Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - July 16, 1904 FARMING IN YE OLDEN TIMES During all this active participation on the farm more than half a century ago, there was also time for recreation. Getting out of bed at so early an hour, of course brought forth a voracious appetite and for this very reason an unusual meal was prepared, which to this day is known as the "Nine o'clock Repast." Not a meal of luxury spread upon an extension table, but a simple meal under the open air. During the entire haymaking and harvest season, every day that the farmers and their men had work on the fields, the women of the household served this meal, regularly, twice each day, at nine in the morning and at half past three o'clock in the afternoon. Precisely at those hours the maidens of the farm appeared in the fields and made their way to a large tree, in whose shade the clean white table linen was spread, and upon this was laid that good bread of "Ye Grandmother's Day," baked on the hearth of the old bake oven, one loaf being as large as half a dozen loaves of our modern bakers, butter fresh from the farm crock, which was kept in the cold spring-house nearby, tripe that had been preserved during the butchering season of the past winter, and that other well known Grandmother's product, so well known by the older generations of the Pennsylvania Germans as "Duetscher Balla Kase," whose presence was certainly always known, even if not seen, by the peculiar odor, but which was relished by the farm hands, as one of the delicacies, that was considered by them as appetizing as a canvas back duck by a conniosseur. All those products of "ye olden days" consisted of substantial food, but good dried beef and sausage, specially made during the winter months for this very meal, besides fresh radishes and onions pulled from the farm garden, intermingled with pies and cakes, hot coffee just pulled from the warm fire, with an abundance of honey fresh from the bee-hive behind the old summer kitchen, such constituted the bill of fare, and such a meal out in the open air was a relish indeed and the sight of it, would have made any dyspeptic quake for joy, and would have fed the tramp fraternity of upper Montgomery county for many a day. Those meals so refreshed the workingmen, that they could do their to perfection. This custom has practically gone into oblivion and the custom is only met with now and then, where the repast is found still in practical use, but still a few farms in Montgomery, Berks and Lehigh counties have farmers who spread such a meal out under the chestnut trees, while the farmers of the bordering counties have abandoned this extra luncheon hour. Luncheon hour over which was followed with more work until high noon, when that old fashioned dinner bell mounted on a twenty foot pole, or on the gable-end of the roof of that old fashioned country summer kitchen, a scene so familiar in every farm-yard during the Revolutionary period, tolled the dinner hour and brought the farm hands by its ringing sound from the distant fields to the farm house to find a much more substantial meal awaiting them, than the one they had enjoyed a few hours before. Here they found all the delicacies Grandmother was able to make with her pastry. Her cooking was not excelled. Ham and eggs, chicken, roast beef and veal were in abundance and as every farmer in those days was his own butcher, the meat diet was certainly worthy of mention. Fifty years ago a farmer would never have fostered the idea of going to the rear end of a butcher wagon, and buy the same meat he sold a fortnight previous to the same butcher. In those days the butcher was an unknown product in the country. Farmers used to kill hogs at different intervals during the year, those intended for market were slaughtered first and those for home consumption later, or as soon as the weather got cold enough and just before the school teacher came to board with the family. Calves and sheep were occasionally killed and quarters loaned to neighbors, to be returned in kind. We have been discussing appetite of many years ago, but what about the great thirst those mowers and cradlers had? Well, those whiskey and apple-jack experience, jolly incidents of bygone days, when the farmer bought a barrel or two of the beverages at six or ten cents per quart, which he rolled in his cellar. This was an annual custom and a boy was always employed to carry the beverages after the mowers, when at work during haymaking and harvest time. A peculiar shaped earthen jug was used in the early periods, and few are seen to-day, nearly all are numbered with the past, and with such a jug filled and a tin-pail filled with water, the boy trudged along, peeping now and then across his shoulder at his superiors, and when getting a chance, he himself sometimes tried to see how strong wonders this shining red substance would work with him, and whenever he reached the end of a field, or some nice shade tree was encountered, the squad of men took a few minutes rest and took the customary drink. During those times a gallon or two disappeared every day on the larger farms of the Perkiomen Valley, and it is useless to say, as many of the older people still know, that the apple-jack and whiskey, although so cheap, was of a much better quality, that what is now handed over the common country bar. If the men now and then go a little too much under the "jacket," as they used to say in those days, they would spent an hour under the old chestnut tree or on the barn floor, and that was the last you heard of it. Its effects brought no sea-sickness, like the cheap whiskey of to-day does, for the whiskey and apple-jack were good home made Pennsylvania German liquor, distilled from their own rye and apples. A few of those distillieries were in our midst in the earlier periods, but the majority of the distilling was done in Lehigh county along the Blue mountains, where to the present day in the vicinity of New Tripoli and Low Hill, distillieries are in active operation during the distilling seasons. Across the line in Berks county, in Albany township, we find another such distillery, which is in active operation. In olden times the beverages were tax free and the cost was inconsiderable, but to-day Uncle Sam wants royalty of $1.10 on every gallon of apple-jack, or apple-brandy, as some call it, while the best products sell at $2.75 per gallon. Apple-jack is getting to be a rare article, and only one out of half a dozen bars, have the same for sale, consequently, the few distillers find a ready market for their apple-jack. The older this old time beverage gets, the more valuable it becomes. At a recent sale of cordials, wines, etc., a lot of apple-jack sold at $70.00 per gallon and there was sharp bidding at that. Speaking of beverages brings us back to the Old Community Cider Press, of which not a single one is still standing in the communities reached by this publication. However a few of you can still remember that long upright wood screw, with a long wooden lever attached. The beds for the apple-juice were made of straw, and the horse was attached to the lever and the rich flowing cider, soon leaked out between the clean blades of rye straw. All this has been changed again by modern ideas, and to-day we have the hydraulic presses and the picturesque old community cider press of our good old days had to take a step to the rear. This proves to us that great progress has been made along agricultural lines in our very midst during the past thirty years, and to-day there are indeed few farmers in this vicinity who are not up-to-date and progressive. Many today do, and a few others, should conduct their affairs on the farm in a methodical and businesslike way. The majority of our farmers keep a close watch on the expense accounts, as well as on their income. The majority are subscribers to one or more newspapers. They read and note the improvements and new methods. Good book-keeping is as essential on the farm as in the store. Observation and experience have taught them that the farmer must be master of his vocation. The old notion that education drives men from the farm is nonsence, but what does take them away from the rural pursuits of life is the huming of machinery in our nearby towns and larger cities, where the boy or girl of sixteen years of age and if they are at all clever, will after a few weeks of initial work, be able to earn from $3.00 to $5.00 per week, weaving ribbon and silk patterns, twisting tobacco into cigars, making shirts and hosiery, and many other garments. We find that our factory inspectors have lots of trouble with employers who employ the youth of our day before they become of lawful age to labor at such work. How well would it be, if they could spent a year or two with a good housewife on the farm, and learn the art of cookery, before stepping into the busy world of toil. It would give to them an experience which would never be regretted, and no dyspeptics would be found among them, when old age would crawl upon them, and they would then look as hale and hearty as our old farm veterans who are still with us. However many of our boys and girls are urged to attend the public schools regularly. They are trained in youth that agriculture will be benefited by their education and their success on the farm will mainly depend on education. Our agricultural papers have instructed the farms that common sense and work are the only sure roads to success. Practice has taught them that hens will not lay, nor berry bushes bear for the farmers who do not give them their very best attention. N.B. Since writing this story, it came to the attention of the writer, that the "YEAKEL Reaper," to which a short paragraph was devoted in part first of "Farming in Ye Olden Times," was manufactured by the YEAKEL's, way back in the forties, but if the YEAKELs' were really the inventors, is a matter of doubt. Mr. Isaac Y. KRAUSS, who was for many years connected with a large machine shop, at Kraussdale, has called the attention of the writer to the fact that this machine or rather reaper, was patented by Obed HUSSEY, of Baltimore, Md., who happend to be one of the pioneer inventors of harvesting machinery. Mr. KRAUSS still well remembers the YEAKEL reaper, and saw the last one at their shop in 1880. He describes the reaper as clumsy, particularly so if compared with our present reapers. The frame was made of wood, three by six inches thick, the platform constructed of inch boards, while the other parts were in proportion. Two heavy coil springs, one at each side, were placed under the operators seat to relieve him of the fearful jar to which he was subjected. The driver was either obliged to walk or could ride on the near or saddle horse, as four horses were generally used. - Felix KENELM.