January 2001
Cindy Ladage and Janna Seiz
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Plowing with horses
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There's no quicker way to travel back in time than to watch draft horses till the soil. Late in October, at the Bill and Celia Edwards farm near Waverly, Ill., a Currier-and-Ives scene unfolded, complete with draft horses, plows, wagons and implements.
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The event - the 6th Annual Horse & Antique Tractor Plowing Demonstration - has been held at the Edwards farm for the past three years. As is often the case, the demonstration was the result of friends putting their heads together.
'Wayne Miner, my husband Bill, and Morris Gray talked about plowing,' says Celia Edwards. 'They wanted horses and tractors both.'
Although horses far outnumbered beasts of iron at the event, the demonstration offered something for everyone. Traditional activities and events were the order of the day.
'The first year, we did everything,' Celia recalled. 'We even cooked over an open fire, making beans and cornbread.'
Ten antique tractors were featured at this year's demonstration. Bob Imhoff, an IH collector, brought his 1953 Super M. Don Hermes brought an IH MTA with a John Deere plow, Rusty and Darryl Stewart brought their IH 400 LP, and Bob's dad, Bill, brought his Super H International and a 460 IH as well as an Allis Chalmers D14. Bill Edwards brought horses and tractors (an Allis Chalmers WD 45 and an International H) to the demonstration, as well as a variety of plows.
'We had mostly two-, three- and four-bottom plows,' he says. 'Most were IH, along with a Case.'
A few tractors were on display but stayed out of the plowing demonstrations. The Stone brothers, Merle and Duane, brought handsomely restored pieces, including an IH W9, Cockshutt and Co-op tractors for display.
At past demonstrations, organizers could count on about 25 draft horses, ponies and mules showing up. This year's show brought about 43 different animals, including Belgians, Clydesdales, Percheron, ponies and mules. The horses were used to pull plows, disks, walking plows, a sulky and wagons. Owners came from all over Illinois; a few came from as far away as Wright City, Mo.