The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-07-08
Pioneer Life-NO. 1 3.
BY DAVIS MACKLEY.

Gle ScdTClLy ol UlOuty uuiihS 'h|
early settlement of the country. There
were no stores except at the county
seats. It was, from where we lived,
thirteen miles to Jackson, and twenty
six miles to Gallipoli< The pioneers
would go to these towns two or three
times a year, and do little trading.
They took the ginseng root, beeswax,
tallow, rags, feathers, coon skins,
dressed deer skins, called buck skins,
venison hams, and many other arti-
cles, and bartered them for such artl-
cles as were absolutely necessary.
Ginseng, called Sang" grew on
rich hill sides, the land generally
facing the north. It was dug during
the month of May Later than that
the root became spongy and light. 1t
took from three to four pounds of
green root to make one pound of dry
root. An experienced Sanger" could
dig from four to six pounds Of green
root in day; but two to three pounds
of green root was good average day S
work. tt brought from 37@ to SO
cents per pound, when washed very
clean and thoroughly dried. When
dried it was very hard The stalk was
from six to ten inches high, forked
into three branches, with five leaves
on each branch. In the fork came a
blossom, and then a small red berry.
It was sent to China in large quanti-
ties, as the people Of that country re-
garded it as possessing rare medical
| virtues.
Wild bees were plenty, and made
large quantities of honey in the hol-
low trees. 1t required some skill to
find bee tree A little trough, with
urine in it was set out in the woods,
and watched. Bees would come, and
when getting what they wanted Of the
bait, would rise almost perpendicularly
some fifteen to twenty feet, then go
in straight line to the bee tree. The
beehunter would start in that direc-
ton, looking carefully among the
tree tops, and if he could not see the
bees going in and out of some large
hollow limb, or top of the trunk of a
tree, he would remove his trough of
bait to one side, and again watch the
course taken by the bees. By a cor
rect calculation Of the angle, he could
come very near locating the tree. By
getting the tree between him and the
sun, he could see the bees going in
and out. When he had found the
tree, he would mark it with his ini-
tialS, and when it suited him to do so,
he would take his ak, and vessels to
hold the honey, cut down the rec, cut
into the part where the honey was to
be found, and carry it home. Often
several gallons of honey was obtained
| in a tree. The land all belonged to
the. Government, and was called Con
gress Land" The pioneers respected
| the claims of the finder Of bee tr-e.
In fact, | believe the law gave the
person who found wild bees, or who
reduced a wild animal to subsection,
as valid a title to the same. as it now
gives the man who has bees in hive
on his farm, or hogs in his pen.
The honey, after it was taken home,
was strained, and used in the family
not sold; but the wax was melted,
made into cakes and sold
The skins of raccoons were sold for
the fur on them. This fur was used
to make hats. The fur was only good
in the winter, as nature only furnished
this warm covering for the animal
| when it needed it-iii cold weather.
Raccoons killed in the summer, to
prevent them from destroying the
green corn, had no fur worth any
thing, and were not skinned; but in
the winter and spring the front side
Of the cabin was adorned with perhaps
half dozen coon skins, stretched to
their full size to dry. Sticks Of the
proper length-the full size Of the
skin, were sharpened at both ends, and
stuck into the edges Of the skin. A
good coon skin was worth from 25 to
81! cents.
There was very little paper used,
but what was used was made of linen
and cotton rags. The discovery that
paper could be made Of straw and
wood, was made recently. Rags bore
d good price, and were III demand.
Boys wore tow linen shirts, and it was
all the clothing they wore in summer
until they had grown nearly to man
hood, and boy ten to twelve years of
age never felt delicacy or shame to be
seen Sin his shirt tall IL company.
When the shirt had been worn until
it could be patched no longer, it was
washed clean and sold as rags.
All the pioneers kept geese, and
while they had warm feather beds and
pillows, they could sell a good many
feathers.
Among the necessaries bought at
the stores, was a supply Of family
medicines. There were few physicians
outside of the towns. Occasionally a
quack Indian Doctor came to the
surface; but the poor, ignorant pio-
neers were not half so easily hum
bugged as the enlightened (?) people
Of the present day (or rather nightO
and such crowds aS Gather ON n11r |