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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1877)
THE WEST SHORE. February. 124 She meat movtf A Kiln Pag Monthly illmttraterf Paper, publithcd ! I'oxtiand, Union, by L. SAMUEL, 5 WMhinglon-tt. TERMS OK SUBSCRIPTION, (Including Poitsge in any part of the United Staid:) One copy, one year, - fi Jo Single Number. x. cenU. Pottigi 1" fareffn oountrlMtlX rt. tuMiuonui "HuU:rllUiii UlUt ba imlil In advnnff , hihI rii i.ii i - win pwltlnly ba itopped m the rod of tin- Lima I hey arc pitlit for, RamHtaoaaa cam in' meut by nglaUtwl latlar, poatOfBOa money unlcr, or by order on miy of Hid 1'ortlnixl biiHlncHM ho lines A CHAT WITH OUR SUBSCRI BERS. Were we to re-print one-tenth of all the nice thlngi Mild about our January edition hy the press in dlfTerenl parti of the United States, or in the many let ters received from our subscribers! it Would certainly take up a full page of this paper. It would be very gratify, ing to us, hut hardly Interesting reading matter for our readers; as usual, we therefore yield to the pleasure of our patrons, As you can easily imagine, the January edition was an immense expense to us. We are, however, pleased with the Investment, as our list has increased wonderfully within the past two weeks. It is for you to say, now, whether you desire as large a number again, and, if possible, more handsomely illustrated, tree of any ex tra expense to yourself, If so, we will set our special artist to work at once, and issue a midsummer munher in July next, which will surpass anything ever attempted in the United Slates. Hut our list must he doubled at once to warrant us in going to such an ex pense. ( htr plan, therefore, is that each of our subscribers induce a friend to send for Tim West Shore at once; don't put it o(l' from day to day, hut send for it right off. All postmasters arc compelled to register letters, and those always come to hand safely, even if they contain coin. Ity this plan we can double our list without the aid of trav- ellng agents, and give our readers the benefit of it by issuing for them another mammoth West Shore, Ova Winter, This is the 15th of February and the late fall, dowering shrubs are mingling their perfumes with the early-spring children of Flora. Crocus, Narcissus, Snowdrops, Poly anthus, Roaetaarie, Wall Rowers ami even the w ild Dandelion, have donned their Ky dresses) the meadow lark al ready carols Joyously every morning! young lambs have put in an appear ance. The thermometer climbs up to sixty dej;iecs,it noon, and does not go in-low forty-five at night All com bine to proclaim thai spring has come, and winter has merely glanced at us with a very slight snow-storm, the white mantle, however, not remaining long enoigh to afford any of us a sleigh ride. The frost has'' not been severe enough to stop the growing of gran and grain for more than nine days during the entire winter; and dowers that Vlck, the great florist, has cata logued .is h.ilf ,,,. &, are still smiling at us from ia-t year's growth. In fact, Mr. Vlck would he somewhat puzzled which 1.1 name annuals and hieh perennials, lor many of his k.ilf raj) ,..,,, lra fitrtnnith, m this section, ow inn to the mildness of our winters. 7t CnlUvthrhm merged into 7' H ilhmrllt Fvwr. This i s should lie. , larmtr is a KO(H W. par, In fad, one of the best agricultural papcis in the United States, and tr. set es success. In out descri prion of Corvallit, last mouth, the types made us sav it had hut live hundred iulul.it.tnt,, when it 1 rally lias fifteen hundred. WHAT IS OATMEAL It V JUI.1A C . Twenty years ago, oatmeal was an article almost unknown to the Ameri can people. True, there was some of that article imported and used here. If it was prescribed hy the physician as an excellent material for the gruel of some convalescent, he also informed them that it could lie found at the drug store, where it had probably lain for months after having been brought over the sea, if, indeed, it had not become tainted by the drugs thai kept it com pany. It is easy now to see why the half-cooked gruel seemed a nauseous compound fit only for sick folks, and tasting like medicine. In the country, people who heard of the virtues of oatmeal carried oats to the grist-mill and had them ground like corn, anil then the housewife sifted the dark-looking product and made a mush of it, cooking and stirring it as she would a "hasty-pudding," but pro ducing a pasty, slimv, unattractive dish so unlike the bright, golden Indian mush in appearance and taste, so bitter, so husky, so full of black specks, that the tastes of Scotch and Irish were ridiculed, and even sick men could not muster courage enough to continue so nauseous a diet any length of time. These were the specimens by which we tried to judge of oatmeal. We never suspected that the imported was not in the best condition, nor that oats could not be ground so as to be made eatable without being previously kiln dried and hulled, and that, therefore, they required mills' or apparatus built for that special purpose, and that there were but three or four such mills in the United States. There was, indeed, a very passable article of Canadian oatmeal Imported when the Scotch and Irish demand called for it, but Americans scarcely knew where to find it, and certainly did not know how to cook it when it was found. We well remember how, in almost entire ignorance of all these facts, we, thirteen years ago, started out to hunt through the streets of New York for some place where we could find good Canadian oatmeal, and at last found it in the Irish quarter of the city (if any one knows which that is) in" a store kept by a Canadian Scotchman. When obtained we knew not how to cook it, and the good Scotchman had so little faith in our ability to produce anything creditable, that he would only tell us that we were to "just make a parritch of it." This same difficulty all we American people had to meet, and the cook-books offered us no help whatever. Formv self, I have never yet seen a Scotch cook-book. Their native cookery seems to tie in a condition similar to that of the early literature of some nations, fur a long time existing only in the minds, or, in this case, at the Anger ends of the people, and never committed to paper. Fruo,thcy had their celebrated bannock bakers, women who had a reputation in all the country side ill this line, but that did us Yankees very little good we get our intelligence largely from books and papers. Besides this, when we made inquiries of these people we were invariably nu t with the assurance that we could not expect to make anything very good of such oatmeal as we could get in this country. But the difference was not defined either in cause or effect Then we set diligently about the study of oatmeal. Some we lound was dark. This was too much kiln-dried, which destroyed the rich, delicate, nutty flavor, and made it bitter. Some was too light, not dried enough; this was inure bitter and disagreeable than the other. Then sonic of it was gray with dust, and full of black -peck's and bits of broken weed-stalks. This had been tmperfttctly cleaned in the smut-mill. Occasionally we could And a specimen which was nutty and -w vet enough to be eaten raw , hut this was not uniform. The products of the same mill at different times were verv un equal. The brand could not he de pended upon. The trouble was said to Ih' in the outs. Gradually all this w as changed. Our millers have found that United States oats .11c mute as good as those grown la an) other country, and the Isle Cen tennial Exhibition has demonstrated the fact that the Oregon oats !- hi ahead of any in the world. The diffi culty lies in the manufacturing. They have traveled far and wide to examine the best mills and all the best processes) these they have introduced into their own factories, and now, as a large dealer lately remarked (himself a for eigner), we manufacture a better article in America than any that is imported, though the fashion of calling it by the foreign name has not yet died out. One of our manufacturers has ten large kilns so perfectly worked that little or no variation in color or quality can be detected in different lots, and they arc always of the best. And it is grat ifying to Oregonians to know that here again Oregon comes to the front with the best manufactured oatmeal. The highest premium at the late Cen tennial Exhibition having been awarded to McLeran Bros, of this city. The result of all this care is that oat meal is becoming a very common dish among our people. They are be ginning to learn that it is agreeable, wholesome and nutritious, and though there are many who, remembering their first impressions received from the use of a bad article, persist in calling it bitter, anil wondering how people can like it; and there are many more who find by trial that they can procure an article that is not bitter, and which most people like as soon as they taste it. Now, instead of oatmeal being sold in only out-of-the-way places, it can be found in some shape in almost every grocery, and the best class of grocers keep a good and desirable article. 1 find, too, that much more of it Would be used if cooks were but fa miliar with a variety of methods of pre paring it for the table. Simply boiling it in water to make mush is the only process with which they are acquainted, and that they do not perform very artistically. These different methods, and the different grades of oatmeal which are required for different dishes, will claim our attention in another paper. OUR Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Mis souri and Minnesota exchanges claim that their grasshopper crop will be im mense the coming season. California is having one of her periodical spells of drought. Colorado has a dose of chinch bugs once more, and nearly all of the other States have been experiencing either a very hard winter or arc cursed with disease, whilst here in the North western comer of the United States we are enjoying peace and plenty, and are ready and anxious to have those from less favored spots come and settle down amongst us on the most favored anil fertile country on the face of the globe, and enjoy its blessings with us. ' M11. N. A. Hirstel, formerly of the Arm of Wasserman & Co., has become 1 a partner of the firm of Chas. Hirstel & Co., and is now In San Francisco,! where lie is purchasing the largest stock of Notions and Stationery ever brought to this city. Immediately on his return, the firm will move into more commodious quarters, Although their establishment at present is one of the largest in Portland, it is not roomy enough to accommodate their con, stantly growing trade. Charles and his brothel will make a good team, and their many friends and customers in this city, as well as in the interior, may look for novelties In the Stationery and Notion line on the arrival of the' next steamer. Wm. It. WlUHIRt, Esq., lte with Hall's Safe and Lock Company, and now of the firm of Raymond ft Wil--hire, agents for Macnc'ale ft Urban's Sales. ,s in this citv. These Sates have the Patent inside Bolt Work and Hinged Cap, without which no Sale is complete; and they are said to be Ikt faff now 1,1 use, being both fire and burglar proof. The firm also repre sents the Buffalo Scale Co.'- Scales which need but to be seen to be fully appreciated. Wm. BlCE A Sox, established here since 1850, and located now at the cor ner of Alder and Front streets, have I the largest and best assortment of Toys 111 this city. They arc also experienced t.nnsmiths, and deal largely in (inns, Mines, Revolvers, and skirting imply ments ot all kinds. r The man with a swelled jaw, who hates himself because he did not get his work done by 1Timi:s the Printer, at 5 Washington St., Portland, Or. The Jeweler, HAS REMOVED To the Northwest corner of First and Morrison Sts., Portland, io 10 III MM I s UAI.I.KRY And set til flnest pu.tim.siii ilieMtnlealtlie low est prices, lie Is I In- Peoples' Arllst anil Poor Man s tr end, liny one or III. Fire Klnilleni, spit try It, 1111 1 yon will never l.o wlit.out one. (Jul- !:;,' nmTi.fy;;;;:'cn'iSai's'M"n ,n" Y,D'- - 9 - ami? 51.1 IK CO o 0 r H J s z z D L 'i. i I till r I eft, I IS 0 f S ? - Si ? ss ?? a