The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-27
LIFE A HUNDRED
YEARS AGO
(N0oresville EnterpriSe.)

t.. / ne IiL IpioC ~ OfSO -
...., j. taken from the history Of
I,lp.an county by Rev. Jethro Rum
80, y ID. 1t will be very Interesting
r.,ifng to the eaders Of The Enter
,r,-.. 10 know how the farmer lived
ilnn hundred years go. Every thing
mat Or. Rumpie writes in this arti-
cL. am a witness to. AS late as SIX
t,-Uve wears ago all he narrates was
actually in operation exactly as he
states II.
n those days the farmers life was
car more independent and self-sus-
t,jning than at present. With the ex-
c.ntion o. a few articles, such as iron,
silt 4 little sugar and coffee or chOc-
n!2ra pepper and spices, the farm.
fine flocks and herds yielded all that
was consumed at the homes of our
n.2pIe. The table was loaded with
home productions.
The operations Of the farm were
carried on with rude and simple i'm
Elements and in a primitive way. The
market for grain and flour vas sew
erai hundred miles distant and the ex-
ppnse of transportation was too great
r. Justify the raising of more than
was needed on the farms. The rich
new grounds and bottom lands with
their virgin soil brought forth a bOun-
tifai crop with little abo and left a
large margin Of time for fishing n
hunting. There was always a Slack
season between the la ying-by' of the
crops and fo~dder-pulling time. That
was the time to hunt squirrels and the
crack of the rifle might be heard
around the corn field on all sides. And
then the fishing expeditions were or
gained to some fayorite pond or
stretch of the river where with long
circiing seine the jumping trout and
blushiHg Sea-hOrSe were captured.
The farmers boys knew where the
sweetest Wild grapes grew or the
most tempting m~uScadineS grew or
where the thinnest shelied scaly barks
or latest hickory nuts or the plump
est and ~juciest black hawks were to be
found and visited them accordingly.
Those same farmers boys also knew
the nav trees, perSlmmOn trees n
grape vines in all the country round
that were likely to be frequented by
the fat opossums in the later fall and
they had their 'possu1n dogs in good
training by the time the first hard
frost ipened the persimmons and
opOssum himself and his flesh fit for
eating. But before that time came
around eve the slack season" had
some work to be done. No circulating
machine or separator was then to be
found TO clean UP the wheat and oats
OF a farm in a single day. Instead Of
that the farmer built his double log
barn with a threshing or tramping
floor between the stables. The wheat
and oats We're hauled ron the har-
vest field and packed on the stable
lofts and on the loft over the barn
1ioor. This floor was usually twenty
1lEe or thirty feet square and vas Shut
III on both sides with huge folding
doors. When the tramping time came
a floor Of wheat was thrown down,
the bundles were tied and laid in a
circle around the center Of the floor.
The folding doors were thrown open
and several pair of horses put in to
Walk around and around upon the
wheat until it was separated from the
straw and chaff. the attendants in the
meantime turning over the straw as
required. At first the wheat was win
moved with a sheet or coverlet tied
up By two corners and briskly wung
by two men while one slowly poured
down the mixed wheat and chaff
BUt wheat fans were soon introduced
and their ~clatter Gould be heard a
great distance doing up the work neat
~ and rapidly.
The oats being more easily crushed
by the hard hoofs and the sctraW be-
by the hard hoofs and the straw be
herses. were usually threshed ont
WI pidHkS. the bundle belnS KEEP
entire no matter it the grain was not
entirely taken out the horses would
get it in their feed.
Later in the fall was the time fol
pulling and shocking the corn. A
huge heap long or crescent shaped
containing thirty, fifty Or a undreC
loads of corn in the shucks were
plled up in the barn yard. On
gwen day a boy was sent out to ask
hands to come to the shocking on {
night appointed. Fifty hands per.
haps might come just at dark. A
rail Woui ne placed in the middle
and the hands divided by two cap
ain who threw up "creso an pile
1or first choice Of hands. Then came
the race, the shouting. the hurrah
ing, and singing Of coo songs If any
negroes were present and generally {
bottle of brandy was circulated sew