Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-22
"sPR,No WORK" in IRON AGE,


Along about this time of year when
you and were boys people In the
country began to get ready for spring
work. BY this time the harness was all
CREASED, the stovewood sawed and
piled. Ever saw logs into stove lengths
with a cross cut? Then you can't
imagine how interminable the Job Of
cutting three-foot long log into six
teen-inch lengths is. The high piles Of
stovewood ranked on the outside and
running to pyramid point at the apex
towering over the Uttered chipyard
represented lot Of labor between
the trees in the acre timber lot father
bought at the sale the ball before and
the Egyptian imitation back Of the
woodhouse. The stalks had been
broken by this time. Ever break stalks
with team and long pole some
fortunate and envied farmers had a
railroad rail for the purpose mys-
teriously acquired and suspected OF
having been taken from the right o
way in the dead of night-ever break
stalks of frosty morning, rake them
together afterwards with a bull rake
and burn them at night? Along about
this time Of year the blacksmith got
the fourteen-inch ploughs for repairs
and drawing" of mold boards
Activity began to be acute along about
this time. Folks tried to plant earlier
than they do now. Why, sometimes
they sowed wheat in February.
Spring work was very much differ
ent In those days. One good team was
enough to pillow. The youthful plow-
man started on a forty-acre field with
walking pillow that had originally
been fourteen-inch "moleboard" and
distinct orders not to "cut and cover,
to 'tplow out his corners and keep
the team a going" And he went round
and round that field slicing off a slim
dark ribbon of Gland" that seemed to
grow wider as his leg WEAKNESS i'll.
creased. Some few and scattered
gang" or "ridin' plows we're making
their appearance. but these We're
looked upon as resorted to only by the
lazy and effeminate The plowman Of
that early day walked in the furrow
with bare feet or sb )es full Of li!'t and
rubbed pair of cramping calves at
night and In the morning.
EuJ uIdS6lH ONCI opilhS pio" III
was the climax of spring work in that
olden and halcyon time. Behind An Cd
A drag such as this generation has
never beheld, and need never long for
acquaintance with. the unfortunate
and devoted youth started to make
that forty ready for corn. The drag
cut about nine feet and his orders
were stringent to Flap half" Into the
loosened soil his feet plunged half way
to the ankles. Long before 6 o'clock
those feet felt like fifty-pound weights
at the end Of tow string. But he
toiled on round and round Tapping
half in the morning and immorally
and defiantly cutting the whole width
Of the implement as WEAKNESS grew
and desperation rose at sight Of the
wide strip of undragged blowing that
awaited him. And 80 he went on to
corn planting when the seat on the
corn planter as driver or dropper gave
leg WEAKNESS surcease and the sense
Of relief that the blowing and most Of
the dragging had been accomplished.
Nowadays men ride. They ride stir
ring plows. They ride drags or trail
along behind on carts rugged for trans
portation purposes. They ride corn
cultivators. They take the hay from
the field by means of contraptions
which call for no foot upon the ground.
Plows have no sting and drags no
victory. 1t Is whispered that some
even cushion the seats of corn plows.
But in that iron age when you and |
were young and lived on the farm
such would have been outcasts held
niddering and degenerate.