Corn is in the crib. Christmas is right around the corner. It’s oyster soup time! My wife insists I crack some black walnuts. For the next several months I hope I will not hear anyone say, “Shut the door: You’re let’n flies in!” I need to go rabbit and squirrel hunting to put fresh meat on the table.
I continually think about the comfort and wellbeing of the family and livestock during the coming months. Last year’s weather extremes occurred in January at minus 29 degrees and in February when it reached 70 degrees. I prepare for any kind of weather.
Several days this winter will be spent in our few acres of woodlot. Woodlot management is important to ensure an adequate supply of firewood and building materials in the future.
Much attention is given to livestock, for their health and weight gains directly affect farm profits (or losses). A top priority is seeing that fresh water is available regardless of temperatures. When necessary, the stock tank is heated by a cob- and wood-fed tank heater. It’s easy to procrastinate doing this important chore for it takes lots of time to bring fuel to the heater, keep it going through the day, and “bank” the fire for night.
Water for the hogs is supplied from the well. Their troughs are filled at chore time both morning and evening. Warm water from the kitchen is taken to the chicken house as needed to replace frozen water. Eggs are collected several times during the day. Frozen eggs are not useable.
I spend a lot of time removing manure and replacing bedding from all livestock bedding areas one fork-full at a time. It can be back-breaking labor.
We have experienced the well-pump freezing up. That is an emergency! The simmering teakettle is brought out from the kitchen range and hot water carefully poured over the cast iron pump. It is always a relief to have the pump freed up and working again.
Dreaming of electricity
Most of the time I keep calm as work on the farm continues day after day. But there are a few things that make my adrenaline flow: skunks in the chicken house, a pot-belly stove warped from too much hedge wood, a rat in the living room, three-day blizzards or one of the youngsters with a 103-degree fever.
I have a phobia about fire. We have no way to fight fires effectively so we must use preventive measures. We are very careful when using lamps and candles in the house, lanterns in the barn and sheds, and handling matches. We are always watching for chimney fires.
Getting chores done during the winter simply takes more time. Days are shorter. Lanterns provide dim light needed in the mornings and evenings as grain, hay and water are provided to the awaiting animals and cows are milked. Sometimes I dream about what it would be like to have electricity available on the farm.
To stay warm, layers of winter-weight cotton and woolen clothing are essential, but they take longer to put on and take off. Rubber four-buckle overshoes are put on over leather shoes. Dry cotton mittens and ear coverings are an absolute necessity when winter sets in.
Livestock need extra care in winter
Horses need attention when standing in their stalls. Bedding must be changed regularly, as failure to do so can result in thrush, a hoof disease. Also, I must watch for horse’s feet “balling” while they work or loaf outside on snow. I apply Gutta-percha (a natural plastic extracted from trees native to Southeast Asia) to the bottom of each hoof to discourage balling.
I treat animal injuries and illnesses as best I can. I’ve sewn hernias, dehorned cattle, treated for parasites, taken baby pigs to the house to warm up, punctured bloated bovine bellies with a trocar (a surgical instrument with a three-sided cutting point) and helped with birthing problems.
I recently arranged for a hauler to take a few fat cattle to a nearby railroad holding pen. The loaded truck got stuck in barnyard mud as he tried to leave the farm. My four-horse team finally pulled him out to the dirt township road.
When it snows, I see that livestock can easily move around outside their barns and sheds to get to water and feed bunks and get some exercise. They will make their own paths but if drifts are present, I may need to do some scooping. I worry about icy conditions. Last year I lost four fat hogs who slipped on ice, split their back legs apart, and broke their pelvises. I’m constantly on the watch to make buildings more efficient in keeping out cold drafts. I particularly dislike sub-zero drafts in the outhouse!
Tackling random seasonal chores
Shelling corn and grinding feed by hand in the granary are weekly jobs (and they also generate lots of dust). Varied formulas of ground corn, oats, wheat and alfalfa are used to make nutritious, digestible livestock feeds.
When weather permits, woven and barbed wire fences are rebuilt. The better the fence, the less chasing I have to do. In early winter, I’ve found it wise to put up a picket fence some distance back from our lane. This fence can stop blowing snow from filling the lane and saves hours of scooping if we get a blizzard.
In late January I will join a group of farmers to harvest ice from a neighbor’s pond. We’ll saw and use breaker bars to make ice cakes, then transport them to his ice house by horse-drawn sleigh or wagon where they are stacked and insulated with sawdust. Local families enjoy ice during the summer for cold drinks, making ice cream and cooling ice boxes.
Quiet time on the farm
Our social life is primarily limited to church on Sundays and holiday gatherings. Occasionally, I get to a weekly auction where I watch sale prices of local livestock. It gives me a chance to visit with friends and neighbors. My wife has a monthly women’s club meeting in the afternoon. They visit and exchange recipes and gardening tips, and they enjoy the opportunity to get away from their farms.
The postal service helps us keep up with the outside world by delivering a newspaper and agricultural magazines. We send and receive letters from friends and relatives across the country as well. Long evenings under lamplight are spent popping popcorn and playing games such as checkers, carroms and dominoes. We encourage reading.
We are so fortunate to have our new wall telephone. It gives us immediate access to neighbors. Most farms also use dinner bells to communicate. On our farm, three rings tell me I need to go to the house. The farm community knows when any bell is rung constantly, help is urgently needed. We all rush to that bell!
Preparing for spring – and considering needs
Time will be spent planning for spring. I must prepare and consider what field and garden seeds are available in my storage or may need to be purchased. I’ll plant and analyze germination boxes to determine seeding rates for spring planting. Sowing of tomato, cabbage, sweet potato and pepper seeds in south window hothouse boxes will be done. Transplanting young plants to the garden will occur when temperatures are right. Baby chick orders will be made ready. Our four-year crop rotation plan of corn, oats, clover, wheat and alfalfa (alfalfa remains on a field four or five years) may need to be revised.
My wife and I must go over the books carefully. Will there be enough money to purchase a Chevrolet sedan for $885? Our discussions lead to my expressing an intense desire to purchase a gasoline tractor. One of my rationales to her is that, if I get a tractor, I could sell a team of horses and use their hay and grain to support more feeder cattle. She is not easily convinced.
Last year Henry Ford and International Harvester got into a tractor price war. Ford dropped the price of his Fordson tractor from $750 to $395. International Harvester matched the $395 figure. Deere’s Waterloo Boy dropped from $1,150 to $750. Could we afford one of those tractors?
Staying strong in faith
Winter is a good time to “sharpen my pencil.” I’ll assess each of my grain and livestock costs and profits. Right now, corn is selling for 62 cents a bushel, wheat for 89 cents a bushel, oats for 37 cents a bushel and alfalfa for $16.25 per ton. Finished feeder cattle are bringing $7.79 cwt, and market hogs $6.34 cwt. Livestock prices are so volatile that it’s a pure gamble as to “when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.”
When I total my expenses and income for this past year, I’m disheartened to find my farm merely broke even in 1923. Dollars in profit and loss columns do not reflect my labor! How much longer can I continue this pace and be fair to my family? Christmas will be light this year. Perhaps we can purchase a few oranges, hard candy or some English walnuts for the youngsters, and my wife is doing some sewing. A tractor or car will have to wait for another time.
At least I can go to bed at night knowing my family is warm and fed. The animals are well fed and comfortable too.
Winter is a necessary season for nature. It also gives us time to take stock of who and where we are. With our faith in God, I know this family and this farm will succeed. Next year will be better!
Farming is my passion!
Retired school principal Don McKinley grew up on a farm in southwest Iowa. In writing this series, he gratefully acknowledges the assistance of his daughter Connie Palmer. Don has created a museum of 1930s-vintage farm collectibles at his home in Quincy, Illinois. Contact him at 1336 Boy Scout Rd., Quincy, IL 62305; email: deerroad@adams.net. Visit his Facebook page at 1930s Ag Museum.
At the Crossroads
In 1923, farm decisions were impacted by technological change.
A century ago, the farmer lived and worked with horse-powered equipment on steel wheels. He often considered how far farming had advanced since his father started farming at a young age. His father could carry on his back the equipment necessary to prepare ground, plant and harvest. By the 1920s, horses and horse-drawn equipment – and even early tractors – provided farm power.
More could be done in less time, and that allowed for more leisure time. In those days, businesses were closed on Sundays. Only illness kept the family away from church. If at all possible, church suppers and picnics were attended. The whole community usually came together for 4th of July celebrations. School plays and sporting events were popular events. Friday and Saturday evenings at summer “town team” baseball games provided yet another chance to socialize and catch up on local gossip.
The party-line telephone saved so much time in helping to communicate. Even regular trips to town with cream and eggs gave an excuse to connect with others. The family car left home only on necessary trips.
In the 1920s, the average farmer was much better off than his father had been in the same work, but he also had his eye on the development of the gas-powered tractor. He wondered if he should begin budgeting for one. During World War l, farmers were encouraged to greatly increase production. They did – but over-production meant they couldn’t sell their products at a profit! What if the banks close and there is an economic depression? Some in the county are thinking of quitting farming. Should he try to buy the 80 acres to the north?
God will give another four seasons, so get busy!
– Don McKinley
