EARLY FARMING ACTIVITIES

At this time, we milked cows by hand, morning and night, using a kerosene lantern for light. Milk had to be carried to the house to be “separated.” The cream separator was in the pantry room of our home. This machine had to be turned the correct speed to separate the cream from the milk. Then the skimmed milk had to be carried out to the hog house where it was mixed with ground corn and oats to feed to the hogs. The cream was sold in Lennox. Washing the separator was not my favorite indoor sport. The “plates” had to be washed separately and kept in proper order. In summer, I did this chore outside.

Feeding the hogs.

Sometime during those early years Grandpa Plucker did fix up the barn a bit. Nothing fancy, but we were satisfied. Later a new hog house was build and later still, a new garage.



   

Fixing the barn.

 Laundry in the early days was OK as long as the Briggs and Stratton motor would start to power the wringer washer. We had an older building near the house for this chore, called a “wash house.” There was some kind of heat, I suppose a kerosene heater to heat water for the washer and heat the room. Clothes were hung outside and finished drying in the house in winter.

Stacking the bales.

Plowing the snow.

 

My husband was an ambitious farmer; he acquired new machinery – some second hand and a lot of it new. We had hogs, milk cows and stock cattle. And – let us not forget the chickens. Every spring we ordered 1000 baby chicks from a hatchery. For several years I sold eggs to the local grocery store and a nursing home in Sioux Falls. Lots of time was spent cleaning and grading the eggs so the customers would be happy.

Chickens in the brooder house

An opportunity came along to purchase a big electric egg cooler. It would hold eight cases of eggs. I wonder how many people found spoiled eggs during the time before we had the cooler. To make things easier we also had a milking machine and bulk milk cooler which helped to do the chores more efficiently.





 

Farming more acres seemed no problem to Eddie; he managed to get bigger and better equipment. After the boys were through high school we sold the milk cows. What a relief! No more twice-a-day milking. No more cleaning the barn, washing the milking machine and cleaning the milk house. The milk check was nice, but perhaps the egg check would buy the groceries and clothes. (I’m always looking for a bargain!)




A Grain Combine

 

 Cutting oat silage.

 

1984 Auction Sale.