CHAPTER V.

PREPARATION FOR FARMING.

The log-rollings of sixty-five years ago were terrific. The standing timber in the Boone bottom was so dense that a tree cut in the midst could not fall to the ground for lodging in another; so, chopping was begun near an opening.

These open spaces were marshy bottom plots, and the air was black with swarms of mosquitos. It was necessary to keep immense smudges in active operation about the logging area, and the workers decorated their hats with burning punk-sticks as miners wear their lamps.

The helpers came from miles around to assist in log-rollings. Trees were felled and trimmed; the logs dragged together by ox-teams, and the rolling and piling was finished by the men with handspikes. The log-pile then was burned to clear the land for crops.

A part of the underbrush and trimmings was burned about the stumps to deaden them and later they were grubbed out. This lavish waste of wood has always been a source of great regret to me. The sacrifice was wholly unnecessary, for fields of fertile prairie were lying near at hand. We imagined, however, that prairie land would be less productive than the clearings; and in addition to destroying fuel we wasted man-power.

The current understanding of a wood-chopping bee is that wood may be prepared for house use; but the real old-fashioned chopping-bee was the felling of trees, trimming off limbs and severing the cuts to be piled at the log-rollings and burned.

Rail-Mauling.

The word rail-splitting does not convey to the mind an adequate idea of the downright hard work necessary to

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prepare posts and rails. A more appropriately fitting word is rail-mauling, which represents an extreme degree of exertion when applied to splitting an oak, hard maple or hickory log.

Whatever the record of the champion rail-maker I think we would have been safe in matching Rube Bennett against him. Rube worked seven days in a week and took little part in any neighborhood recreation; but in a rail-mauling rivalry he was always on hand and an easy champion. Sunday usually was his most strenuous day. He would leave a hilarious crowd, shoulder his ax and maul and remark: "I've some hard butt-cuts to open up, and have to be 'fore-handed'."

The usual winter work day-daylight until dark-with reasonably easy-splitting wood, Rube mauled out one hundred rails for which he received the munificent sum of fifty cents per hundred.

Rube Bennett, Jake and Bill Funk and Mike McGonigal, all bachelors, made their home with our family for from one to three years. They made a specialty of rail mauling. Much of the material for rail-fences on farms near town was furnished by them.

Frakes Family Work.

The family of Patrick Frakes seemed to enjoy their every-day work in the woods regardless of the hard labor of rail-splitting. After meals, pap, with three or four of his boys would lead the procession to the timber. Several trees would be selected. Two choppers, one on either side, were assigned to each tree and there ensued a merry rivalry in falling them. When the trees were down the boys hopped upon the trunk as lively as crickets, and trimmed until the body was shorn of its limbs and the rail-cuts then were severed.

Pap removed his boots that he might stand more firmly upon the log. In his sock-feet, with ax in hands, he began operations on the bull-cut. When a small opening had

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been made in the end of the log a steel wedge was inserted and two boys struck it alternate licks with their mauls. As the split widened, two more choppers repeated the operation further along the section. Pap returned to the opening cleft, set in the glut-a short, thick wooden wedge-and the log soon was parted in half.

It was the habit of the Frakes family to work in the woods bareheaded and nearly always barehanded. Their fingers often became numb with cold and they were rubbed briskly with snow until the circulation was restored. The same drastic measures served for chilled feet.

The boys never tired of telling jokes on one another or what happened or might have happened; and, withal, they were an agreeable, happy and hospitable family.

In my mind's eye I behold Patrick Frakes in mature manhood. His shock of silvered hair was thrown well back from his weather-worn brow and his figure was erect, virile, unshrinking. Standing upon a fallen tree-trunk, with ax at rest, he seemed an incarnation of the Roman gladiator at the close of a victorious conflict. His unwavering look searched the soul of his comrades and his enquiring mind probed a subject for the cause of things. He accepted no ready-made opinions; conformed to no rules that his reason rejected; and he expressed his unfaltering faith in the beneficence and justice of Natural Law.

Fences.

When an old-time enclosure for stock was needed, a tree was felled in the desired direction. The next one was cut in the same line, far enough away for the branches of the second tree to overlap the first; and so on, making a circle, square or any shape preferred or most convenient. A creeping critter might escape through this obstruction of trunks and boughs but a breachy one could not.

The construction of a worm, or snake fence was begun by placing the first string of rails on the ground, zigzag; each turn representing a right angle. The tiers of rail ends

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and held the thin, flat ends of rails was a large saving of material, labor and ground space. We did not construct the stump fences which were common in the more densely wooded localities; and our black soil was not sprinkled with material for stone fences. Gates were unknown. The corner of a double rail-panel was thrown down and spread apart for passage into the field and a set of rail bars were used about the premises. Fence openings were not used except for teams or cattle. Anyone afoot crept through or climbed over.

A paling fence about the cabin yard was an indication of the pioneers' prosperity. Rived from logs, the palings were from four to six inches wide and eight or more feet high. They were placed in an upright position and fastened to a top and bottom rail-frame. Paling fences were not built to protect against invasion, but to confine the hunting bounds.

Cradling, Flailing Grain.

Our first crop was corn and potatoes. When we began to raise small grain the work of harvesting with a cradle was no light undertaking. The cradle followed the shape of an ordinary scythe. There was a rack of several fingers four inches apart with the same curve and length as the blade. The cradle-fingers were fastened to the snath at right angles, and they held the cut grain until it was deposited in a bunch by the cradler. This was a great improvement on the uneven swath left by the scythe.

An unskilled workman could cradle two acres of grain in a day. The seasoned operator, from sunup to sundown, could cut three acres.

The small quantity of grain was flailed on a clean piece of hard ground. A hand-pole with a short, heavy stick of wood fastened to the free end with a leathern hinge, was the flail which we used in pounding and loosening the grain from the hulls. The chaff was blown from the wheat on a windy day by pouring it from one receptacle to another.

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Ox Tramping.

Larger quantities of grain were tramped out by the oxen. The bundles were placed in a circle. One end of a rope was hitched to the head of the "nigh" ox, a loose loop in the other end was thrown over a stake in the center of the cleared space. One of the children was placed on the "off" ox and the team was kept moving; tramp, tramp, tramp; round, and round, and round again. This winding-up process was continued until the rider was about to fall from his perch with dizziness when the course was reversed. The oxen then were headed in the other direction and the unwinding was done. The heavy straw was removed after the sheaves had been forked over and over by a pitcher, and well trodden by the oxen. The residue was scraped and swept together and the wind-fanning process removed the chaff.

There was no fanning-mill in use for several years. I believe the first one was made by Dave Sketchley. The fans were fashioned from basswood bark. The machine made the country circuit among the neighbors.

Well Digging.

No wells were dug for several years. Springs, creeks and sloughs furnished the water supply. Men seemed to have no disposition-or perhaps no thought-to lighten the wives' work; for water carrying always fell to the lot of women and children. Spring-water invariably had to be packed up hill and the slough supply was at least a quarter of a mile distant.

Very little effort would have been required to provide wells. The ground was so full of water that only a reservoir was needed. Our first well was but six or eight feet deep, and much greater in circumference than depth. The water always was level with the ground surface, or very near the top. A slab was thrown across it on which we executed innumerable feats of agileness in dipping the water and facing about on the puncheon to return with our

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load. That the hogs, or dogs, or young'ns were not drowned ought to prove that fate takes care of its own.

The well from which my family still uses water, and which is declared to be the best in town by hundreds who have drunk it, was dug by my husband with my assistance. The surface-dirt was thrown out to a depth above his head. The earth and shale then were filled into alternating buckets. While I hauled one of them up, hand over hand, and emptied it the other was being filled.

The well is about sixteen feet deep, and six feet of it was drilled and picked from the solid rock. The walling was done with stones which were let down in a bucket. They were laid without mortar and without a scaffold or windlass to support the worker. The work was accomplished by straddling-a foot on either side-and changing his position around and upward as the wall progressed.

A rope snubbed around a tree, with a foot-loop at the free end was paid out by me as Tom descended to work. When ready to come out of the well, the rope was securely fastened to the tree and he came up hand over hand with feet against the well-wall.

A wooden curb and windlass were provided after some delay. One of our periodical annoyances was the breaking of the rope, which contingency precipitated the pail into the well; as we possessed but one bucket it had to be fished out with hook or rake before any more water could be drawn.

A generation passed before well-sweeps and the double action pulleys with the "old oaken bucket" came into use.

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Chapter 7