Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-03-01
AN old time farm
And the Methods That Were In
Use In the Year 1910.

OSC Ill I CoA bSfSs
DAYS OF THE SIMPLE LIFE.
When All Kinds of Clothing Were Made
at Home, When Eggs Sold For a
Shilling a Dozen and the High Cost
Of Living Was Not Big Problem.
In view of the modern day high cost
of living and of the many wonderful
advances made in the last century-the
railroad, telegraph, the ocean cable, the
telephone the automobile and farm
and labor saving machinery Of all
kinds and the amazing changes these
inventions have necessarily wrought in
all directions in almost every. walk of
life-it may be of interest to recall liv-
ing conditions on farm in the year
1910
The farm have in mind consisted Of
200 acres The stock was fifteen cows,
a yoke of oxen, twenty sheep. an old
white horse. dozen pigs. fifty hens,
ten geese, few ducks aud flock Of
turkeys
The farm produced practically every
thing the family consumed, both cloth
ing and food. The sheep furnished the
wool, which was carded at "fulling"
mill and made into rolls for spinning.
At home it was spun into yarn and
woven on hand loom. For beds 1t
was left white; for clothing it was
dyed any color desired. A competent
housewife could make dyes of !ogwood,
indigo or cochineal The white and
black Wool were mixed to produce s
gray like the Confederate uniform.
There were no ready made clothes;
all clothes were made in the home
There was no woven underwear Stock
ings We're knitted at home as we'll as
mittens and tippets. Caps with ear
laps We're of rabbit skin There We're
no shoes In the winter boots came up
to the knees.
Several cows We're killed each year.
There was tannery near by where
the skins We're tanned. A shoemaker
made our boots. They We're usually
too small and gave much trouble and
pain
The flax. cut and laid down until the
fiber loosened from the woody part,
was put through heckle worked by
hand and then spun and woven. This
strong linen cloth was used for sum.
mer clothing, towels, etc. The seed
was saved to make fiaxseed tea Ga med
icine) or poutice for bruises.
For food we had everything needed
fresh meat, potatoes, beets, cabbaSes
parsnips pumpkins for pies, apples
which lasted from fall to spring, cider
which gave us vinegar or produced 8
cider champagne.
Half d dozen pigs killed in the fal
gave us plenty of ham and bacon. lard
sausages and salt pork The hams ant
bacon We're hung up in the smokehouse
small building with no opening eA
cept the door A small fire produces
more smoke than heat. but gave TIL
hams and bacon Il very delicious flavor
There were plenty of chickens TO
roasting and potpies and eggs, turkey
for Thanksgiving and Christmas, occa
sionally a roast goose with apple sauce
From the cows milk we made bot
butter and cheese. What butter an,
cheese the family did not consume wa
sold in nearby village. Butter usual
ly brought 1919 cents IA pound. Chees
was also made at home, as there wer
neither creamcres nor cheese factC
Wiz. ot r IN, n
pound All eggs not used went to tn
village store and brought 10 cents to
cents Il dozen.
Every farmer made his own soap.
was called soft soap 1t was soft, bu
very strong, and took the dirt off you
hands and face very thoroughly an
some skin also unless you We're Garrett
in your additions.
Little was heard of the world {
large. Twenty miles from the railroa
the great four horse stagecoach cam
every day, bringing the mails. Thei
were few newspapers OF magazine
The telegraph was unknown. The A
lantic cable did not succeed until 1856
There were only twenty three miles
railroad in 1890
All The wonderful agencies whic
have added 10 the power of man in IL
last century viii not be lost, but wi
be added to constantly The man
problems of the modern day high co
of living can only be solved by tin
and the efforts of our greatest minds.
Warner Miller in New York Times.
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