Folklore: What is Stump Juice?

Subject: Folklore: What is Stump Juice?
From: cnd
Date: 07 Jul 23 - 10:36 AM

Recently bought a joke book aimed at my alma mater, NC State University. Being land-grant, historically-agricultural school, a lot of them are "Moo U" or farm/rube jokes. The other half are largely "Pollack jokes" rebranded with another butt. But there was one joke presented as a list of things not to do when visiting fine society ("you don't need to take your corn cobs or magazines to the outhouse; here, they come provided with papers for this purpose," etc), and one of the items on the list was "Do not ask company for Stump Juice when drinks are ordered" or something to that effect.

What is stump juice? I've seen articles hinting at it as a rust-cleaner, and others referencing it like it was some sort of moonshine. I suspect it was it just a farcical "rural" cure-all used to paint country folks in a negative light, but if anyone has more concrete annecdotes, your help would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is Stump Juice?
From: Lighter
Date: 07 Jul 23 - 12:36 PM

Carter, "stump juice" usually means moonshine. It's been in use since the 1890s.

Nowadays the name is applied to a cocktail made of whisky and raspberries.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is Stump Juice?
From: cnd
Date: 07 Jul 23 - 01:31 PM

Thanks Jonathan, that makes sense.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is Stump Juice?
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 07 Jul 23 - 01:46 PM

Looks like a clever name from the piney woods. Maybe they finished it with a drop of turpentine

"Seized in the raid were a 50-gallon boiler, a four-burner oil stove, coils, numerous jars of finished stump juice ready for market and fourteen 15-gallon capacity kegs filled with moonshine. The total market value of the confiscated goods was nearly $3,000. Confiscated liquor from somewhere in Schoolcraft County."




https://schs.cityofmanistique.org/the-prohibition-era-1918-1933/

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is Stump Juice?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jul 23 - 02:34 PM

"Tell me, what are dead cats good for, Huck?"

"Good for? Cure warts with."

"No! Really? Is that true? I know something that's better."

"I bet you don't. What is it?"

"Why, spunk-water."

"Spunk-water! I couldn’t care less about spunk-water."

"You wouldn't, wouldn't you? Have you ever tried it?"

"No, I haven't. But Bob Tanner did."

"Who told you?"

"Why, he told Jeff Thatcher, and Jeff told Johnny Baker, and Johnny told Jim Hollis, and Jim told Ben Rogers, and Ben told me. So there!"

"Well, so what? They'll all lie. Now you tell me how Bob Tanner done it, Huck."

"Well, he put his hand in a rotten stump where the rain-water was."

"During the day?"

"Certainly."

"With his face to the stump?"

"Yes. At least I suppose so."

"Did he say anything?"

"I don't think he did. I don't know."