A Typical Day During Threshing Time For Farm Men, Women and Children

Transcription

1 A Typical Day During Threshing Time For Farm Men, Women and Children The following descriptions of A Typical Family Farm During Threshing Time, A Typical Monday During Threshing Time For Women and A Typical Monday During Threshing Time For Men has been researched and written by the Education Department at the Saskatoon Western Development Museum. Related Classroom Activities: 1. Drama: Divide your class into groups of 3-4. Have each group mime the activities described in each 1 hour time period. 2. Visual Art: Have the students make a mural showing the activities of one of the time periods. 3. Visual Art: Draw a series of pictures to go with the text of the schedule. 4. Language Arts: List all the work that had to be done in a column and then list the work that needs to done on the farm today. Compare. 5. Language Arts: Have the students keep a journal of a day in their life and compare their schedule to the four children in the story. 6. Language Arts: Have students write their version imagining that they are the child in the story, and tell what they were doing and thinking in 1 hour time period. 7. Language Art: Have the students write a story about the family in which something good or bad happens which changes the schedule. How does the family react to the situation? How do they resolve the situation with a happy ending?

2 A Typical Family Farm During Threshing Time... Our family consists of a father, a mother, and four children. There are two boys (14 yrs. and 6 yrs.) and two girls (11 yrs. and 9 yrs.). The two girls alternate going to school so that Mother always has good help on the farm. They become one of the women when helping at home. The youngest boy goes to school each day, but the fourteen year old boy stays home and is part of the threshing crew. The family owns six quarter sections of land. They also own the tractor, threshing machine (separator), three bundle racks, and a team of horses for each rack. The family has five milking cows, two steers, ten pigs, fifty chickens, eight geese, and a few turkeys. The number of men and women involved in threshing is dependent on the number of quarter sections the farm owns. On this farm, the family receives help from their neighbour. The neighbour brings his two eldest sons, three bundle racks, and teams of horses for each of the racks. Also, Father hires five men for the threshing crew. When the work is done, Father and his oldest will go over to the neighbour s farm and help thresh their fields. In good weather, it takes about two days to thresh a quarter section. Not every threshing day is the same length. The threshing crew decides how long the day will be based on certain criteria: 1) The crew threshes during daylight hours, but the men also thresh if the night sky is clear and the moon is full 2) If there are only a few racks left, the men finish threshing these racks before quitting for the day. 3) If the sky shows signs of rain, the men stay in the field longer, trying to get as much grain threshed as possible before the rain comes.

3 A Typical Monday During Threshing Time... For Women 4:00 A.M. 5:00 A.M. The women wake up about 4:30 A.M. and get dressed. Mother starts the fire and prepares breakfast. She makes a large pot of coffee. The girls fetch water from the well for cooking, and for the men to wash their hands and faces. The girls set out the wash basin and towels for the men. The two girls and their little brother milk the cows with their father and put the milk through the cream separator. Then the girls and their little brother feed the animals. 5:00 A.M 6:00 A.M. Mother prepares breakfast for the threshing crew. She serves foods like fried potatoes, sausage, bacon, toast, porridge, eggs, and homemade bread and jam. Breakfast on the table for the threshing crew by 6:00 A.M. 6:00 A.M. 7:00 A.M. After the men eat and leave for the fields, the girls and their mother clear the table and wash the dishes. Then the women eat their breakfast. When the dishes are done, the girls take the cows to pasture. It s wash day, so they fetch more water from the well for the boiler on the stove. 7:00 A.M. 8:00 A.M. While Mother waits for the wash water to boil, she prepares the morning lunch. School is a privilege for the girls but Mother needs help so only one of them is allowed to walk to school with her little brother today. The other girl (11yrs.) stays home to feed the animals, gather eggs, chop wood, and do other outdoor chores. The girl helps her mother prepare the lunch and wash the family s clothes. The hired men will wash their own clothes on another day. 8:00 A.M. 9:00 A.M. The two women wash the clothes and pour the wash water on the garden so no water is wasted. They hang the laundry on the line to dry. Then they start cooking the meat and desserts for the noon meal.

4 9:00 A.M. 10:00 A.M. The women make coffee and lunch for the men. The girl hitches an old horse to the buggy and hauls the lunch out to the men about 9:30 A.M. The girl waits until all the men have had coffee and something to eat before she returns home. Meanwhile, Mother goes to the garden to gather vegetables for dinner. 10:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. The girl comes back around 10:30 A.M. and peels potatoes. She also carries in wood to keep the fire in the stove going. Mother washes the cups from the morning lunch. 11:00 A.M. - NOON NOON 1:00 P.M. The girl sets the table for the men who eat at NOON SHARP! She attempts to shoo the black flies out of the house. She puts food on the table and covers it with tea towels to keep the flies off. The women make tea and coffee to go with dinner. After all the meal preparations are done, the girl puts out the wash basin and towels for the men to wash their hands and faces. The two women serve the men their dinner and replenish the bowls as they are emptied. The two women eat after the men finish their dinner which consists of meat, vegetables, bread, and dessert. Then they wash the dishes before they do any more food preparations for the afternoon. The girl reads a book for a few minutes before continuing her chores. 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. Mother mixes up a cake from scratch to which is added a jar of Saskatoon berries. Also, Mother makes cookies for the afternoon threshing crew lunch. At the same time she makes another large pot of coffee for the afternoon lunch. 2:00 P.M 3:00 P.M. The girl fetches more water from the well. Mother gathers vegetables from the garden and starts cooking the roast for supper. Meanwhile, the girl goes into the field and serves the threshing crew coffee, sandwiches, cookies, and cake. There is a little coffee left, so the girl has some. The girl thinks it tastes so good to drink sweet coffee. 3:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. After all the men eat their lunch, the girl heads back to the house around 4:00 P.M. to help her mother with supper.

5 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. Then the girl goes to the pasture and brings the cows home. She walks two miles before she finds them and then two more miles to bring them home. She waters the cows and feeds animals, again. Her siblings get home from school and help her finish the outside chores. 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. The two girls and the youngest boy milk the cows and put the milk through the separator. They take the cream and milk to the ice house for storage until it is needed at home or sold in town. Then they gather eggs from the hen house. Meanwhile, Mother cooks supper and sweeps the floors. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. The girls shoo the black flies out of the house, again. They set up the table, then put the food out and cover it with tea towels, again. They place the wash basin and towels outside for the men, again. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. Finally, the threshing crew comes in from the field at 7:30 P.M. The women replenish bowls as the men eat a supper of meat, vegetables, and desserts. The women eat after the men have finished. Then they clear and wash the dishes. 8:00 P.M. 9:00 P.M. The girls clean up the kitchen which is messy from making the day s meals. Mother makes more pies and cakes for the next day. Then she brings in the laundry from the clothes line. She folds and puts away the clothes which do not need ironing. She leaves the clothes that need ironing for another day. 9:00 P.M. 10:00 P.M. Mother continues the food preparations such as baking bread and cakes. The girls go to bed around 10:00 P.M. so they can get up and do chores in the morning. 10:00 P.M. 11:00 P.M. Mother continues baking. 11:00 P.M. - MIDNIGHT Mother finishes the baking and cleans the kitchen. She goes to bed at midnight.

6 A Typical Monday During Threshing Time... For Men 4:00 A.M. 5:00 A.M. Father wakes up at 4:30 A.M. and gets dressed. He is the threshing engineer. A man who operates the separator wakes up and gets dressed too. These men begin to grease the machines and fill them with gas. 5:00 A.M. 6:00 A.M. The rest of the men wake up at 5:00 A.M. and get dressed. Before breakfast, the men allow the horses to roll on the ground. Then the drivers feed, water, brush, and curry comb the horses. The men harness the horses and hitch them to the bundle racks. The machine operators grab the belts from storage and prepare them for the day s work. Father, his youngest son, and his daughters go out to the barn to milk the cows. The girls put the milk through the cream separator. 6:00 A.M. 7:00 A.M. The men sit down for breakfast. They eat porridge, bacon, eggs, hash browns, bread and jam, and drink coffee always lots of coffee! After breakfast, the threshing crew makes final preparations and leaves the yard about 6:30 A.M. On the first day, the drivers with the horse-drawn bundle racks, and field pitcher, clear out an area near the grain bin for the threshing machine and tractor. 7:00 A.M. 8:00 A.M. The drivers go into the field to gather stooks. Meanwhile, the machine operators set up the separator so the feeder faces into the wind. This way the straw is blown out the back. The men check the concave of the separator. They add or delete teeth from the concave until it is set at the proper level. The men line up the tractor and put on the belts. The engineer checks the machines one more time and places the grain spout into the bin with the blower turned out. The drivers bring in the first loads of stooks. They position three racks on each side of the separator. They unload two racks at a time, pitching the stooks into the separator. 8:00 A.M. 9:00 A.M. The drivers bring the second load of stooks to the machines. After the initial load, the process is more regular. Each trip takes about one hour from the time they leave the machines to the time they unload and head out again.

7 9:00 A.M. 10:00 A.M. While the third load is coming in from the field, the daughters bring out lunch which includes sandwiches, cakes, and lots of coffee. The men drink some coffee and have a bite to eat but the work keeps going on. The drivers get something to eat and drink while the engineer and separator operator unload their stooks. 10:00 A.M. 11:00 A.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator. The machine operators watch the machines to make sure nothing goes wrong. If something does go wrong, the machines will have to be shut down immediately for inspection. 11:00 A.M. NOON NOON 1:00 P.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator. When there are two racks left to unload, the men head back to the house for dinner. Before the men eat, they feed and water the horses. The men wash the sweat and dust off their hands. Then they go in to eat a substantial meal of meat, potatoes, vegetables, bread, and dessert. Father lets the men rest and care for their horses until 1:00 P.M. Then they return to the field. 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. The machine operators finish unloading the last two racks before moving the machines to the next grain bin. They make some minor adjustments to the machines to accommodate any change in wind direction. The men refuel and grease the machines before the drivers arrive with their loads. 2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator. 3:00 P.M. 4:00 P.M. Around 3:30 P.M. the girls bring coffee, sandwiches, and cakes for the men. The men drink some coffee and have a bite to eat but the work keeps going. 4:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator.

8 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator. 6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. The men repeat the cycle of gathering stooks and putting them through the separator. 7:00 P.M. 8:00 P.M. About 7:00 P.M. father sees it is getting dark. The men begin to head for home. The drivers feed, water, unharness, brush, and curry comb the horses. The men wash off the dirt from their hands and faces. Around 7:30 P.M., they sit down and eat a substantial supper of meats, bread, and vegetables. 8:00 P.M. 9:00 P.M. After supper, the machine operators refuel, grease, and prepare the machines for tomorrow s work. The drivers check the horses. The hired men fall asleep in the bunk house, straw stack, or oat bin by 9:00 P.M. The neighbour goes home with his horses and sons but will be back in the morning. All the men will be awake at the same time tomorrow. 9:00 P.M. 10:00 P.M. The machine operators continue preparing the machine for tomorrow s work. 10:00 P.M. 11:00 P.M. The machine operators go to bed at 11:00 P.M.