SEGMENT: FARMING METHODS, CROPS, & FOOD & MEALS
Ray (Bud) Nuckols>UIS Collection N-R>UIS Collection N-R, Segment 1
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- LAND
- Land
- CROPS
- Small farms in KY raised a couple acres of tobacco as a cash crop and maybe ten acres of corn for feed and cornmeal. Any wheat was used for flour. Describes how tobacco is raised by hand from seed and set plants.
- FARMING METHODS
- Discussion of planting tobacco. All steps in tobacco growing now would be done by machines that plant, set, water, and fertilize at once. Pest was the tobacco worm (like the horned green tomato worm) which was hand-picked off in early days. Suckers (flower sprout by the leaf) had to be picked off to promote leaf growth. Harvested in August when leaves turned yellow. Describes the process if cutting stalks and hanging them in barn to dry. In KY used only four horses. In Illinois on bigger farm used 24 mules. Small farm does not need many horses.
- FARMHOUSE
- Grandfather built log cabin. Log home had huge fireplace in living room. It took two men to haul firewood.
- FOOD & MEALS
- Grandmother cooked in the fireplace with hanging pots. Food rotated in the fire. Roasted chestnuts in the ashes. Differentiates chestnuts from horse chestnuts. Made popcorn & used it with cranberries for Christmas tree decorations. Hung many stockings from the mantel.
