IMH 74:4 p330

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

Wednesday October 13th

Father and Alvin were at work all day at the stable and got the main frame nearly or quite completed. Bill Hand and his Illinois
cousin made clap-boards down by the creek in the woods, where Pap and Nathe Whitson28 sawed a good while ago. I went
over across the creek and fixed at the road into the woods. This took till noon after which I hitched to the wagon and three loads
of wood down and put them a little outside the gate into the road. Dob Whitson came with Wat's wagon and borrowed the
breaking plow just at night. Weather; some frost this morning clear and cool all day.

Teaching Notes: Plowing was very hard work. The breaking plow was pulled behind a horse or an oxen. An oxen is
actually stronger, but it usually took two people to plow...one to guide the  ox and the other to guide the plow. I have plowed with
an oxen and acquired two things---a deep appreciation for the 19th century farmer and a pair of leg cramps in the evening. Ask your
students if they have ever simply walked across a plowed field and then imagine walking while holding reins over your shoulder
and while guiding a plow that weighs around 100 pounds or more. The "sulky" plow--something that could be ridden, came into popular use
when farmers were prosperous enough to have two or three large draft horses. The Amish still utilize the sulky plow. They can plow
about three acres a day. Farmers today do not plow very much relying on "minimum tillage" which  also conserves the soil. However,
a medium sized tractor ( 70-90 hp) can plow about 3-4 acres in an hour. Planting season can cause farmers today to become quiet
hurried, agitated and anxious. On one occasion however, I visited with an Amish farmer who was plowing with  his two beautiful
Belgium horses. He just pulled up at the end of the field, dropped the reins and visited in a most casual and friendly manner. I attribute
that to the nature of the man..and the Amish way of life... but also to the fact that stopping was often necessary to rest the horses.
In this hustle bustle life we can learn much from the Amish man and his horse. We increase the amount of classroom time and decrease
the recesses...go figure.

The crop planted in the fall was generally wheat...winter wheat and it needed to be planted  in October.

The average day for the first frost in couth central Indiana is the 10th of October. As you will see, the fall that started off normal
became quickly "below normal." The winter of 1880-81 was one of the worst on record. It completely decimated the great
cattle herds of Montana. Read sections of  Willa Cather's My Antonia to the students pertaining to the loneliness of harsh winter.
In fact, encourage your students  to read anything by Willa Cather to grasp a better understanding of rural America and the
character of the farm family...my favorite is Oh, Pioneers, which is also available in  a video format.