The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-07-19
The Farm and the Farmer
BY William r. sanborn

Having had all the rain the law
provides, or nature calls for at this
season, let US hope that we shall now
have enough continuously dry wealth
er to enable the threshers to complete
their work
We called up Mr.. Farmer on Tues
day Mrs Farmer answered the
phone 'Is Mr.. Farmer in the house,
We asked? Not now. in fact he has
gone up town." said she. "You see
we can't do any threshing today, be-
cause of the heavy rain last night.
And just think of it! We had big
threshing crew here on Monday. 1t
was very hot and busy day, and do
you know when they quit last night,
we still had five loads to go through
the machine Well, anyway, the ma
chine is still here and they will thresh
out these five loads before moving on
to the next job. Still, | am sorry they
didn't get through while about it"
The farm wives who feed the
hungry threshers crews often do more
and harder work than their husbands
do 1t is one of the tasks that many
of them dread, particularly on sizzling
hot days, which are made still more
unbearable by the kitchen ranges. The
neighbor women understand all about
this, and as there are threshing
rings" so do the women have rings"
to provide the dinners. In such in
stances the ladies are inclined to
make it a picnic occasion and to do
a little visiting after the tons of dishes
and glasses are washed.
Later on Tom and Bill come in from
work and Mary and Martha bids the
hostess good bye and flivver home
with their husbands; the women to
serve the evening meal and the men
to do up the chores. Other men who
came with teams and wagons start
with their tired horses for the home
farm close by intent on good supper
and dreamless night of well-earned
rest. Surely these harvest days of eff
fort and fruition hold many compensa-
tions.
Will Thresh Later On
A. V. Mcclure. elevatorman at Ell
dorado, says that despite delay be-
cause of rains fully half the threshing
to be done from the fields has already
been cleaned up He says that pos6i-
bly, half the farmers in his district are
in the habit of doing "barn-threshing
at any time which best suits them Ia
ter on, which cuts down the work and
output of wheat, Immediately follow
| ing the harvest The heavy rain OF
Monday night effectually shut down
| the threshers for two or three days
this being true over a wide scope oi
country.
Peach Growers Alarmed
| Reports from Petersburg, Indiana
tell of the largest crop of Elberta
| peaches ever grown in Pike county
This is cheerful news indeed but sup
pose the railroad strike prevents ship
ment; what then?
| This is the question fruit growers
are anxiously asking. The Lemmons
orchard, just north of Petersburg, is
but one of many 1t is planning tc
/ ship $500 bushels, and these will be
gin to ripen next week. Because o.
the strike it is reported that no buy
ers have made prices on the crop anC
the situation is becoming critical, a:
the crop is so perishible and must bt
marketed within a few days of thu
first ripening Pike county peacl
| trees are all 06dNlIS lduS1 Will Il ui'
and the prosperity of many small
growers depends on getting their frui
to market, when ready, and withou
delay. Many small peach orchard
have been planted in the country il
recent years, so that the total crop il
a banner peach year is surprisingl,
large.
If train service is cut off, the grow
ers will endeavor to market as mucl
fruit as possible in cities to be reachet
by motor trucks. which is the bes
they hope to do. 1t is hoped, however
that this will not be necessary.
Melon Shippers Worried
"The cantaloupe and watermelo,
growers of the Seymour district ar
greatly concerned" says the Indiar
apolis News, "over reports that tn
Baltimore and Ohio railroad has plac
ed an embargo on melon shipment
in some parts of the state. 1t Wi
be a week or ten days before man
cantaloupes are shipped from thi