These writings were found in Russell and Olive Farrow’s ...



These writings were found in Russell and Olive Farrow’s keepsakes on June 15, 2008

Below is a newspaper clipping:

School and kindred activities.

The quiet funeral service was

Conducted at the graveside by

Rev. W. Huddleston on Tuesday.

_________

Melvin Farrow

On Tuesday, another member

Of the family, a little brother,

Melvin at age of seven years, was

Called away to a better land where

Sickness and sorrow are not.

The funeral service was at the

Graveside on Wednesday after-

Noon, conducted by Rev. W. Huddleston.

_________

W.F. Farrow and family wish to

Thank the many kind friends

For the assistance offered in their

Hour of sadness, and also those

At a distance who remembered

Them, including Charles Scott, of

Kincaid, a friend who sent a nice

Sheaf of flowers.

__________

Menzies Miller

William Farrow 1876 – 1965

Will Farrow was born in 1876. He was one of thirteen boys and two girls, born to Fred Farrow, who came from England and the former Sarah Jane Shean from Ireland. He was born and raised in Wiarton, Ontario. As a young man, he took up the trade of barbering. In 1903, he married Mary Taylor of Own Sound, Ontario. That same year they ventured as far west as Killarney, Manitoba, where they owned a barber shop, grocery store, and restaurant. Mrs. Farrow sold much of her own home made candy in the store. Their first child, Lawrence, was born in Killarney in 1904. Soon after his birth, they moved to Regina Saskatchewan where Will operated a cartage business, and had a part in hauling gravel and building material for the Legislative Buildings, which were being built at that time. On June 29, 1908, he homesteaded two miles west of Vanguard, Sask. on the SW of 20 -11 -10W3rd and shortly after he was able to get NW of 17 – 11 – 10-W3rd as preemption. Will commenced residence upon the homestead on April 1, 1909 with his wife and two children. Where he built a house, barn and dug a well and fenced 60 acres. He farmed with 2 horses and 2 oxen. In 1909, he broke 7 acres and cropped 7 acres, in 1910, he broke 65 acres, and cropped 40 acres and in 1911, he broke 30 acres and cropped 60 acres. All building materials had to be hauled from Swift Current by team, a distance of about 44 miles, and many, many times he made this trip by horse and buggy for supplies, etc. The second child, a girl named Reta, was born in Swift Current in 1909. Later, six boys were added to the family, namely – Russell, Frank, Norman, Wilbert, Melvin and Warren. ( this line was crossed out:. Wil farmed with two oxen and two horses at the start.)

Glen Rosa School was built in 1910, on the Farrow farm, quite close to the farm buildings. In 1914, they bought a ¼ section of land, one mile west of Vanguard and in 1914 built new buildings which are still occupied by Russell and Olive Farrow.

(note in 1984, Russ and Olive moved to Swift Current, Then to Sherwood Park Alberta in 1992) (Russell Farrow passed away in Dec. 1999)

Wil Farrow’s first car was a 1916 Chev, it took a lot of nerve and practice in those days to drive a car as they didn’t respond to “whoa there”.

The railroad came to Vanguard in 1912, and 1½ miles of track, besides the “Y” where the train was turned around for the return journey to Swift Current, was laid on the Farrow property. In 1918, when the Farrow’s built a new house, a carload of lumber from British Columbia was left on the track at the end of the “Y”. To be unloaded (moved) about ¼ miles away, the total cost of material for the complete house, prepaid shipment was $1035.90

This was a great asset, as many others had to haul their lumber quite a distance, when homes had to be built. Just prior to building, the Farrow’s had attempted to move the original homestead house closer to Vanguard, with two steam engines, however, the engines pulled the house apart, making it necessary to build a new one.

The family started a dairy business in 1918, and sold milk to Vanguard, delivering twice a day, as no one had refrigeration in those days. At that time Vanguard had no street lights, and sometimes it was so dark that it was difficult delivering milk at night. Milk sold for 8 cents a quart, and at that time milk also sold in pints for 4 cents. In the morning the Farrow boys delivered the milk before school and the horse went home unattended with the day’s receipts in a bottle.

In 1928, Mrs. Farrow did, leaving seven sons and one daughter. The youngest, Warren, was just two years old. In 1930, Reta, age 21, and Melvin age 7 died only one day apart. They had contracted strep throat, and did after having been ill for only a few days. This was a very contagious disease, and while the rest of the family were stricken, they recovered. Will never remarried, but becoming father and mother to his family, made a good home for them. This was tragedy indeed for Will and each of his sons. Only their love and faith in God helped them through this dark period in their lives, and gave them the courage to carry on. ( note crossed out of the original: knowing that “all things work together for good, to them that love God”). For many weeks they remained in strict quarantine, therefore no friends nor relatives could be there to comfort or to visit them. Kind neighbors brought them baking, etc., just leaving it outside the fence.

In 1937, Wil decided to return to Ontario, with 4 sons, and bought a dairy farm near Owen Sound, where he stayed until he retired. Will died at age 89 in February 1965, For 20 years prior to his death, he lived with his son, Frank and family in Owen Sound.

Lawrence Farrow

Married Hazel Millar of Pambrun, Sask., and two sons were born to them, Mervin and Keith. Sorrow again came to the family with Hazel’s death. Lawrence later married the former Wilma Wills of Vanguard, Sask., and they moved to Ontario in 1937. Lawrence sold farm machinery for the J..I.Case Machine Co, in Teeswater (?), the same company he had sold for, in Pambrun, Sask. Later, they moved to Chatsworth, Ont. where Lawrence owned a stone crusher, trucks, etc. Finally the Farrow’s started a restaurant business, at Rockford, Ontario, and, later building up a successful service station and restaurant, sold it, moved to Owen Sound and bought another restaurant. Lawrence and Wilma had three more children, Lorne, Joyce and Ross. Mervin, the eldest, has been with the Texaco Company for many years, and now is manager of a Texaco Service Station in Owen Sound. He married Donelda Stewart and they have a family of five. Keith married Edith Pratt from Perth, Ontario and they have four children. Keith has nearly always been in the trucking business. Lorne married Betty Low Barber and they have one son, (Kevin). Lorne has his own trucking business. Joyce is a Registered Nurse, is married to Roy Grahame, and they have two sons,( Dean and Drew).Ross is an officer with the Toronto Metropolitan Police and then the Barrie Police Service and is married to the former Anette Neilson, and they have one daughter,(Michelle). Michelle married Chris Allport and they have twin girls Emma and Olivia born in 2015.

Frank Farrow

Married Thelma Orvik from Dummer, Sask., and has resided in Owen Sound for many years. Frank and Thelma operated a grocery store, and after selling the store, Frank was employed with Canadian National Railways for 32 years. For five years prior to retiring, Frank and Thelma were superintendents of a large apartment building in Owen Sound. They have a son, (David) and a daughter, (Sharon). Sharon worked for an insurance company for five years, and then decided to take a nursing course. She was employed as a Registered Nursing Assistant at the General and Marine Hospital, in Owen Sound. Later, she moved to Regina to continue her nursing career. Sharon married Andrew Brewer, who is presently a school teacher in Ceylon, Sask., They have one daughter. ( they now have 2 daughters, Becky and Deanna) David is married to the former Lynn Law, they have two sons. They live in Cobourg, ont., where David is Plant Systems manager of General Foods. ( they now have 2 sons and 1 daughter)

Norman Farrow

Married the former Dessie Graham of Owen Sound. Norman served in the Canadian Army, then worked for the Canadian National Railway. Later he was manager of Adams Furniture Store in Owen Sound, for 21 years. Presently, he is employed a Fulford’s Hardware Store, in the same city. Norman and Dessie have two daughters, Norma and Ruth. Norma was a school teacher, and later married Doug McRory of Owen Sound. They moved to Bonita, Manitoba where they own and operate a very large apiary business. They have two children. Their ( Norman’s) youngest, (Ruth) also a school teacher, is now living in Preston, Ont. She is married to Elwood Johnston, and they have two children.

Wilbert Farrow

Married Myrtle Wilson, of Owen Sound. Wilbert has been employed at Legate’s Furniture Store in Owen Sound, for many years. Myrtle and Wilbert have a son and a daughter. Donnie, the eldest, is married to the former Marilyn Shoemaker, of St. Catherine’s and they have two children. They own a Recreational Vehicle Business in Peterborough, Ont., and live in that city. Louise is married to Ken Clugston, they have 3 sons. Louise and Ken live on their farm, just outside Owen Sound. ( Donnie has passed away, as has his daughter) (Louise and Ken manage an apartment block)( they have 4 boys?)

Warren Farrow

Married Muriel Bunt, of Owen Sound. Warren has operated his own appliance store in Owen Sound for many years, called Robert’s Radio and Electric. Warren’s son, Rob is now in business with him and they sell and service all types of appliances, as well as carrying a large stock of music supplies. This store was completely demolished by fire in 1979, however, this did not discourage Warren, as he was soon back in business again. Warren and Muriel have a son and a daughter (Patti). Rob, married to the former Eileen Conley. They have one son, and live in Owen Sound. (they had two sons, Mike and Brad) (Mike passed away in a mountain climbing accident June 2004). Patricia Lynn is a Registered nurse, and is employed at the General and Marine Hospital in Owen Sound, as is her mother, Muriel.

(Warren passed away March 2008, and Patti works in London, Ont with Neonatal Intensive Care).

Each of Will Farrow’s boys have many happy memories of their boyhood days as they grew up, near Vanguard.

Russell Farrow was the third child of Will and Mary Farrow and was born at Vanguard, August 8, 1912, on his dad’s homestead. He could bite sooner than most babies as he was born with two teeth. He married Olive Robertson of Vanguard, on Nov.17, 1937, taking the farm over and also the dairy at that time. They have lived there ever since. They milked the cows by hand until they took over Mr. Coleman’s dairy and then they bought a milking machine, which was a big help. They usually had a married couple to help them, who lived in a separate house in the yard. Russell remembers getting his hair caught in the electric milk bottle brush and pulling a patch of the top of his head.

Russell served, 25 years as Secretary Treasurer of Whiska Creek Rural Telephone Company, also 15 years as secretary of Glen Rosa School, and many years of the Board of the Millar Memorial Bible Institute at Pamburn, and also on the Vanguard Gospel Tabernacle Board.

Russell went to school at both Glen Rosa and Vanguard School’s. Olive went to school in Empress Alberta and later at Vanguard. She worked in the Vanguard Post Office when Miss Ross was Postmistress, and then in the W.W. Cooper Store in Swift Current before she married Russell. (In their later years, just prior to retirement) Olive and Russ enjoyed making and teaching ceramics.

They have two daughters, Lorraine and Phyllis. Lorraine was born in ( Sept 3 ) 1941 (in Swift Current) She married Dave Anderson of Enchant, Alberta, and they have one daughter, Marlie, and one son, Kent. They farmed at Frontier, Sask. for awhile but now live in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Dave droves a semi-trailer transport between Edmonton and California.

Phyllis was born in (Dec11)1946 and is a Registered Nurse. She married Michael Swenson of Paddockwood, Sask. They have one daughter, Jill. (this was crossed out of the original:..Michael helped do the welding on two 300 foot chimneys for Procter and Gamble Pulp Mill at Grande Prairie, Alberta.) They now live in Sherwood Park, AB and Michael is a welding inspector. ( update: he is a quality control manager for Lockerbie and Hole and Jil is a golf pro at Stony Plain Alberta and married Kevin Wolshlager on Sept 1, 2007)

Olive and Russell have enjoyed ceramics as a hobby for many years.

Mary Taylor was Will’s wife.

Mary’s grandfather was William Javens

Her grandmother’s name was -----

Mary’s father was Francis Taylor, born Oct 15, 1840

Mary’s mother was Betsy (Neal) Taylor born Sept 8, 1848, in Derby Ont. Mary died Dec 5, 1935

Francis and Betsy Taylor family:

Elizabeth Ann Taylor

Ann Taylor born Dec 28, 1869

William J. Taylor born Sept 23, 1871

Sarah Jane Taylor (POET) born Jan 7, 1874

Francis Taylor born June 10, 1876

Mary Taylor born Dec 25, 1880 , died Dec 5, 1935 at 54 yrs old

Robert Taylor born Nov 8, 1887 married Annie Anger ( born Oct 8, 1892) on Dec 17, 1912

Agriculture by Russell Farrow

Before homesteading days the land was surveyed into townships of 36 sections, and each section into 4 quarters. These quarters were divided into homesteads and pre-emptions, but every homesteader didn’t get a pre-emption on account of school land and Hudson Bay land. This land was opened to homesteaders in 1907-1908 for $10.00 a quarter. There were local land locators in each district to drive prospective homesteaders to see land available.

. W.J. Coleman and Nahaniel Streight did some of this driving with horse and buggy. To obtain title they had to put up buildings, break a certain number of acres, and live on the land part time for the next 3 years. After a certain amount of improvements on the homestead they could buy another quarter called a pre-emption for $3.00 an acre, $160.00 down and $64.00 a year for 5 years.

This land had to be broken and got ready to grow crops, some had to be kept for pasture for horses and cattle. Much of it was broken with oxen and horses with walking plows and one furrow riding plows. Some farmers hired large steam engines pulling as many as 10 to 12 plows. These plows had a platform that a man rode on and each plow was raised or lowered by hand with a lever. After breaking the sod, it had to be worked up ad made finer for a see bed, this was usually done with a disc harrow or drag harrows or sometimes a drag made from planks on there edge, which made a smoother hob. Some times the seed was just broadcasted, by mostly seeded with a double disc drill. A 10’ seed drill. A seed drill could be bought for $150.00 with $50.00 down and 2 years to pay the balance.

Summerfallowing was done by plowing, either with a mold board plow, slatted bottom, or a disc plow was used sometime in heavy land. Where the moldboard plow wouldn’t scour or clean very well, many farmers carried a small spade or flat piece of

sharp iron to clean the plows at each end of the field. The purpose of summerfallowing was for the conservation of moisture for the upcoming year. Later, cultivators were used for summerfallowing, but the first ones were made very low and wouldn’t go through much trash. The soil needed trash worked into it, to keep it fertile. Some farmers would burn this trash but found it wasn’t good as the soil needed fiber to not blow.

Then they made the high clearance ones which were better and now the deep tillage ones which are still the most used machine today for summerfallowing. The shovels of the ones now (1982) are made of much better steel and scour much better. Some are experimenting with zero tillage using chemicals to keep the summerfallow clean of weeds. A cultivator by its self misses a few weeds, but with a rod weeder attachment makes a nice job. (Behind the shovels of the cultivator a long rod was attached across the length of the back of the cultivator, and with pressure stayed just below ground level, and cut off the weeds that the shovel of the cultivator missed). The oneway discer and wide level discers were used a lot at one time for summerfallowing as they would go through a lot of trash. They were also used for seeding, when fitted with a seeding (box) attachment. The wide level discer is the most used machine today for seeding. The odd air seeder is coming out that blows the seed down a tube behind a cultivator disc. Farmers usually pull packers behind these machines, ( to level and pack the ground above the seed).

Noble blades were used some for summerfallowing, they had a V blade that went along under the ground and cut the weeds and stubble off but left them standing above ground .They were good to keep the soil from blowing, but the trouble with them was they were hard to pull and if it rained shortly after, the weeds would grow again.

The reaper was usually used to cut flax, it had 4 arms that swept the flax back on the table, it didn’t have a canvas to move the flax to one side, when the table was full you could trip one of the arms down and it would push the flax off the table. Binders could be used with a flax attachment.

The crops were first cut with binders and the grain tied into sheaves, then stooked (several sheaves leaning tog. to form a small pyramid) later to be picked up by hand (with a pitch fork and tossed unto hay wagons pulled by horses) and taken to the threshing machine, which was usually a large steam engine threshing outfit. Sometimes these outfits were owned by 4 or 5 farmers, and called a syndicate. Some farmers had stook loaders that picked up stooks and elevated them into the horse drawn racks and some stook loaders had racks attached and dumped the sheaves at the threshing machine, which saved a lot of man power, and the use of wagons and racks. (These racks or hay wagons were on runners and later on tires, pulled by a team of horses or tractor, it was like a flat bed built on top of the runners, that had high open slatted boards in the front, and part way down the sides, an angle of boards to keep the loose hay or stooks on the flat bed, some of these had a trip that allowed the top layer of the flat bed to raise and the stooks to slide off – this appears to be what was said above).

Later, was the smaller gas driven threshing machine. The straw was blown into large stacks and usually burnt in the winter time, some stacks were left for horses to feed on and for shelter for them in the winter months. Sometimes a horse would lye down in a hole in a stack and couldn’t get up by itself and would be found dead, especially after a storm.

The grain was usually threshed into a granary or a home made hopper that was on skids so it could be easily moved around, and could be driven under with a wagon or truck for easy loading, if hauling to the elevator. Sometimes the wheat was hauled to elevators in the winter time by sleigh. When the snow was deep the trail would build up. The sleigh being narrow would sometimes slide sideways and upset.

In 1921, there was a self propelled sunshine combine made. It left stray on the ground,( in rows or with a propeller on the rear to spread the straw out.) The first Baldwin combine was made on the Baldwin farm on the East ½ of 3-10-10-W3rd South of Vanguard. Combines were a big improvement over the binder and threshing machines as they cut and threshed the grain at the sme time. Some were pull types and ran off the tractors power take off shaft, others were self propelled. It left straw.( that could be turned under ground with the cultivator to give the soil fiber and keep it from blowing.) The grain had to be ripened evenly, or it wouldn’t keep in the bins and mites and beetles would sometimes become a problem ( as well as mould). There is a grain dryer that will dry wheat before putting into the bins or afterwards, but not used much in our area. In the 1940’s, the swathers came into use, which cut the grain and laid it in windrows to dry and then picked up by the combine. This speeded the harvest up by a week or so. The combine has a bin (hopper) that carries the threshed grain along with it, holds about ½ bushel of grain, and the grain then is taken from the combine by wagon or truck. It is shoveled by hand into a granary, before the grain auger was invented. The combine spread the straw back on the land which is much better for the soil, then the threshing machine which blew it into stacks and burned.

In the diry thirties very little grain grew and some years non at all. The dust blew so bad that is was hard to find the cattle in the pasture at times, and their nostrils would be hanging with dirt. The dust storms were so bad that the mid noon sun would be darkened and people lit their lamps in the houses. Farmers started strip farming, seeding about a 20 acre strip and summerfallowing a 20 acre strip to try to stop the soil drifting. Grasshoppers were so numerous that when they were flying over they would shade the sun at times. Sometimes when combining, many of these hoppers would be in the threshed grain, on farmer took 60 bushels of wheat to the elevator and they wouldn’t buy the wheat without cleaning it, and he brought home quite a few bushels of grasshoppers and dumped them in the year for the turkeys. The grasshoppers flew into one farmers rye field and cleaned it all off. The Rural Municipalities mixed poison with sawdust, for the farmers to poison hoppers but it was in short supply. It was usually spread by hand with a small shovel, some farmers used a small barrel with a hole in the bottom, put it on the back of a wagon and a fan under the hole in the barrel, driven by a gas engine. They fastened it to the back of a wagon, to spread the poison. The army worms were so bad at times, that they would eat everything eatable in their way. They would travel right over buildings and the walls would be green with them. The roads were even slippery in places from them.

The Dominion Government in 1937, asked the R.M.’s to distribute relief from train box cars that were shipped in loaded with boxes of apples, vegetables and codfish. Many people were getting monthly grocery relief orders, with grocery items listed, that they were to have, and each order came with a lb. of epsom salt. Most farmers got seed and tractor fuel through the R.M.’s and some done custom work for twice the cost of the fuel, so as to have extra fuel to do extra work for themselves.

Some cattle were shipped out to be sold, and sometimes the price received didn’t pay the freight, so the Gov’t would only feed so many cattle per farmer so they bought the surplus cattle for 1 cent a lb. and shipped them out. One man butchered a cow and sold ½ of it to his neighbor at 2 cents a lb. Russian thistles were often used as cattle fee. Eggs sold for 3 cents to 5 cents a dozen and milk 8 cents a quart.

Some cars were put away, or motors taken out and pulled by horses and called Bennett buggies after Premier R.B. Bennett. Then when Premier Thatcher introduced tax free purple gas for farm trucks, some farmers took the back part off their cars and put a box on it and called it a Thatcher truck. Some farmers had closed in Bob sleighs with coal and wood heaters in them for winter travel.

Farmers were allowed to work for $100.00 reflief on their loans, at 75 cents a day for a horse and $2.00 for a man, by building roads or hauling gravel. Some road work was done between Vanguard and Aneroid. Bob English was foreman and each one was alloted so much hay and oats per horse. The men slept in bunk houses and were given their meals in a cook car, some mornings they washed in ice cold water breaking the ice on it to get ready for breakfast. Eventually the relief debits and arrears of taxes were mostly cancelled.

In 1921, there were about 600 farmers in the R.M. of Whiska Creek and about 20 years later, only about ½ as many. In 1961, the population was 866 and in 1970, the population was 615. Taxes on the NW 16-11-10W3rd in 1924 was $63.75 and in 1983, the same taxes on that quarter was $426.52.

“(I remember my father wondering how he was going to pay for it, with no steady income, and wheat to sell at the price of the Wheat Board – Phyllis)”

Red Fife Wheat was one of the first wheat grown, then came the Marquis, but these were not rust resistant, so they came up with some rust resistant variety, such as Selkirk and Thatcher. Later, Canthatcher, Manitou and Neepawa were grown. Much Neepawa is still grown, besides some new varieties.

Very little other grain is grown in our area besides wheat, some flax, barley, oats, rape, canary see and sunflowers has been grown. Quite a lot of durham wheat is grown, one of the first varieties was Golden Ball, the Pelissier and now more Wascana, at $3.00 a bushel is grown. In the early 1930’s wheat sold in the 30 cents a bushel range, some that was combined in the winter time sold as low as 19 cents and in 1939, wheat sold for approx. 52 cents and in the 1940’s approx. $1.50 range and the 1980’s approx $4.25 a bushel.

In the early years wheat was cleaned for seed with a fanning mill usually turned by hand, now most of the wheat is cleaned at the elevators.

There is spring flooding in our area, the water comes down from the Sheep Ranch Hill’s near Swift Current from snow melting. The water is held up by dykes for a few days at each farm and then let go by means of opening a gate in the dyke. There are a few central irrigation systems, where the wheels turn in a circle from a pivot and is fed with underground pipes from a creek. Fertilizer is being used more by farmers. The coming thing seems to be deep banding, using a machine that puts the fertilizer into the ground behind a banding knife.

Weeds use to take a large toll of the crops before we had chemicals, sometimes when the Russian thistles were bad it was hard to straight combine without getting too much of it in the grain which would sometimes make the wheat heat. Sometimes, the wheat was dumped on the ground to dry up the thistles before putting into the granary. Since we have chemicals weeds are much easier to control. Spraying attached to a tractor or truck was the usual way but air plane spraying of crops was done for a while, (some pilots lost their lives, caught up in telephone and power lines). We still have some weeds that are hard to control even with chemicals such as Millet, Wild oats and smart weed.

In the 1960’s, the farmers had surplus grain stored up and quotas were very small, a quota used to be 300 bushel for each farmer to sell, regardless of the size of the farm. This was to help the small farmer, then , only 1 bushel per care quota after that,

The Gov’t paid the farmer, so much an acre to seed grass on cultivated land or keep the land in summerfallow, If they wished.

This was to try to keep the grain surplus down. This was not compulsory and many farmers didn’t do it. Farmers started to use small gas tractors in the 1920’s, these had steel wheels with lugs, then in the mid 1930’s rubber tires started to come in slowly. Farmers at first, thought they wouldn’t be satisfactory but they soon became the coming thing. Some cut their steel wheels down and welded on rims and put rubber tires on. Some took the lugs off and bolted old truck tires flat on the steel wheels, but this wasn’t very satisfactory. As some farmers quit farming, others bought their land and as the farms became larger, larger tractors were used and larger machinery, and now many 4 wheel drive ones are used, pulling cultivators as wide ass eighty fee, 2 or 3 wide level discers at one time. As the farmers quit using horses for farming they were able to break up more of their pasture land.

Farmers, in the past raised cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys, etc. but after the farms were getting larger they quit these things and about the only cattle left on farms now are the established purebred herds. Some farmers have moved in to town and drive out to farm from there. The farmers used to ship a lot of cream by train to the creameries, the station platform was lined with cream cans. They paid to ship the full cans but the empty ones came back free. One lady was in the creamery one day in Swift Current and asked if they bought goat cream. They said “ No, we don’t want any goat cream around here!”. She said “ Well, you have been getting it for a long time.”

There used to be what they called a beef ring in our district. Charles Williamson and Frank Burton looked after it. It operated for 22 weeks in the summer months. The farmers each took turns in supplying a beef, and each took their turn in delivering it to the farmers. After it was butchered and cut up, each one got a different cut each week. Farmers gradually went out of cattle and this came to an end.

The life style of farming changed when the Gov’t ran power lines across the country to the farms in 1956-1957. Frigidaires and deep freezers took the place of kerosene fridges, and ice boxes, and the storing of ice in the winter time in a hole covered over with straw to use in the summertime. These holes were made on the north side of a building with a shed over them. Electric lights took the place of the old kerosene lamps and gas lamps. Farmer’s were able to put up repair shops with electric equipment and welders in them, which was a real asset.

Some benefits to the farmers are:

1. farm stat loans – limited to income and net worth.

2. mexa-bition – organized by Family Farm Improvement Board, where farmers can see what is new in farming

3. Loans for expanding – in live stock, irrigation, etc.

4. Community pastures – where farmers ca put their cattle out to pasture in the summer months.

5. Sask Wheat Pool – in 1924 to control the marketing of grain

6. Federal Grain Stablization fund – it pays to farmers when crops are poor and the cost of production high, when there is no profits.

7. Swift Current experimental Farm – where farmers can get information on species of wheat, week control, soil erosion, cultivating and fertilizer.

8. Tree Nursery in Indian Head Sk. – where farmers can get trees free of charge for shelter b elts and field planting to stop wind erosion.

9. Sask Beef Stabliziation – to overcome unstable prices.

10.Sask Hog Stablization – where a basic price is guaranteed for hogs.

11. Farm Credit Corporation – where long term loans can be made to purchase land.

12. Farm Improvement loans – short term loans for improvement on the farm.

13. Sask Crop Insurance – guarantees the farmer a certain number of bushels per acre, according to the type of soil, if he gets less bushels than guaranteed, the gov’t pays him the difference.

14. P.F.R.A. – Prairie Farm ? Association – assistance for irrigation, wells, and pumping equipment for pumping, dugouts. Engineers can be hired for dugouts.

A newspaper clipping showing the census count for Swift Current in 1951, the 1961 and 1971 was 10,612; 12,186; 15,250. In Vanguard, the pop was 1951 = 443; 1961 = 443; 1971 = 378.

Lawrence Farrow farmed Wilford’s land before I did. We seeded at Wilford Farrow’s farm at Lienen, north of Swift Current, We didn’t have a crop, Norman helped me. We used 4 horses of Dads (Wil) after Dad finished seeding on a 20 run drill. We borrowed a wheel for the drill from Bill Wharton. There was an old one room shack and the Loan co. got a lumber yard from Swift Current, to put a chimney in the shack. Then I farmed North of Hazenmore, rented it from the Loan Co. and no crop! A neighbor had 2 or 3 horses and rented him the pasture which was on it for $2.00 for the summer. I used a cross motor case tractor that was rebuilt by the Case Co. and a grand Detour 10’ Oneway Discer which was a Case Oneway, that case was clearing out for $125.00 and they came out with a new model. Between this farming and when I took over dad’s farm, I helped Lawrence at a one bay garage in Pambrun. Lawrence also sold case machinery.

We drove a 1927 Chev. 1- ton with an ordinary 4 pane house storm window for a windshield. It’s a wonder it didn’t break in our face. I traded my Durant car plus $25.00 for a 15-30-1HC,Watrous 50 years ago. Power binder revolving -?- took the front out of my overalls .I used to try to put away $120.00 to buy fuel for 1 year of farming.

Mrs. Coleman had setting hens. What came first the chicken or egg?. Poisoning gophers along the road to Vanguard. I used a gallon can of poison with a round hole in the bottom and a 2” wide piece of iron on a hinge and the iron worked on a spring slide, back and forward over the hole. And when I ran over a gopher hole, I would pull a rope which was attached to the end of the iron on the bottom of the can and the iron pulled away from the hole and dropped a table spoon or so of the poison and the spring would pull the iron back over the hole.

Going to school with CPR pump car, when the creek was high. Sometimes the creek would freeze over and we took chances sometimes on the thin ice and walked across it and it would crack under our feet. But I don’t remember any falling through.

Sewing card in lower grades. I was making too many and was cut down. That was at Glenrosa School which was on our farm before we started to Vanguard school.

Miss Eaton, a Vanguard school teacher, lived with her dad and mom ½ mile West of us, on the old Slack place. We used to catch a ride to school with her. The school got ink by the quart, and we had ink wells at our desks. She drove a model T Ford and had a dog called Patty. She gave it to Wilbert and it used to take fits and get stiff and shake and after awhile came to again. A new Photo studio in Swift Current had just opened up and we took the dog to Swift Current and got his picture taken and was their first photo they took. Wilbert had gone East by this time and left us the dog so we sent him a picture. I can’t recall what happened to Patty, I don’t think he is still living!

I ran Clint Taite’s combine for $1.50 d day. When I finished combining I did his summerfallowing, for $1.00 a day. He lost his combine ( it was a 16foot-1HC). The implement company took it back and I bought it but I can’t remember what I paid for it. I have a receipt where I traded my Durant can and $25.00 to a dealer in Swift Current for a 15-30!HC tractor. I then had a 2-15-30 IHC tractor and the crankshafts were so flat I had to tighten the connecting rod bearing every few days. One tractor had a water air breather and I got an oil breather from a wrecked tractor at Pontiex and changed it. The old 15-27 Crossmoter Case tractor had a water breather too. If I remember right, I believe, we had to put water in the breather every day; or oftener. The cross motor case tractors were bad to back fire and you had to be sure your thumb was on the same side of the crank in case it backfired and it would spin backwards. One fellow told me he had one and he left it in gear and it back fired and reversed backward into his implement.

The old Oil Pull Rumely’s used to have a notched fly wheel and a bar to pull down from notch to notch to start it and a rubber block to keep it from back firing. The motor was oil cooled and it had a 25 gallon water tank which burnt as much oil in the radiator as it burnt water per day. (?)

Bearings were oiled from a drip oil system which fed oil to each bearing.

I have pictures of all my cars I owned.. I had a model T coupe which I bought from Everett Thompson for $25.00. Ed and Edna Ratzsliff, our preacher and his wife and Olive and I used to drive to Swift Current in it, with only one seat!

The gas tank only ran gas to the carburetor. If you were low on gas and you were going up a steep hill it wouldn’t reach the carburetor and you had to turn the car around in time, and back it up the hill before it stalled.(Like at the old Sheep Ranch Hills near Swift Current)

Our bull got lose, and went up to Lorraine, sitting in an apple box. Olive broke a glass bottle of milk over its nose to chase it away.

Sometimes when our farm tractor was hard to start, we would wind a rope on the pulley and hitch a horse to it, to pull the rope that turned the motor once and it would usually start the next time.

Bill Young and Mr. Busch lived in Vanguard and each had land joining on another. There was a large stone on the land between the quarters, when one worked his quarter he rolled this stone on the other fellows land, When the other fellow worked his land he rolled the stone back. This kept up for quite a while, I remember. This is the funny side of farming.

This poetry was in the Vanguard Times but not dated.

Jack Rabbit Rodeo

T’was a lovely morning in the Spring

And a right good crowd was there

To make money for the hospital

By rounding up the hare.

Frank Burton and Ben Newton

George Ritchie was there too

Alf Green was there for sausage meat

To feed the hungry crew.

There was about four hundred

A counting in the dray

They came upon shanks ponies

And on the old grey nag.

The school man and her retinue

They followed far behind

With Maunder boys and Erickson’s

To beat each others time

They all got up at daybreak

And started in at nine

To comb the hills and coulees

And have a right good time

Clint Richards on the east side

Clarence Buddin on the west

And all the others in between

They surely did their best.

They had a big corral built out

Around the gravel pit

Al Hudson said we’ll round them up

And drive them into it.

But rounding up Jack Rabbits

Did you ever try the job?

It takes a mighty gang of men

But we just had a mob.

I’ve read of Coby’s army

George Washington’s and such

But for real high class discipline

Why ours they couldn’t touch.

Doc White went home disgusted

Charles Richards had the blues

McCallum said just plan “OH, Well”

And Wing wore out his shoes.

And the while the bunnies

Though not so very spry

Just said to kindly let they know

When we want another try.

But we’ll bar one among them

Cause when we’re out of breath

Dick Minifie just sits on us

And smothers us to death.

“One of the Mob”

Frank Farrow found this and sent it to Russell as per note.

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