ALLADIN'S LAMP

In my memory, it seems that, all through my youth and "growing up" years, life on our farm, was a long series of "Trial and Error" events.

This all started with the low grade farm land Pa inherited. Not only was the soil quality, generally, not good; it had, as well, a drainage problem. This, of course, led to low production -- low in quantity as well as quality. This meant a constant struggle to produce a living for the life of our household family of eight. It seemed that we had to count every penny, at least twice, just to make ends meet.

Because our farm was, as most every other farm in our area, a "mixed farm", we were allowed many alternative ways to produce supplementary revenue. My recollection of the first venture to make a bit extra, was the time that my Papa became the local agent for the Alladin Mantel Lamp Co. Pa became quite excited about this new product that brightened the night life of many rural folks and sort of turned their night into day. The competition, then, was the Coleman Lamp, but, since the Alladin produced a quieter, safer light, it outsold the Coleman by quite a margin. The big plus over the ordinary oil lamp, was an increased brightness.

Well, the market was limited, since things made in those days were made to last, to the initial sales. After the market was more or less satisfied, all that was left was a small market for maintenance parts, such as Mantels, glass chimneys, wicks and generators. It was not many years later that the growth of technology gave rise to the introduction of Ontario Hydro. Soon every farm and rural home caught on and got hooked into this new source of light and power.

Thus ended the Alladin Venture.

A CHICK, CHICK HERE AND A CHICK, CHICK THERE

So, at this point, we easily gave in to the Hatchery industry, returned the incubator to the owner and bought ready-made baby chicks by the dozens from a local hatchery.

We eventually found that the poultry business, to be profitable, had to be a large operation. Eggs, at that time, ungraded, brought only fifteen to twenty cents a dozen. We could not make a fast buck this way. One had to "scratch" a great lot to find any extra money here. You guessed it, another error, following a good trial. Our flock naturally reduced to a few free-range chickens, some geese protected by their gander, and one or two guinea-fowl.

All of the time that we were trying to fly with the poultry business, Pa was trying to build up his dairy herd. The object was to have a herd of cows that would produce the maximum amount of milk per cow, which, in turn, would lead to more pounds of butter. Butter was bringing as much as thirty to forty cents a pound at the farmers' market.

TRAGEDY IN THE DAIRY HERD

At this time, our dairy herd consisted of about a dozen milking cows, some calves, and a bull (Billy). All of our cows were distinguishable by name. There were Jersey, Ginger, Applesauce, White Stockings, Mae, June, etc. All of these cows were, shall we say, "No Name variety", that is not pedigreed. Then, one day, Pa heard about a highly pedigreed Holstein cow, a good milk producer, at a stock fair. The price was right, so he made the purchase and brought her home to join the herd. Her name was Jullip decol Pausch, Jullip for short. She was a fine cow and turned out to be indeed a great milk producer. Pa was very excited and proud of his purchase. Then a tragedy happened.

In the course of time, Jullip became a memory and a legend and things went on, but not quite as usual, down on our farm.

A STRAWBERRY VENTURE

We never gave up in our quest to balance our budget and make things easier.

Pa read an ad in an American Farm journal telling about a large fruit, high-yield, sweet-tasting strawberry to be gotten from plants that were available by mail order. After due consideration, this seemed like a good idea. We forthwith sent a money order for several thousand plants of this so-called "Kellog's Beauty Strawberry".

Having done this, we had to decide where to plant our investment. It required about an acre of land, well-drained, fertile and in a sunny location. Well, in due time, the plants arrived in good condition. The job of hand planting was a tedious, exacting procedure, requiring generous watering of each row right after. Now we have but to wait, hoe, cultivate and pray, to insure a good return from our investment. In the winter, the bed received a generous covering of straw from our straw-stack, to protect the plants from the hazards of winter as well as to provide a suitable mulch for the spring and summer.

We had a good picking of berries the first year after planting, as well as a supply of new plants from the runners to make new beds for the following years. We also had a surplus which we were able to sell locally. However, the next year turned out to be a year of drought in our area, during the critical fruit-bearing months of June and July. Well, we worked with Nature again and beat the drought, by hauling large amounts of water in a large, metal, open tank mounted on a stone-boat, from a nearby stream. From this tank we hand-watered each row, plant by plant.

So much for a strawberry venture. It was sweet while it lasted.

THERE IS GOLD IN THAT GRAVEL

 As has already been narrated, most of the farmers in our area operated what is called "mixed farming" -- producing a little of this and a little of that. At our place, on our ninety-six acres, we usually kept a small herd of cows and a bull (Billy). In order to keep them milking, we had to keep them reproducing. Therefore, we always had some heifer calves as well as steers coming along. The heifers would be added to our herd and the steers would be fattened and sold for beef. We also kept several brood sows and their family of piglets, which would be, eventually, fattened to supply the pork market. Domestic fowl were the means for a fast cash input, however small, either from their daily output of eggs, from the hens and fresh poultry meat from the roosters. In order to feed our livestock, it was necessary to use the most of the farm for feed and cash crops of wheat, oats, barley and corn. We always had hoe-crops like potatoes, turnips, beans and mandle-beets.

In spite of our organic farming methods of returning all manures and straws to the soil, we knew from experience that our farm soil could never give any more than a sustainable yield. So it was, we were always searching for other means of revenue. One thing we did have on our place, on a few acres at the front, was GRAVEL.

All country roads required gravel for their continuing maintenance. The winters and spring thawing and necessary wagon traffic made this repair and maintenance necessary. Farmers were expected to share in this maintenance and give so many hours and their team and wagon for hauling gravel. So, every year in late spring, when most of the spring work was finished, Pa and my brother Earl, each with a sturdy shovel and the wagon fitted with the "gravel box", would set out for the nearby gravel-pit to do their share of road maintenance.