Ref: Town and Country Newspapers Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - July 30, 1904 FARMING IN YE OLDEN TIMES On the old barn-floor on a rainy day, a half a dozen of farmer boys, swing from mourn till night the thrashing flail. How they did sweat, if the same was brought on by the hard toil or by the frequent indulgence of that good old fashioned "Snops," we let the reader decide, but the event was a good pastime, and stories were exchanged and the questions of the day discussed, as well as the other fellow's failures. The husking bee was another of the happy events. In those good old days, they had good old ways, and quite a different way was resorted to in order to get the beautiful yellow corn into the corn crib. When the corn was fit to cure the top was cut off below the ear and both tied up in bundles, which were stood together in shocks to cure; then came the husking bee, from fifty to one hundred persons taking possession of a corn field on an Indian summer day in October, when the falling leaves indicated the near approach of cooler weather. Several teams were on hand on which the corn was loaded as fast as the huskers were able to husk, and the corn acreage of an entire farm was nearly always husked in a single day and night. Some farmers, however, broke off the ears and hauled them upon the barn floor, where all sat around the pyramid of corn, swiftly husking along; when suddenly some young man found a red ear of corn, which entitled him to kiss the girl of his choice, which was prerogative of which the finder was always anxious to take advantage. In those olden times kissing was one of the fads of the day. Oh! How the sweet girls used to smuggle the red ears into the other fellow's basket until each of the young men had a chance to kiss one or either all of the girls. Sometimes the tables were turned and the girls played the roll of finder and osculated upon the cheek of the best sport to their estimation. Occasionally a bashful girl was found among the number, who strenously opposed the public kissing, which always resulted in uproarious applause by the other huskers and a final victory for the finder of the red ear. After this period the barn-floor husking matches became unfashionable and the husking bees were held on moonlight evenings in the open fields. A number of corn shocks, for instance a score of them were carried together, and the same ethics prevailed, and the red ear played just as prominent a part. When the evening drew to a close, the party, or at least the maidens and their lassies, enjoyed various outdoor games, such as were customary to that day, and in the mean time the married sisters and their mothers busied themselves in the kitchen, getting the old fashioned dinner plates out of the still more antiquated corner cupboard. The pies and cakes were carried from the springhouse, which stood in the adjoining meadow, and with slices of good dried beef, lemonade, and some other delicacies, the happy group of huskers sat down to the most enjoyable midnight meal. To-day the corn husking match is numbered with the past in most parts of the Pennsylvania German settlements and the public osculation is no more, except now and then, when lovers do meet and help each other to husk a shock in partnership. Another feature which often occurred at those husking bees, was the old fashioned barn-floor dance, and as soon as the corn was all husked, the barn-floor was quickly cleared, and "Joe" the fiddler, who had already rosined his primitive fiddle stick a fortnight before, perched himself on a large store box in one corner of the barn-floor, and how he made that fiddle stick fly from one end to the other, and how those fair maidens did dance, and how they swung their partners around upon that old plank floor. Such dances have not been seen in this section within the last thirty years. They have made history, and the young men and women of to-day do not know what the old country dance is, or really was, they have only a slight idea and this can be seen, when they try to imitate their grandmothers at a country hotel. They were merry husking bees, with the farewell waltz at midnight. It takes those gray old veterans who are still with us, back to their boyhood days, and nothing else enables them to recall such pleasant memories. Such has been, in part, the life of the average farmer in "Ye Olden Times," and as varied as his experience was, intermingled with joy and happiness, they had at least one pleasure, which not all enjoy to-day, which seemed to be a common rule among them, and that was the liberty to enjoy good health, due to their frugal living and their outdoor exercise during the entire year. But those days are all numbered among the past, and we, the younger generations, could not revive them, even if we wished to, as farm laborers are too scarce, although quite a number of women have for the last two years been seen in the fields at work, helping to make the hay, cut the grain and load the sheaves of wheat and rye, as did their grand-mothers sixty years ago, but too many have forsaken the farm and are now clerking in the large department stores in our larger cities; others have learned a profession, and still others have learned to be hard workers in the various large industrial plants, where they get better wages than do their brothers, who weary themselves with their master's day-book, journal and ledger accounts. This marvelous change brought on the universal demand for improved farming machinery, which necessitated improved methods of farming, and the farmer has awakened to the demand and organizations are formed everywhere for his common welfare, and to-day the ideal man behind the plow is a lover of nature. He is a thinking man, as well as a planning encyclopedia, and all the successful undertakings have been in their beginning carefully thought over and well planned by our up-to-date progressive farmers of the Twentieth Century. The venerable farmers of the old school, who laid the foundation stone for their children and grand-children, can now retire and look into the sphere of farming life with the assurity of satisfaction; they can see that the wheel of progression on the farm is turning out to be a wheel of fortune, and that the pilot must be, as of old, a practical commonsense farmer, a man full of grit and determination, and, as of old, the successful farmer must be a sociable man, for sociability has a brightening effect upon the farmer's life. Those old timers seldom brooded over the ills of their lives. There is no occupation that has not now and then some discouraging features, and while the farmers of the present time, as well as those of a century ago, were not exempt, yet the health that comes to the tiller of the soil, can be taken as so much wealth, as he it is, who breathes the pure air, sweetened by the dews from heaven, uncontaminated by the sulphur, smoke and dirt of city and town. To him alone, is the privilege granted of making the home attractive; the surroundings of his farmhosue, beautiful with evergreens and flowers, which at this age must be done to keep apace with the numerous attractions and allurements of the city, and nature has provided material for every farmer to make his home the dearest, the grandest the most endearing and attractive spot on earth. And all this within the last fifty years, and now that the farmer enjoys the rural telegraph and telephone; the steam and electric roads; the good mail facilities and the hundreds of improved farming implements, the farmer makes more profit than did his forefathers. If at the end of the year, he has just as large a credit balance is a question, as he enjoys more of the luxuries of life. He spends more for educational purposes, his home is supplied with better and more literature. The forefather's only medium of news was a weekly German paper, where his grandson now enjoys the city daily, the leading weeklies of his neighborhood, the best monthlies, and his library is filled with the best books, if however, this is taken in consideration, the farmer of to-day, is living with just as much profit sharing results, but while not hoarding it to his bosom, he rather wishes to make use of it and enjoy the blessed fruits he has sown during the long sunny days of his youthful life of toil on his farm. It is needless to reiterate that the young farmers of the twentieth century live in a happier and brighter mood, and do the work in a similar jolly manner as in "Ye Good Old Days" and their farming life has become a joy in reality, and not a drudgery, and the old long hours of toil, which secured but few of the comforts, are now gone and almost forgotten.