I talked to one of my friends from Iowa yesterday. She had been to Lebannon the other day and said the beans were really getting dried and it would not be long until harvest would start.
That brought back memories of the harvest for me. Nothing was automated like it is today, so that meant everything was done by hand. We had to pick our corn that way also. Every year , if you helped your parents do farm work, you could have a week off from school. So in the fall Lois an I got off and picked corn for that week.
We had a triple bang board wagon , hitched up with horses. We had special fleecy cotton gloves with two thumbs used special for picking corn,. When one thumb, and side wore out we would turn it over and use the other side. We had a metal hook on top of the glove on our right hand that would help strip the husk off of the ear, before we threw it on the wagon. Leaving any husk on the ear was a no-no. We would carry our lunch to the field, using gal. and 1/2 gal. syrup pails for our lunch bucket.
Generally we would be out to the field about 7:30. Pick until near noon. Unload our 50 bushels of corn picked that morning--have dinner and go back and pick another 50 in the afternoon.. Harry De Jager always helped dad pick each fall and he bragged about how much Lois and I could pick each day. He could pick 100 bushels a day but the two of us could also.
I remember one morning it was especially cold and damp. We were picking in the back 40 that morning. It wasn't nice. The wet corn stalks were hitting us in the face all the time- We had rubbers on, but our feet were wet and cold. Well-Lois had enough. She walked home about 9 and never did come back.
We picked two rows at a time. The one who picked in the row closest to the wagon would pick ahead of the one in the back row. That way no one got hit with an ear when throwing it on the wagon and the last one double checked if the front one picked EVERY ear. (Course, I never left any behind).
We got paid well, but it still took us 2 1/2 year to save enough to buy a $24.50 Bolovia watch. Isn't that something? My how things have changed.
6 comments:
I bet you out picked Lois everyday. How many acres of corn did Grandpa have, do you remember?
Yes things have really changed. Stuff you don't even think about until you look back.
And by the way, I have the bathroom squeaky clean. Now I need to mow the lawn AGAIN!!!!!
We had a 200-acre farm. The farm on the west side of the road, where we lived, was 160 acres.
Then we had a back 40 on the east side of the road. I imagine he had about 60 acres of corn. We also had pastures--slough-oats-flax and alfalfa fields with it.
Your blog reminds me of when Mom house cleaned twice a year. If we got home from school and a ladder was up by the upstairs porch, that meant she had varnished the stair steps.
Love it! Makes me never want to complain about a hard days "work" again. I have it so easy.
Wow - that is interesting - never imagine people picking by hand - now they just push a button and the machine does all the work!
Awwwwwwsomme! Love to hear real history...well you know, stories that can be a part of you!
Good stuff.
Love your new look!! very creative
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