Farmers Have Intellect & Character— Well Done

Our farmers today enjoyed a pleasant interlude in the morning’s choring. We doubt if they could have been invited to a more interesting event than that which took them to lend assistance to a neighbor in getting his fat cattle away to their market.

“I like to move among the simple down-to-earth, farm-folk” we chanced to hear a speaker on radio observe the other day. The words returned to mind today when we saw the pair of farmers hie down along our winter-lane of field, enter the waiting truck and on happiest wheels disappear beyond the little rise which mostly with an accelerated “huff and puff” bears all traffic in the road.

Yes ‘simple’ we chuckled to ourself, in that we who love the land, enjoy the seemingly lowly and humdrum dnties [sic]— and scenes of the farm. The term however, was sadly misused, in connection with the work then in prospect. What an alert and altogether skillful crew were for-gathering to the endeavor at that farm in the road! And in reckoning the tonnage about to be disposed of there, there would be very few pounds ‘out’ on the aggregate one way or another.

Have you ever stopped in the middle of preparing dinner to watch the shipping out of fat animals from a farm? No? We steeped in farm ways came to the back verandah to catch something of the colour and excitement of the scene, though it lay a distance from Alderlea, over the fields.

Above the millstream, above the A’s vacated house set down quiet in the valley, and up the rise beyond we caught sight presently of the dark figures of men and cattle moving in a company along the white field which was taking the animals to the great truck waiting at the road. So easily, after all, a herd can be moved these times. And as we saw these, we were recalling scenes from years long gone, when the fat cattle raised on a remembered farm by the Strait, must either go to market by boat on a summery morning from the harbour, or else be herded a distance on foot — even the twenty one miles which would take them to town.

“Nice cattle”, James commented when the two returned. The younger man nodded. “Now” he smiled “we’ll just see how the weights correspond with the girts!’ he said.

“The old law of supply and demand” James comments to Mr. C. from the house on the hill as they come in after a late tour of the stables, “makes the market! Looks to me as if there’s a move up in price. Yours doing well?”

“Not bad Mr. C. replies “They should at any rate— there’s not much last to a grist of crushing!”

“It is amazing how fast it goes” James nods, settled now to their visit. “And I was just saying to the wife today, if we keep them, there will be all of three months yet of feeding.”

“There’s this to it” Mr. C. offers “we never had so nice a winter to do the chores.’

“Never!’ James agrees. Then “You couldn’t rustle us a bite to eat, could you Ellen? I feel kind of hollow’ he chuckles.

Until tomorrow — Diary — Goodnight…

– Ellen’s diary, February 26th, 1958

Source: islandnewspapers.ca