The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-02-22
OId-Time Farmers.

Fifty years ago and more the farmers were
simply farmers and nothing else. They de-
pended almost wholly on the products of
their farms for their living. They raised
nearly all the supplies for their own tables,
and largely for their clothing, which was
manufactured from the raw material in
their own homes Wheat was much more
generally grown then than now. but not in
sufficient quantities to furnish bread for the
household. Flour was rarely bought by the
barrel, and barley. rye and Indian corn
were extensively used. la those earlier
numbers Of families, dignified with
the name of cake" and
considered a luxury for use on extra occa-
sions, when company was entertained. A
story is still told in one of our old Rocking
ham County towns, which illustrates this
fact. A high-tOned gentleman, known as
the Squire" called at farmhouse one day
on some business and when he had finished
his GRAND, and had remounted at the door,
the good housewife, wishing to impress the
Squire with the dignity and thrift of her
family, said to him. Squire, won't you stop
and have some of -four bread and butter?'
thinking it now too late for him to accept
FER invitation. To. her chagrin, the
doughty Squire replied: Thank You, marin,
L don't care if L do" and promptly dis
mounted and entered the house. The poor
woman COulU Only eAplai0 tildb 10 ucT sur
prise she found the -four bread all out, and
offered him the best she had, some Indian
hammock. When q boy the writer has often
seen in the house of neighbor a string of
these bannocks. eight ten in number,
set up on tins in front of the fire
in the broad fireplace, there being
room left them in one corner for him to sit
ana look straight up the chimney into the
| blue heavens. There was a very little
market for farm produce in those days, ex-
cept in the larger towns, and long journeys
had to be made, mostly to such as were
known as 'seaports'-as there were no in
terror towns of sufficient population to be
centers of much trade. Every farmer kept
flock of sheep, and wool constituted a
large proportion of the clothing of the fam
/ lily. 1t was carded, spun and woven at
home, and made into garments for both
sexes The best clothes for the men and
boys 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, dyeing and finishing.
which were called pressed woollen." This
was simply homemade flannel, taken to the
| mills above named, and pressed so as TO
present glossy face.
Every farmer had a 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 flax
was spun, to distinguish it from the larger
machine for spinning wool. 1t was woven
into cloth for table covers, toweling sheet
ing and shirting The tow" which was the
coarse portion combed out on the ''hetchel
was spun into a coarse yarn, of which 9
cloth was made for summer suits for the
-
monty worn, was, when new, an instrument
of torture to the wearer, as it was full o.
prickling spines left from the woody part o
! the stalk.
The tailor of the old days, with his goose
!, travelling from house to house, to make al
, the clothes for the men and boys. or to Gu
and fit them for the gossiping ''tailoress' Il
complete, is not known to the present gen
, Grafton. The old-fashioned shoemaker, VIII,
, used to peraui bnlate the country round witt
his kit, taking the families in turn at thei
homes and working till the whole house
> hold was shod, is almost forgotten. That
4 however, was a common thing in the oldel
: days. The writer calls to mind an anecdot
= of one of these ancient cOrdwainers who wa
q noted for his wit and the geDiality of hi
! disp 5sitiOn as for the excellent quality c
his work. He used to make the shoe
> for all the leading families of the town
= and his visits were occasions of muc
fun and jollity on the PAL
of the youngsters Of the households. One
: these families had black woman in thei
service as a slave, and when her turn cam
the young people thought they would hay
= some fun at the shOemaker's expense. whe
: he should come to measure the 'long heel.
! Phillis was called in and all the boys weT
! there to see the sport, but the willy old col
bier was equal to the occasion He ordere
the poor darkey to thrust her footinto a tut
= She obeyed only after stern command an
: a stamp of his foot, when he told her sh
might go. He then measured her wet trac
a on the floor, and cheated the jolly younl
" sfers ont of their finn