Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth

The pioneer mother, long before Civil War days, did not have aluminum or copper containers for sugar, salt or coffee. The fact is, she did not even have the old fashioned tin clipper! The housewife of her time was trained to make such utensils herself. Yes, she was the original “do-it-yourself woman.” How did she make such things she necessitated for her huge family? Easy and simple… by raising gourds.

If you travel in the south or the west, deep in the white oak timber land of the Ozarks, in California, or even into Old Mexico, you will find some gourds applied in those sections. And until you have had a cool drink of water from a spring or deep well on a hot day, drunk out of a dipper gourd, you merely haven’t enjoyed a drink of water. Gourds have a history dating back to Bible times.

You will find gourds noted in Jonah, chapter four, verses five to ten, telling in regards to Jonah sitting under a gourd as he awaited the destruction of Nineveh. Some Bible students think it was the castor oil plant with a wild cucumber vine growing over it that shaded Jonah, even though the text merely reads GOURD. I am neutral in regards to that argument, but anyway, gourds do grow wild in that share of the world.

The botanical name for gourds is Cucurbitacea which includes pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and melons. There are two classes of gourds, huge fruited and the small, ornamental kinds. Both types are rather useful.

The big fruited type may be made into flower vases, canister sets or hanging baskets for growing ivy or other vines. You may paint or enamel them so they cannot be distinguished from pottery and they are just as useful. The dishcloth gourd has a fibrous center that may be got rid of and used as a cleaning sponge. The dipper type is not only good for dippers; from it you may build a bird house for the wrens by boring a hole the size of a quarter and placing a little perch underneath it.

The little or ornamental types are rather unique, having odd shapes and warty knobs all over them. Some are natural colored or orange and green combinations. Those not colored may be enameled with any color or design you may wish. Clear white varnish or shellac will have to be placed over all as a shelter and to make them shiny, or you may use a clear wax for the finish.

In Old Mexico and California you will find an ornamental charm string of the little type gourds hanging on the front door or walls of the living room like holly wreaths at Christmas time. The odd shaped and warty gourds fit nicely in a cornucopia arrangement. Brightly painted, they may be used as Christmas tree ornaments. There is another type gourd that would interest the man of the house. It is the calabash type from which fantasti smoking pipes are made. They are not adapted for growing in the northern states as the season is not long enough, but in the south one may grow one’s own pipe. You may buy such pipes today in any big tobacco store in most cities.

How to Grow Them

The culture of gourds is rather simple, in regards to the same as melons or pumpkins. In the latitude of Kansas City they must be planted May firstborn to get a long season of growth. Farther north, one ought to plant a seed or two in a huge pot and not transplant outdoors until all peril of frost is past. The soil must be rich. Put almost a bushel of well rotted organic material in a huge hole, then fill it over with good world to make a raised mound so there is plenteous drainage. Gourds ought to be where they have sun all day long, and a great deal of water for the duration of long droughts. If rotted organic material is unavailable, mix balanced fertilizer into the soil for plant food. Cover the seed only 3/4 inch with fine soil. Plant the seed three inches apart, then thin to at least 10 inches or more when the second leaves appear.

Let your gourds run on a fence, up a trellis or on a porch and you may likewise put a garden holding back walls… just so they get a great deal of sun. I have seen them grown on a dead tree and they plainly covered it. The dipper type gourds have white flowers that bloom in late evening and at night like a moonflower. The little types have a huge golden yellow bloom like a squash.

Allow to Harden

A few suggestions are in order and I put them last so you will not forget them. They are rather important: The fruits will have to be mature and hard to the fingernail before harvesting. Gather before frost with a share of the stem attached, handling conservatively to refrain from bruising. Wash the surface, arid exhaustively for a few weeks in a warm room, then wax, shellac, or varnish for best appearance. If you intend to enamel or paint first, add the varnish, wax or shellac afterward.

If you are lucky sufficient to have a great grandma, I’ll wager she could tell you a lot of things when it comes to gourds that I never heard of. She merely had to know her gourds!

Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth

This Mini Meerschaum Pipe is made from Turkish Meerschaum and Natural Minerals. The mini pipe is a perfective size for a quick smoke. The bowl is guaranteed to never burn out as what happens with a lot of wood or Briar Pipes. Every mini meerschaum pipe is hand finished and each pipe is inspected for consistency in design and quality.Stem color may vary from picture. If you want a queer color please include your stem color choice in the notes section of your order.

Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth Picture

Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth Pic

Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth Picture

Meerschaum Pipes Finished Calabash Smooth Pic