Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-11
OLD-TIME FARMERS.
A Time When EvegY AgrieuIturist
Had His Own Spin dle, Loom. MIL.
aud Was His Own Tailor and
Butcher
Boston Journal.

Fifty years ago and more the farmers
were simply farmers and nothing more.
They raised nearly all the supplies for
their own tables and largely for their
clothing, which was manufactured from
the raw materials in their homes.
Wheat was much more generally grown
then than now, but not in sufficient
quantities to furnish bread for the house
hold. Flour was rarely bought by the
barrel, and barley, rye and Indian corn
were extensively used. In those earlier
days flour bread was, with large num-
bers of families, dignified with the name
of "cake," and considered a luxury
for use on extra occasions, when COM
pany was entertained. A story is
still told in one of our old Bucking-
ham county towns which illustrates
this fact. A high-tored gentleman,
known as the esquire" called at farm
house one day on some business. and
whom he had finished his errand and had
remounted at the door, the good house.
wife, wishing to impress the Squire
with the dignity and thrift of her family,
said to him: esquire, won't you stop
and have some flour bread and butter2'
thinking it now too late for him to ac-
cept her invitation. To her chagrin, the
doughty Squire replied: Thank you,
marin, don't care if do, " and prompt
lv dismounted and entered the house.
The poor woman could only explain that,
to her surprise, she found the flour bread
all out. and offered him the best she had,
some Indian hammock. When boy the
writer had often seen in the house of a
neighbor a string of these bannocks.
eight or ten in number, set upon tins
in front of the fire In the broad
fireplace, there being room then left
in the corner for him to sit and look
straight up the chimney into the blue
heavens. There was very little market
for farm produce in those DAYS, except
in the lsrger towns long journeys had
to be made, mostly to such as were
known. as 'seaports"-as there were no
interior towns of sufficient population to
be centres of much trade. Every farmer
kept flock of sheep, and wool consti-
tuted large proportion of the clothing.
1t was caTded, spun and woven at home.
and made into garments for both sexes.
The best clothes for the men and bows
were made of what was called "fulled
cloth" This was made at home Of the
finest material, and taken TO the mills
known as ''fulling mills, where it was
put through a process of thickening. dve-
ing and finishing, The women used to
wear gowns Of cloth which was called
pressed wooden. This was simply
homemade flannel, taken to the mills
above named and pressed, so as to pre-
sent glossy surface.
Every farmer had small patch of
flax. This was pulled and spread out in
rows on the ground, "rotted" and then
''broken" and "swingled," and was thus
prepared for the combing, carding and
the little Wheel" as the machine was
called on which the fax was spun, to
distinguish it from the larger machine
for spinning wool. 1t was woven into
cloth for table covers, toweling, sheeting
and shlrting. The tow" which was
the coarse portion cOmbed out on the
"hetchel, " was spun into a coarse yarn.
of which q cloth was made for summer
suits for men and boys. The tow shirt.
so commonly worn, was, when new, an
instrument OF torture to the wearer, as it
was full of prickling spiues left from the
woody part of the stalk.