Farming near home 40tys and 50tys As I can not think of any thing else to night will speak on crops grown near my home when I was a boy. Crops in the area of North Huron county in the 40tys and 50tys The farmers in the 40tys mostly farmed what is know-en as mixed farm Meaning, mostly they had several kinds of livestock, Depending on the amount of land, a small farmer than farmed 50 to a hundred achers, 20 to forty hectors, usually he kept milk cows. As his main animals, also two or three brood sows, The cows he kept for milk, Though most were dual purpose. So the calves could be raised for beef or milk. These farmers often separated the milk into cream and skim milk, Shipping cream to a creamery, and feeding the skim milk to the pigs they raised to slaughter or send to market, The heifer calves they would keep for cows or send to marked at two years old wile the steers would be kept till they were 3 years old with more size and meat, Some also had a few hens, and some had some sheep, most still had at least one team of horses all though tractors were coming in and farmers were buying small ones, were larger farmers often bought bigger tractors and owned a thrash machine and did custom thrashing a operation that is worthy of it own story. The small mixed farmers often helped each other,no one seemed to mind if one farmer was bigger and needed more help than he could return, Thee small farmers grew a mixture of crops I speak on later, I will mention here, that though farming was hard work, and few made a lot of money, the mixed farmer, who looked after the animals and land that had a good partner for a spouse usual could pay off the farm in 25 years or less, than farm a few more years , then buy a small home when he sold the farm, but sadly lived only a short time after leaving the farm, The way the done things for what we call cash flow was simple but worked the cream check and money from a few eggs plus the meat they had from their own animals was the living expenses, There Brood sows gave them 2 litter piglets a year, theses went to market in spring and fall, alowing the farmer to purchase seed and fertilizer in spring and pay taxes and other exigences in fall while the beef he sent o market would pay for the interest and principle, the lady usualy had a teapot or jar that some how seemed to have some thing in it to cover any thing that came a long, but if you borrowed from her tea pot you best put it back with a little interest. Only a few had Dairy cows like Holstein Guernsey or Jerseys, Those most specialized in producing milk only. These often shipped milk to dairies they often received a premium for the milk, though some sent to cheese factory and only receive the Regular price 1.98 a hundred, it was not a lot as was 3 cents hauling fee off that. Most of the full time dairy farmers sold the calves as drop calves, only keeping replace meant stock, Unless they had register animals then most would be kept and go to sales for that type as yearlings or two year old s These farmers usually grew the best pasture and hay, they some times grew corn for a silo . And mostly oats barley mixed and some wheat ,Corn was only used for silage, in our area at that time as it would not mature for seed It was in the early 50tys when Wm Bennett brought the first seed for corn that would mature in the area, The Bennett were the first around with a picker that would husk the corn and snap it from the stalk, This corn was stored in cribs with a roof there were machines to remove the seed from cobs but those ho fed to cattle used it as hole cob put threw a hammer-mill, Most Were feeding pigs Oat and barley chopped with added concentrated, It was nearing the early 60tys before the combining corn and drying it came in to our area, At the same time Soya beans and white beans had been hybred to ripen in the area Mean wile we return to the mixed Farming Thses we the most come They mostly as well as growing hay and Grain Oats Bakery, and some wheat turnips and mangles were put threw yo Often grew some Turnips And mangles , and maybe some corn, The Turnips and Mangles were put threw a pulpier one turned by hand And some times Corn was put threw a corn cuter that chopped it up as you turned it, All I can say for sure one was always busy Rain or shine winter or summer Winter was logging or wood cutting early spring was cleaning seed , Always chores or pens to clean Having fixing fence, and a bath once a month in winter summer any evening one could lip a way to bear bum beach I hope some enjoy I had nothing else to do Bill
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 23:26:07 +0000
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