimate touch with him4 ,in this way he
 is led back and forth along the routes 
which civilization has followed in its  
progress1 which it also follows to-day1 
as mankind clasp hands across oceans and
 continents4 ,thus the remote and       
abstract become immediate and concrete4 
,facts are seen in a setting of reason1 
and a logical and interesting basis for 
the study of physical1 climatic1 and    
human conditions is furnished4  ,this   
study begins with the commodities in    
constant use and finally encompasses the
 whole world1 but always with the home  
as the base of operations4 ,it will     
create a knowledge of the               
interdependence of individuals1         
communities1 and nations1 and a genuine 
respect for the work of the hands and   
for the worker4 ,the importance of this 
respect is not likely to be             

overestimated4 ,without it a true       
democracy cannot long exist4  ,reading  
should not only serve for the           
acquisition and the expression of the   
thought contained in the printed page2  
it should1 in addition1 stimulate to new
 thought--to independent power in       
reasoning4 ,on this account questions   
are inserted which the pupil is left to 
answer4 ,these are suggestive of a much 
larger number1 which should be worked   
out by the teacher4 ,too many of the    
questions found in books do not         
stimulate thought or independent power  
in reasoning4 ,they are purely          
informatory and not at all formative4   
,no attempt has been made to treat every
 article of food4 ,those in most general
 use1 as well as those which will best  
serve to develop a knowledge of         
geographical conditions and of man's    
relation to man1 have been chosen4  ,a  
given industry is pursued in somewhat   
different ways in different places4 ,it 
has not been thought wise to describe   

each modification in these pages4 ,for  
example1 the method of handling wheat in
 ,california is different from that     
employed in ,minnesota4 ,the value of   
the work will be increased if the       
teacher will bring out these points4    
,all places mentioned should he         
definitely located1 both as to position 
on the map or globe and with reference  
to the home4 ,when developed from the   
standpoint of direct1 personal interest1
 a knowledge of the location of places  
as well as of other facts mentioned is  
most likely to be retained4  ,the       
illustrations used have been very       
carefully selected for their teaching   
value4 ,they give a clearness to mental 
pictures which can be derived only      
through observation of that which the   
illustrations symbolize4 ,much          
experience in the use of geographical   
illustrations has shown that pupils need
 to be directed in their examination of 
them4 ,to secure the best results they  
must be made the centers of             

thought-developing questions4  ,thanks  
are due the ,pillsbury-,washburn ,flour 
,mills ,company of ,minneapolis1 the    
,swift ,packing ,company of ,chicago1   
the ,walter ,baker ,company of          
,dorchester1 the ,united ,fruit ,company
 of ,new ,orleans1 and ,dr4 ,charles ,u4
 ,shepard of ,pinehurst ,plantation1 for
 the excellent illustrations furnished  
by them4                                
,,james ,,franklin ,,chamberlain4       
,,state ,,normal ,,school1   ,,los      
,,angeles1 ,march1 #aijc4     ,,contents
                                        
,,page    ,,the ,,past ,,and ,,the      
,,present                     #a        
,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,loaf ,,of       
,,bread                 #g    ,,how     
,,our ,,meat ,,is ,,supplied            
#ah    ,,market ,,gardening             
#cb    ,,dairy ,,products               
#da    ,,butter ,,making                
#dd    ,,cheese                         
#ej    ,,the ,,fishing ,,industry       
#ed    ,,oyster ,,farming               

#fd    ,a ,,rice ,,field                
#gj    ,,how ,,sugar ,,is ,,made        
#gg    ,,beet ,,sugar                   
#hd    ,,maple ,,sugar                  
#hg    ,,where ,,salt ,,comes ,,from    
#ia    ,,macaroni ,,and ,,vermicelli    
#ii    ,,on ,a ,,coffee ,,plantation    
#ajd    ,,the ,,tea ,,gardens ,,of      
,,china                   #aac    ,a    
,,cup ,,of ,,cocoa                      
#abj    ,a ,,cranberry ,,bog            
#aca    ,,the ,,cocoanut ,,islands ,,of 
,,the ,,pacific        #aci    ,a       
,,bunch ,,of ,,bananas                  
#adf    ,,how ,,dates ,,grow            
#aee    ,,the ,,orange ,,groves ,,of    
,,southern ,,california   #afe    ,a    
,,visit ,,to ,a ,,vineyard              
#agd    ,,nutting                       
#ahd    ,a ,,walnut ,,vacation          
#ahg    ,,chestnuts                     
#aic    ,a ,,bag ,,of ,,peanuts         
#aie    ,,assorted ,,nuts               
#bja    ,a ,,strange ,,conversation     
#bjf     ,,how ,,we ,,are ,,fed         

,,the ,,past ,,and ,,the ,,present      
,long1 long ago people did not live as  
we do to-day4 ,their homes were very    
different from ours1 for they were made 
of the skins of wild animals1 of the    
limbs and bark of trees1 or of tall     
grasses4 ,there were no stoves1 chairs1 
tables1 or beds in their houses4        
,instead of lamps1 gas1 or electricity1 
a fire on the dirt floor or in front of 
the house1 furnished the light4  ,the   
clothing of these people was as simple  
as their homes4 ,it was made of skins   
and furs in cold countries and in warm  
countries of braided grasses and the    
fibers of certain plants4 ,you may be   
sure that tailors and dressmakers were  
not consulted as to the latest styles1  
for the styles did not change and there 
were neither tailors nor dressmakers to 
talk to4 ,each family made its own      
clothing1 and there was not a sewing    
machine to be found4  ,how would you    
like to use a bone for a needle8        
,sometimes1 instead of sharpened bones1 

long thorns were used4 ,the sinews of   
the deer1 or of some other animal1      
usually furnished the thread4  ,when the
 people were in need of food1 they went 
into the forest and gathered roots1     
nuts1 and fruits4 ,wild animals were    
killed by means of such weapons as bows 
and arrows and spears1 and fish were    
caught in the lakes and streams4  ,the  
food was not cooked as ours is2 for1 as 
,i have told you1 there were no stoves4 
,sometimes the meat was broiled over the
 fire1 sometimes baked in a hole filled 
with ashes and coals1 but it was often  
eaten raw4 ,it was not easy to have a   
variety of food1 and there were times   
when it was very difficult to obtain    
anything4 ,when food was abundant1 the  
people feasted1 and when it was scarce1 
they were often hungry4 ,how would you  
like to wait for your breakfast while   
your father went to the woods or to the 
river in search of something to eat8    
,when the meals were prepared1 they were
 not neatly served as yours are1 but    

each person took his portion and sat on 
the ground while he ate it4             
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #a4--;,indians at 
,dinner4  ,all of this seems very       
strange to you1 ,i know4 ,if you live in
 the city1 you are accustomed to seeing 
the butcher1 the baker1 the milkman1 and
 the grocer call every day4 ,there are  
stores where people can buy whatever    
they want to eat1 drink1 or wear4 ,you  
wonder how any one could live in such a 
way as ,i have described1 but there are 
people who live in this fashion to-day1 
although you have never seen any of     
them4 ,they are uncivilized4 ,where do  
you think they are to be found8 ,when   
people live in this way1 it takes most  
of their time to provide themselves with
 the things that are necessary to life4 
,they have little opportunity to improve
 their ways of living and of thinking4  
,civilized people divide their work4    
,some provide food1 some make clothing1 
some build houses1 and some furnish     
fuel4 ,each one does his or her part4   

,in this way1 you see1 they learn to do 
their work better and better1 because   
each gives much time and thought to one 
kind of work4 ,this plan gives each one 
time to study and to learn something    
about the world and its people4 ,think  
how much better our homes1 our clothing1
 and our food are1 than are those of    
uncivilized people1 and how many other  
advantages we have4  ,illustration3     
,,fig4 #b4--,white ,people at ,dinner4  
,it is only possible to live as we do1  
when each one works for others as well  
as for himself4 ,if any one fails to do 
his part1 the rest must suffer until    
some one is found to take his place4 ,it
 is to prepare yourself to do your part 
in some useful work for others1 that you
 are going to school day by day4 ,you do
 not now know just what that work is to 
be1 but ,i want you to remember that all
 honest work is noble4 ,it is not so    
important what work you do1 as it is    
that you should do your work well4 ,no  
matter what your work may be1 you can   

carry sunshine in your face and         
helpfulness in your heart4 ,if you do   
this1 you will be known and loved4 ,hard
 work1 coarse clothes1 and lack of money
 can never hide these things1 neither   
will the finest of clothing cover a     
selfish or untruthful nature4  ,let us  
look at this dinner table loaded with   
good things to eat and drink4 ,there are
 bread1 butter1 meat1 vegetables1 milk1 
tea1 fruits1 and other things4 ,you see 
at once that many persons must have     
worked to provide this food1 for only a 
small part of the work was done in the  
kitchen4 ,if these things could but     
speak1 they might tell you stories as   
wonderful as fairy tales4 ,they have    
been gathered here from the fertile     
plains of the ,west1 from the sunny     
,south1 from ,brazil1 from the islands  
of the ,pacific ,ocean1 from far-off    
,china1 and even from the waters of the 
sea4     ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,loaf   
,,of ,,bread   ,in the dark granary of a
 farmer's barn in ,north ,dakota once   

lived a modest family of grains of      
wheat4 ,the bright1 warm days of the    
summer time1 during which they had been 
placed in this dark room1 soon grew     
shorter and cooler4 ,the swallows1 whose
 mud nests were in the rafters overhead1
 told the wheat brothers that winter was
 coming1 and then flew away to the balmy
 southland4  ,soon biting winds and     
blinding snow came sweeping over the    
level land4 ,sometimes the farmhouse was
 almost hidden under the drifts1 and the
 farmer had to shovel out a path to the 
barn1 so that he could feed the horses  
and cattle4 ,by and by the days grew    
warmer1 the snow disappeared1 and the   
birds returned one by one4 ,the farmer  
and his men got out their plows and     
harrows1 and prepared the soil for the  
seeds soon to be planted4  ,the wheat   
was now shoveled into sacks and taken to
 the fields4 ,here it was placed in     
great machines drawn by horses1 which   
scattered it evenly over the land and at
 the same time covered it with soft     

soil4 ,the men whistled and sang as they
 worked1 and blackbirds1 bluebirds1 and 
larks flew back and forth1 singing and  
searching for bugs and worms1 as well as
 for the shining kernels of wheat4  ,the
 wheat was not content to remain        
underground1 but kept trying to push    
itself out into the world4 ,one night   
there came a warm shower1 and the next  
morning what looked like tiny1 green    
blades of grass appeared all over the   
field4  ,all through the spring and     
summer the wheat kept growing1 and      
finally there appeared at the ends of   
the stalks clusters of kernels1 just    
like those which the farmer had planted4
 ,some of these kernels had produced    
families of twenty or thirty4 ,these    
clusters are called heads4              
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #c4--;,harvesting 
,wheat in ,southern ,california4  ,as   
the south wind passed over the field it 
brought the wheat messages from         
,minnesota1 ,iowa1 ,illinois1 ,indiana1 
and other states1 telling of relatives  

who were already turning golden in the  
summer sunshine4 ,one day some of the   
kernels thought they heard a voice from 
,california4 ,do you think they did8    
,the grain in some of the fields was    
called winter wheat4 ,this was because  
the grain had been sown the autumn      
before1 and had remained in the ground  
all winter1 covered by a blanket of     
snow4 ,why was it sown in the fall8 ,the
 wheat of which ,i am telling you was   
called by the farmer spring wheat4      
,soon machines1 each drawn by several   
horses1 appeared4 ,they cut the waving  
grain1 and bound it up in bundles called
 sheaves4 ,these were set up in double  
rows to dry1 and afterward put into     
another machine which separated the     
kernels from the stalks1 which were now 
called straw4 ,this work the farmer     
calls threshing4 ,see if you can find   
out how this used to be done4  ,after   
threshing1 the wheat was put into sacks 
and taken to the nearest railroad       
station4 ,freight cars then carried it  

across the level prairies to the        
beautiful city of ,minneapolis1 built   
beside the ,falls of ,saint ,anthony4   
,what river is this city on8 ,of what   
use are the falls8  ,there are tall     
buildings called elevators here in which
 the wheat was stored for a time4       
,before being put into the elevators it 
was examined and graded4 ,as there was  
wheat from many farms it could not be   
kept separate1 so each farmer was told  
how much he had1 and how it graded4     
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #d4--,threshing   
,wheat in ,southern ,california4  ,some 
time after this the wheat was taken to  
one of the great mills to be ground into
 flour4 ,the largest of these mills     
manufactures about fifteen thousand     
barrels of flour every day4 ,this is the
 largest flour mill in the world4  ,when
 the kernels reached the mill1 they were
 put into machines called separators1 to
 be separated from all companions such  
as grass seed1 mustard seed1 and wild   
buckwheat4 ,they were then placed in an 

iron box in which brushes were revolving
 rapidly1 and were scoured to free them 
from fuzz and dirt4 ,those that were    
very dirty were washed4  ,illustration3 
,,fig4 #e4--,the ,flour ,mills in       
,minneapolis4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4    
#f4--,the ,largest ,flour ,mill in the  
,world4  ,the kernels were steamed1 in  
order that the coating1 called bran1    
might not break into small pieces4 ,this
 is called tempering4 ,the kernels now  
thought that their trials were over1 but
 they were mistaken4 ,soon they found   
themselves being crushed between        
rollers4 ,after they came out they were 
sifted1 and then run between other      
rollers4 ,this was repeated six times1  
and each time the flour was a little    
finer1 for the rollers were closer      
together4 ,the flour was then run       
through tubes of flannel4 ,these took   
out whatever dust it contained4 ,it was 
then ground still finer4 ,the flour was 
then put into sacks or barrels1 which   
were marked for shipment to other parts 

of the country4  ,only the wheat        
intended for the very best grade of     
flour is treated as carefully as this   
was4  ,what industry does the use of    
barrels bring in8  ,illustration3 ,,fig4
 #g4--;,grinding ,wheat4  ,from the     
mills the flour was sent to many parts  
of the land to supply stores1 bakeries1 
hotels1 and homes4 ,some of it found its
 way to the bakery near your home4 ,the 
bakers1 in their clean suits of white1  
weighed the flour which they were going 
to use1 and then added a certain amount 
of water to it4 ,some yeast and salt    
were added also4 ,this mixture they     
called dough4 ,you have seen your mother
 mix or knead dough1 ,i am sure4 ,the   
bakers did not do the kneading with     
their hands1 but by means of machinery  
made for this purpose4  ,illustration3  
,,fig4 #h4--;,bolting ,flour4  ,when the
 dough had been thoroughly kneaded it   
was left to rise4 ,it is the yeast that 
causes the rising4 ,this makes the bread
 light and spongy4 ,it was then cut into

 loaves and placed in the oven4 ,the    
ovens in the bakery are very much larger
 than those in your kitchen stove1 for  
many loaves are baked at once4 ,when a  
nice shade of brown appeared on the     
loaves1 the bakers took them out of the 
oven by means of long shovels4 ,soon the
 delivery wagons came and were loaded   
with the fresh bread to be delivered to 
stores and homes4 ,this loaf was just   
left at the door and is still warm4     
,so1 you see1 a loaf of bread has quite 
a history4 ,i have told you the life    
story of this one from the time of its  
grandparents1 who were raised on the    
plains of ,north ,dakota4 ,would it not 
be interesting to see each of the people
 who have had something to do with its  
production1 and to make the journey     
which the wheat and the flour made8 ,you
 can do both in your thoughts4     ,,how
 ,,our ,,meat ,,is ,,supplied   ,ramon  
lived in a plain1 one-story house1 built
 in the shade of some cottonwood trees  
that fringed each side of a small river 

in the eastern part of ,colorado4 ,a    
wide veranda extended entirely around   
the house1 but there were very few      
flowers and no lawn4 ,i am afraid you   
would not think it a very pleasant place
 for a home4  ,not far from the ranch   
house1 as it was called1 were the barn  
and the corrals4 ,a corral is a yard    
with a strong1 high fence about it1 in  
which cattle or horses may be placed4   
,on the bottom land beside the stream1  
there was a corn and an alfalfa patch1  
besides one containing some potatoes and
 garden vegetables4  ,during most of the
 year the stream was quite shallow1 and 
flowed quietly over its bed1 but when   
heavy rains occurred it rose rapidly1   
spreading over much of the bottom land  
and carrying so much clay with it that  
it was almost the color of coffee4      
,except along the river1 not a tree was 
in sight from ,ramon's home1 and it was 
many miles to the nearest house4 ,for   
hundreds of miles both north and south1 
there stretched a vast plain4 ,little   

was to be seen but sand1 grass1 and     
sagebrush4 ,i had almost forgotten the  
prairie dogs1 which scamper across the  
plain or sit up straight and motionless 
on a little mound of sand beside their  
burrows4 ,they watch you closely1 not   
moving unless they regard you as a      
dangerous creature1 when1 quick as a    
flash1 they disappear4  ,the rainfall is
 very slight in this part of the        
country1 being less than twenty inches a
 year4 ,on this account there is little 
attention paid to farming1 but instead1 
the settlers own great herds of cattle  
as well as many horses4 ,ramon's father 
is one of the cattlemen of ,colorado4   
,he owns more than ten thousand head of 
cattle1 and some of the cattlemen own   
twice that number4 ,of course such great
 herds of cattle must have much land to 
graze on4 ,some of the land is owned by 
the government and any one may use it4  
,everywhere fences are far apart4 ,these
 great pastures are called ranges4      
,ramon's life is not much like yours4   

,his home is far from schools1 churches1
 stores1 or railroads4 ,he seldom sees  
strangers1 but he enjoys long rides on  
his own pony1 ,prince4 ,sometimes he    
goes with his father and at other times 
he takes a gallop with one of the       
cowboys who herd the cattle4  ,the      
cowboys almost live in the saddle4 ,they
 are out in all kinds of weather and are
 not boys at all1 but strong1 hardy men4
 ,they wear broad-brimmed hats1 and     
carry long ropes called lassos or       
lariats1 with which they catch the      
cattle4  ,where there are so many herds 
they sometimes get mixed up4 ,on this   
account each cattleman marks or brands  
his animals4 ,these brands may be the   
initial letter of the owner's name1 or  
they may be in the form of a horseshoe1 
a cross1 a circle1 or a crescent4  ,each
 spring and fall the cowboys gather the 
cattle together4 ,this is called        
rounding up the cattle4 ,they are then  
counted and the calves born since the   
last round up are branded4 ,in the fall1

 in addition to this work1 animals are  
selected for the market4 ,why is the    
fall a better time for this than the    
spring8  ,illustration3 ,,fig4          
#i4--;,branding ,cattle4--,point to the 
,lariats4  ,the cowboys1 mounted upon   
their swift1 strong ponies1 single out  
the animals that have never been        
branded1 and swinging their lassos over 
their heads1 they throw them with such  
skill that the loop settles over the    
head or about the leg of the one wanted4
 ,as soon as the rope tightens1 the pony
 braces its forefeet firmly and the     
animal is finally thrown to the ground4 
,it is then branded with a hot iron and 
allowed to go4 ,ramon used to feel very 
sorry for them until his father         
explained that it hurt them very little1
 for only the skin was burned4          
,sometimes the cattle selected to be    
sold1 are not quite fat enough for the  
market4 ,they are then taken farther    
east into the corn belt and fed for a   
time4  ,when they are shipped directly  

from the range to the market1 they are  
driven to the nearest railroad and put  
into yards beside the track4 ,they are  
then made to walk up an incline with    
high railings ending at the open doors  
of a cattle car4 ,the animals are       
arranged so that the first faces one    
side of the car1 the second the other1  
and so on4 ,this is done so that the    
cattle cannot hook one another1 and also
 that they may be fed and watered on the
 way from a long iron trough which is   
fastened to each side of the car4  ,the 
great cattle markets of the ,united     
,states are ,omaha1 ,kansas ,city1 and  
,chicago4 ,find these cities4  ,one day 
when ,ramon was about fourteen years    
old1 his father told him that he was    
going to take a train load of cattle to 
,chicago and that he might go with him4 
,it was a happy time for ,ramon1 you may
 be sure1 for he was very anxious to see
 some of the wonderful sights his father
 had told him about4  ,at last the day  
when they were to start on their journey

 arrived4 ,the afternoon before1 the    
cowboys had driven the cattle to the    
railroad so as to load them early in the
 morning4 ,soon after breakfast ,ramon  
kissed his mother and his little sister 
good-by1 and he and his father rode off 
across the level plain4  ,finding the   
cattle already loaded in the cars1      
,ramon and his father were soon seated  
in the caboose1 rolling over the miles  
of railroad which connected them with   
,chicago4 ,whenever the train stopped   
for a few minutes1 they took a long     
stick and went from car to car making   
the cattle that had lain down get up1 so
 that they might not be injured by the  
others4  ,when bedtime came1 they made  
their beds on the benches along each    
side of the caboose1 which are covered  
with cushions4 ,as they had brought     
blankets with them1 they were fairly    
comfortable4  ,ramon did not sleep very 
soundly the first night4 ,the engine    
shrieked from time to time1 and the car 
rocked and jolted so that he was afraid 

of falling from his bed4  ,the next day 
they reached a part of the country where
 great cornfields waved in the breeze4  
,the leaves had already turned brown1   
and golden ears of grain peeped out from
 the ends of the husks4 ,there were     
stubble fields1 too1 where wheat and    
oats had been harvested4  ,illustration3
 ,,fig4 #aj4--;,bird's ,eye ,view of    
,union ,stock ,yards1 ,chicago4  ,the   
country became more thickly settled as  
they went on1 and the towns were nearer 
together4 ,streams were more common1 and
 grass and timber more abundant4 ,the   
young traveler wondered why this was so4
 ,can you tell8  ,early in the morning  
of the fourth day the train reached     
,chicago4 ,after much switching and     
backing the cars were run into the      
,union ,stock ,yards1 and the cattle    
were unloaded4  ,ramon was thoroughly   
bewildered by what he saw and heard4    
,men were shouting and cracking whips2  
others were riding up and down the      
alleys that separate the yards2 dogs    

were barking and turning the animals    
this way and that1 and gates were       
swinging back and forth4  ,the cattle   
were weighed and examined to see if they
 had any disease1 and were then placed  
in charge of a commission merchant to be
 sold4 ,buyers come to the yards and    
bargain with these commission merchants4
 ,when an unusually large number of     
cattle come in1 the prices are likely to
 fall2 when few arrive1 the prices rise4
  ,when the cattle had been yarded1     
,ramon's father said that they would go 
and have breakfast4 ,in the afternoon   
they visited the yards1 and the         
slaughter and packing houses4 ,the yards
 cover about a square mile of territory4
 ,they are divided into countless pens  
or small yards1 containing sheds1       
feeding racks1 and watering troughs4    
,ramon asked how many cattle were       
unloaded in these yards daily4 ,his     
father handed him a copy of the ,chicago
 ,live ,stock ,world1 and at the top of 
the first column he read that on the day

 previous there had been received       
#ah1ejj cattle1 #ce1jjj hogs1 and       
#ah1jjj sheep4 ,he was told that        
sometimes the receipts are much larger  
than this and sometimes not so large4   
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #aa4--;,dressing  
,beef4  ,they followed the bodies of the
 cattle from the slaughterhouses where  
they are dressed1 into the cooling      
rooms4 ,these are simply great          
refrigerators4 ,wagons come to the      
cooling rooms and haul loads of the meat
 to butcher shops1 hotels1 and depots4  
,within a few hours it finds its way to 
smaller cities and towns in all         
directions4 ,a great deal of meat is    
shipped even to ,europe4 ,why does not  
,europe produce its own meat8           
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ab4--;,cooling   
,beef4  ,when the meat has thoroughly   
hardened in the cooling rooms1 it is    
sent to the curing rooms1 where it is   
cut up and packed4 ,each person here    
does his particular work from morning   
until night4  ,ramon learned1 to his    

surprise1 that every part of the animal 
is used4 ,hair1 hide1 horns1 hoofs1     
teeth1 bones1 and even blood1 are made  
use of4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4          
#ac4--,splitting ,backbone of ,hogs4    
,most of the hogs which enter the great 
meat-packing cities are raised in the   
corn belt4  ,the sheep need much        
pasturage1 and so the largest flocks are
 found in the ,western and ,southwestern
 states4 ,a single herder may take care 
of several thousand sheep4 ,his faithful
 companions and helpers are intelligent 
shepherd dogs4 ,after a great flock of  
sheep has fed on an area1 hardly a green
 thing is left4 ,the people in the part 
of the ,west where there is little      
rainfall1 object to the pasturing of    
sheep around the head waters of streams1
 because when the vegetation is removed 
the water runs off too quickly4         
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ad4--;,curing    
,pork in ,salt4  ,in the evening our    
friends watched the men1 women1 and     
children march out of the yards4 ,they  

were told that not less than thirty-five
 thousand persons were employed in the  
various establishments4 ,there is but   
one city in ,colorado which contains so 
many people4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4     
#ae4--;,chopping ,sausage ,meat4  ,as   
they sat at breakfast next morning1     
,ramon wondered how many of the people  
of ,chicago were eating steaks from     
cattle which he had seen on his father's
 ranch4 ,the thought was a new one to   
him4 ,his trip had shown him that the   
cattlemen who lived and worked on those 
far-away plains were doing their part in
 supplying people all over our country  
with meat4 ,their lonely life1 with all 
of its disadvantages1 now had a new     
meaning for him1 and he went back to his
 ,western home content with it1 yet very
 glad to have had this glimpse of       
another side of life4  ,illustration3   
,,fig4 #af4--,packing ,poultry4         
,,market ,,gardening   ,think of the    
immense quantities of fruits and        
vegetables that are used daily on the   

tables of a great city such as ,new     
,york or ,chicago4 ,as we travel up and 
down the streets of any great city1 we  
see rows of buildings1 sometimes built  
in solid blocks and sometimes a little  
distance apart4 ,some have trees and    
small lawns in front of them2 others are
 without even this touch of nature4     
,nowhere1 except in the outskirts1 do we
 find gardens4  ,these people depend    
upon others to furnish them with their  
vegetable food4  ,now let us make some  
excursions into the region surrounding  
one of these cities4 ,for miles and     
miles we see on every hand truck farms  
or market gardens4 ,the main business of
 those who live in these districts is to
 furnish food for the people of the     
city1 so that the latter may devote     
their time to their various occupations4
  ,we see growing potatoes1 cabbages1   
tomatoes1 beans1 peas1 squashes1        
turnips1 onions1 sweet corn1 celery1    
melons1 and many other things4 ,usually 
all of these will be found in one       

garden1 but sometimes the farmer raises 
only a few kinds1 or perhaps but one4   
,market gardening is very common in     
,germany1 ,holland1 ,italy1 ,china1 and 
in other densely populated countries4   
,therefore we often find people who have
 come from these countries to ,america  
engaged in this business4 ,chinese      
gardeners are seldom seen in the ,east1 
but on the ,pacific coast they raise    
most of the vegetables used in the      
cities and towns4  ,in the early spring1
 before the ground is warm enough to    
make seeds grow1 the gardener starts his
 plants in hotbeds4 ,these are long     
wooden boxes1 or frames1 without        
bottoms1 covered with glass4 ,they are  
usually placed on the south side of some
 building or high fence4 ,the glass     
covers allow the warm sunshine to enter 
the beds freely1 but they prevent the   
rapid escape of the heat4 ,you see now  
why they are called hotbeds4 ,they are  
like small greenhouses4  ,a little later
 in the spring the fields are thoroughly

 cultivated and the plants transplanted4
 ,of course only the vegetables desired 
for the early market are started in this
 way4 ,what advantage is there in having
 the vegetables ready for the market    
very early in the season8  ,vegetable   
farming is not easy work1 although it is
 a pleasure to see things grow day by   
day as you care for them1 and as nature 
supplies her sunshine and her rain4 ,the
 fields must be cultivated almost       
constantly1 to keep the soil loose1 as  
well as to remove the weeds4 ,much of   
the weeding has to be done by hand1     
which is tedious work4  ,we want our    
vegetables fresh every morning2 and as  
the truck farms are at some distance    
from the city1 the farmer must load up  
his wagon the night before4 ,of course  
much produce is sent to the cities on   
trains1 but where farmers live near     
enough to deliver it themselves1 their  
crops are more profitable to them4 ,why8
  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ag4--;,a       
,market ,scene4  ,everything is put in  

readiness before dark2 and while others 
are still in bed1 the farmer mounts his 
wagon to start toward the sleeping city4
 ,i have often ridden ten or fifteen    
miles on such a load before the stars   
faded away4  ,it is a novel experience4 
,at first the night seems strangely     
still1 but soon you are able to         
distinguish many voices coming from     
various places4 ,the frogs croak from   
the ponds by the roadside2 crickets and 
locusts send their shrill notes from    
grass and tree2 a night owl startles you
 by his dismal hoot2 the lamps of the   
fireflies gleam1 then disappear only to 
shine out again a little farther on4    
,at last a faint glow appears in the    
eastern sky1 which grows brighter and   
brighter until the shining face of the  
sun is pushed above the horizon4 ,do you
 not think such a ride would be more    
enjoyable than a street car ride8  ,in  
the cities there are market places where
 produce from the country is taken4 ,in 
,chicago there is a very busy street    

where much of the buying and selling is 
done4 ,study the picture carefully4     
,here the buyers from hotels1           
restaurants1 and stores1 as well as the 
men who wish to peddle the produce from 
house to house1 go for their daily      
supplies4 ,there are also commission    
merchants whose stores are on this      
street4 ,they sell the produce for those
 who ship it to the city by train4  ,we 
go to the stores and get what we want   
each day1 or the peddlers bring it to   
the door4 ,you see how necessary it is  
to have special workers to supply us    
with the different kinds of food4 ,we   
consider it very important that we      
should have vegetables and fruits fresh 
daily4 ,the work of supplying us with   
this food is very important4 ,remember  
that those who till the soil are        
entitled to as great respect as are     
those who do not work with their hands4 
,contact with nature makes men and women
 better1 and many of the noblest souls  
that the world has known have lived in  

the country and plowed1 planted1 and    
harvested the products of the soil4     
,illustration3 ,market ,scene4 ,chicago4
  ,illustration3 ,market ,scene4 ,new   
,york4     ,,dairy ,,products   ,uncle  
,ben lives on a dairy farm in the       
western part of ,new ,york ,state4 ,it  
is a beautiful rolling country with     
cultivated fields1 woodland1 and        
pastures1 and here and there a sparkling
 stream winding its way through the     
lowlands4 ,the farmhouses are large and 
well built1 and are surrounded by grand 
old maple1 beech1 and elm trees4 ,most  
of the barns are painted red with white 
trimmings4  ,there are many dairy farms 
in the neighborhood4 ,some of the       
farmers send their milk to the towns to 
be used directly1 some sell it to       
creameries1 and some to cheese          
factories4  ,last summer ,i spent my    
vacation on ,uncle ,ben's farm1 and     
,cousin ,frank and ,i had happy times1  
you may be sure4  ,every day1 just      
before sundown1 we went to the pasture  

for the cows4 ,there were about         
twenty-five of them1 and they always    
seemed perfectly contented after the    
long day of feasting on rich grass and  
clover4  ,after we drove them into the  
barnyard ,uncle ,ben helped us fasten   
them in their stanchions in the barn4   
,then the men brought the bright pails  
and cans to begin milking4 ,cousin      
,frank and ,i always helped1 although he
 can milk much faster than ,i4 ,some of 
the cows gave but two or three quarts1  
while others gave as many gallons4  ,we 
strained the milk into cans holding     
eight gallons each1 and put them into   
tanks of water to cool4 ,after milking  
was finished we turned the cattle into  
the barnyard for the night4  ,in the    
morning we commenced milking about      
sunrise4 ,after breakfast the cans were 
loaded into a spring wagon and ,uncle   
,ben drove to the depot4 ,here they were
 put on the milk train1 which took them 
to the city4  ,many other people sent   
milk on this same train4 ,it was sent to

 bakeries1 to hotels and restaurants1   
and to milkmen1 who delivered it from   
house to house4 ,usually the milkmen put
 the milk into pint or quart bottles for
 people who like to have it in that     
form4 ,uncle ,ben told us that much of  
the milk that is sent to ,new ,york     
,city is bottled before it is sent4 ,the
 bottling is done by machinery4 ,he also
 told us that1 because of the great     
importance of having pure milk1 there   
are1 in all cities1 inspectors who      
carefully examine the milk and report to
 the ,board of ,health4 ,the cows also  
are inspected1 and if any are sick1 they
 are usually killed4  ,each evening some
 one drove to the depot again to get    
empty cans which the milk train had     
brought home4 ,these were always        
carefully washed in hot water before    
being used again4     ,,butter ,,making 
,one day1 after ,i had been on the farm 
about a week1 ,uncle ,ben took ,frank   
and me to the creamery4 ,a creamery is a
 place where the milk and cream are     

separated and butter is made4  ,we found
 several wagonloads of milk being       
unloaded4 ,the milk was weighed as it   
was received1 for it is sold by weight4 
,the milk was then strained into a large
 galvanized iron tub1 from which a pipe 
carried it into a circular machine      
called the separator4 ,the separator    
revolves rapidly1 throwing the milk1    
which is heavier than the cream1 to the 
outer edge1 where it passes through     
small holes into a compartment by       
itself4 ,the cream rises along the      
center and passes through another set of
 openings into a special compartment4 ,a
 pipe carries it to a large vat1 while  
another pipe conveys the milk to large  
tanks4  ,uncle ,ben told me that when   
people make their own butter1 they must 
wait for the cream to rise on the milk4 
,the cream is then skimmed off1 and the 
milk is called skimmed milk4 ,although  
the milk in the creamery is not skimmed1
 the same name is used for it4  ,i asked
 if the skimmed milk was used for       

anything4 ,uncle ,ben gave me a cupful  
of it to taste4 ,it was very good4 ,he  
then told me that the separator takes   
out only the part needed in making      
butter1 leaving all of the sugar4 ,i did
 not know before that milk contains     
sugar4  ,the farmers take home loads of 
this milk to feed it to their hogs4 ,for
 each hundred pounds of milk delivered1 
they get back seventy-five pounds of    
skimmed milk1 besides the pay for their 
cream4  ,the creamery man told me that  
he made from four to six pounds of      
butter from one hundred pounds of milk4 
,the cream remains in the large vat     
about twenty-four hours before it is    
churned4 ,the churn1 as you see by the  
picture1 is a great barrel made to      
revolve by machinery4 ,it takes from    
thirty-five minutes to one hour to      
churn4 ,the man told me that ,i might   
look at the book in which he kept the   
record of the churning4 ,i saw that he  
made from two hundred fifty to six      
hundred pounds of butter at a churning4 

,he said that some churns would produce 
more than one thousand pounds at a      
churning4  ,not all of the cream is made
 into butter4 ,there is left in the     
bottom of the churn a liquid called     
buttermilk4 ,this is drawn off1 and the 
butter is washed and worked before being
 taken out of the churn4 ,the working is
 done by means of paddles in the churn4 
,it continues for six or eight minutes  
and squeezes the liquid out of the      
butter4  ,while the butter is being     
worked1 it is salted4 ,some of the      
butter is unsalted1 but most of it is   
salted4 ,when butter is made in the     
home1 it must be churned by hand4 ,only 
a few pounds at a time can be made in   
this way4  ,when the butter was taken   
out of the churn1 the men packed it     
solidly in wooden boxes about two feet  
square and four inches deep4 ,the bottom
 of each box consisted of strips as wide
 as a square of butter4 ,these were held
 together by a clamp1 and the sides were
 hooked to the bottom and to one        

another4 ,when the butter is to be cut  
into squares1 these sides are removed   
and zinc ones take their places4 ,in    
these there are slits running from top  
to bottom4 ,through these slits a wire  
saw is run1 and so the butter is quickly
 cut into one or two pound squares4 ,the
 butter is then wrapped in fancy papers 
upon which the name of the butter or of 
the creamery is stamped4  ,illustration3
 ,a ,separator4  ,illustration3 ,a      
,churn4  ,of course some of the butter  
is packed in wooden tubs and shipped in 
that form4 ,this butter is a little     
cheaper than that put up in squares4    
,,cheese   ,i was so much pleased with  
my visit to the creamery1 that ,uncle   
,ben promised to show me how cheese is  
made4 ,so one morning just after        
breakfast he1 ,cousin ,frank1 and ,i    
started out4 ,after a pleasant ride of  
about five miles we reached the factory4
  ,the first process here was the same  
as that at the creamery4 ,after the milk
 was weighed it was run into great      

zinc-lined vats4 ,there were four of    
these in the factory1 each of which held
 about five thousand pounds4  ,uncle    
,ben explained that the milk must curdle
 before cheese can be made4 ,in order to
 make it curdle quickly1 a little less  
than a pound of a substance called      
rennet was put into each vat4  ,a man   
worked at each vat with a long wooden   
rake1 stirring the milk constantly4 ,i  
saw a glass tube standing in the milk   
and asked what it was4 ,uncle ,ben told 
me to look at it closely4 ,i saw that it
 was a thermometer1 and that it         
registered eighty degrees4 ,a little    
while after ,i looked again1 when it    
showed a temperature of ninety degrees4 
,the milk is kept warm1 so as to help it
 to curdle quickly4  ,in about an hour  
,i could see the curd very plainly1 but 
the men kept on stirring and cutting it4
 ,presently one of them carried a piece 
of the curd to a table4 ,he heated a    
small iron rod and touched it with the  
curd4 ,when he pulled the curd away1    

little threads were drawn out to the    
length of half an inch or more4 ,this he
 called the acid test1 which showed that
 the curd was in the right condition to 
be made into cheese4  ,of course only a 
part of the milk had turned into curd2  
the rest was whey1 that was drawn off   
and run into tanks4 ,each man who had   
delivered one hundred pounds of milk was
 given a check for seventy-five pounds  
of the whey4 ,it is fed to hogs4 ,about 
two hours from the time that the milk   
was put into the vats1 the whey was     
drawn off4  ,one of the men now took a  
long knife and cut the curd into oblong 
cakes4 ,these he frequently lifted and  
turned over4 ,after continuing this for 
about twenty minutes1 the pieces of curd
 were put into a small mill1 placed on a
 board over the vat1 and the curd was   
chopped into strips from one to six     
inches long and from one-half an inch to
 an inch thick4 ,salt was scattered over
 the mass by one man1 while another     
pitched it about with a three-pronged   

wooden fork4 ,the man told me that he   
used three pounds of salt to each       
thousand pounds of milk4  ,next1 a piece
 of cloth was placed on a board about   
sixteen inches square4 ,two circular    
metal frames or bands1 about six inches 
high1 were fitted one within the other  
and placed on the cloth4 ,the frame was 
filled with curd1 covered by a cloth1   
and another set placed on top of it     
until there were five4 ,they were then  
put on a table directly under a block   
which was fastened to a screw4 ,by      
turning the screw the block was pressed 
against the top board1 and so each frame
 of curd was pressed4 ,i saw the whey   
running out as the squeezing went on4   
,the superintendent told us that the    
curd would be left in the press until   
the next day4  ,we were then taken into 
the room where the cheese ripens4 ,here 
we saw large racks reaching nearly to   
the ceiling1 filled with double rows of 
cheeses4 ,the smallest ones weighed but 
three pounds1 while the largest weighed 

fifty pounds4 ,it may take but a few    
days and it may take many months to     
ripen a cheese4 ,it depends upon the    
flavor wanted4 ,the man said that in    
,england strong cheese is generally     
liked1 while in our country mild cheese 
is preferred4  ,i asked how much cheese 
five thousand pounds of milk would make1
 and was told that it would make between
 four and five hundred pounds4  ,on the 
way home ,uncle ,ben told us that       
although our country is a great dairy   
country1 we import certain kinds of     
cheese from ,europe4 ,he told us how the
 ,swiss people pasture their cattle on  
the steep mountain sides1 and that in   
every little mountain valley cheese is  
made1 some of which finds its way over  
the mountains and across the sea to the 
,united ,states4     ,,the ,,fishing    
,,industry   ,have you ever stood by the
 side of a stream and watched the fish  
dart from one shadow of overhanging rock
 into another1 or swim lazily at the    
bottom of some deep pool8 ,how          

gracefully they move and turn6 ,how like
 water jewels they flash as the sunlight
 falls upon them6  ,most streams and    
lakes1 like the ocean1 contain fish4 ,so
 we have fresh-water and salt-water     
fish4 ,there are a few bodies of water  
so full of salt that fish cannot live in
 them4 ,do you know of any such bodies  
of water8  ,most of the fish used as    
food come from the ocean4 ,in this1 and 
in most other countries1 there are many 
men who do nothing but fish1 in order   
that other people may be supplied with  
this sort of food4 ,they do not depend  
upon hook and line alone1 but use nets  
also4  ,nets are great sacks made of    
cord1 knotted or woven together in such 
a way as to leave spaces or meshes4     
,these meshes are not big enough to     
allow large fish to escape4 ,sometimes  
the fishermen go out in rowboats some   
distance from shore and then throw the  
net into the water4 ,corks or floats    
keep the upper edge of the net near the 
surface1 while weights hold the lower   

edge on the bottom4 ,ropes are fastened 
to each end1 and so it is drawn toward  
the shore4 ,how the fishermen wish that 
they could see to the bottom of the     
restless water and know what their      
harvest is to be6 ,when the boats have  
almost reached the shore1 horses are    
sometimes driven into the water and     
hitched to the ropes4 ,at last the net  
is dragged out upon the sands and the   
uncertainty is past4  ,illustration3    
,,fig4 #ah4--;,drying ,nets4  ,look6    
,within the folds of the net is a       
countless number of fishes1 each        
jumping1 squirming1 wriggling1 trying to
 get back to its ocean home4 ,they are  
of many sizes1 shapes1 and colors4      
,those not good for food1 together with 
the smallest ones1 are thrown back into 
the water4  ,sometimes a net called a   
dip-net is dropped from a fishing       
schooner and drawn about a school of    
fish4 ,i have seen many barrels of fish 
brought up at one time in this way4     
,the fishermen keep a close watch for   

the appearance of these schools1 you may
 be sure4 ,whales and dolphins pursue   
them1 and gulls and cormorants circle   
overhead1 for they1 too1 are fishers4   
,their appearance helps the men to tell 
where the schools are4 ,there is a great
 rush for the fishing grounds when they 
are sighted4 ,the white-sailed schooners
 skim over the waters almost like a     
flock of birds4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4  
#ai4--;,a ,fishing ,schooner4  ,large   
quantities of fish are caught by a      
method called trawl fishing4 ,this may  
be carried on miles from the shore4 ,how
 do you suppose it is done8 ,to a very  
long and strong line1 many shorter ones1
 each with a hook at the end1 are       
attached4 ,these lines1 to which large  
buoys are fastened1 are left in the     
water for several hours1 and then       
fishermen in flat-bottomed boats called 
dories row out from the schooner and    
examine them4 ,the lines are then reset 
and the fish taken to the schooner to be
 dressed4 ,this is a common method of   

catching codfish1 which is carried on   
during summer and winter alike4 ,storms 
and fogs are likely to occur while the  
men are out in their little boats1      
making their work full of danger as well
 as of hardship4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#bj4--,splitting ,codfish4  ,many of the
 fish are packed in ice and sold fresh1 
while others are cured on the boats or  
on shore4 ,some of the fishing schooners
 carry great quantities of salt when    
they start out on a trip4 ,the fish are 
dressed and packed in this4 ,sometimes  
they are packed in brine1 and along the 
shores of some countries they are strung
 on poles to dry4  ,codfish are dried in
 great quantities along the ,new        
,england coast by placing them on frames
 made of strips of wood and raised a    
little above the wharf1 so that the air 
can circulate freely4 ,when the skin and
 bones are removed and the flesh cut    
into strips1 it is called shredded      
codfish4  ,the principal food-fish are  
the cod1 mackerel1 herring1 halibut1    

shad1 salmon1 sardines1 and whitefish4  
,whitefish are caught in the ,great     
,lakes4 ,to this list the lobster may be
 added1 although it is not a fish4  ,a  
common method of catching lobsters is to
 sink a box made of lath to the bottom1 
where they crawl about on the rocks4 ,a 
fish head is placed in the box for bait4
 ,the lobsters crawl in and are likely  
to remain until the box is examined4    
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ba4--;,drying    
,codfish4  ,lobster steamers1 fitted up 
with tanks containing salt water1 run   
from ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland to 
,boston and ,new ,york4 ,here those not 
wanted are placed on cars containing    
similar tanks and sent to interior      
cities4 ,in this way fresh lobsters are 
served thousands of miles from where    
they were caught4  ,a lobster that would
 cost us from twenty-five to            
seventy-five cents brings the fisherman 
not more than ten cents4  ,along our    
,new ,england coast there are many towns
 engaged extensively in fishing4        

,portland1 ,gloucester1 ,boston1 and    
,provincetown are among the number4     
,gloucester is the most important       
fishing town in the ,united ,states4    
,from it fishing schooners go as far as 
,newfoundland1 ,greenland1 ,iceland1 and
 even to the coast of ,ireland4 ,there  
are also important fisheries on the     
,pacific coast1 from ,san ,francisco to 
,alaska4 ,here the salmon are taken in  
great numbers4 ,they weigh from twenty  
to one hundred pounds4 ,the fish are    
canned and shipped to all parts of the  
country4 ,besides being caught in nets  
and traps and on lines many are caught  
in fish wheels4 ,these are fastened to  
the stern of a boat and revolve in the  
water4 ,the fish are caught in pockets  
and dropped in the boat as the wheel    
brings them up over it4  ,there are very
 extensive fisheries along the shores of
 the ,british ,isles and on the western 
coast of ,europe4 ,fishing is the chief 
industry in the towns along the coast of
 ,norway4 ,the air is full of the odor  

of fish1 while drying fish1 nets1 and   
boats are everywhere in sight4          
,although the supply of fish in the     
ocean is very great1 it is diminishing1 
especially near the shore4 ,most        
countries now pay considerable attention
 to the raising of both fresh and salt  
water fishes1 and they have passed laws 
regulating fishing4 ,eggs are hatched in
 great hatcheries1 from which the young 
fish are taken where they are most      
needed4  ,the great ocean is free to all
 to sail over or fish in at will4 ,there
 is a narrow strip along the shore three
 miles wide1 which belongs to the       
country which it borders4 ,the men of   
other countries are not allowed to fish 
there4  ,the fisherman is a brave and   
sturdy man4 ,his life is full of danger4
 ,he battles constantly with the winds  
and the waves4 ,fogs may hide the sharp 
rocks which seem to wait for a chance to
 destroy his little vessel4 ,sometimes  
icebergs or great ocean steamers sink   
his boat and he is never seen again4    

,when storms are raging and night has   
settled over sea and land1 and angry    
waves are dashing themselves into foam  
against the shore1 the mothers1 wives1  
and children look anxiously from their  
cottage windows toward the sea1 and pray
 that their loved ones may return to    
them in safety4     ,,oyster ,,farming  
,it sounds strange to speak of farming  
in the ocean1 but there are many and    
large oyster farms all along our coast4 
,some of these farms are covered by     
water all of the time and some are      
uncovered when the tide is low4 ,oyster 
farms are far more profitable than are  
those upon which corn and wheat are     
raised4  ,this is a new industry in our 
country because civilized people have   
not lived here very long1 but it is a   
very old one in some parts of the world4
 ,as long ago as the seventh century a  
,roman knight raised oysters for the    
market1 and it is said that the business
 made him very wealthy4  ,you will      
understand better about the cultivation 

of oysters1 if ,i tell you first how    
they live and grow in their natural     
homes4  ,except during the first few    
days of their lives1 oysters are        
prisoners4 ,they cannot move about      
freely from place to place as fishes and
 most animals can1 but they are attached
 to rocks1 to the shells of their dead  
relatives1 and to other objects4 ,how1  
then1 do you suppose they get their     
food8 ,they grow in immense numbers1 and
 they crowd one another more than people
 do in the tenement houses in our great 
cities4 ,in fact most of them are soon  
crowded out1 and they die1 leaving room 
for the rest to grow upon their empty   
homes4 ,in this way the oyster beds     
spread out4  ,these oyster beds are not 
found in very deep water1 but rather    
along the shore1 generally near the     
mouth of some river4 ,as ,i have told   
you1 they often live where they are     
uncovered when the tide goes out4 ,you  
can see from this that it is not very   
difficult to gather oysters1 so that1   

partly on this account1 man has used    
them for food for ages4  ,when the      
,pilgrim ,fathers landed on the shores  
of ,new ,england1 they found that the   
,indians used oysters very commonly4    
,all along the coast were great heaps of
 the shells4 ,at the very first         
,thanksgiving dinner given in ,america1 
oysters were served4  ,oysters used to  
be so plentiful on these natural beds   
that they were very cheap4 ,in some     
places where the winter weather was cold
 enough to freeze the water along the   
shore1 people cut holes in the ice and  
gathered them by means of long-handled  
rakes4  ,in a single year an oyster will
 produce more than a million young ones4
 ,just think of it6 ,if all of this     
family grew up1 they would fill a room  
fourteen feet in each dimension4  ,these
 young oysters are very small4 ,they are
 called spat4 ,most of them are drifted 
away by waves and currents1 or devoured 
by larger sea animals4 ,the few that    
escape soon attach themselves to some   

object1 so getting a chance to begin the
 battle of life4  ,if oysters are caught
 at all times of the year it does not   
give them a chance to produce their     
young1 and this1 as well as catching the
 young ones themselves1 has destroyed   
many of the natural beds4 ,in order to  
keep up the supply of this food men     
commenced oyster farming4 ,you see how  
our daily needs and desires lead to the 
establishment of great industries4  ,the
 oyster farmer prepares his farm in     
various ways4 ,he places clean oyster   
shells1 stones1 trays1 bundles of       
sticks1 and other things on the bottom1 
so that the oysters may find something  
to which to attach themselves4 ,then he 
places the young oysters or spat on     
these objects4 ,when trays are used1    
several are placed one upon another and 
bound together by means of a chain4     
,these trays are taken up from time to  
time in order to gather the oysters that
 are ready for market4  ,stones are     
sometimes piled on the bottom and the   

spat are placed in the crevices between 
them4 ,often stakes are planted in a    
somewhat circular form4 ,cords are      
attached to the stakes1 to which bundles
 of sticks are fastened in such a way as
 to keep them a little above the bottom4
 ,young oysters attach themselves to    
these sticks1 which may be drawn up when
 the proper time comes4  ,shells are    
used more commonly than other things4   
,they are taken from the restaurants and
 hotels to the farms in boat loads1 to  
be scattered over the bottom4  ,the     
young oysters grow at very different    
rates4 ,in two years they may grow to be
 six inches in length1 or it may take   
several years to reach that size4 ,they 
grow more rapidly on the artificial     
beds1 and are better in quality also4   
,the starfish is one of the greatest    
enemies of the oyster1 large numbers of 
which it destroys every year4  ,during  
the fishing season the oyster men go to 
the beds in their boats and scoop the   
oysters up from the bottom4 ,this is    

called dredging4 ,the scoops with their 
loads of oysters are drawn to the deck  
of the boat by machinery4 ,sometimes the
 oysters are gathered by means of long  
tongs4  ,as the oysters are usually in  
clusters1 these have to be broken up4   
,for this purpose a sort of a hammer    
known as a culling iron is used4 ,the   
oysters are broken apart and sorted4    
,sometimes the oyster man makes three   
grades and sometimes four4  ,oysters are
 not the only things drawn up in the    
dredge4 ,starfish1 lobsters1 and various
 kinds of fishes are gathered in4 ,the  
starfish are killed and the rest thrown 
back4  ,the oysters are heaped up in    
great piles on the deck of the boat4    
,sacks and barrels are filled with them1
 and many car loads are shipped daily   
from the cities near the fishing        
grounds4 ,chesapeake ,bay is the center 
of the oyster industry in our country4  
,find it4 ,there are oyster beds1       
however1 all along both the ,atlantic   
and the ,pacific coasts4  ,great        

quantities of oysters are canned near   
where they are caught4 ,getting them out
 of their shells is not an easy matter4 
,for this purpose a knife is used4 ,this
 work is called in the ,south shucking  
oysters4 ,canning oysters is an         
important industry in the city of       
,baltimore4 ,have you ever seen cans of 
oysters that came from there8     ,a    
,,rice ,,field   ,when you do not feel  
quite satisfied with your breakfast1    
dinner1 or supper1 and think that there 
should be a greater variety of food on  
the table1 just come with me and we will
 visit some of the boys and girls of    
far-away ,china4 ,what do you suppose   
their chief article of food is8 ,rice4  
,rice in the morning1 rice at noon1 and 
rice at night4 ,rice from the beginning 
to the end of the year4 ,in the poorer  
families a bit of dried fish and some   
vegetables are usually eaten with it4   
,those who can afford such things have  
bits of preserved ginger1 mushrooms1 and
 barley cakes with the rice4 ,of course 

the rich people have other things to    
eat1 but most of the people of ,china   
are poor4  ,in the fertile portions of  
,china the people live very close       
together4 ,gardens take the place of    
farms4 ,workmen often receive no more   
than ten cents a day4 ,on this account  
they cannot afford the variety of food  
that we have1 but must be content with  
whatever is cheap and nourishing for    
their labor4 ,if the rice crop were to  
fail1 the ,chinese would suffer4 ,you   
will see how important this food is to  
them1 when ,i tell you that they are    
forbidden by law to sell rice to other  
countries4  ,perhaps you are wondering  
where the rice that we use in this      
country comes from4 ,rice is grown in   
great quantities in ,japan1 ,corea1     
,indo-,china1 ,ceylon1 ,india1 the      
,philippines1 the ,hawaiian ,islands1   
and in our ,gulf states4  ,rice is the  
chief food of one half the people of the
 world4 ,although we raise large        
quantities1 we produce only about one   

half of what we use4 ,it is a kind of   
grain which will not thrive on the      
fertile ,western prairies where corn1   
oats1 and wheat grow4 ,it needs a warm  
climate and a great deal of water4 ,for 
this reason the rice fields are found on
 the marshy lands near the coast1 and by
 the banks of rivers1 where they can be 
easily flooded4 ,some rice is raised on 
the uplands1 but not so successfully as 
on the lowlands4  ,canals are dug from  
the streams through the farms1 and from 
these smaller ditches branch off so as  
to reach all parts4 ,they are so        
arranged that the farmer can turn the   
water on or off whenever he wishes4 ,on 
some of the farms1 wells furnish the    
water to the canals4  ,illustration3    
,,fig4 #bb4--;,a ,rice ,field4--,observe
 the ,canal4  ,in the ,gulf states the  
fields are plowed in the winter1 and the
 rice is sown between the first of      
,april and the middle of ,may4          
,sometimes the seed is sown broadcast1  
as wheat is1 and sometimes it is planted

 in regular drills or trenches about    
twelve inches apart4  ,the ,japanese sow
 the seed in gardens1 and when the      
plants are eight or ten inches high1    
they are pulled up and transplanted to  
the fields4 ,the men work right in the  
water1 for the fields are flooded at the
 time4  ,in our country the farmer      
floods the field as soon as the seeds   
are planted1 allowing the water to      
remain five or six days4 ,when the young
 blade of rice is a few inches high1 the
 field is again flooded4 ,after the     
second leaf appears on the stalk1 the   
water is turned on and left for twenty  
or thirty days4 ,after the land dries   
the crop is hoed4 ,the fields are       
irrigated from time to time1 until about
 eight days before the harvest1 which   
generally occurs in ,august4  ,when full
 grown1 the stalks are from one to six  
feet in height1 with long1 slender      
leaves4 ,the kernels grow much as those 
of wheat and oats do4  ,on account of   
the fields being so wet1 rice1 in most  

countries1 is cut by hand4 ,in ,china   
and ,japan small curved sickles are     
used1 and the grain is bound up in very 
small bundles4 ,in ,louisiana and some  
other parts of the ,south1 regular      
harvesters are used4 ,they have very    
broad wheels4 ,why8  ,after the grain   
has been bound into bundles1 these are  
set up in double rows to dry4 ,this is  
called shocking the rice4 ,the grain is 
then put through a thrashing machine1 to
 separate it from the straw4            
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bc4--;,harvesting
 ,rice4  ,rice kernels are covered by a 
husk4 ,before the husk is removed the   
grain is often called paddy rice4       
,removing the hulls or husks is called  
hulling4 ,the hulling machine is a long 
tube into one end of which the rice is  
poured4 ,within the tube are ribs which 
revolve rapidly4 ,as the kernels pass   
between these the hulls are taken off4  
,if you were passing through a ,chinese 
village1 you might hear sounds like     
those produced when a man pounds with a 

mallet on a great piece of timber4 ,on  
searching for the sounds1 you would find
 that they came from the rice mill4 ,the
 mill consists of a portion of a log    
hollowed out and placed upright4 ,in the
 hollow a quantity of rice is held4 ,a  
piece of timber1 fastened to a pivot1   
extends in a horizontal position with   
one end over the mill4 ,to this end     
another timber is fastened in an upright
 position4 ,a ,chinaman gets on to the  
end of the long timber which is farthest
 from the mill4 ,this raises the end    
with the upright4 ,he then jumps off and
 the upright falls1 striking upon the   
rice4 ,in this way the hulls are worn   
off4  ,after hulling1 the grain is      
carefully screened1 in order to remove  
the hulls1 the broken and very small    
kernels1 and the rice flour4 ,this      
latter makes good cattle food4  ,perhaps
 you have noticed that rice kernels have
 a bluish appearance4 ,this is not      
natural1 but is the result of polishing4
 ,the polishing removes much of the best

 part of the grain1 but the rice sells  
for a higher price simply on account of 
its appearance4  ,the polishing machine 
is cylindrical or drum-like in shape4   
,moosehide or sheepskin is tacked to the
 cylinder4 ,it is made to revolve       
rapidly1 so that the kernels are        
polished as they pass over the skin4    
,after being polished the kernels are   
run through screens and sorted4 ,the    
rice is then put up in barrels or sacks 
and shipped4     ,,how ,,sugar ,,is     
,,made   ,illustration3 ,,fig4          
#bd4--,sowing ,sugar ,seed4  ,this      
picture represents one of the beginnings
 of the great industry of sugar making4 
,the small objects which you see in the 
trenches are pieces of sugar cane4      
,these cuttings1 as they are called1 are
 covered with soil4 ,they soon sprout1  
and from them grow the tall1 waving     
fields of cane1 which resemble          
cornfields4 ,the canes are taller than  
cornstalks1 however4 ,how high do you   
think those shown in the picture are8   

,in about ten months after planting the 
cane is ready to cut4 ,in the ,southern 
states this work usually begins about   
the middle of ,october4  ,illustration3 
,,fig4 #be4--;,cutting ,sugar ,cane4    
,the canes are jointed1 as cornstalks   
are1 and the spongy substance between   
the joints is filled with a sweet juice4
 ,it is from this juice or sap that cane
 sugar is made4 ,i have seen children   
chew pieces of the cane1 and enjoy it as
 you do candy2 for this use it is       
sometimes sold in stores in the ,south4 
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bf4--,loading    
,cars with ,sugar ,cane4  ,after the    
canes are cut they are hauled to the    
mill or sugarhouse on wagons4 ,on the   
large plantations tram cars sometimes   
run right into the fields4  ,at the mill
 the canes are run between heavy        
rollers1 which squeeze out the sap4     
,sometimes as many as seventy-five      
pounds of sap are obtained from one     
hundred pounds of cane4 ,the crushed    
stalks are used in the mill for fuel1   

and the ashes are returned to the land  
to fertilize it4  ,when the juice is    
first pressed out1 it is not at all     
clear in color4 ,it is then placed in   
great vats or kettles and heated4 ,this 
heating causes the water which is in the
 sap to evaporate1 and it also brings   
some of the impurities to the top1 where
 they are skimmed off4 ,when the        
evaporating has been finished1 there are
 two products1 molasses and brown sugar4
  ,the sugar must next be refined4 ,for 
this purpose it is usually sent to      
cities outside of the sugar belt4 ,there
 are great refineries in ,new ,orleans1 
,san ,francisco1 ,st4 ,louis1 ,chicago1 
and other cities4  ,when the raw sugar1 
as it is called1 reaches the refinery1  
which is generally a tall building1 it  
is taken to the top story and dissolved 
in hot water4 ,it then passes through   
bags which act as filters1 and through a
 great cylinder which contains burned   
bones1 known as bone-black4 ,you        
remember that ,i told you that the bones

 of the cattle were saved4 ,this is one 
of the uses to which they are put4 ,when
 the liquid comes out of this bone      
filter it is a perfectly clear sirup1   
which is then crystallized4             
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bg4--;,a ,sugar  
,mill4  ,you know that we buy refined   
sugar in three forms3 granulated sugar1 
loaf sugar1 and pulverized sugar4 ,when 
granulated sugar is wanted1 the crystals
 are placed in a great drum1 which      
revolves until they are thoroughly dried
 in the right form4 ,to make loaf sugar1
 the crystals are pressed into molds1   
then dried1 and cut into the size       
desired4 ,in powdered sugar they are    
simply ground to a powdered condition4  
,think how much labor is required to    
produce sugar1 and yet you can buy it   
for five cents a pound4  ,there are     
great fields of sugar cane in the ,gulf 
states1 in ,cuba1 in the ,hawaiian      
,islands1 in the ,east ,indies1 in      
,india1 and in other warm1 moist parts  
of the world4 ,we buy a great deal of   

sugar from ,cuba1 and from the ,hawaiian
 ,islands4 ,to what city do you think   
the sugar from the ,hawaiian ,islands is
 sent8     ,,beet ,,sugar   ,although   
the cane fields of the moist1 hot       
countries yield great quantities of     
sugar1 there are other sources from     
which this useful product comes4 ,in the
 year #agdg a ,german scientist         
discovered that sugar can be made from  
beets1 and now about two thirds of our  
supply come from these plants4  ,the    
sugar beet is not just like the plant of
 the same name which we raise for table 
use4 ,it is white1 and sometimes weighs 
as much as ten or fifteen pounds4 ,beets
 do not need so much water nor so much  
heat as sugar cane1 so they can be      
raised in ,germany1 ,france1 ,austria1  
,russia1 and other countries1 as well as
 in ,california1 ,utah1 and ,nebraska1  
in our own land4  ,in some parts of     
,california there are fields of beets   
stretching for miles4 ,the seeds are    
planted in rows1 which1 after the plants

 have come up1 are thinned4 ,in four or 
five months from the time the seeds are 
planted1 the beets are ready to harvest4
  ,on most of the large ranches the     
beets are dug by machinery4 ,men then   
move back and forth in the fields1      
cutting off the leaves and a little of  
the upper part of the beet1 for this    
contains too much mineral matter to be  
of value in making sugar4 ,the workmen  
use large knives1 and they walk on their
 knees4  ,the beets are now taken to the
 factory in wagons1 or1 if it is far    
away1 they are sent on trains4 ,when the
 loads of beets reach the factory1 they 
are weighed4 ,the teamsters then drive  
up an inclined plane to a plank roadway4
 ,there are generally several of these4 
,on each side of the road or platform   
are deep ,v-shaped trenches with wooden 
sides1 in which streams of water run4   
,when the wagon has reached the right   
spot1 the platform upon which it rests  
is raised in a slanting position1 and   
the beets fall into the trench4  ,a     

basket full of beets is taken from each 
load and tested1 to see how much sugar  
they contain1 for this determines the   
price to be paid4  ,the stream of water 
in the trench carries the beets along1  
just as they would be carried in a      
brook4 ,this1 you see1 is a quick and   
easy way of washing them4  ,the streams 
of water carry the beets into the       
factory1 where they are cut up into     
strips by machinery4 ,the juice is then 
washed out in vats containing warm      
water1 and is boiled down in great      
tanks4 ,the raw sugar is refined much as
 the cane sugar is4 ,after the sugar has
 been dried1 it is run through spouts   
into sacks held open to catch it as it  
comes out4 ,one hundred pounds are put  
into each sack4 ,one workman sews the   
sacks up and another wheels them to the 
wareroom4 ,train loads are carried away 
to be distributed in the parts of our   
country that do not produce sugar4      
,,maple ,,sugar   ,you would enjoy      
helping to make some maple sugar1 ,i am 

sure1 so let us make a trip to the woods
 of ,vermont or ,new ,york1 where maple 
sugar is made from the sap of the       
sugar-maple tree4  ,you will need your  
cap and mittens1 as the sugar season is 
the early spring1 when there is yet snow
 on the ground4 ,besides1 some of the   
work is done at night1 and you will not 
wish to miss that4  ,the owner of the   
sugar bush bores holes into the trees a 
short distance from the ground1 into    
which he slips small spouts1 called     
spiles4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4          
#bh4--,tapping a ,tree4  ,this is called
 tapping the trees4 ,underneath the     
spout a pail is placed4 ,during the day 
the sap trickles out and runs into the  
pail4 ,during the colder hours of the   
night the sap flows slowly1 if at all4  
,sometimes it is so cold that little sap
 runs for two or three days at a time4  
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #bi4--,oxen       
hauling ,sap4  ,the sap is collected in 
barrels and drawn on sleds to the camp  
or place where it is to be boiled down4 

,this is done in great pans called      
evaporators1 which may be five or six   
feet wide1 and fifteen feet long4 ,they 
are divided into sections1 and these are
 connected by means of little openings4 
,the sap flows into one end of the      
evaporator and follows a zigzag path    
through the different sections4 ,by     
flowing slowly over so large a surface1 
evaporation goes on rapidly and the sap 
is changed to sirup by the time it has  
finished its journey4  ,the sirup is put
 up in cans1 or boiled down into sugar1 
which is molded into small cakes1 and   
brings a high price4  ,illustration3    
,,fig4 #cj4--,sap-yoke and ,pails for   
gathering ,sap4  ,sugaring off1 as the  
boiling down of the sap is called1 is   
quite an event4 ,often a number of      
people will be invited to go to the     
sugarhouse and take part in the         
operation4  ,before the modern          
evaporator came into use sugaring off   
always occurred at night4 ,this was     
necessary1 because during the day the   

sap buckets had to be attended to4 ,the 
young people would sing songs1 tell     
stories1 and eat sugar4  ,some of the   
sugar bushes contain but a few trees and
 some contain one or two thousand or    
even more4 ,a tree will yield from one  
to six pounds of sugar during a season4 
,our country produces great quantities  
of sugar every year1 but we use so much 
that we have to buy much more than we   
manufacture at home4 ,it was not always 
in such common use1 however1 because    
people in olden times did not understand
 how to make it cheaply4  ,long1 long   
ago sugar was used only as a medicine4  
,don't you wish that all medicine to-day
 was as good as sugar8 ,about seven     
hundred years ago an ,italian nobleman  
died and left to his relatives1 among   
other things1 six pounds of sugar4 ,his 
will caused considerable comment among  
the people1 who said that no one family 
should be allowed to have so much sugar 
in its possession4     ,,where ,,salt   
,,comes ,,from   ,the ,arab1 journeying 

over the yellow sands1 riding upon the  
back of his faithful ship of the desert1
 often looks longingly for some sign of 
water to cool his parched lips4 ,the    
sailor may ride upon the beautiful blue 
waters of the ocean in his white-winged 
ship2 but although there is nothing but 
water to greet his eyes1 he cannot drink
 it1 for it is bitter to the taste4  ,if
 you were to place a quantity of ocean  
water over a fire and evaporate it1     
there would remain a white substance4   
,this is common salt4 ,you see that it  
is as necessary to provide fresh water  
when one wishes to cross the ocean1 as  
it is if one is going to cross the      
desert4  ,most streams and lakes contain
 fresh water1 so you will wonder why the
 waters of the ocean are briny4 ,the    
rocks and soil of the earth contain     
salt1 and the streams wash it from the  
land4 ,each one carries so little that  
we do not notice it1 but they have      
worked so steadily and so long1 that    
they have carried a great amount to the 

sea4 ,none of it can escape1 so the     
ocean gets more and more briny4  ,no    
healthy person would ever think of      
eating salt alone as a food1 and yet our
 food would taste very unsatisfactory   
without it4 ,farmers supply their cattle
 and horses with salt1 and wild animals 
search for it in the forests1 and lick  
it from the soil with their tongues4    
,salt is so important to us that ,i want
 to tell you about some of the ways in  
which men obtain it4  ,sometimes sea    
water is placed in great vats and       
evaporated4 ,this leaves the salt1 which
 is then refined4 ,you know that the    
sun's heat causes the waters of a       
shallow pond to evaporate during warm   
weather4 ,shallow basins are often      
scooped out along the coast1 and the    
waters which fill them are then shut off
 from the larger body4 ,in time the     
water evaporates1 and the salt1 which   
has formed in thin layers1 is collected4
  ,i said that most lakes are           
fresh-water bodies4 ,there are some1    

however1 that are very salty4 ,great    
,salt ,lake is one of these4 ,streams   
flow into it1 but none flows out4 ,if   
you were to bathe in the waters of this 
lake1 you would find that your body     
would not sink4  ,i have seen great     
piles of glistening salt along the shore
 of ,great ,salt ,lake which had been   
obtained by evaporation4 ,a railroad    
runs beside the lake1 and the salt is   
loaded upon the cars to be hauled away4 
,when the people first settled in ,utah1
 they used to drive to the lake in      
wagons to get a supply of salt4         
,although the ocean and a few lakes     
contain immense quantities of this      
useful article1 we get most of our      
supply from other sources4  ,in the     
western part of ,new ,york ,state1 at   
some distance below the surface of the  
earth1 there is a thick layer of salt4  
,wells are drilled down to this2 water  
is pumped into them1 and then pumped out
 again as brine4 ,this brine is         
evaporated in large pans made of iron1  

two quarts of brine yielding about a    
pound of salt4  ,in ,china salt has been
 obtained in this way for hundreds and  
even thousands of years4 ,though they   
had little machinery to work with in    
those days1 yet by patient1 steady      
effort1 they drilled wells two thousand 
and even three thousand feet in depth4  
,from twenty-five to forty years were   
required to drill some of these wells4  
,those who commenced them knew that they
 were not likely to enjoy the fruits of 
their labor and that others must get the
 benefit of what they did4 ,what does   
this show about these people8 ,what     
benefits are you receiving from what    
others have done8  ,salt is also mined  
as coal and iron are4 ,this is called   
rock salt4 ,it is obtained in ,germany1 
,poland1 ,austria1 ,india1 the ,united  
,states1 and in many other countries4   
,one of the most interesting salt fields
 of the world is in the southeastern    
part of ,california4 ,it is on the      
,colorado ,desert1 near the ,colorado   

,river4 ,this was once a part of the    
ocean floor and the rocks contain much  
salt4 ,water seeping through the earth  
dissolves the salt and brings it to the 
surface at this place4 ,what happens to 
the water8  ,illustration3 ,,fig4       
#ca4--;,harvesting ,salt1 ,salton1      
,california4 ,is there any ,water in    
this ,field8  ,illustration3 ,,fig4     
#cb4--,loading ,cars with ,salt4        
,salton1 ,california4  ,this salt field 
covers an area of about one thousand    
acres1 to a depth of from one to eight  
inches4 ,you can see by the picture that
 it looks more like a field of snow and 
ice than one of salt4 ,the bright       
sunlight is reflected from its surface  
with such power that it hurts one's     
eyes4  ,a great plow drawn by a steam   
engine moves over this dazzling field1  
and throws the salt up in furrows4 ,it  
is then piled up1 loaded on to cars1 and
 taken to sheds1 where it is purified4  
,indians and ,japanese do most of the   
work4  ,in order to purify the brines   

they are boiled in iron pans and treated
 in various ways to make them fit for   
table use4 ,when evaporation is rapid1  
the salt crystals are quite small1 but  
slower evaporation produces larger ones4
 ,rock salt is dissolved in water and   
then evaporated4 ,to get the finest of  
salt1 the crystals must be ground4 ,when
 salt is to be used for other purposes  
than to season food1 not so much pains  
are taken4 ,name other uses of salt4    
,in olden times1 when salt was not so   
easily obtained as it is to-day1 it was 
regarded in some countries as a luxury4 
,this seems strange1 does it not8 ,at   
one time the ,chinese made it into      
little cakes1 stamped the image of the  
emperor upon it1 and used it as money4  
,in ,arabia those who together ate food 
which had been salted1 believed that    
this established a special bond of      
friendship between them4 ,this led to   
the old saying1 ,there is salt between  
us4     ,,macaroni ,,and ,,vermicelli   
,have you ever wondered as you have     

looked at the hollow sticks of macaroni 
in the stores or as you have eaten them 
at the table1 how they were made in that
 way1 and what they were made of8  ,in  
,italy macaroni is a very important     
article of food1 and its use is rapidly 
increasing in our own country4 ,for a   
long time it was not made outside of    
,italy1 where the city of ,genoa was the
 center of the industry4 ,locate this   
city4 ,do you know what great man was   
born there8 ,now macaroni and vermicelli
 are made in other countries4 ,there are
 a few factories in the ,united ,states1
 but most of what we use still comes    
from ,italy4  ,in making these foods    
only the best hard wheat is used4       
,after grinding the wheat1 the bran is  
taken out and the flour is placed in a  
large wooden tub4 ,water is added1 and  
the two are mixed by hand for a few     
minutes4 ,in this tub a marble wheel    
about five feet in diameter and eighteen
 inches in thickness is fastened in an  
upright position4 ,this wheel weighs    

about a ton4  ,after the flour and water
 have been mixed1 the wheel is set in   
motion by machinery1 and it slowly      
circles around in the tub1 pressing the 
dough under it4  ,a man keeps walking in
 front of the wheel1 moving the dough   
from the edges of the tub and placing it
 directly in the path of it4 ,this work 
of pressing the flour into a paste      
continues for a little more than half an
 hour4  ,the wheel is then stopped and  
the paste1 which is quite stiff1 is cut 
into cakes about a foot square and from 
one to three inches in thickness4       
,these are put into an iron cylinder    
heated by steam4 ,in the bottom of the  
cylinder is a copper plate filled with  
holes having the centers filled4 ,a     
cover fitted to a great screw which     
turns by machinery is placed on top4    
,this slowly1 but steadily1 presses the 
paste downward4 ,it is thus forced      
through these openings1 and of course   
comes out in the form of round1 hollow  
pipes4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4           

#cc4--;,drying ,macaroni in ,italy4  ,as
 these pipes issue from the cylinder1   
they are straightened out on a wooden   
tray or platform1 and with a large1     
sharp knife cut into lengths of about   
three feet4 ,they are then taken to a   
drying room and spread on wire frames   
covered with oiled paper4 ,here they are
 left for about five days1 after which  
they are placed in boxes and are ready  
to ship4  ,the only difference between  
macaroni and vermicelli is that the     
pipes of vermicelli are very small and  
are not hollow4  ,when vermicelli is    
wanted1 two plates are placed on the    
bottom of the press4 ,the under one is  
of iron and contains holes about one    
inch in diameter4 ,the upper one is of  
copper and contains groups of very small
 openings4 ,there are sometimes eighty  
of these openings in a group4 ,when the 
plates are screwed together1 the groups 
of small holes are directly above the   
larger openings4  ,as the paste is      
pressed1 it passes through the little   

holes and then issues from the larger   
ones2 this keeps each little group of   
pipes somewhat apart from the others4   
,saffron is added to the paste to color 
it1 and the great golden mass is quite a
 pretty sight as it steadily lengthens4 
,the workman cuts off six or seven feet 
of it at a time2 and holding it above   
his head with one hand1 he shakes it out
 with the other1 as one might shake the 
folds of a piece of silk4 ,the pipes    
tangle up very little4 ,they are cut    
into lengths of about eighteen inches4  
,it is then taken to the drying room and
 spread out on the trays just as the    
macaroni is4 ,a handful of the          
vermicelli is taken at a time1 and by a 
peculiar twist of the arm it is placed  
on the paper in a form something like   
that of the letter n4 ,after drying for 
five days it is packed and shipped4     
,,on ,a ,,coffee ,,plantation   ,juan   
and ,lupe live in a beautiful valley    
where palm and banana trees wave their  
broad leaves in the breeze4 ,it is never

 cold there1 so that many kinds of      
plants and flowers grow out of doors    
which we do not see in our country      
except in greenhouses4 ,on clear days   
they can see lofty mountains far to the 
westward1 which sometimes wear caps of  
white4  ,juan is fourteen years old and 
,lupe is twelve4 ,their skin is much    
darker than yours1 and they have bright 
black eyes and black hair4 ,their father
 owns a great coffee plantation in      
,brazil1 not far from the city of ,rio  
,janeiro4  ,there are many men1 women1  
and children employed on the plantation1
 and ,juan and ,lupe enjoy roaming about
 from place to place and watching them  
at their work4  ,in the nursery they see
 men planting the coffee seeds in the   
rich soil4 ,there are some plants that  
have just come up1 and some that are    
ready to transplant4 ,they are set out  
in rows1 six or eight feet apart each   
way1 and sometimes more4  ,illustration3
 ,,fig4 #cd4--;,a ,coffee ,nursery4     
,the trees would grow much taller than  

those you see in the picture1 if they   
were not kept pruned4 ,do you know why  
they are prevented from growing tall8   
,whenever you look at a coffee          
plantation1 you see the dark green      
foliage of the tree1 which is an        
evergreen4 ,lupe is very fond of the    
blossoms4 ,they are clear white and very
 fragrant4  ,a tree will yield a small  
amount the second year after planting1  
but it will not produce a full crop for 
five or more years4 ,two pounds is a    
good average crop for a tree4           
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ce4--,picking    
,coffee4  ,the children like to watch   
the pickers as they go from tree to     
tree4 ,many of them are about their own 
age4 ,some carry a sack slung over the  
shoulders1 and others carry baskets or  
pails4 ,the berries must be picked by   
hand1 for they do not all ripen at once4
 ,they are dark scarlet in color and    
look a little like cranberries4 ,a good 
picker gathers about three bushels in a 
day4 ,the pickers are given a check     

every time they fill a basket4          
,sometimes ,juan tends to this work1 and
 he enjoys it very much4 ,at the end of 
each week the pickers are paid according
 to the number of checks they have4     
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #cf4--;,coffee    
,berries4  ,within the berry are two    
kernels or seeds1 with their flat sides 
together4 ,these are called coffee      
beans4 ,it is these beans from which the
 drink is made4  ,the picking is but a  
small part of the work of preparing     
coffee for the market4 ,the first       
operation is removing the pulp4 ,this   
used to be done by tramping on the      
berries1 but now it is done in a better 
way4  ,the berries are thrown into a    
large tank filled with water1 which     
carries them through a pipe to the      
pulping machine4 ,this machine removes  
the pulp and separates the beans4  ,next
 the beans are carried to a second tank1
 where they remain for about twenty-four
 hours1 to wash off a sticky substance  
which covers the shell of the bean4  ,if

 you have ever put beans or peas into a 
basin of water1 you have noticed that   
nearly all of them sink1 while a few    
float4 ,these latter are the poor ones4 
,this is the way in which the good and  
bad coffee beans are separated4 ,a pipe 
carries off the seeds that float on the 
surface of the water4  ,the beans are   
dried on cement floors upon which they  
are spread4 ,this drying takes a long   
time4 ,before sunset each day the coffee
 must be carried under shelter1 for the 
dew injures it4 ,while they are drying1 
the workmen stir them4 ,sometimes       
artificial heat is used1 but this is    
expensive4 ,juan's father has a watchman
 whose duty it is to guard the coffee at
 night1 for it is very valuable4  ,each 
bean is covered by a strong shell1 or   
hull1 which has to be removed4 ,the     
soaking has loosened this1 and so it    
comes off easier than it otherwise      
would4 ,juan and ,lupe often watch the  
wheels of the huller as they turn1 moved
 by patient oxen4  ,there are two wheels

 set upright over a circular box1 into  
which the coffee is put4 ,as it passes  
between the wheels and the bottom of the
 box1 the hulls are removed4 ,underneath
 the hull is a thin skin1 which is also 
taken off4  ,in some countries people   
want the coffee dyed or colored4 ,a     
bluish color is given to it by coating  
the wheels of the hulling machine with  
lead4  ,the hulls are separated from the
 beans in a winnowing machine1 and the  
coffee is then sorted4 ,often this is   
done by hand4 ,the beans are spread out 
on a table1 and girls and boys1 and     
sometimes grown persons1 sort it into   
several grades4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4  
#cg4--,sorting and sacking ,coffee4     
,juan's father has this work done by    
machinery4 ,the coffee is put into a    
cylinder1 in the bottom of which there  
are holes of different sizes by which it
 is graded4  ,the last process is to    
sack the coffee and send it by railroad 
to ,rio ,janeiro4 ,of course it is      
neither roasted nor ground until it     

reaches its destination4  ,we do not    
produce coffee in our country1 but we   
are the greatest coffee drinkers in the 
world4 ,a large part of our supply comes
 from ,brazil4 ,trace the course of the 
ship from ,rio ,janeiro to ,new ,york4  
,juan has often done this1 and his      
father has promised to take him with him
 sometime1 when he goes with a cargo of 
coffee4  ,you naturally think that      
coffee of different names must come from
 different countries1 or at least from  
different trees4 ,this is not always the
 case4 ,several brands may come from the
 same tree4 ,the name depends partly    
upon the size and the general appearance
 of the beans4  ,coffee is a native of  
the far ,east1 but it has gradually been
 transplanted to other countries1 until 
it is now very extensively used4        
,brazil1 ,central ,america1 ,mexico1 the
 ,west ,indies1 the ,hawaiian ,islands1 
,java1 ,ceylon1 and ,arabia are         
coffee-raising countries4  ,in #aeea    
coffee found its way to the city of     

,constantinople2 in #afeb it had reached
 ,london2 and in #agbj it was planted in
 the ,west ,indies4 ,you see it worked  
its way westward rather slowly4         
,several hundred years ago1 coffee was  
very expensive1 so that only the rich   
could afford to use it4 ,instead of     
drinking it at home1 people went to     
coffeehouses1 where it was served4 ,to  
these coffeehouses men brought whatever 
news they had heard and told it to one  
another4 ,in this way these places      
served about the same purpose that      
newspapers do now4     ,,the ,,tea      
,,gardens ,,of ,,china   ,at the bottom 
of the teapot you will find some leaves4
 ,spread one of them out carefully4 ,you
 can see that it was once long and      
slender1 a little like willow leaves4   
,it may have grown in some garden in    
far-away ,china1 for we get a great deal
 of tea from that country4  ,i have told
 you how close together the people live 
on the fertile plains of eastern ,china4
 ,there is so little room that many live

 on boats on the rivers and in the      
harbors4 ,on this account their farms   
are not so large as ours4  ,the tea     
trees in the gardens are about five or  
six feet high4 ,if they were allowed to1
 they would reach a height of           
twenty-five feet2 but they are kept     
trimmed for the same reasons that the   
coffee trees are pruned4  ,the trees are
 raised from seeds1 and are generally   
planted on land which slopes toward the 
south4 ,what advantage is this8  ,in    
about three years after planting1 the   
first crop of leaves can be gathered4   
,in ,china they are usually gathered    
four times each year1 and the trees     
continue to yield for twenty-five or    
thirty years4  ,when the leaves are     
picked1 they are full of sap or juice1  
and so have to be dried4 ,the drying is 
usually done on trays made of bamboo4   
,while they are drying1 they are rubbed 
and rolled between the palms of the     
hands1 so that they may dry more quickly
 and evenly4  ,next the leaves are      

placed1 a few at a time1 in iron pans   
over a charcoal fire4 ,they are left in 
these but a short time1 for they are    
hot4 ,this process is called firing4    
,sometimes the leaves are fired but     
once1 and sometimes twice4  ,the tea is 
then spread out1 and broken bits of     
stems are removed4 ,some of the tea     
growers place the tea in baskets which  
are suspended over slow fires1 for      
drying4  ,if you were to look into some 
of the tea-hongs or houses where tea is 
cured and packed1 you would find the tea
 dried in a very curious fashion4       
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ch4--,picking    
,tea4 ,pinehurst1 ,south ,carolina4  ,in
 one of the rooms you would see several 
,chinamen rolling and tossing balls     
about with their bare feet4 ,the balls  
are about the size of footballs and are 
partly filled with tea4 ,although it    
looks like play1 it is hard work4 ,as   
the balls are tossed about1 the tea     
leaves are given their rounded or       
twisted appearance4 ,from time to time  

the workers stop and tie the bags up    
more closely at the neck4 ,this method  
is used in making gunpowder tea4  ,black
 and green teas are not different       
varieties1 but are produced by different
 methods of handling4  ,in the great    
tea-hongs there are professional        
tasters1--that is1 men who do nothing   
but sip tea from small cups1 so as to   
grade it and fix its value4 ,this is    
considered a very particular line of    
work and requires an educated taste4    
,the ocean atmosphere has a bad effect  
on tea1 so that the very finest grades  
are seldom sent across the sea4 ,when   
tea is to be shipped by water1 it is    
placed in boxes lined with a sort of    
sheet lead4 ,this protects the tea      
greatly4 ,most of the tea sent to the   
,united ,states lands at ,san           
,francisco4 ,why8 ,how does it get to   
other parts of our country8  ,great     
quantities of tea are pressed into the  
form of bricks and sent over mountains  
and across deserts into ,russia4  ,this 

is called brick tea4 ,the ,russians are 
great tea drinkers1 and whenever any one
 calls in ,russia1 tea is served4 ,they 
call their teapot a samovar4  ,better   
tea is obtained from ,ceylon and ,india 
than from ,china4 ,in these countries   
,europeans have charge of most of the   
tea farms1 and they have carefully      
studied the cultivation and handling of 
tea4  ,there is a little tea raised in  
our own country in the state of ,south  
,carolina4 ,it is very fine in quality  
and people are willing to pay a high    
price for it4 ,some of it has been sold 
for five dollars a pound4  ,when tea was
 first brought into ,europe1 it was     
regarded as a great luxury1 just as     
coffee was4 ,people paid as much as     
fifty dollars a pound for it4 ,it is    
said that some of the tea raised to-day 
for the royal family of ,china1 is worth
 a hundred dollars a pound4  ,many      
people in this country do not enjoy a   
cup of tea unless they have milk and    
sugar in it4 ,the ,chinese do not use   

either in their tea4 ,in ,russia it is  
quite common to draw the tea through a  
lump of sugar held between the teeth4   
,you know that tea parties are very     
common4 ,the most celebrated tea party  
ever held was called the ,boston ,tea   
,party4 ,see what you can find out about
 it4     ,a ,,cup ,,of ,,cocoa   ,on the
 eighteenth day of ,june1 in the year   
#agga1 this notice appeared in the      
,essex ,gazette of ,massachusetts3--    
,,amos ,,trask1       ,at his ,house a  
little below the ,bell-,tavern in       
,,danvers1                    ,makes and
 sells ,chocolate1       which he will  
warrant to be good1 and takes ,cocoa to 
grind4 ,those      who may please to    
favor him with their ,custom may depend 
upon being      well served1 and at a   
very cheap ,rate4  ,this seems to have  
been the first notice of the manufacture
 and sale of cocoa and chocolate in our 
country4 ,what is peculiar about the    
notice8  ,in those days the raw product 
was brought to ,massachusetts by the    

,gloucester fishermen4 ,they obtained it
 in the ,west ,indies in exchange for   
fish and other things which they took   
there4  ,when the ,spanish soldier1     
,cortez1 conquered ,mexico in #aeai1 he 
found that the people of that country   
were very fond of a drink which they    
called chocolatl4 ,it was served to     
their ruler1 ,montezuma1 in a cup of    
gold4 ,when the ,spaniards went home1   
they of course introduced the drink into
 their own country4 ,for a long time it 
was very expensive and was not commonly 
used outside of ,spain1 for the         
,spaniards kept the secret of its       
preparation4  ,cocoa and chocolate are  
products of the seeds of a tree called  
the cacao tree4 ,it is a tropical tree  
and grows in both the ,old and the ,new 
,world4  ,although the cacao tree grows 
wild1 it is also cultivated in orchards 
much like fruit orchards which you have 
seen4 ,the trees are seldom more than   
twenty feet high1 but they are rather   
inclined to spread out4 ,they require   

some shade1 and so other trees are often
 planted between the rows to shade them4
 ,the trees begin to bear when five or  
six years old1 and continue to yield for
 forty years4 ,there are generally two  
chief harvests each year1 but the fruit 
is ripening all of the time4  ,the      
blossoms1 which grow in clusters1 are   
small and pink or yellow in color4 ,they
 grow directly from the branches or the 
trunk of the tree4  ,illustration3      
,,fig4 #ci4--;,cocoa ,pods and ,leaves4 
7,permission of ,,walter ,,baker  ,,co41
 ,ltd47  ,in about four months after the
 tree has blossomed1 you will find dark 
yellow or brown pods hanging from it4   
,these look a little like ripe          
cucumbers1 but they are more pointed at 
one end and are grooved or fluted4      
,these pods are from six inches to a    
foot or more in length1 with a rather   
thick1 tough rind4  ,illustration3      
,,fig4 #dj4--,native ,cocoa ,pickers4   
,ceylon4 7,permission of ,,walter       
,,baker  ,,co41 ,ltd47  ,how do you     

think the pods are gathered8 ,they are  
cut off by men carrying long poles1     
sometimes of bamboo1 to the ends of     
which knives are fastened4 ,only the    
ripe pods are cut off and collected in a
 heap under the tree4 ,they are left in 
these heaps for about twenty-four hours1
 when they are cut open and the seeds   
are gathered in baskets4  ,the seeds are
 called beans4 ,there are five rows of  
them1 about the size of almonds1 within 
the pink pulp of the fruit4 ,when fresh 
they are white1 but when dried they are 
brown4 ,if you taste one1 you will find 
it bitter4  ,you have often seen on     
packages of chocolate1 as well as on the
 cans of breakfast cocoa1 the picture of
 a young woman carrying some chocolate  
upon a tray4 ,it is the picture of a    
beautiful girl who once served chocolate
 in the old city of ,vienna4 ,her name  
was ,anette ,baldauff1 and she married a
 rich count and lived happily ever      
after4 ,it is said that a painting of   
her hangs upon the walls of the great   

art gallery in ,dresden4 ,point out the 
cities ,i have mentioned4  ,the seeds   
are carried from the orchard to the     
sheds1 where they are prepared for      
market4 ,here they go through a process 
of fermentation or sweating4 ,for this  
purpose they are placed in a covered    
box1 or they may even be covered with   
earth4 ,this is called claying4 ,now the
 seeds must be dried4 ,they are spread  
out on platforms1 raised a little above 
the ground1 so that the air can         
circulate underneath4 ,you notice that  
the roofs do not cover them just now1   
for their only purpose is to keep off   
the dew and the rain4 ,they are fastened
 to frames which have wheels under them4
 ,during the day they are not used1 but 
at night they are rolled over the cocoa4
  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 #da4--;,drying  
,cocoa ,seed4 ,ceylon4  7,permission of 
,,walter ,,baker  ,,co41 ,ltd47  ,the   
cocoa is stirred by workmen using long  
shovels or rakes1 so that it may dry    
quickly and evenly4 ,once a day the     

beans are shoveled into heaps and the   
workmen tread upon them with their bare 
feet1 as you see4 ,this is called       
dancing the cocoa4  ,after the seeds    
have dried for about two weeks they are 
nearly the color of red bricks4 ,they   
are put up for shipment in canvas sacks 
holding one hundred and fifty pounds    
each4 ,the name of the plantation is    
usually stamped upon the outside4       
,guayaquil exports more cocoa than any  
other city4 ,find it4 ,a great deal     
comes from the island of ,trinidad1 and 
from the northern part of ,south        
,america4  ,when the beans have reached 
their destination1 they must be cleaned1
 to rid them of dust and dirt collected 
on the way4 ,they are then placed in a  
great revolving cylinder and roasted4   
,you remember that when coffee is       
roasted it brings out a pleasant odor   
called its aroma4 ,the same is true of  
cocoa4 ,the roasting also helps to      
loosen a shell which surrounds the seed4
 ,the shell is next removed and the     

beans are then crushed4  ,the ,mexicans 
used to crush the seeds on a large      
stone1 hollowed out on top4 ,this they  
called a matate4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#db4--;,grinding ,cocoa4  7,permission  
of ,,walter ,,baker  ,,co41 ,ltd47  ,the
 crushing is now done by machinery4 ,the
 broken bits of the cocoa are called    
cocoa nibs4 ,when the cocoa is ground to
 a powder1 it is put into strong bags   
and pressed4 ,this pressure removes a   
part of an oily substance known as cocoa
 butter4 ,remember1 then1 that cocoa is 
the meal or flour made from the crushed 
seeds from which some of the oil has    
been removed4 ,chocolate differs from   
cocoa in that none of this oil is       
removed in making it4  ,illustration3   
,,fig4 #dc4--,moulding ,cocoa4          
7,permission of ,,walter ,,baker  ,,co41
 ,ltd47  ,you have often seen the words 
sweet chocolate on the labels4 ,this is 
made by adding a quantity of pulverized 
sugar to the plain or bitter chocolate4 
,sometimes vanilla beans are added4     

,illustration3 ,,fig4 #dd4--;,cooling   
,cocoa4  7,permission of ,,walter       
,,baker  ,,co41 ,ltd47  ,the pasty mass 
known as chocolate must be molded4 ,when
 the proper amount has been placed in   
each of several metal molds which rest  
on a table1 they are made to rock or    
shake1 and this causes the chocolate to 
assume the right shape4 ,the molds are  
then taken to the cooling room1 where   
they are placed on frames1 one above    
another1 in long rows4 ,girls and women 
wrap the cakes of chocolate in the      
wrappers specially prepared for them1   
after which they are packed in boxes    
ready for shipment4  ,at ,dorchester1   
,massachusetts1 on the ,neponset ,river1
 is situated the largest establishment  
for the manufacture of cocoa and        
chocolate in ,america4 ,it is           
interesting to know that on the very    
spot where these great mills now stand1 
was built1 in #agfe1 the first one of   
the kind in this country4     ,a        
,,cranberry ,,bog                       

,,wareham1 ,,massachusetts1 ,dec4 #aj1  
#aija4  ,,dear ,,frank3 ,how surprised  
you will be to learn that ,i am now a   
country boy4 ,we left ,boston early last
 spring1 and came out here to go into   
the business of cranberry raising4 ,it  
seemed very strange at first to travel  
along country roads1 or through woods   
and fields1 instead of upon the cement  
walks of our city streets1 but we all   
think the country delightful4  ,a       
cranberry farm is a marsh or a bog1 so  
you will see that the vines need a great
 deal of water4 ,there are both wild and
 cultivated bogs4 ,those that are       
cultivated are provided with a system of
 ditches1 so that they can be flooded   
from time to time4 ,it is a good deal   
like irrigation in ,southern            
,california1 ,i suppose4 ,we flood the  
bogs to prevent the berries from        
freezing1 as well as to furnish the     
vines with water4 ,i will tell you more 
about that by and by4  ,father wanted a 
larger bog than the one he first bought1

 so1 soon after we came1 he got another 
small piece of marsh land which joins it
 on the west1 and started vines on it4  
,you know that willows1 rosebushes1     
grapevines1 and many other plants will  
grow from cuttings4 ,it is the same with
 cranberry vines4 ,the lower end of each
 cutting is pressed into the soil1 and  
it soon begins to grow4 ,they are set in
 rows about fourteen inches apart4 ,one 
of our neighbors1 who was starting a bog
 at the same time1 cut the vines into   
pieces an inch or two long1 and         
scattered them over the ground4 ,he then
 harrowed them in4 ,the vines multiply  
just as strawberry plants do1 by putting
 out runners4  ,they tell us that our   
new bog will produce a crop in three    
years4 ,do you have to wait that long   
for a crop of oranges8  ,by the middle  
of ,june our bog was in full blossom4   
,the flowers are quite small and their  
color is a little like that of the      
flesh4 ,i read an interesting thing     
about them the other day4 ,it seems that

 the berries used to be called          
craneberries1 because people thought    
that the blossoms1 just before they     
opened fully1 resembled the neck1 head1 
and bill of a crane4 ,by dropping the e1
 we got the present name4               
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #de4--;,a         
,cranberry ,bog4 ,showing the ,young    
,vines4  ,during our harvest time1 which
 lasted from the middle of ,september to
 the last of ,october1 we were very     
busy4 ,we did not commence to go to     
school until the berries were picked4   
,you see1 frost may occur and spoil the 
crop1 so that everybody works as fast as
 possible until the harvest is over4    
,father had about twenty pickers some of
 the time1 besides our own family4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #df4--;,cranberry 
,pickers at ,work4 ,notice how the ,bog 
is divided into ,rows by ,means of      
,cords4  ,when we were ready to begin   
picking1 father took some twine and     
stretched it back and forth across the  
bog1 fastening it to small stakes4 ,this

 divided the field into rows4 ,each     
picker was given a row1 and he was not  
allowed to change until it was finished4
  ,at first it seemed great fun to get  
down on the ground and strip off the    
bright berries1 but when one does this  
day after day it gets pretty tiresome4  
,it must be easy to pick oranges1       
because you can stand up while you work4
  ,father paid the pickers twelve cents 
a pail4 ,it takes about three pailfuls  
to make a bushel4 ,i averaged about one 
dollar and a half each day4 ,i bought a 
suit of clothes and all of my books for 
the year1 and have considerable money   
left4 ,some of the pickers who were     
quite small did not earn very much4 ,do 
you recognize ,jennie8 ,she worked a    
part of every day4  ,twice during the   
picking season there was a sharp frost1 
but we saved the crop4  ,the government 
sends out a ,weather ,map every day4    
,our teacher gets one1 and there is one 
tacked up in the post office every      
morning4 ,these maps tell what kind of  

weather to expect1 and father watches   
them closely4 ,when he saw that frost   
was likely to occur1 he and the men     
opened the gates which hold back the    
water1 in order to flood the part of the
 bog where we had not picked4 ,the vines
 were buried nearly two feet beneath the
 surface of the water4 ,father says the 
water cools so slowly that its          
temperature is much above that of the   
surface of the ground or the air near   
it1 so the berries do not get           
frost-bitten4 ,soon after sunrise the   
water was drawn off1 and the next day   
the bog was dry enough for the pickers  
to work4  ,illustration3 ,fig4 #dg4--;,a
 ,young ,worker4 ,notice how the        
,berries are picked4  ,i wonder if the  
,weather ,bureau is of any use to       
farmers in ,california4 ,i know that the
 sailors watch for the flags which tell 
when storms are coming1 that they may   
not go to sea if a violent storm is     
expected4 ,father says very many lives  
and much property are saved every year  

in this way4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4     
#dh4--,winnowing and ,barreling         
,cranberries4  ,i have not told you what
 we do with the cranberries after they  
are picked4 ,of course we cannot help   
gathering some leaves and twigs with the
 berries1 and these must be taken out4  
,for this purpose the berries are put   
into a winnowing machine4 ,i will send  
you a picture of one4 ,as the man turns 
the crank1 wooden fans within turn      
rapidly1 blowing out the leaves1 twigs1 
and dirt4 ,the berries drop through a   
screen and run out of a spout into a    
barrel1 as you see4 ,we then put them   
into crates or barrels for sale4 ,father
 tells me that cranberries are shipped  
from our country to ,europe1 because    
those raised here are much better than  
the ,european berries4  ,there are great
 quantities of cranberries raised in    
this part of ,massachusetts4 ,i have    
been reading lately that they are       
produced in ,new ,jersey1 on ,long      
,island1 in ,michigan1 ,wisconsin1      

,minnesota1 ,canada1 and some other     
sections4 ,from what ,i have read1 ,i   
guess they are not raised in ,southern  
,california4 ,wouldn't it seem strange  
if you were to eat berries raised on our
 bog1 three thousand miles away8  ,now  
,i want you to tell me about the orange 
groves of ,southern ,california1 for    
none of us have ever seen an orange     
growing4  ,i wish you all a very ,merry 
,christmas and a ,happy ,new ,year4     
,your loving friend1                    
,,will4     ,,the ,,cocoanut ,,islands  
,,of ,,the ,,pacific   ,imagine yourself
 on a great ocean steamship1 gliding    
over the blue water of the ,pacific     
,ocean toward the ,samoan ,islands4     
,among the first things that you will   
see as you near the shores of these     
islands will be tall1 slender1 graceful 
trees1 rising without a branch to a     
height of thirty to eighty feet4 ,at the
 top is a sort of crown1 composed of    
long1 drooping leaves4 ,these beautiful 
trees lean out over the water and toss  

their leaves in the strong and steady   
breeze from the ocean4 ,they seem to nod
 a friendly greeting to you as you      
approach1 and to wave a loving farewell 
to you as you sail away4 ,these trees   
are the cocoanut palms4 ,they grow on   
all of the tropical islands of the      
,pacific ,ocean1 in the ,west ,indies1  
and along the shores of most warm       
countries1 but never far from the sea4  
,when the cocoanut falls into the water1
 it is rocked and tossed by the waves   
and drifted about by the currents1 but  
it is safe within its shell1 for the    
salt water cannot penetrate this4 ,when 
it finally comes to rest upon some      
strange shore1 it is ready to give to   
the world another cocoanut palm1 if the 
climate is like that from which it      
sailed4 ,in this way nature has helped  
the trees to become widely distributed4 
,there are cocoanut plantations as well 
as wild groves of the trees4 ,when a    
plantation is to be established1 the    
planter selects the ripest nuts and     

dries them for several weeks4 ,they are 
then planted1 and by and by a little    
palm springs from the small end of the  
nut and the roots from the large end4   
,when the young trees are from six      
months to two years old1 they are       
transplanted in rows thirty or forty    
feet apart4 ,they begin to bear nuts in 
about five years1 but they do not yield 
a full crop for fifteen or twenty years4
 ,do you think that a poor man could    
afford to go into the business of       
cocoanut raising8  ,illustration3 ,,fig4
 #di4--;,a ,cocoanut ,grove4  ,as you   
see in the picture1 cocoanuts grow in   
clusters4 ,you notice also that they    
grow close to the stem instead of at the
 ends of the branches4 ,they do not all 
ripen at once1 but nuts may be picked at
 almost any time4 ,a tree will produce  
from fifty to one hundred nuts each     
year4 ,if you were to go into an apple1 
a peach1 or a cherry orchard1 you could 
easily pick the ripe fruit4 ,gathering  
cocoanuts is quite a different matter1  

however4 ,let us observe this           
shiny-skinned ,samoan boy and see how he
 picks them4 ,he fastens a short piece  
of rope in the form of a loop to each   
foot4 ,letting one of the loops catch on
 a rough place on the bark of the tree  
he places the hollow of his foot against
 it1 clasps the trunk with his hands1   
and raises himself a little4 ,then the  
other loop is fastened a little higher  
up1 and he raises himself again4 ,in    
this way he finally reaches the nuts4   
,with a knife he cuts off the ripe ones1
 which fall to the ground and are then  
piled up4 ,they are then placed in      
baskets which are hung from a pole and  
carried on the shoulders of two men or  
are loaded on to donkeys and taken to   
the shed4  ,the ripe cocoanut is a      
valuable article of food just as it is  
picked from the tree4 ,it contains also 
a milk which is a nourishing drink4     
,most of the cocoanut sent to other     
countries1 however1 is in a form known  
as copra4  ,at the shed the hard shell1 

which covers the meat1 is split open by 
means of an ax4 ,the meat is removed    
with a knife and is then spread out on  
mats to dry4 ,this dried cocoanut is    
copra4  ,the inhabitants of these       
cocoanut islands live in a much more    
simple style than we do1 and the        
cocoanut tree supplies many of the      
things that they use daily4  ,let us    
examine the home of a native ,samoan4   
,the frame and posts of the house are   
made of the slender trunks of the       
cocoanut palm1 while the roof is covered
 with its leaves instead of with        
shingles4 ,the cups1 bowls1 dippers1 and
 many other household utensils are made 
of the shells4 ,if a whole shell is     
wanted1 the eyes are pushed in1 the milk
 is used1 and ants are allowed to eat   
the meat4 ,these make excellent water   
bottles4 ,baskets1 curtains1 and twine1 
are made from the fiber of the leaves1  
and the bark is used for fuel4  ,from   
the copra an oil is pressed which is    
used in the manufacture of soap4 ,it    

makes a perfectly white soap that will  
float on the water4 ,it is also used to 
furnish light1 and the people rub it on 
their bodies to prevent sunburn4 ,the   
sap of the tree is made into sugar1     
vinegar1 and a liquor4  ,while in our   
country the cocoanut is important       
chiefly to bakers and confectioners1 in 
these far-away islands it is the most   
useful of plants1 and one of the chief  
articles of food4 ,would you not like to
 visit the cocoanut islands and learn   
more of their interesting people8     ,a
 ,,bunch ,,of ,,bananas   ,every day1 as
 you walk along the streets you see     
great bunches of bananas hanging in     
front of fruit and grocery stores4 ,you 
find them at the corner fruit stand1 and
 peddlers carry them from house to      
house4  ,although bananas are so common 
now and so cheap that all can afford to 
eat them1 this was not so when your     
grandparents were children4 ,in those   
days the fruit was regarded as quite a  
luxury1 for there were few people       

engaged in carrying it from its tropical
 home to the cities of our country4 ,now
 many small but swift ships1 called     
fruiters1 carry on this business4 ,they 
get their cargoes of fruit in the ,west 
,indies or ,central ,america1 and within
 a week after sailing they are unloading
 at ,new ,orleans1 ,baltimore1 ,new     
,york1 or ,boston4 ,if the number of    
bananas which reach our country each    
year were equally distributed1 each     
person would receive twenty-five4       
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ej4--;,a ,banana 
,tree4  ,let us get aboard that         
wonderful train upon which all may      
travel free of cost1 which runs equally 
well upon land and water4 ,we step off  
right in the center of a banana         
plantation on the island of ,jamaica4   
,yes1 these are banana trees all about  
you4 ,see how long and broad the leaves 
are and how gracefully they droop6 ,some
 of them are ten or fifteen feet long2  
almost as long as the trees are tall4   
,the trees1 you see1 are simply stalks  

from which the leaves unroll4 ,here you 
can see some just starting out4 ,they   
are rolls of bright green1 pointing     
upward1 each starting from the center of
 the stalk4 ,no1 the leaves were not    
torn in that way by the pickers4 ,the   
wind sometimes whips them into ribbons1 
for they are very tender4  ,these stalks
 growing from the base of the main stem 
are called suckers here2 in ,costa ,rica
 they are called bits4 ,you remember    
that there are no seeds in bananas4 ,it 
is these suckers that are planted when a
 farmer wants to start a plantation4    
,they are set out when two or three feet
 high and within a year they bear fruit4
 ,what did ,i tell you about the length 
of time required for the cocoanut to    
bear8  ,it is but four years since the  
trees in this plantation were single    
suckers1 standing about fifteen feet    
apart4 ,now there are several stalks    
grouped about each parent plant1 and the
 beautiful leaves1 touching overhead1   
form shaded aisles of green4            

,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ea4--;,a ,banana 
,plantation4  ,of course a great number 
of suckers are not allowed to grow      
together4 ,keeping these cut down is    
called cleaning the plantation4  ,now   
let us examine the fruit on this tree   
beside us4 ,you see that the great      
cluster or bunch is made up of smaller  
bunches4 ,these are called hands1 and   
each banana is spoken of as a finger4   
,let us count the hands in this bunch4  
,this is an unusually large one1 for it 
contains thirteen4 ,nine hands make a   
full bunch4 ,as you see1 there are from 
ten to twenty fingers in a hand4 ,buyers
 will seldom take bunches of less than  
six hands4  ,here come the fruit cutters
 to help get a cargo for the fruiter we 
saw at anchor4  ,yes1 the bananas are   
green1 ,i know1 and they are always     
green when gathered4 ,they will ripen in
 the storehouses when they reach the    
,united ,states4  ,no1 it is not a waste
 to cut down the stalks1 for they die   
after bearing their fruit1 and the      

smaller stalks about them will soon     
yield4 ,some of these stalks1 you see1  
have but one bunch and some have two or 
three4 ,how odd the bunches look with   
the fingers all pointing upward6  ,the  
banana leaves which the men are wrapping
 about the bunches are to protect the   
fruit4 ,it bruises very easily and great
 quantities are lost on this account4   
,they are not always wrapped1 however4  
,when the fruit reaches the vessel1 it  
is carefully inspected2 and if not in   
just the right condition1 it is refused4
 ,the bunches which are accepted1 are   
taken into the hold of the ship and     
packed closely together4 ,the planter   
receives for these from ten to          
thirty-five cents a bunch4 ,just think  
of buying eight or nine dozen of bananas
 for ten cents6  ,illustration3 ,,fig4  
#eb4--,loading a ,small ,boat with      
,bananas to be taken to the ,fruiter in 
the ,harbor4  ,the men will not stop    
work until the ship is loaded4 ,it may  
take twenty-four hours1 and it may take 

twice that long1 for a fruiter will     
carry from fifteen to twenty thousand   
bunches of fruit4  ,in some parts of    
,central ,america1 where there are no   
harbors1 the planters float the fruit   
down the streams in canoes4 ,the vessels
 anchor at some distance from the shore1
 and the bananas are taken out in boats 
called dories4 ,they are hoisted up to  
the deck of the ship by means of        
pulleys1 and then packed in the hold4   
,the thousands of bunches which are     
bruised in handling are thrown into the 
sea4  ,while the northern ports get most
 of their supply of bananas from the    
,west ,indies1 the ,pacific coast states
 are supplied from ,central ,america4   
,the fruiters unload at ,new ,orleans   
into trains1 which carry the fruit to   
,los ,angeles1 ,san ,francisco1 and     
other places4 ,banana trains also run   
from ,new ,orleans to ,st4 ,louis1      
,chicago1 and other parts of the        
country4  ,the fruit ships have great   
pipes or ventilators1 which carry the   

cool1 fresh air from the sea down into  
the hold4 ,sometimes when they reach    
port it is so cold that the bananas     
cannot be taken out for a few days4     
,wagons are loaded with the fruit at the
 wharves1 and it is taken to warehouses 
where it gradually turns yellow4 ,i am  
sure you have seen loads of the green   
fruit on the streets4  ,illustration3   
,,fig4 #ec4--;,a ,fruiter taking a      
,cargo of ,bananas4  ,when the wholesale
 merchant sells the fruit1 he often     
incloses each bunch in the rough        
material of which gunny sacks are made1 
and then puts a light1 circular frame1  
made of strips of wood1 over it4 ,this1 
you see1 protects the bananas4 ,the     
grocer or fruit man takes hold of the   
frame without danger of mashing the     
fruit1 lifts the bunch1 and hangs it    
upon a hook4 ,the frame and sacking are 
then removed4  ,bananas grow in the     
tropical parts of ,asia and ,africa and 
on many of the islands of the ,pacific  
,ocean4 ,they are also raised in        

,florida1 and they ripen in sheltered   
places in ,southern ,california4  ,you  
have seen both yellow and red bananas4  
,the red ones usually bring the higher  
price1 but they do not keep well and are
 not so extensively raised as the yellow
 ones4  ,the banana is an important     
article of food4 ,it is much more       
nourishing than potatoes or even good1  
white bread4 ,a flour or meal can be    
made from the fruit by drying it and    
then grinding4     ,,how ,,dates ,,grow 
,three thousand years before the        
shepherds followed the star to the      
manger at ,bethlehem1 the beautiful date
 palm was cultivated beside the banks of
 the ,euphrates and the ,nile rivers4   
,the date was the bread of the people   
who lived in these fertile valleys1 and 
it is an important article of food in   
northern ,africa1 ,arabia1 and ,persia  
to-day4  ,look at a map of northern     
,africa1 and you will see that the great
 ,sahara covers a large part of it4     
,here and there across the drifting     

sands wind caravan routes1 traveled by  
camels ridden by strangely dressed men4 
,these routes lead to beautiful garden  
spots called oases4 ,here are wells and 
springs1 with little streams flowing in 
the shade of fig1 date palm1 and other  
trees4 ,the people who dwell within     
these groves beside the cooling waters  
look out upon the desert as the         
inhabitants of an island might look upon
 the boundless sea4 ,find some of these 
oases and learn why they are fertile4   
,the people who live in these oases     
depend upon dates for their living4 ,the
 dreary journey from the coast to the   
interior is made to procure quantities  
of this fruit1 which are wanted by the  
outside world4  ,if you were to make a  
journey in a desert country1 you would  
find that you could not carry such      
articles of food as you would have if   
you remained at home4 ,the sunshine     
beats down fiercely1 the springs and    
wells are far apart1 and the patient    
animals must not be overloaded4 ,the    

chief article of food carried is the    
date4 ,a mass is packed together until  
it is so hard that pieces are chopped   
off with a hatchet when they are wanted4
  ,like the cocoanut palm1 the date palm
 rises to a great height1 sometimes     
fifty or sixty feet1 without branches4  
,it ends in a crown of beautiful        
feathery leaves which droop downward4   
,these leaves may be ten or fifteen feet
 long4 ,many of them stand edgewise4    
,unlike most trees1 the trunk does not  
steadily increase in size1 and you can  
tell nothing as to the age of the tree  
by its diameter4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#ed4--;,date ,palms loaded with ,ripe   
,fruit1 ,biskra1 ,algeria4 7,year ,book 
,u4 ,s4 ,department of ,agriculture1    
#aijj47  ,in its wild state many shoots 
spring from the base of the tree4 ,these
 may grow as high as the parent stalk1  
so that in time a jungle or thicket is  
formed4  ,the flowers1 which are clear  
white1 grow in clusters4 ,there are from
 six to twenty of these clusters on a   

tree1 each of which produces a bunch of 
dates4 ,the female tree bears the fruit4
 ,the blossoms are pollinated both by   
the wind and by man4  ,there are from   
ten to fifteen pounds of dates in a     
bunch4 ,a tree will average from one    
hundred to two hundred pounds each year1
 although trees have been known to yield
 six hundred pounds4 ,the trees yield   
when from four to eight years old1 and  
continue to bear for a century4  ,the   
dates1 green at first1 later in the year
 a yellowish brown1 are1 when ripe1     
amber or black in color4  ,the trees    
require a very dry1 hot climate1 but    
moist soil4 ,long1 long ago1 this saying
 was common among the ,arabs1 ,the date 
palm1 the queen of trees1 must have her 
feet in running water and her head in   
the burning sky4  ,although there are   
lovely date palm trees on the grounds of
 many ,california homes1 few of them    
bear fruit4 ,the temperature must       
average from eighty to ninety degrees   
for a considerable time in the summer1  

in order to mature it4 ,what is the     
average summer temperature in your      
locality8  ,if an ordinary tree is      
frost-bitten1 it recovers and soon puts 
out a new growth2 but if the crown of   
the date palm be frozen1 the tree dies4 
,when the ,moors went to ,spain1 in the 
eleventh century1 they introduced this  
valuable tree which the mission fathers 
several hundred years later brought to  
,mexico and to ,southern ,california4   
,how would you like to try to climb a   
date palm tree8 ,although they look so  
smooth and are without branches1 the    
natives of the desert climb them without
 any help whatever4 ,the trunk is always
 somewhat rough1 and this makes it      
possible to ascend them4  ,illustration3
 ,,fig4 #ee4--;,date ,palm ,trees4  ,not
 all of the dates in a bunch ripen at   
once1 so they are usually picked by hand
 and only the ripe ones selected4       
,sometimes1 however1 the bunches are cut
 off4 ,some dates contain so much sap   
that the bunches must be hung up to     

allow it to drain off before they can be
 shipped4 ,this sap is called date      
honey1 and is saved4 ,they are sent to  
the coast towns in bags or boxes called 
frails4 ,where dates are to be sold in  
small quantities1 they are repacked in  
the small boxes such as you have seen4  
,you know that dates are very sweet1 and
 it is no wonder that they are1 for they
 contain from fifty-five to sixty per   
cent of sugar4  ,the trees are often    
tapped1 and the sap which flows out is  
made into sugar4 ,vinegar and a liquor  
called arrack are also made from it4    
,the leaves of the tree are made into   
bags and mats2 from the stones a drink  
is made which takes the place of coffee4
 ,from the leafstalks baskets are made1 
while the trunk furnishes material for  
houses and for fences4  ,if the dates   
could speak1 they could tell us many    
wonderful stories of the far ,east1 of  
the river boats on the ,nile1 of the    
drifting sands which come so close to   
the river's banks1 of the caravans      

creeping over the desert toward the     
green oases and then fading out of      
sight1 bearing loads of this food to the
 countries where it is not produced4    
,,the ,,orange ,,groves ,,of ,,southern 
,,california                            
,,pasadena1 ,,california1 ,jan4 #d1     
#aijb4  ,,dear ,,friend ,,will3 ,i was  
very glad to receive your letter1 and   
much surprised to know that you are     
living on a farm4 ,i am glad that you   
described the raising of cranberries1   
for ,i did not know much about it       
before4 ,when ,i told my teacher about  
getting the letter1 she asked me to read
 it in the geography class and to show  
the pictures4 ,i asked our grocery-man  
where he gets his cranberries1 and found
 that some of them came from ,wareham4  
,you are having cold weather now1 ,i    
know4 ,is the skating good8 ,i have not 
seen ice as thick as window glass since 
we came to ,california1 except that     
delivered by the iceman4 ,just now there
 is a beautiful covering of snow on the 

mountains a few miles north and east of 
town4 ,just think of picking roses and  
callas with snow in plain sight6 ,the   
snow never remains more than a day or   
two on these mountains4  ,soon after we 
came to ,pasadena1 father bought an     
orange grove of twenty-five acres4 ,we  
are picking the fruit now4 ,people began
 to pick oranges several weeks ago1 and 
the work will continue all winter4      
,orange trees are planted about twenty  
feet apart1 but the groves do not look  
as apple orchards do in the ,east1 for  
no grass is allowed to grow in them4    
,the best orange section is east of     
here1 near ,redlands and ,riverside1 but
 some good fruit is raised near         
,pasadena also4  ,father keeps our trees
 pruned down rather low1 so that it is  
easier to pick the oranges than it would
 be if they were allowed to grow very   
tall4  ,orange raising is like cranberry
 growing in one way--the land must be   
irrigated in each case4 ,here the water 
is piped from the mountain streams and  

from tunnels4 ,we form basins about ten 
feet square around each tree and fill   
them with water4 ,most of our irrigating
 is done during the summer1 as the      
winter is our rainy season4 ,you would  
not call it a very rainy time4 ,our     
average is about twenty inches for the  
whole year4  ,the trees in our grove    
have been set out about six years1 and  
they are bearing nicely now4 ,orange    
trees begin to bear when they are four  
years old2 so1 you see1 we have to wait 
a little longer for a crop than you do  
for a crop of cranberries4 ,it costs a  
good deal to start an orange grove4     
,trees cost from one dollar to one and  
one-half dollars each at the nurseries4 
,a few years ago they sold for twenty   
cents each4  ,i wish that you could see 
the trees when they are in full blossom1
 and also when they are loaded with the 
golden fruit4 ,i am going to put some   
orange blossoms into the envelope1 but  
,i am afraid they will not reach you in 
very good condition4 ,they are very     

fragrant1 and you can smell their       
perfume some distance from a tree in    
blossom4  ,to-day we picked about two   
hundred and fifty boxes of oranges4 ,we 
always speak of picking them1 although  
they are not picked1 but cut4 ,you see1 
if they were picked off1 the part where 
the stem pulled off would soon begin to 
decay4  ,we take a wagon load of fruit  
boxes1 and1 while father drives slowly  
between the rows of trees1 ,i throw them
 off4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4            
#ef4--,picking ,oranges in ,california4 
,each picker carries a sack slung over  
one shoulder1 and as fast as he cuts off
 an orange1 he drops it into the sack4  
,the sacks are emptied into the boxes1  
and these are loaded on to the wagon4   
,father pays five cents a box for       
picking1 and a good picker will gather  
about forty boxes in a day4  ,we sell   
most of our oranges to fruit companies4 
,these companies pack and ship the      
fruit4 ,at the packing houses the       
oranges are placed in tubs of water and 

scrubbed with small brushes4 ,many      
women1 girls1 and boys work at this4    
,the washing is to take off dirt1 and   
also scale4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4      
#eg4--;,grading and ,packing ,oranges4  
,after the oranges are washed1 they are 
placed in a sort of trough which is     
highest at the end near the tub4 ,they  
roll down this trough to the grader4    
,this is a machine so arranged that the 
oranges pass through different openings 
according to their size1 and come out   
sorted4  ,in the warehouse close by they
 are wrapped and packed4 ,chinamen often
 do this work4 ,each orange is wrapped  
in a separate piece of paper1 which has 
the brand of the company stamped upon   
it4 ,it is then packed firmly in a box4 
,a certain number of oranges of each    
grade fill a box1 ninety-six of the     
largest grade1 and about two hundred of 
the smallest4 ,those which are too      
small1 as well as the imperfect oranges1
 are rejected4 ,these are called culls4 
,sometimes these are sold for a low     

price1 and sometimes they are thrown    
away by wagon loads4  ,after the boxes  
are filled1 they are placed in special  
fruit cars and hurried to ,st4 ,louis1  
,chicago1 ,new ,york1 ,boston1 and other
 cities4  ,yes1 the ,weather ,bureau is 
of great help to fruit growers4 ,of     
course we have very little winter here1 
but oranges will not endure much cold4  
,the mercury falls below the freezing   
point but a few times each season4 ,on  
,new ,year's ,day the temperature here  
was fifty-eight degrees4 ,i looked up   
the ,boston temperature for the same day
 and found that it was only four degrees
 above zero4 ,when the ,bureau predicts 
a sharp freeze1 the farmers build small 
fires in their orchards1 or turn on a   
good deal of water4 ,the fires are built
 in small wire baskets4 ,they make a    
smudge instead of a flame4 ,the people  
in the raisin districts watch the       
weather reports pretty closely1 for rain
 injures the drying grapes4  ,growers   
have to spray or fumigate the trees to  

destroy the scale that ,i spoke of which
 is a great enemy of the orange1 to kill
 the insects1 and to wash off dirt4     
,this is sometimes done by putting a    
great piece of canvas over the tree1    
forming a sort of tent which prevents   
the fumes from escaping4 ,it was found  
that the ladybugs would eat the scale   
and so they were brought into           
,california from the ,east4 ,they do a  
great deal of good1 but still we have to
 spray the trees4  ,orange trees are    
raised from the seed1 and the trees     
produced in this way are called         
seedlings4 ,by budding1 a fruit much    
better than the oranges grown on the    
seedling tree has been produced4 ,there 
were five acres of seedlings in our     
grove1 and father budded the trees4 ,he 
cut off the limbs rather close to the   
trunk of the tree4 ,then he slipped buds
 from navel trees into cuts made through
 the bark in the end of each limb left  
on the tree4 ,he then wound cord tightly
 about the limb and put on some wax4    

,after a time a new growth started out  
where these buds were placed4 ,these new
 branches will bear much improved fruit4
  ,we have a very fine variety of       
oranges called ,washington ,navels4     
,trees of this variety were obtained by 
our government from ,brazil4 ,two of    
these were brought to ,riverside1 a town
 about seventy-five miles east of       
,pasadena1 and planted on a ranch       
belonging to a ,mr4 ,tibbits4 ,they did 
well1 and all of the trees of this      
variety in ,southern ,california were   
obtained from these two through budding4
 ,these trees are still living4         
,california and ,florida are the two    
important orange-growing states of our  
country4 ,father says the industry is   
much older in ,florida than in our      
state4 ,florida growers can ship their  
fruit to market much cheaper than we    
can4 ,it costs us ninety cents for each 
box4  ,mexico1 the ,west ,indies1       
,italy1 southern ,france1 and ,spain are
 also orange producers4 ,these countries

 have the advantage of cheap labor1     
father says4  ,i wish that you could    
visit us4 ,we would have fine times1 ,i 
am sure4  ,the next time ,i write ,i    
will tell you about some of the other   
fruits raised in ,california4           
,your sincere friend1                   
,,frank4     ,a ,,visit ,,to ,a         
,,vineyard                              
,,pasadena1 ,,california1 ,oct4 #a1     
#aijb4  ,,dear ,,friend ,,will3 ,last   
week father went to ,fresno1 which is   
about three hundred miles northwest of  
here1 in the ,san ,joaquin valley4 ,he  
took me with him1 and we visited some of
 the great vineyards and raisin-packing 
establishments near and in that city4   
,raisins are simply dried grapes4       
,although there are many countries where
 grapes grow1 there are few where       
raisins are made4 ,dew1 fog1 and rain   
injure the fruit1 so that the ,san      
,joaquin valley1 with its dry1 hot      
atmosphere1 is well adapted to this     
industry4  ,there are a great many      

different kinds of grapes but only the  
green variety is used in making raisins4
 ,the raisin grapes are called muscats4 
,if the grapes are left on the vines    
long enough1 they become raisins4 ,i    
have picked some pretty good raisins    
from the vines4 ,of course by being     
spread out1 they dry quicker and more   
evenly4  ,the sugar that you find on and
 in the raisins is not put there by the 
people who dry the grapes4 ,it comes    
from the juice of the grape4            
,grapevines grow from both roots and    
cuttings4 ,of course cuttings are the   
cheaper4 ,often they may be had for the 
asking4 ,many think that it is better to
 set out rooted vines than cuttings4    
,they are planted in rows from six feet 
apart to twelve or fifteen feet4 ,during
 the first year the young vines will    
grow several feet4 ,in the fall1 when   
the flow of the sap has been checked by 
frost1 the vines are pruned4 ,a vineyard
 in ,california looks quite different   
from one in the ,east4 ,during the      

winter it is simply so many rows of     
stumps several inches in thickness and  
one or two feet high4 ,during the summer
 the branches grow from these stumps and
 produce their beautiful clusters of    
grapes1 only to be cut off in the fall  
or winter4  ,the trimmings are generally
 burned in the vineyard at the same time
 that they are cut off4 ,a sort of      
furnace made of sheet iron is fastened  
between two wheels and drawn by horses  
up and down between the rows4 ,a man    
pitches the cuttings into it1 and they  
burn as it moves along4  ,in the early  
summer men go through the vineyards     
sprinkling a coating of sulphur on the  
vines4 ,this is to prevent mildew1 which
 damages the fruit very much4  ,during  
the last half of ,august and ,september 
the grapes are picked4 ,sometimes the   
harvest continues into ,october4 ,most  
of the grapes had been gathered when we 
visited the vineyards4  ,when the juice 
of the grapes is one fourth sugar1 they 
are ready to pick4 ,the grower generally

 tells the condition by the taste and   
color of the fruit1 although there are  
instruments for determining the amount  
of sugar4  ,like oranges1 grapes are cut
 from the vines and not picked4 ,we saw 
great companies of ,chinamen going      
through the vineyards cutting off the   
beautiful clusters4 ,these they placed  
on shallow1 wooden trays to dry4 ,in a  
week or two1 when the upper side of the 
clusters is pretty well dried1 the      
grapes are turned4 ,we saw the workmen  
place an empty tray1 upside down1 over  
the filled one4 ,then1 holding the two  
together1 they turned them over1 and the
 grapes dropped into the tray that had  
been placed on top4  ,illustration3     
,,fig4 #eh4--,picking ,grapes4--,notice 
the ,mountains in the ,background4      
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #ei4--;,drying    
,raisin ,grapes4  ,during this drying   
time the people watch the reports of the
 ,weather ,bureau4 ,in some places flags
 are displayed when rain is expected4   
,as a rule the grape season is over     

before the rains begin4  ,when the      
grapes are taken from the trays1 they   
are placed in boxes holding about one   
hundred pounds each4 ,these are called  
sweat boxes4 ,here the driest grapes    
absorb some of the moisture from the    
others1 and the mass becomes more       
uniform4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4         
#fj4--;,a ,vineyard after being ,pruned4
  ,after the drying process has been    
finished1 the stems are rather brittle4 
,to make them softer and easier to      
handle1 the grapes are next placed in a 
cool room and left there for a time4    
,after visiting some of the vineyards1  
we drove to one of the great packing    
establishments in ,fresno4 ,these       
packing houses are nearly always in the 
cities and towns1 because there help can
 be easily obtained4 ,the packing house 
that we visited employs four hundred    
people1 mostly girls and women4  ,the   
raisins are first placed on wooden or   
metal frames the size of a raisin box4  
,these are called forms1 and the packers

 are paid according to the number of    
forms filled4 ,when these are filled1   
the raisins are carefully transferred to
 the boxes4  ,a box of raisins weighs   
twenty pounds1 but there are half boxes 
and quarter boxes put up also4 ,a paper 
is placed on the bottom of each box1 and
 over the raisins another is placed4 ,on
 top of this there is a fancy paper on  
which the name of the packer is stamped4
  ,in most establishments there are     
three grades of raisins1 ,imperial      
,clusters1 ,london ,layers1 and the     
loose and imperfect stems4  ,sometimes a
 second crop of grapes is gathered a    
little later in the fall4 ,of course    
these do not dry so well because the    
days are shorter1 it is cooler1 and     
rains sometimes occur4 ,on this account 
they are dipped in lye and then rinsed  
in water4 ,the lye cracks the skin1 and 
so the juice evaporates more quickly4   
,these are called ,valencia raisins4    
,there is not a very good market for    
these1 so that people do not dip them so

 commonly now as they used to4  ,we saw 
the machine where the raisins are       
stemmed4 ,they pass from a hopper into a
 space between two woven-wire cylinders4
 ,the inner one revolves within the     
other4 ,in this way the raisins are     
broken from the stems4 ,they are then   
run through a fanning mill which cleans 
them1 and they are finally graded by    
passing through screens having openings 
of different sizes4  ,most of the       
seedless raisins are made from seedless 
grapes1 but there are machines for      
removing the seeds from the grapes which
 contain them4  ,the superintendent of  
the packing house said that nearly all  
of the raisins that we import come from 
,spain1 and that they are exported      
chiefly from the city of ,malaga4  ,the 
purple and other wine grapes are taken  
to the wineries and sold by the ton1 to 
be made into wine4  ,there are many     
other things that ,i should like to     
write about1 but my letter is a pretty  
long one now1 so ,i will close4         

,your loving friend1                    
,,frank4     ,,nutting   ,have you ever 
gone into the woods on a beautiful      
autumn day8 ,the bright1 warm sunshine  
floods the earth where the trees are far
 apart and sifts down through the       
branches4 ,all nature seems to invite   
you to lie down under a tree and dream4 
,it was on such a day that ,rip ,van    
,winkle fell into his long sleep4  ,how 
pretty the trees look in their fall     
suits of yellow1 crimson1 red1 and      
brown6 ,what a rustling is made as your 
feet tread the carpet of leaves6  ,the  
breezes pass among the branches and     
whisper a message to the bright-colored 
leaves4 ,they understand and obey4      
,singly1 in groups1 and in showers1 they
 silently float downward4 ,by night and 
by day they fall1 but soon this carpet  
will be changed for one of white4       
,listen6 ,the leaves are not the only   
things that are falling4 ,you can hear  
the thump1 thump of nuts as they drop   
from their lofty perches in the walnut  

and hickory-nut trees4  ,sit down       
quietly on that log and you will soon   
see the busy nut gatherers4 ,with their 
tails curled over their backs1 they race
 up and down the trees1 or spring from  
branch to branch1 carrying their        
precious burdens to their homes in the  
hollows of trunk or limb4 ,now one sits 
up straight1 holding a nut between his  
paws1 and turning it slowly as he cracks
 and eats it4 ,if he sees you1 he whisks
 out of sight1 or scolds you from a safe
 place far above the ground4  ,when the 
winter winds are whistling through the  
leafless trees1 and snows are drifting  
over the ground1 these little nut       
gatherers feast to their hearts'        
content4  ,the squirrels do not gather  
all of the nuts4 ,children and grown    
people enjoy nutting4 ,when there are   
not enough nuts on the ground1 the men  
and boys climb the trees to shake them  
off4 ,then everybody hunts among the    
leaves for the treasures4  ,some of the 
most important nuts are walnuts1 hickory

 nuts1 hazelnuts1 almonds1 chestnuts1   
,brazil nuts1 pecans1 and peanuts4      
,many of the hickory nuts fall out of   
their coverings bright and clean4       
,walnuts generally have to be shucked1  
and the juice stains the hands almost   
black4  ,as hazelnuts grow on bushes1   
they can be easily picked4 ,they usually
 drop out of their burs after there have
 been a few frosts4  ,many nuts are     
gathered in the woods1 but in some      
places the trees are cultivated just as 
fruit trees are4  ,we usually eat nuts  
between meals1 or as a dessert4 ,they   
are not simply dainties1 but are very   
valuable articles of food4 ,in some     
countries the poor people depend upon   
them for food4  ,in almost any city of  
our country are to be found the nuts    
that ,i have mentioned1 with perhaps    
several other kinds4 ,these have come   
from different states1 some from        
,canada1 some from ,brazil1 and some    
from ,spain4  ,i am sure you will enjoy 
gathering nuts of different kinds1 so   

let us set out on a nutting expedition4 
,a ,,walnut ,,vacation   ,how would you 
like to have your school close for two  
weeks1 so that you could gather walnuts8
 ,every year many of the boys and girls 
of ,southern ,california are given a    
vacation just for this purpose4 ,it is  
called the walnut vacation1 and occurs  
in the month of ,october4  ,these       
children do not take their baskets and  
go off to the woods where they can romp 
and play1 watch the squirrels1 and      
gather beautiful autumn leaves4 ,they   
gather nuts from the trees which their  
parents own1 for in ,southern           
,california there are many walnut       
ranches or groves4 ,you see the vacation
 means a vacation for work instead of   
for play4  ,walnut trees are set out in 
rows just as apple trees are1 but their 
roots and branches extend to such a     
distance from the trunks that they need 
to be about twice as far apart4  ,the   
walnut harvest1 which begins about the  
first of ,october1 is a busy time4 ,men1

 women1 boys1 and girls may be seen in  
the groves1 shaking the nuts from the   
trees1 picking them up1 and putting them
 into sacks4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4     
#fa4--;,a ,walnut ,grove4  ,the men     
shake the trees1 and there is a shower  
of nuts to the earth4 ,do not go under  
the branches now unless you want to be  
pelted4 ,a single tree has been known to
 yield three hundred pounds of nuts in a
 season4  ,when the trees have been     
given a good shaking1 there are still   
some nuts clinging to the branches4     
,these are obtained by shaking the limbs
 separately1 by means of long poles1 to 
the ends of which wire hooks are        
fastened4 ,as all of the nuts do not    
ripen at the same time1 the trees are   
sometimes gone over two or three times4 
,now the boys1 girls1 and women go to   
work filling pails and baskets and      
emptying them into sacks1 for they can  
do this work as well as men4  ,usually  
the nuts drop out of their covering or  
shuck when they strike the ground2 but  

if they do not1 the shuck must be       
removed4 ,sometimes the covering is cut 
off4 ,if you handle the nuts with your  
bare hands1 they will be stained almost 
black1 and you will have to let the     
color wear off4  ,the days are bright   
and warm1 and this sort of nutting      
becomes rather tiresome before sundown4 
,the work must be done and the vacation 
is not a very long one1 so each does his
 part cheerfully4  ,when the nuts have  
been gathered1 they are taken to the    
shed or place where they are to be      
washed4 ,here they are poured into a    
large wire cylinder which revolves in a 
tank filled with water4 ,the machine is 
turned by a horse walking round and     
round1 and it both washes and grades the
 nuts4 ,the smaller ones pass through   
the meshes in the wire and are called   
second grade4 ,the larger ones are known
 as first grade4  ,illustration3 ,,fig4 
#fb4--,washing1 ,drying1 and ,sacking   
,walnuts4  ,when the walnuts come out of
 the washer1 they are spread out on     

shallow1 wooden trays to dry4 ,sometimes
 several thousand trays may be seen on  
one ranch4 ,they are loaded on to a     
small car and pushed to the part of the 
field where they are wanted4  ,if there 
is no foggy or cloudy weather1 they will
 dry in about five days1 but if there   
is1 it may take ten4  ,after the nuts   
are thoroughly dried1 the trays are     
placed on the car and pushed to the     
bleacher4 ,this is a large box made of  
tarred paper4 ,it is placed over the    
trays1 and a quantity of sulphur is     
burned in it4 ,this is simply to whiten 
the shells1 for they sell for a higher  
price when they are bleached4 ,sometimes
 the nuts are whitened by dipping them  
into a liquid preparation4  ,the nuts   
are now sacked and marked1 ready to     
ship4 ,soon after the boys and girls    
have finished their walnut vacation1 the
 nuts are on their way to the eastern   
part of the ,united ,states4  ,most of  
the walnuts raised in ,california have  
soft shells4 ,some have such thin shells

 that they are called paper shells4 ,the
 walnuts that grow in the woods of      
,indiana1 ,illinois1 and other states   
have hard shells4 ,they are dark in     
color and are called black walnuts4 ,the
 trees are quite valuable1 as the wood  
is used in making furniture4            
,,chestnuts   ,let us go on a           
chestnutting expedition to the southern 
part of ,france4 ,we can gather the nuts
 in many of the states of our own       
country1 but the trip to a strange land 
will be enjoyed by all4  ,the chestnut  
trees1 many of which are very old1      
spread their branches to great          
distances4 ,the nuts1 as you see1 are   
inclosed in a bur or coat which covers  
the shell4 ,there are generally two nuts
 in each bur4  ,when you eat chestnuts1 
you eat them as a sort of dainty1 not as
 a regular article of food4 ,this is not
 the case in the home of ,jean1 the boy 
who is helping his father fill those    
sacks4 ,in his home1 as in many homes in
 southern ,europe1 the nuts form one of 

the chief articles of daily food4  ,in  
the winter ,jean sells the freshly      
roasted nuts on a street corner in the  
city of ,lyons4 ,he gets a good many    
pennies each noon from workmen and poor 
people generally1 who use them for their
 midday meal4 ,he sells ten nuts for a  
penny4  ,this is not the only way in    
which they are eaten4 ,jean's mother    
boils them with celery and mashes them  
as we do potatoes4 ,the nuts are also   
ground into a flour from which bread is 
made4 ,they are often used in the       
dressing for fowls4  ,confectioners use 
great quantities of chestnuts4 ,in      
,lyons there are establishments where as
 many as two hundred persons are        
employed in preparing them4  ,the nuts  
are first peeled1 and then boiled in    
clear water1 which removes the thin     
coating next the kernel4 ,they are then 
placed in a sirup flavored with ,mexican
 vanilla1 in which they remain for about
 three days4 ,after draining1 they are  
coated with vanilla or chocolate and    

packed in attractive boxes4 ,in this    
form they are worth forty-five or fifty 
cents a pound4     ,a ,,bag ,,of        
,,peanuts   ,last summer ,harry's       
parents took him with them on a visit to
 ,virginia4 ,harry has always lived in  
,new ,york ,city1 and the country life  
of the ,south was very interesting to   
him4  ,they visited friends who live on 
a beautiful plantation1 as the farms in 
the ,south are called4 ,a driveway lined
 with grand old trees leads through the 
flower-studded lawn up to the retired   
manor house1 whose wide verandas        
completely circle it round4  ,beyond the
 house are the stables where work       
horses1 driving horses1 and saddle      
horses are kept2 and beyond these is the
 pretty little boathouse1 standing on   
the bank of a small river that winds its
 way through the plantation4  ,the      
morning after ,harry arrived1 his friend
 ,bert asked him if he would like to go 
across the river to see the men harvest 
peanuts4  ,now whenever ,harry had      

wanted peanuts1 he had always gone to a 
stand and bought a sack4 ,he had never  
thought about where they came from4 ,he 
had heard of shaking nuts from trees1 so
 he supposed that they were going to the
 woods4  ,he was therefore much         
surprised when ,bert took him to a field
 across the river where men were plowing
 vines from the ground4  ,do peanuts    
grow in the ground8 he asked4  ,why1 of 
course they do1 answered ,bert4  ,i     
thought that nuts grew on trees1 said   
,harry4  ,father says that the peanut is
 not a real nut1 replied his friend4 ,he
 says they should be called ground nuts 
or ground peas4 ,he pulled up one of the
 vines1 and the boys threw themselves   
down under a tree to examine it4  ,when 
the small clods of soil clinging to the 
roots of the plant had been removed1    
,harry saw a number of pods which he    
recognized as peanuts4  ,opening one of 
the pods1 ,bert took out the kernels4   
,these1 said he1 are the seeds1 and they
 are planted much as other seeds are4   

,before they are planted the shell must 
be removed1 but we have to be careful   
not to break the thin skin that covers  
the kernel4 ,if that be broken1 the seed
 will not grow4  ,the kernels are       
planted about one foot apart1 in rows   
that are1 as you see1 about three feet  
apart4 ,sometimes they are planted by   
hand and sometimes by machinery4  ,i    
wonder if peanuts are raised in the     
country around ,new ,york1 said ,harry4 
,no1 ,i think not1 replied ,bert1 for   
they are very easily killed by frost4   
,great quantities are raised in ,north  
,carolina and in ,tennessee4 ,father    
says that the negroes of western ,africa
 raised them long1 long before they were
 known in the ,united ,states4 ,he says 
that they are a very important article  
of food there1 and that whole villages  
take part in the planting and           
harvesting4  ,after the vines blossom1  
continued ,bert1 a very strange thing   
happens4  ,what is it8 asked ,harry4    
,the flower stalks bend downward and    

push themselves right into the soil1 and
 on these the pods develop4 ,if the     
stalks do not enter the earth within a  
few hours after the flowers fall1 they  
die4  ,harry now watched the plowing4   
,the plows were drawn up and down the   
rows and ran directly under the vines1  
lifting them out of the soil4 ,after    
they had been plowed out about two      
hours1 men took them upon pitchforks and
 piled them up4 ,harry noticed that some
 of the piles were covered with corn    
fodder1 and asked why this was4 ,bert   
told him that it was to keep out the    
rain4  ,what happens to the nuts after  
the vines have been piled up8 said      
,harry4  ,they remain in the piles      
fifteen or twenty days1 and are then    
spread out on the ground or hauled to   
the barn1 where the nuts are picked off1
 answered ,bert4 ,sometimes they are    
picked by hand and sometimes by         
machinery4 ,let us go to the lower      
field2 we have an earlier variety there1
 and the nuts are being picked now4     

,they found men1 women1 and children    
picking the pods one by one and dropping
 them into baskets4 ,these were emptied 
into sacks4 ,harry tried to lift one of 
these1 and was surprised to find it so  
heavy4 ,bert told him that it weighed   
about one hundred pounds4  ,do you burn 
the vines after the nuts are picked8    
asked ,harry4  ,no1 said ,bert1 they are
 fed to the cattle4 ,we call the vines  
peanut hay4  ,bert explained that his   
father sold the sacks of nuts to the    
factory1 where they were cleaned and    
sorted4  ,the next day the boys went to 
town and visited the peanut factory4    
,the nuts were first put through a      
machine which removed the dirt4 ,they   
were then polished and sorted into four 
grades4 ,the poorest grade is used in   
making peanut candy4 ,the nuts were then
 sacked1 and were ready to be shipped to
 the ,north4  ,harry learned that an oil
 is made from the nuts which is used as 
olive oil is used1 and also that peanut 
butter is produced from them4 ,he found 

that many men were employed on          
plantations all through ,virginia and   
other states of the ,south1 in raising  
the peanuts that are sold on the streets
 of every city and town in our country4 
,,assorted ,,nuts   ,after the          
,thanksgiving dinner had been eaten1 the
 nuts were passed1 and the children     
asked ,uncle ,john to tell them         
something about a few of them4  ,all    
right1 said he4 ,you pick out the ones  
that you want to know about4  ,frank    
handed him an almond4  ,this nut1 said  
,uncle ,john1 came from sunny ,spain4   
,it grew not far from the blue          
,mediterranean4 ,almonds are raised in  
most parts of southern ,europe and in   
the northern part of ,africa4 ,ages ago 
they grew in the ,holy ,land1 and are   
mentioned in the ,bible4  ,do almonds   
grow in any part of our country8 asked  
,helen4  ,i think they grow in          
,california1 said ,frank4  ,you are     
right1 said ,uncle ,john4 ,there are    
many almond orchards in the southern    

part of the state4  ,an almond tree in  
full bloom is a beautiful sight4 ,the   
blossoms are white1 tinted with pink1   
and as they appear before the leaves do1
 there is nothing to hide them4         
,illustration3 ,,fig4 #fc4--;,almond    
,trees in ,full ,bloom4  ,does the nut  
have a covering8 inquired ,mary4  ,yes1 
replied ,uncle ,john4 ,when the nut is  
ripe1 the shuck opens gradually1 and    
sometimes the nuts fall out4  ,when     
people have large orchards1 they spread 
pieces of canvas under the trees and    
then shake them or beat them by means of
 long poles4  ,the nuts that do not fall
 out of the shucks are obtained by      
opening the shuck with a knife4 ,the    
nuts are then dried1 and are ready for  
market4  ,as soon as ,uncle ,john had   
finished1 ,mary handed him a hazelnut4  
,please tell about this one1 said she4  
,i have often gone hazel nutting when ,i
 was a boy1 said her uncle4 ,hazelnuts  
grow on bushes in thickets4 ,they are   
six or eight feet high and very slender4

 ,baskets are sometimes made of them1   
and ,i have often used them for arrows4 
,sometimes the nuts grow singly1 and    
sometimes in groups of two or three4 ,a 
bur covers the nut1 which sticks very   
closely until it is ripe4 ,then the nuts
 often fall out4  ,after ,i had gathered
 the hazelnuts1 ,i used to spread them  
out on the roof of the wood house to    
dry4  ,nuts that look just like these   
are called filberts1 said ,helen4       
,filberts are cultivated hazelnuts1     
replied ,uncle ,john2 they are larger   
than the wild ones4  ,i would like to   
know how this nut grows1 said ,helen1   
handing her uncle a black nut shaped    
like a triangular prism4  ,this1 said   
,uncle ,john1 came from ,brazil1 and is 
called a ,brazil nut4 ,do you know where
 ,brazil is8  ,it is in the northeastern
 part of ,south ,america1 replied       
,helen4  ,the great ,amazon ,river is in
 ,brazil1 and it flows through tropical 
forests1 said ,mary4  ,much of our      
coffee comes from ,brazil1 said ,frank4 

,uncle ,john then told the children that
 ,brazil nuts come from the northern    
part of ,brazil and from the ,orinoco   
valley4  ,helen asked if they grow as   
walnuts and hickory nuts do4  ,no1      
answered her uncle1 they grow inside of 
a great case or shell4 ,there are from  
eighteen to twenty-five in one shell1   
which is nearly as large as a man's     
head4  ,how are the nuts got out of the 
shells8 asked ,mary4  ,when they fall1  
men break them open and take out the    
nuts1 replied ,uncle ,john4 ,most of    
them are sent down the ,amazon to the   
city of ,para and from there shipped to 
the ,united ,states and other countries4
  ,none of the children knew where ,para
 is situated1 so they all went to the   
library to look at the atlas4 ,after    
they had located it1 ,uncle ,john told  
them of his visit to the city and of the
 wonderful things which he saw on a     
steamboat trip up the ,amazon ,river4   
,a ,,strange ,,conversation   ,one      
evening after ,i had been reading for   

some time1 ,i went to the kitchen to get
 a drink of water4 ,that part of the    
house was dark and quiet1 and as ,i     
stepped through the doorway1 ,i heard   
low1 musical voices1 apparently in the  
pantry4 ,i was very much surprised1 you 
may be sure1 and ,i kept perfectly      
still1 and listened4  ,yes1 said a      
voice1 which ,i could barely hear1 ,i am
 a long way from home indeed1 and       
sometimes it makes me quite lonely when 
,i think of it4  ,tell us about your    
home1 and how you lived1 said another   
low voice4  ,well1 began the first      
speaker1 my name is ,pepper4 ,with      
twenty-five or thirty brothers and      
sisters ,i grew in a cluster on a vine4 
,we were but a small part of the family1
 for there were similar clusters all    
over our vine4 ,we were about as large  
as peas1 and grew somewhat after the    
fashion of currants4  ,all about were   
other vines to which friends and        
relatives were attached4 ,pepper vines  
are always anxious to get to the top1   

and so some of these vines climbed trees
 and some twined themselves about poles1
 which men had set in the ground for    
this purpose4 ,our vine was three or    
four years old when we appeared on it4  
,how long did you live on the vine8     
asked a voice that ,i had not heard     
before4  ,only a few months1 replied    
,pepper4 ,you see1 we had to make room  
for another set of berries4 ,two sets   
appear each year for twenty years or    
more4  ,under the influence of the      
tropical sunshine and the warm rains we 
grew day by day1 and we were as happy as
 the butterflies and birds about us4 ,by
 and by we began to turn red4 ,all of   
this time a hull or coat was forming on 
the outside of our bodies4  ,before we  
became entirely red1 workmen came to the
 field1 and1 by rubbing us between their
 hands1 separated us from the stems to  
which we lovingly clung4  ,after having 
been picked1 ,i was1 with many others1  
placed upon a mat to dry4 ,these mats   
were all about us1 each covered with    

berries4 ,after being thoroughly dried  
we were put into a mill and ground1 and 
,i became what ,i am now1 ,black        
,pepper4  ,are there other kinds of     
pepper8 asked some one4  ,oh1 yes1 said 
,pepper1 there is ,white ,pepper1 and   
,red1 or ,cayenne ,pepper4 ,some of my  
friends were made into ,white ,pepper4  
,they were soaked in limewater for about
 two weeks1 and this1 of course1        
softened and wrinkled their hulls which 
had always fitted so nicely4 ,this was  
bad enough1 but it was not the worst4   
,what happened next8 said several       
voices4  ,they were then1 continued     
,pepper1 trodden under the bare feet of 
dark-skinned men1 and this rubbed off   
their hulls completely4 ,after this they
 were ground as we had been4  ,cayenne  
,pepper is not a member of our family at
 all1 although it has the same name4 ,i 
have looked up its genealogy1 and ,i    
find that it received its name from the 
city of ,cayenne1 in ,french ,guiana1   
near which it grows4 ,it is in the form 

of bell-shaped pods1 and grows on low1  
bushy plants instead of vines4  ,the    
pods are green at first1 but red when   
ripe4 ,no doubt you have seen strings of
 them hanging in the grocery store when 
you were on the shelves4 ,people        
sometimes use the pods as they are1 but 
usually they are dried1 ground1 mixed   
with yeast1 and baked into flat cakes   
like crackers4 ,when these cakes are    
ground1 ,red1 or ,cayenne ,pepper1 is   
produced4 ,it is put up in little boxes 
just as we are4  ,pepper used to be     
regarded as a great luxury1 the speaker 
went on4 ,until the eighteenth century  
the ,portuguese handled almost all of   
it4 ,it was not uncommon for rents to be
 paid with pepper4 ,if any of you have  
read ancient history1 you know that when
 ,alaric took ,rome he demanded1 among  
other things1 one thousand pounds of    
pepper as a ransom4  ,my home was in the
 ,east ,indies1 said ,pepper1 but there 
are members of our family living in the 
,philippines1 ,india1 ,mexico1 the ,west

 ,indies1 and other tropical countries4 
,your story is a very interesting one1  
said a voice1 and now1 if you care to   
hear it1 ,i will tell something of my   
life4  ,yes1 do tell us1 said several at
 once4  ,very well1 ,i will follow the  
example of our friend ,pepper and       
introduce myself at once4 ,i am known as
 ,ginger4 ,i have relatives living in   
,china1 in ,india1 and in the western   
part of ,africa1 but ,i came from the   
,west ,indies4 ,the ,ginger family is   
not like that of ,pepper2 it has no     
lofty notions4  ,pepper seemed a little 
inclined to get angry1 so ,ginger       
hastened to say3 ,i mean that our vines 
do not climb trees or poles1 but run    
along the ground4 ,i was a root and not 
a fruit4  ,when ,i was about a year old 
,i1 with countless friends1 was dug from
 the ground4 ,we were cut from the vines
 and put into vats of scalding water4   
,that was dreadful1 said ,pepper4  ,we  
were treated in that way to prevent us  
from sprouting1 continued ,ginger4      

,after being taken out of the water1 we 
were thoroughly dried and then ground4  
,we were then put up in cans and boxes  
and sold as ,black ,ginger4 ,others were
 scraped before being ground1 and they  
were then called ,white ,ginger4  ,we   
were placed on board a great ship and   
finally landed at ,new ,york4 ,after    
remaining in a large store there for    
some time1 ,i was brought to the corner 
grocery1 and so ,i found my way to this 
shelf4  ,i am gradually wasting away1   
and ,i shall not last a great while     
longer4 ,in my tropical home ,i seemed  
to be of no use to anybody1 while now ,i
 am called for frequently by the cook1  
and my services seem to be appreciated1 
so ,i am happy4  ,to be of some real use
 in this world is the greatest joy of   
life1 remarked a strange voice4  ,there 
was silence for a moment1 and then      
,ginger said ,may we not hear from you1 
friend8  ,your stories almost make me   
believe that ,i am still in the land of 
my birth1 was the reply4  ,there was a  

peculiar little rattle about the voice1 
which ,i recognized at once as belonging
 to ,cinnamon4  ,for several years ,i   
was rocked to and fro by gentle tropic  
breezes or lashed about by storms4 ,from
 my perch ,i could see beautiful        
flowers1 bright insects1 and even       
serpents in the thicket at my feet4     
,birds of brilliant plumage often       
perched upon me4 ,my home was on the    
island of ,ceylon4  ,it is often said   
that where there is much bark there is  
no bite4 ,in my own case that is not so4
  ,i do not understand1 said ,ginger4   
,why1 said ,cinnamon1 laughing1 ,i am   
all bark1 and ,i have considerable bite1
 as those who have tasted me know4  ,i  
was taken from one of the smaller limbs 
of a cinnamon tree4 ,i was slipped      
within a larger piece of bark1 for we   
each rolled up when stripped from the   
limbs4 ,a still larger piece was slipped
 over us and so on until quite a bundle 
had been formed4 ,some were quite short1
 and some were three feet in length4    

,,stories ,,of ,,california             
,,by                         ,,ella ,m4 
,,sexton                  ,with many    
illustrations                ,cloth     
#afmo      #a4jj net  ,as a concise and 
interesting history of ,california1 it  
deserves a place in our schools and     
libraries1 so that every child may read 
it4--,pacific ,churchman4  ,this volume 
comprises some excellent contributions  
to history1 as it certainly comprises   
some notable contributions to romance4  
,the little book is one which will      
appeal1 therefore1 to readers old and   
young4 ,several of the stories explain  
in some degree the remarkable physical  
characteristics of ,california1 but the 
writer's chief aim has been to unfold to
 children and their parents the life of 
bygone days4--,the ,outlook4            
,,the ,,macmillan ,,company             
#fd-ff ,,fifth ,,avenue1 ,,new ,,york   
,,boston      ,,chicago      ,,san      
,,francisco      ,,atlanta              
,tarr and ,mc,murry's ,geographies      

,a ,new ,series of ,geographies in ,two1
 ,three1 or ,five ,volumes              
,by ,,ralph ,s4 ,,tarr1 ,b4,s41         
,f4,g4,s4,a4                            
,,cornell ,,university                  
,,and                      ,,frank ,m4  
,mc,m,u,r,r,y1 ,ph4,d4                  
,,teachers ,,college1 ,,columbia        
,,university                            
,,two ,,book ,,series  ,introductory    
,geography                              
#fj cents ,complete ,geography          
#a4jj                      ,,the ,,three
 ,,book ,,series  ,,first ,,book 7#dth  
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,europe and ,other ,continents          
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,,part 7#dth year7 ,home ,geography     
#dj cents ,,second ,,part 7#eth year7   
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#dj cents ,,third ,,part 7#fth year7    
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cents net ,teachers' ,manual of ,method 
in ,geography4       ,by ,,charles ,a4  
,,mcmurry                               
#dj cents net  ,to meet the requirements
 of some courses of study1 the section  
from the ,third ,book1 treating of      
,south ,america1 is bound up with the   
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 one volume4  ,the following            
,supplementary ,volumes have also been  
prepared1 and may be had separately or  
bound together with the ,third ,book of 
the ,three ,book ,series1 or the ,fifth 

,part of the ,five ,book ,series3       
,,supplementary ,,volumes  ,new ,york   
,state          #cj cents       ,kansas 
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ordering1 be careful to specify the     
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,,boston      ,,chicago      ,,atlanta  
,,san ,,francisco                       
,tarr and ,mc,murry's ,geographies      
,,comments  ,north ,plainfield1         
,n4,j4--,i think it the best ,geography 
that ,i have seen4--,h4 ,j4 ,,wightman1 

,superintendent4  ,boston1 ,mass4--,i   
have been teaching the subject in the   
,boston ,normal ,school for over twenty 
years1 and ,book ,i is the book ,i have 
been looking for for the last ten years4
 ,it comes nearer to what ,i have been  
working for than anything in the        
geography line that ,i have yet seen4 ,i
 congratulate you on the good           
work4--,,miss ,l4 ,t4 ,,moses1 ,normal  
,school4  ,detroit1 ,mich4--,i am much  
pleased with it and have had            
enthusiastic praise for it from all the 
teachers to whom ,i have shown it4 ,it  
seems to me to be scientific1 artistic1 
and convenient to a marked degree4 ,the 
maps are a perfect joy to any teacher   
who has been using the complicated      
affairs given in most books of the      
kind4--,,agnes ,,mcrae4  ,de ,kalb1     
,ill4--,i have just finished examining  
the first book of ,tarr and ,mc,murry's 
,geographies4 ,i have read the book with
 care from cover to cover4 ,to say that 
,i am pleased with it is expressing it  

mildly4 ,it seems to me just what a     
geography should be4 ,it is correctly   
conceived and admirably executed4 ,the  
subject is approached from the right    
direction and is developed in the right 
proportions4 ,and those maps--how could 
they be any better8 ,surely authors and 
publishers have achieved a triumph in   
textbook making4 ,i shall watch with    
interest for the appearance of the other
 two volumes4--,professor ,,edward ,c4  
,,page1 ,northern ,illinois ,state      
,normal ,school4  ,asbury ,park1        
,n4,j4--,i do not hesitate at all to say
 that ,i think the ,tarr and ,mc,murry's
 ,geography the best in the market4--,f4
 ,s4 ,,shepard1 ,superintendent of      
,schools4  ,ithaca1 ,n4,y4--,i am       
immensely pleased with ,tarr and        
,mc,murry's ,geography4--,,charles ,,de 
,,garmo1 ,professor of ,pedagogy1       
,cornell ,university4                   
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,,boston      ,,chicago      ,,atlanta  

,,san ,,francisco