Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-09-26
Old Times.

Ed. Register-t have often in my
young days heard the remark, "Once
a man, twice a child" How often
have thought of that old saying in the
past few weeks; for have felt very
childish of late, and how often [ have
scanned the horison: for felt it vas
almost the time of the year I should
see the wild pigeons, or those large
floeks of wild geese making their way
southwark as of old. How well
remember when child at our old New
England home, what immense fiocks
of pigeons would pass over head for
hours and hours. l remember one
year, while helping mother about the
housework and pairing and slicing ap-
piles to dry-for drying apples was part
of the year-I remember at breakfast
one morning my father said to me, II
want you while you are paring apples
to keep your eyes open and watch for
fying.". Our house stood on plateau
at the foot OF the mountains, overlook
| ing the Connecticut River Valley. We
could see for miles across and up and
down the the Valley-nothing to OBJ
struct the view for miles. AS [ sat
pairing apples that fore noon saw, way
to the north, a black speck ag gainst the
| sky; | watch ed 1t as it came on to wards
7 . q
alone going south, as fast as its wings
would carry it. It was soon out of
sight again. Soon I saw, way to the
north, another black spot, coming. In
minute or two, three pigeons past noe.
At dinner [ told father hal seen two
f1ocks of pigeons; one in the first flock
and three in the last flock. He said,
"boys, We will go after dinner and make
a pigeon tent, for by tomorrow they
will be flying fast.' When dinner
was over we took our hoes and shovels,
iron bars and axes, and went to the
field on tile west side of the farm, called
the Parsons field, The field had been
thrown up at some early period by the
action of the ocean waves. The field
was sand; by digging down in the sand
we would find sea shells and strata of
sediment, where the waves had wash
ell it up. When the ocean receded it
left this field higher than the surround
ing land. On three sides was swamp
with tall pines growing. On the other
side low, sandy land, covered with a
dense growth of small white pines.
Every year the pigeons would build
lEtheir nests and hatch their yp,l,lgg'in
THOSE ;rines. .avrhfeen TIE young were
large enough to fly, they would disap-
pear until the fallseason came on when
they would return in immense fiocks.
| Then was the farmers time of sport
| for a few weeks catching those pigeons
in nets. Every year my father would
make net on the highest point in this
field, We spread the net on the ground
when we wanted the birds. This net
is made square, about twenty or TWEEN.
ty-five feet each side. We make a
mark all around the net; then clean If
everything like brick yard; make
the ground smooth and solid by pound
ing, walking over it until the bed is
smooth and solid. After the bed is
finished, we dig row of holes on each
side of the bed about ten or twelve
feet apart, in these holes We set small
trees with all the limbs left on that are
large enough to hold up . pigeon. All
the small twigs and leaves are taken
off below. These trees are set up In
these holes on each side of the bed aud
made solid and fast so they will not
fall under heavy weight. Long slim