The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-04-17
FIFTY YEARS IN IOWA.

D. c. Mott, formerly Of What Cheer
and we'll known in Oskaloosa, has an
interesting article in his Marengo
Republican, entitled Fifty Years in
Iowa. Among other "reminiscences
Mr.. Mott says; .........N.....
( The breaking of the prairie sod
was partly done with OK teams. Three
yoke of oxen would be hitched TO
big 20-inch break pillow. 1t took one
man to handle the pillow and another
TO drive the oxen. The pillow shear
and the rolling cutter were kept
sharp as knives and the broad fur
row of sod fell gracefully over at the
SLOW and steady motion of the lazy
oxen. Some of the breaking was
done with a smaller plow drawn by
three or four horses. The next sea-
son after the ground was broken it
was mostly put into wheat, and after
that into corn or oats. Corn was
PLANTED with a hand planter known
as the spade planter, or with the
plunge one hand planter. The, ground
had to be marked out both ways for
lplanting. For marking a kind OF low
Isled was made, having three runners,
each runner making a mark for a
row. Narrowing was done with an
old fashioned A harrow. The hore-
lplanter did not arrive for several
years later. Cultivation was with a
single shovel one-horse cultivator.
The two-horse cultivator carrying
four shovels and blowing on both
sides OF the row at once marked
great improvement The average
yield was less than now, although the
ground averaged better. But the Sc
Election Of seed, preparation of the
ground and cultivation had not reach
ed nearly so high a condition as now.
Harvesting of the small grain was
a laborious affair then. Only for
little time was the cradle used, then
came the Manly reaper. Four horses
were hitched to it. One man drove
them and he drove them hard while
they were going. Another man stood
on the platform strapped TO post
and raked the lunches of grain off
with hand rake and they were then
bound by other men following the ma
chine. This raking off the machine
was hard enough job TO soon kill an
ordinary man, especially in heavy
Igrain. Then in few years came the
lself-dropper reaper. 1t dropped the
grain in bunch right behind the sick
lie bar, leaving II the full width of the
swath. OF course II had to be bound
up and thrown over out of the way
before the machine came round again
hence the piece OF grain was divided
loff into stations, one man binding a
Istation. The fellow who let the ma
Chine catch him before he got his
lstation bound up was made fun of, so
the younger and more foolish the boy
lwho was keeping up his station"
the harder he worked to keep from
being caught" II took four or five
men to keep up with machine like
this and about eight acres were har-
vested thus in day. Farmers had to
Exchange work TO get the help TO run
a machine. With the mercury up
around the So and 100 marx, with the
bearder wheat dry enough and dead
lripe enough so an occasional band
would break, and dry enough so the
bunch OF grain would not drop in a
neat bunch, but would be topsy turyy,
and with your fingers worn TO the
lquick and your wrists sore with many
days binding, and you will realize
why some farmer boys began to con-
clnde thy didn't like to farm anyway.
But with fine weather and a gentle
breeze and the grain just ripe enough
and not too ripe and the punches
dropping neatly, and before your
hands got sore. binding was fun.
wonder how many boys now, even