I give you fair warning that if you get me started talking
about chickens, the County Fair will have to wait till some other time.
I don't know much about ducks, and geese, and guinea-hens, and pea-fowl,
and turkeys, but chickens--Why, say. We had a hen once (Plymouth Rock
she was; we called her Henrietta), and honestly, that hen knew more than
some folks. One time she--all right. I'll hush. Let's go in here.

I don't remember whether the pies, and cakes, and canned fruit, and such
are in Pomona Hall or the Fine Arts Hall. Fine Arts Hall I think. They
ought to be. I speak to be one of the judges that give out the premiums
in this department. I'd be generous and let somebody else do the judging
of the cakes, because I don't care much for cake. Oh, I can manage
to choke it down, but I haven't the expert knowledge, practical and
scientific, that I have in the matter of pie. I'd bear my share of the
work when it came to the other things, jellies and preserves, and pies,
but not cake. Wouldn't know just exactly how to go at it in the matter
of jellies. I'd take a glass of currant, and hold it up to the light to
note its crimson glory. And I'd lift off the waxed paper top and peer
in, and maybe give the jelly a shake. And then I'd take a spoon and
taste, closing my eyes so as to appear to deliberate--they'd roll up
in an ecstacy anyhow--and I'd smack my lips, and say: "Mmmmm!" very
thoughtfully, and set the glass back, and write down in my book my
judgment, which would invariably be: "First Prize." Because if there is
anything on top of this green earth that I think is just about right, it
is currant jelly. Grape jelly is nice, and crab-apple jelly has its good
points, and quince jelly is very delicate, but there is something about
currant jelly that seems to touch the spot. Quince preserves are good
if there is enough apple with the quince, and watermelon preserves are a
great favorite, not because they are so much better tasting, but because
the lucent golden cubes in the spicy syrup appeal so to the eye. But
if you want to know what I think is really good eating in the preserve
line, you just watch my motions when I come to the tomato preserves,
these little fig-tomatoes, and see how quick the red card is put on
them. Yes, indeed. It's been a long time, hasn't it? since you had any
tomato-preserves, you that haven't been "Back Home" lately.

It's no great trick to put up other fruit so that it will keep, but I'd
look the c