I'm going to try a little different kind of column this week. Since we're all staying close to home these days and some are playing those dumb internet games, I thought I might just as well give it a try as well but with a farm twist.
I'm going to pose 20 questions to those who grew up on small family farms in the '50s and '60s, my time on the land. You need not be a farm kid to answer the questions. I invite you to email me your answers and I'll see how much you've either retained or forgotten.
Let's get started:
- 1. Name five colors and the tractors they are associated with.
- 2. What was the model name of the pull behind, power take-off powered Massey-Harris combine?
- 3. Name me one brand of a single row corn picker. I said single row.
- 4. What did they call the board that hand picked corn ricocheted off of when thrown into the wagon?
- 5. What did they call the style of most of the farm wagons at the time and for what purpose were they designed?
- 6. When threshers pitched oat bundles into the threshing machine, did they toss the oat/wheat heads in first or the straw?
- 7. Name two brands of milking machines before pipelines came into existence.
- 8. How much did a fully filled milk can weigh?
- 9. What did they call a male pig after it was neutered?
- 10. What was the first hybrid corn called? Not the brand, just the type.
- 11. What was the brand of the first insecticide developed to combat root worm?
- 12. What was the best time of day to catch free range chickens?
- 13. What was a popular bedding used in brooder houses for young chicks?
- 14. How many plow bottoms could a John Deere A pull and what were the size of the plow shares?
- 15. What tractor first popularized the two way hand clutch?
- 16. What was the standard flatrack stacked bale height expected from strong young farm lads?
- 17. Why did some farmers carry a loaded .22 caliber rifle along with them while picking corn?
- 18. What breed of hog do some call the "Iowa Loon"? (Remember, Iowa was the place of my birth.)
- 19. Why would it be necessary for a farmer to have to "pull" a calf on occasion.
- 20. Why did most farmers arise at 4 or 5 o'clock every day and never take a vacation?
There you have it, a list of 20 questions that came from my memories of our farm. Some of them have more than one answer so you can use your own farm experience. You need not have lived on a farm to participate!
If you would like to send me your answers and include your email address, I will respond and give you your grade. Since everyone is learning from home these days, why should you be any different. Send your answers to:
wetrosky@tds.net
.
See you next time! Okay? Be safe!
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