In addition to raising cotton, my grandfather also had other
crops. The farm animals had to be fed. Some acreage would be
planted in hay, others in corn and others in maize. I know Indians
called what we call corn, maize, but this is a different crop that I will
describe.
The maize I am talking about would grow as tall as corn. It had
a head at the top that contained many, many seeds about the size of a pea
seed or a BB. When the crop was ready the wagon was hitched up and
driven to the field.
As the wagon went down the rows a sharp knife would be used to cut the
heads from the stalks. This was called “topping maize.” The
heads would be tossed into the wagon bed. Each of the tiny seeds
had a husk. As the heads were tossed, the husks would come off and
get in your arm pits, down your neck, etc. This caused one to itch.
By the end of the day you really knew you had been working, not only because
of the hard work, but also because of the heat and chaff from the maize
head seed husks.
When the wagon was full it was driven back to a shed or to a barn and
placed in bins. It was used to feed the horses and cattle.
My cousin Barbara Shaw Ramsey, daughter of my mother’s sister Leota, remembers
going to the farm and playing in the maize bins sometimes making angels,
as those in the north do in snow. She states it was a lot of fun,
but she also remembers how it caused her to itch.
After the maize had been topped, stalks remained. The stalks would
then be cut down by hand and used as silage. Sometimes you would
let the horses, mules and cows out into the field to graze.
Corn was also grown. There are two main types of corn, field corn
and sweet corn. In the fields, the former was planted. When
the ears of corn were mature, you would take the wagon to the field and
remove the ears of corn by hand and put them in the wagon. When the
wagon was full you would take the ears of corn back to the homestead.
Farmers had what was called a corn crib. This was a four sided structure
made of slatted wood or wood and wire. Corn was kept there and used
to feed the animals. The corn stalks were later cut down by hand
and carted back to the homestead for silage. Farmers had to grow
crops to sell, to eat, and also to feed the animals. Buying feed
was just too expensive.
A third main crop was hay. Timothy or alfalfa was planted.
When it was mature the hay was cut and then a hay baler was pulled through
the field, and the hay was cut and formed into bales about three feet long
and 18 inches on the sides. The hay would then be tied up using binder
twine and sometimes baling wire. The bales were left where they were
made up and later the wagon would be taken to the field and the bales picked
up by hand and placed in the wagon. The wagon would be taken to the
barn and the bales stacked for use as animal feed, especially in the winter.
Now hay is cut by machine and instead of bales the hay is formed into huge
rolls that have to be moved by a forklift truck or fork attachment to a
tractor. |