People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1893 — The Gourd Down South. [ARTICLE]

The Gourd Down South.

One begins to encounter the gourd as a domestic utensil about one hundred miles south of Mason and Dixon’s line,, where the lbcal pronunciation is something like goord. The dipper and soap dish made from the gourd go along with the old well-sweep and the plantation dwelling with separate “quarters.” A skillful negro can fashion marvelously graceful and convenient utensils from the gourd. The dipper is the simplest of all. For it the manufacturer chooses a gourd with a round body and a natural handle. A disk is cut from the body, the meat is taken from the gourd, the shell is carefully dried, and you have a dipper that will last for months, perhaps for years. Spoons of excellent shape and durability may be made from the gourd, as also cream skimmers and the like.