<\/p>\n
At the turn of the century in 1900 hundreds of so-called farm journals were published in the United States. I have seen many of them during the past twenty years.<\/p>\n
One such came to my attention only a few months ago. It was an issue of the New England Homestead, published February 17, 1900 in Springfield, Massachusetts. It seems that this paper published a separate issue of each New England state, and this particular issue, found in an old farm house in Albion, was marked “Maine edition”.<\/p>\n
Of course it had articles on farm topics pertinent to the times. Some of the titles were: “Burning lime on the farm”; “Hot water treatment for oats seed”; “February work with your bees”; “Curing hens of eating feathers”; “The maple sugar market” and one article a bit off the usual farm beat, “A city man’s garden”.<\/p>\n
The paper had a strong editorial supporting the right of trolley lines to carry freight. It said: “As electric lines increase throughout the rural districts, this method of freight transportation will be of immense help to the farmers.”<\/p>\n
Another editorial voiced the typical New England appeal for high tariffs. It said: “The proposed admission of tropical products free of duty would be a tremendous mistake. If the agricultural interests of the whole nation will only present a united front, the danger can still be averted.”<\/p>\n
A section was, of course, devoted to Maine farm news. Until I read one item in that section I never knew that chicory was once raised in Maine and not more than 65 years ago. Here is what the item said: “Maine chicory culture seems to have proved quite a success in the Corinna region, and contractors are trying to introduce the crop in western Somerset County. With the increasing use of grain and chicory mixtures as a helpful substitute for coffee, chicory may become an important crop in Maine.”<\/p>\n
While I don’t remember anything about attempts to raise chicory in Maine, I certainly do remember some of those old-time substitutes for coffee. The best known was Postum, which I am sure many people of my age remember well. But how many remember also Old Grist Mill, a coffee substitute that for a time gave Postum some stiff competition? Old Grist Mill sold for twenty cents for a pound package, while Postum cost a quarter. Those unpalatable coffee substitutes never gained wide popularity. Their sales were only a small fraction of the returns from coffee. They finally disappeared, driven off the market by much better tasting products of real coffee, from which the caffeine had been removed.<\/p>\n
This old farm paper had an item from Fairfield: “More lumbering is being done this winter than in former years. Charles Tibbetts is cutting about 200,000 feet of pine on his farm, to be delivered at Shawmut. Farmers here are now putting in their ice. Eggs are selling for 22 cents a dozen, and hay is $12 a ton.”<\/p>\n
There was also a contribution from Madison: “This town has been shut in. A hard ice crust, three quarters of an inch thick, has prevented all trains from running on the Somerset Railroad. Scores of men are at work on the tracks with hand picks. Madison had no mail from Saturday until Thursday afternoon, and then it came by team via Norridgewock.”<\/p>\n
I have often mentioned on this program the eight years I spent teaching at Hebron Academy, from 1913 to 1921. So naturally I was pleased to find a Hebron item in that old issue of the New England Homestead. It said: “Very few oxen are now kept in this part of Maine. Work here is done mostly by horses. Farm work has had to be neglected, especially wood cutting, because men and horses have been constantly needed to break the roads. One storm has followed quickly upon another for the past month. Potatoes are now 50 cents a bushel. Common cows are selling for $25. Butter is 20 cents a pound and eggs are 18 cents a dozen.”<\/p>\n
Right under the Hebron item came one from the town that borders my own birthplace, for Naples is the next Cumberland County town south of Bridgton. Here is what the Naples correspondent had to say: “This fall stock came to the barn thin because of the late drought, and it has taken more feed than usual to bring them up to standard. The ice crop is one of the largest ever. In preparation for next summer, several new silos are going up on our farms. They represent all three shapes: the round, the square, and the eight-cornered.”<\/p>\n
The area around Waterville was not neglected. We learn that Harry Folsom of Waterville caught in Three Mile Pond a pickerel that tipped the scales at six pounds. Out in Oakland W.H. Stevens shot an eagle that measured seven feet eight inches from tip to tip of the wings. And there had just passed through Waterville, on the way from Aroostook, 90 carloads of potatoes a total of 15,000 barrels. The interesting point about that shipment was that it had been sold to the British government for provisioning of the troops in South Africa. That reminds us that in 1900 the Boer War was much in the news.<\/p>\n
Now let us take a look at some of the ads in the New England Homestead in February, 1900. Here are some of the classified ads put in by men looking for jobs: “Situation as herdsman or farmer wanted by a married man with experience in the care and management of dairy cattle.” Another advertised: “Wanted, position in a firstclass creamery as a butter maker.” Some of the prospective applicants came from abroad: “Young Dutchman would like position on a gentleman’s private estate; understands care of horses and can also milk.”<\/p>\n
On the other side of the picture, here are a couple of Help Wanted ads: “Experienced girls for sewing on hand trimming on men’s and children’s straw hats.” “Wanted: man and wife without children on a farm for a year or more. No rum.”<\/p>\n
Here’s an ad that arouses our curiosity: “If you want the best low-slung wagon, buy the Electric Handy Wagon.” That was not an ad for a motor vehicle. None such were sold commercially as early as 1900. It referred rather to what were called electric wheels. The ad went on to say: “It has the best, broad-tired and electric wheels and the best seasoned white hickory axles. Guaranteed to carry two tons anywhere. Electric Wheel Co., Quincy, Illinois.”<\/p>\n
My listeners will be pleased to learn that 65 years ago the New England Homestead carried ads for both Ferry’s and Burpee’s seeds.<\/p>\n
Power on the farm was not furnished entirely by horses and human muscle. A display ad urged Maine farmers to buy the Enterprise Dog-Power Mill. Another ad concerned both sheep and boys: “If you want your boy to give good care to your flock, get him a copy of Stewart’s Shepherd’s Manual.”<\/p>\n
Of course carriages, as well as wagons, were advertised in the Homestead. By 1900 the use of pleasure vehicles was no longer restricted to City folks. If you followed the carriage ads, you could get a buggy with leather quarter top for $53, or a beautiful two-seated surry with a fringe on top for $98.<\/p>\n
“Parson’s low-down milk wagon” didn’t imply an inferior product. “Low-down” meant low-slung, close to the ground, so that big ten-gallon cans of milk did not have to be lifted far off the ground.<\/p>\n
Grindstones came cheap in 1900. You could get one, complete with frame, for $1.90.<\/p>\n
One rather incredible ad concerns tourist travel. Perhaps some farm families and they were by far the majority subscribers to the Homestead — could take an occasional trip on the railroads. Anyhow here is an ad carrying the heading “New Tourist Car Line”: “Every Thursday at 3 p.m. a tourist car will leave South Station, Boston, for all points on and beyond the line of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul R.R. After leaving St. Paul and Minneapolis, the car stops at Omaha, Denver. and points in California. Oregon and Washington. In addition to the regular porter, the car is accompanied by an intelligent and courteous courier who will attend to the wants of passengers en route. These tourist cars are sleeping cars supplied with all necessary accessories. Each berth accomodates two persons and costs only $8 from Boston to California.”<\/p>\n
Of course the Homestead had plenty of the patent medicine ads so common 60 years ago. There was the usual Lydia Pinkham ad. worded to make readers believe the immortal Lydia was still looking after all womankind, although she had shipped off this mortal coil some years before. People were urged to take Dr. Green’s Nervura. Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription. Parsne’s Pills and Pink Pills for Pale People. And aches and pains could be rubbed away with Johnson’s Anodyne Liniment.<\/p>\n
If you would get busy and be a house to house salesman for Baker’s teas, you could win a bicycle; if you were a woman the prize would be an Arlington Gem Drophead Sewing Machine.<\/p>\n
One of the many wagon ads said: “Front and rear hounds are made of the best angle steel.” Now what in the world were steel-made hound dogs doing in that wagon? Well, they weren’t dogs at all. The hound referred to in that ad was a bar, used in pairs, to strengthen parts of the running gear of the wagon.<\/p>\n
Here’s a neatly worded ad about roofing: “Cabot’s Creosote Shingle Stain. Use it and your shingles will never decay. No re-shingling. Let your shingles grow old gracefully.”<\/p>\n
Today when, despite warnings about cigarette smoking, the consumption of cigarettes runs into the billions every year and costs hundreds of millions of dollars, it is interesting to see what the New England Homestead had to say about tobacco consumption for the year 1899. The largest item was plug and fine cut tobacco, mostly for pipes. In 1899 the nation spent $2,934,000 for that item. Cigars came second, accounting for $1,788,000. Cigarettes were in third place with $262,000, while for snuff the users spent $188,000 or about two-thirds as much as was spent for cigarettes.<\/p>\n
Year: 1965<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #646, Broadcast on March 21, 1965<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[792,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8487"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8487\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}