The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-03-09
AT A HUsKINi MATCH.

SO
AT AHUsKING MATCH.
Amos c. Briuton Tells of One When He
Was n Boy.
Seeing friend Albert Thatcher's &C.
count OF husking match In Brandy
wine hundred, at place where the
land was poor and the corh crop not
very hoavy, and showing the difference
of q crop of corn on poor land and q
crop on rich land, thought OF giving
a little OF my experience Of corn
.husking and huskinR matches, when
/ was boy, about 1884, in the south
west end Of birmingham township.
Del. Co.. Pa.
worked as bound boy for man
by the name of Harper. on a farm
owned by John Twaddle OF Philadel-
phia. Part Of the old homestead of the
Twaddle farm consisted OF about
eighty acres. mostly very poor land.
and the crops were light, although 1t
took about as much work to till the
land as 1t did rich land.
| In moving the erase In harvest. the
hay OF each swath was very light. and
to make q winrow, which WAS raE ed
together with hand rakes whilo some
OF the large and rich farm lands. three
swaths made larger winrow than the
twelve ewaths on the farm where l
worked.
Tie cutting OF the wheat and oats
was light also and my boss and my
self patiently worked from sunrise
I'LL dark nine months In the year. He
attended the Wilmington market with
butter and such things as were cultl-
waited or grew wild on the farm. We
had plenty Of walnuts and chicken
grapes, which he took to market in
the Fall, and the abundance of fox
grapes which ripened In the late Sum.
IDer. He took corn bushel basket
full to Wilmington market and he
could neither sell them or give them
away. SO lie dumped them out on the
Concord turnpike ct the bottom OF
the Blue Ball hill; two bushels went
to waste on the viuos or were gather
ed by any one that pleased to come
and get them and tho same way with
the chicken grapes.
Now l come to the corn crop, which
the old man and my elf had tended go
carefully through the spring and sum
mer.
/ When frost came then IL was cut and
put in shocks ready to lie husked.
Later when we com menced to hrss
out the few small ears. or nubbins. as
they We're called, which took us much
oi moro work 10 busk u small ear OF
corn -Ihan it did to husk large. siZed
one. wo would husk most of the day
and get a very small cart load. which
We hauled to the house, and il was my
task to carry IL by the bushoi up two
pairs of stars into the loft or garrett
of the house to dry and be ready to
shell to take to the mill TO be ground
into mem for tho family of four--the
man. his wife und daughter. young
Iw oman. and myself, the bound boy.
Tie daughter helped the mother
some, but as a general thing she did
mot Lurt herself with work. although
she did generally nuke the mush for
supper. BY the way, let me here say
that as sure as the sun went down a
pot of mush was made for supper or
Ihreaktast. Every day in the year,
winter or summer.
In winter time | went to school
come two miles through the snow,
many times eight or ten inches deep.
SO kept the heat OF my body by eX-
Hertion and the mush ard milk that l
ate for my supper, and the cold Tush
and warm milk that l ate for my
breakfast
The family had good coffee and so 1
might i have had IL but | preferred
tie much and scalded milk poured
over IL. and 1t makes re hungry at
this time to think OF the good warm
milk l had tor breakfast. Another
little instance which arises ia my
mind; as mentioned oil the daughter
sNN ,.sIr .nt, 81, IL
in bed In the morning and let her
mother get the breakfast
1t being my business to feed the
pigs and bring tho corn in bucket
from tho garnet in tho morning, on
one occasion The mother halloed to
eas / came down the garrett stai rs
TO go una pull Susan out OF bed. /
supposed she meunt what sine said,
and at any rate when / got to the foot
OF the steps | put down the bucket
and opened the young lady's door.
But think she heard her mother call
Ing to me to pull her out OF he'd, for
she was holding very tight to the bed
quits. / had my arms around Ia r. and
had her standing on the floor In very
lehort time. Size was tall and stronger
than | was and perhaps could have
given me u good tussle, but size was
IN a dress that the did not cars to go
iuto much Of fight | got out OF her
way as soon as possible and let her
ldrees ut leisure.
| When got down In the kitchen, her
In other WAS surprised that / would
pull her pet daua liter ont of bed that
way. But | told the mother that ]
expected she meant what she said.
They were pious BAPTIST people and
remained with them Two years. uuttl
] went to my trade as a millwright 5
apprentice IN lS"6.
but | stOrted to tel! about corn
husking matches. While at IlarpeIs
WE mad very good neighbors that had
lbelouged to the father or grandfather
of the present. Judge Butler OF Ches
ter county.
But ns the Buffers had not attended
to their farm. but had let IL go dowr
Into poyertA. and on the most OF thu
meadows grew brisrs. so that 1t wal
know as Buffers bottom or Wilder
mess. and was the home of foxes. pole
leafs. oppossums, Ininks muskrHts
weasels. rabbits. woodoecks. pleas
ANTS, paTtridges. frogs terapins
enappers aud you could sixty years age
find most any kind of game Que
would wish TO 20 cunning for In fall
and winter.
] hhoub LILO Cstt lOOts LIE ,
/ WiliiaIn Martin, n very estinable ole
gentleInnn, who owned fine farm
over on The He'd Clay Creek near Mt
Cuba had u family of boys that were
b credit TO themselves and to The
county in which they lived aud IA
tim Inns rolled on, the father and
many sons have passed on, to the re
ward that awaits the diligent ant
honest men. The coming OF the Mar
tins and settling oil the old Butler
wilderness along the Brandywiue Ger
tainly WAS benefit to Birmingham
township. Delaware county, 2enna
although some OF the old fogy farm
efs predicted that they would starvt
to death oil the poor land, aud bt
scared 10 death by the ghosts OF tn,
soldiers OF the banks of Brandy wine
iiut time proved differently. Instead
OF starving before three years ba,
rolled by, the old wilderness was
llourishinR iarm.
Our estimabie ex Sheriff, james Mar
TN. did much woIk to polish up tht
litids anu drain the meadows until liz
. Uecame old enough to buy his Owl
!, arm adjoining that OF his fathers
over on the Red lay Creek
One fall, | think 1885. David being
hurried with farm work. and being 1
. little behind with his corn husking
, one afternoon hs sent around tile
) neighborhooo to invite them to a corn
husking match in the evening. Per
lhhps sone fifteen men and boys start.