The Dickinson press., 1917-03-31
AN OLD TIME farm
And the Methods That Were In
Use In the Year 1910.
DAYS OF THE SIMPLE LIFE.

When All Kinds Of Clothing Were Made
at Home, When Eggs Sold For a
Shilling Dozen and the High Cost
Of Living Was Not a 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
md labor saving machinery Of all
kinds and the amazing changes these
inventions have necessarily wrought In
al directions in almost every walk Of
afe-it may be of interest to recall liv
ing conditions on a farm in the year
aB4O.
The farm have in mind consisted of
100 acres. The stock was fifteen cows,
4 yoke Of oxen, twenty sheep, an old
white horse, a dozen pigs, fifty hens,
zen geese, q few ducks and q flock Of
turkeys.
The farm produced practically every
thing the family consumed, both CLOTH
ing and food. The sheep furnished the
Oill and made into rolls for spinning.
At home it was spun into yarn and
woven on a hand loom. For beds it
was left white; for clothing it was
dyed any color desired. A competent
housewife could make dyes of logwood,
indigo or cochineal. The white and
black wool were mixed to produce a
fho fo1o +o
There were no ready made clothes;
all clothes were made in the home.
There was no woven underwear. Stock
tngs were knitted at home as well as
mittens and tippets. Caps with ear
laps were Of rabbit skin. There were
40 shoes. In the winter boots came up
to the knees.
Several cows were killed each year.
There was tannery near by, where
the skins were tanned. A shoemaker
made our boots. They were usually
too small and gave much trouble and
pain.
The flax, cut and laid down until the
aber loosened from the woody part,
was put through a 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 f1axseed tea "a med
icine) or poultice for bruises.
For food we had everything needed
fresh meat, potatoes, beets, cabbages.
parsnips, pumpkins for pies, apples.
which lasted from fall to spring; cider.
which gave us vinegar or produced
cider champagne.
Half dozen pigs killed in the fall
gave US plenty Of ham and bacon, lard.
sausages and salt pork. The hams and
bacon We're hung up in the smokehouse.
a small building with no opening ex-
more smoke than heat, but gave the
hams and bacon a very delicious flavor.
There were plenty Of chickens for
roasting and potpies and eggs, turkeys
for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Occa-
slonally roast goose with apple sauce.
From the cows milk we made both
butter and cheese. What butter and
cheese the family did not consume was
sold in nearby village. Butter usual
ly brought 121a cents pound Cheese
was also made at home, as there were
neither creameries nor cheese facto-
ries. Cheese was sold at to cents
pound. All eggs not used went to the
village store and brought 10 cents to IL
cents dozen.
Every farmer made his own soap. It
was called soft soap. 1t was soft, but
very strong, and took the dirt off your
hands and face very thoroughly and
some skin also unless you We're careful
in your ablutions.
Little was heard Of the world at
large. Twenty miles from the railroad
the great four horse stagecoach came
every day, bringing the mails. There
were few newspapers or magazines.
The telegraph was unknown. The At
lantic cable did not succeed until 1866.
There We're only twenty-three miles Of
railroad in 1890
All the wonderful agencies which
have added to the power of man in the
last century will not be lost, but will
be added to constantly. The many
problems Of the modern day high cost
OF living can only be solved by time
and the efforts of our greatest minds
Warner Miller in New York Times.