This locality has been over-blessed with moisture, which is both
good and bad lots of pasture, but the ‘quick’ grass is
giving some corn fields a rough race. Haying is hampered, grain
looks good. My boss back in ’34 at Stacy, Minnesota, said
he’d rather have it too dry than too wet — and, I’ll
admit, at times I think he was right. You can cultivate, put up
hay, raise emergency crops if need be. In a few words, you could
plan your work and work your plan.
Speaking of hot weather I recall some early day ads stating as
how a tractor could work thru the heat and wouldn’t run away if
you hit a bees’ nest mowing hay (but, as for my dad, he
wouldn’t be sold on a tractor nohow). When we got the tame hay
put up and the grain stacked, we really hit for the ‘bees’.
Dad owned some 20 acres three miles to the north of our home which
had a creek running thru and boasted sompin’ like 8 acres
meadow hay, too boggy to even think of using horses. Us boys looked
forward to the ‘picnic’ dinners but the rest of the day
spelled work. We cut that hay with ‘Armstrong Mowers’
(scythes) cocked it up, carried it together on two poles to make
about 8 or 9 round stacks of hay on the high ground, then in the
winter hauled it home on sleds.
This meadow was litterly contaminated with bumble bees and
hornets we called them ‘yellow-jackets’ and
‘black-jackets’. You rarely knew of the nests till you
jabbed it with the scythe, then it was take to the timber
lickety-cut and swinging your hat in hopes to keep the bees from
stinging your head. A hilarious sight, but not a bit funny when it
was the ‘first person’ involved. After somehow snatching
the hay away from the nests it seemed by the next day or soon after
the crows or skunks made a feast of those pugnacious insects, honey
and all!
A guy returned from his vacation, complained of the continuous
rainy weather, was told ‘couldn’t been so bad – look at the
tan you got’ ‘tan nothing!’ retorted the vacationer,
‘that’s rust!’
When Ray Lockman got his last ALBUM he finally diagnosed his
case when he read in there the symptoms ‘his get up and go –
got up and went’ could fit any of us over ’39’. By the
way, Gordon, Wisconsin, is celebrating its 100th anniversary and
going all out. Men with beards, women in long dresses, a stockade
and Ray will see to it there’ll be steam, too!
Archie Stevens from Millville, Minn., stayed over here enroute
on a business trip. He was booking engagements at County Pairs with
his model steamer and thresher. He hauls the models with him and
had booked about a dozen fairs so far that’s making a good fair
better, Archie! We run some ‘old-tractor’ movies and talked
steam. His show ‘The Peaceful Valley Reunion’ will be
October 1 and 2. It’s not the biggest – doesn’t boast the
best – but sompin’ different than the rest! Lots of steam in
action and old tractors, including the illusive Townsend!
Seems late in fall comes the annual Teachers’ Institute,
too. Tommy (8 years) came home, rushed in the door and said,
‘Mommy, no school next two days, the teachers are going on an
‘innocent toot”
We swung over to Pine City, Minn., a short time ago. This was
about the first spring Joe Pangerl didn’t saw any logs after
some 40 years sawing and threshing and sticking close to steam for
power. He keeps busy hammering and working on mill saws; has a deal
on to move a house with his 28 hp Minneapolis Engine No.8052 and
he’s just the boy that can do it. Stopped in to see some of
Karl Marquardt’s collection of gas engines and old tractors.
He’s always got a big smile when he talks about ‘Old
Iron’. He must a adopted that term when he got his 45 Mogul
NO.X1678. I was told the flywheel weighs as much as a Fordson
tractor, and I’ll wager if either one fell on your toes you
couldn’t tell the difference. I kinda like that term ‘Old
Iron’ it’s a far cry from scrap and yet very inclusive.
A woman was fishing with her husband. She sez ‘Dear, have
you got another cork ? – this one keeps sinking!’
‘What you know, George?’ ‘I know it takes a big dog
to weigh a ton!’
A few years ago I made a deal with James Sylling of Spring
Grove, Minn., whereby I traded a 20′ Case hand feed thresher
for a 6′ Deering grain binder which is still good. Last year my
father-in-law and his neighbor bought an 8′ P.T.O. binder so he
gave me his old 6′ McCormick grain binder (for helping him
thresh) that’s been in the family since new in 1901 and in very
good repair. So I tells Alice with all these tractors we can now
pull 2 binders at once. The problem is not which tractor to use but
how to make up the hitch you see, one is a right-hand binder and
the other a left. Maybe I can get Gilman Soberg to help me on that
— he’s a binder man (at least pro tem). That leads me to
further question . . . I’ve seen several left hand plows and I
have a side rake (Dain) that rakes hay to the right . . . but has
anybody ever known of a mower with a left-hand cutting bar to match
such a rake?
Saw Joe Larson at a farm auction, (I was there to bid on a gas
engine), sez to him ‘You had an old gas engine didn’t
you?’ ‘Yes, you bet I did and I made good use of it when I
built the porch on the house I dumped it in for fill!’ Egad!
Now there’s a challenge about as tough as the A.T. engine on
the mountain!!!
Everybody is talking vacations seems a prim, dignified school
teacher’s swanky roadster broke down in the Ozarks. Stopping at
a farmhouse she was invited to ‘set up’ for supper. Nothing
was served but dry cornbread and salt pork. Being thirsty enough
before – she asked politely for a glass of milk. ‘Sorry, Miss,
but we ain’t had no milk round here since our dog died,’
replied the mountaineer. ‘Since your DOG died’ gasped the
horrified guest, ‘what’s that got to do with it?’
‘Well who do you reckon ‘ud fetch the cow up now,’ was
the aggrieved reply.
George Christian gave me his copy of ‘The Steam
Automobile’ Vol.2 No.3 and now there’s an up and coming
angle on steam that may well interest the largest number of people
those who drive cars, that is patience, persistence and proof may
still put a steam car on the roads. For simplicity, silence, speed
and service are all virtues of steam power. I well recall my first
steam-car ride (belonging to Clifford Larson, Deer Park,
Wisconsin). He just turned on a valve and you seemed to just float
along! ‘The Steam Automobile’ is published quarterly by and
for The Steam Automobile Club of America, Inc., A. W. Landry,
Editor, 12 Greenwood Road, Yonkers2, New York.
… Anybody can count the number of seeds in an apple but nobody
can count the number of apples in a seed! – GIL
