The farm of the 1890s was a multi-generational, vertically integrated unit of production. The "farmer" was not a solitary producer, but each member of the extended farm family had skills, abilities and responsibilities. There were some communal tasks which might involve more than a family. The rich farmer who owned a threshing machine or saw mill might well trade for or buy labor.
Farmers grew crops to provide seed for next year, to feed themselves, to feed their livestock and for trade or sale.
Farmers raised animals to "provide" animals for next year, for fertilizer, to feed themselves, for leather or fiber, for draft animals and for trade or sale.
Most farmers had an orchard, woodlot, henyard, and kitchen garden. Cash crops, grown solely for sale,were limited to items like tobacco and sugar (beets or cane). These were luxury goods or required special processing.
Farmers preserved and stored their own produce for the winter or a bad year. A wise and well prepared farmer had three years seed grain stored.
Farmers traded for things they could not produce but paid cash for taxes, salt, specialized tools, and cloth (or clothing). The wheat fields of the Great Plains and steel roller mills were converting flour into an agribusiness. The farmer might use a local grist mill to grind locally produced grain or purchase flour depending on the area.
Farmers had ponds, springs, wells, ice ponds, and ice houses. If lucky they had a spring house with a cold spring.
If the potatos failed, they ate more oats and rye.
If the draft ox died, they raised and trained a new one. Maybe if they were lucky they could trade with a neighbor for plowing.
If the cattle took sick, they ate fish or game or "vegetarian."
If the Doctor's bill was more than he would take in trade, they harvested some tall timber and sold it for cash.
They spent the winter around the fire, eating freshly roasted chestnuts (or peanuts) and heading nails.
They spent the summer repairing or building the baskets, barrels and barns needed for the harvest.
They did their own vet. medicine, slaughtering and butchering.
Also, non-farmers still provided a portion of their own foodstuffs. Preachers and Doctors had gardens, henyards, milk cows and maybe even orchards. Even mine owners had farms to breed and feed the "pit ponies." Breweries operated dairies, feeding the exhausted mash to the cattle.
(c) 1998 by Peggy Stewart
This article was published as part of Cory Hamasaki's DC Y2K Weather Report and may be reproduced under the same terms and conditions. All other rights reserved to the author.
