Newspaper Page Text
THE CORN HARVEST. *0 MORE THE ROMANCE OFTHERUBY EAR, NO MORE THE HUSKING BEE. the Advent of the Oifau Farmers' OirlK Work Nut Outdoors—Catting Corn a Trying It»—Hasking Ityilkm* the Fingers Sore. Tbe romance! of the red ear is trim p. The husking bee, actively {larticipated ia by the young folks of the neighbor hood, is a thing of the past. Hers and there, it i» true, through the laud the old time custom may le revived occa nonally, bnt a modern "huakin" is not like one of the fathers' time. Then the primary object of the gathering was the husking of corn. It was expected that each person present would contribute THE RED EAR. big hi* or her share of labor toward erening's work. The finding of ear was only an incident. The romp that followed was succeeded by great hustling to make np for lost time, and the success of the gathering was measured by the pile of shining ears that was accumulated in the middle of the barn floor when the party broke up. a red merry Such husking bees as are held these fatter years are merely social subterfuges for the most part. Farmers' wives and daughters do not oftetf help in the men's work nowadays, least of all in husking corn, for this is wearing on the hands. Itcauses Bplit nails, and bleeding fingers, and lame wrists, and sore arm muscles. Hie husking bees of other days were necessities. The farmers were paying for their farms, and by all hands in a neighborhood turning to and helping «ach other at night in the husking sea son money could le saved and the econ omy that was so necessary conserved. But even in those old days there was far lees of romance at husking bees than one would suppose from the stories that have been woven by imaginative fiction writers who have worked such occasions into their tale. It was not at all common for the worn Ml and girls to help at the bees that I re member, though they sometimes joined their fathers and brothers for half an hour or so, and occasionally red ears were "barred" when the girls did take part. The work of the women was usu ally that of cooking and serving the sup per. Sometimes this was eaten in the barn and sometimes in the house. When the parlor organ began to appear in the farmhouses, the husking of corn by girls died out almost altogether, for fingers that are accustomed to tearing the reluctant covering from ears of corn are not flex ible enough for organ keys, and besides the same sentiment that caused the farmer to provide the organ for his daughter caused him to object to seeing hfcr engaged in any form of man's work. The corn harvest is managed quite differently in the east and the west. In fbe west the ears are generally picked from thf stalks while the latter are still •tan^jj in the field. In the east the %:jii is cit first and set up in "shocks" Wound a single hill that is left uncut, ^here it stands curing for days and some times weeks before it is husked. "It is not fun to cut corn," said a farmer friend the other day. "The first day or two in the cornfield strains every •inscle in your body. Your arms, and jpour hands, and your back, and your legs •Hi suffer, and when you come to go to Jjed at night you ache from your heels io your head. If your hands are a little tender, you are Sure mbol*. to cut them on the liharp edges of the bladelike leaves, and pefore novn little blisters come in your jfealms, to break before night and bleed jphe next day. By the second day cracks %ppear between the thumb and forefin- to UNDER THE INDIAN SUMMER 8KY- ger, and they bleed too. To add to my misery, when I cut"corn, which I haven't for aeyeral years till this fall, when I could not get help enough to suit me and so had U go into the field with my men, the peculiar rasping sound caused by the rubbing of the leaves and stalks together cakea cold chill* chase each other up and down my spinal cord for the first day or two in a way that ia ter rifying even to think nl»out. ''The tying of the knob in th« italk band thai binds the tihockjs tog«th»r ia what "does up* your hands most, and splits your nail*, and turns them back on your finger, and makes you wish your manual appendagea were i^ade of brass or eteel. It's almost as bad as binding octa with in them, and that is tbe moat harrowing performance in the «om»& fit fannwork. Blading «nfe Hm* 4w» Vy machinery, Imw*. tiot yet iuccesafujlj jMeMaie karrM* ing of orn, and I'm afraid they never will." The strain oti the hands in husking corn is greater than in cutting it, and When 1 was a boy and had to join my grandfather's hired man in the work we used lmsking pegs to part the husks at the point of the ear. Tho man or boy— and I ljelieve it was a boy—who invented tho hnsking peg is deserving of all the blessings that were'showered upon the "man who first invented sleep" by San cho Panza. A husking peg is about six inches long and should be made of hick ory or ash or oak or iron wood. It is sharp poiuted and polished and fash ioned with infinite care. Each hnsker of the old days used to like to make his own peg, and there were many animated discussions among them as to the proper form, to give it. Some liked straight pegs best and some curved, and there were preferences in the matter of material that have been knowu to lead to fist fights and a profusion of language not suited to representation by means of printed characters. At the stores 20 years ago iron pegs were sold, and the first year they were added to the stock at Deacon Jephson's establishment they went off rapidly. But they did not suit. There was no give to them, and they Were so heavy that they tired the hand. If the weather is not too cold when the work of husking corn begins, it is pleasanter to husk in the field under the dreamy blue of an Indian summer Bky that is warmed by the yellow light of the sun of October and early November. It is possible to talk at your work if you are a husker of sufficient experience to have trained your hands to operate auto matically, and if the party of field husk ers include one man who is a good story teller the hours iass fast enough once the cracks and wdunds that come to your hands during the first few days have closed up. Some of the best stories ever related by human lipe have been told around the growing piles of husked ears of corn, and the quaint and piquant phrases with which they are related add immensely to their effectiveness. I knew a hired man a score and a half of years ago whose stories told during hnsking time would make the fortune of any writer who could put them into a book without los ing their charming rustic flavor. They abounded with quiet humor and subtle wit, and it was not every one of his rural auditors who could appreciate them. Curiously enough, the name of this hard working raconteur was Joe Miller, but his jokes were always fresh, and he never told the same story twice unless he was urged to do so. This fact gave him the reputation in the valley where Mi A SHELLING WITH CASEKNIFE. he passed his whole life, working first on this farm and then on that, of being the "biggest liar between the hills." "But," Deacon Allen used to observe philosophically when discussing Joe Mil ler's tales, "his lies don't count, I guest), fer they don't do nobody no harm, and they sometimes chirk a feller up won derful—wonderful." There was no stain on Joe Miller's rep utation, save these jokes and stories, and they were never low or vulgar, but he used to be held up by Deacon Jephaon as one who at the end of life would have many an "idle word" to answer for, and the good deacon frequently made excel lent use of these "idle words" as illustra tions befurn his Bible class on Sunday. Joe cou i't tell as good stories when the husking was done in the barn as when in the open air. He missed the sunshine, and the azure sky, and the breezes. The weather was generally wet afid gloomy or cold and the ground snow covered by the time it was thought best to haul the corn under cover for husking. A good deal of ingenuity has been ex pended in attempts to devise effective corn husking machines, but none of them has been eminently successful. The shelling of corn, however, is almost al together done by machinery nowadays. Hand shelling was done in two ways 30 years ago. The most primitive method was to denude the ears of their kernels by abrasion, a cob being held in one hand and an ear in the other, both being grasped in a viselike grip. Later some genius discovered that the work could be accomplished wffh great er rapidity and ease by driving a "case knife" into the end of a board and rasp ing the kernels off against the knife, the sheller meantime sitting astride the board which projected over the edge of a lasket placed for the reception of the shelled corn. This method was adopted with great unanimity after its discoverer first osed it, and it continued to be prac tically the only method until the ma chine sheller was introduced. Vsetaali la Ammriea mod Enropa. in both France andv Germany one fourth reduced to a decimal is written as 0,95. In England it is writren 0-25 (always with the period at the top of the line) aad in the United States in this way—0.25. Sir Isaac Newton is given credit of originating the present English, method of using the decimal point, his reason bping that by placing it at the top of ]ttke line it could be distinguished at a gjfenee from the "fall stop" nunctu- PtAY'rNG WITH PlRB. i i The Coupcl oi Wealjl't According to B*Q S. Hewitt. The man win/robs you of freedom of action that is, tiw? right to acquire I property is the enemy of society. I do not care in what form it is discussed. Men may persuade thcm^ lves by a sort of sophistry that they have a right to restrain their neighbor in the exercise of his faculties and in the right to gain an honest livelihood, but such a con clusion is against human nature. 1 know that I am created free, and no man has a right to restrain my free dom of action. Only society as a wholo is invested with this power. So while men must combine together, must have trusts and associations and trades anions and trade organizations, they ara all parts of a progress toward a plan of civilization. Yet, when they are abused so as to take away from any jnau tho natural right to do with his own as he will, believe me, human nature may be trusted to assert its inherent right, and it does assert itself whenever the issue is fairly made. Now, I do not think the "men who have the great fortunes in New York are doing their full duty to the community. I say it frankly, but there are many noble exceptionj. 1 12.00 I. D. Mmwhaij, know of one man in this city, a rich man. I mean by a rich man a man worth $^0,000,000. This man inherited this sum. He did not make it. No muu ever made $20,000,000. He deliberately said, "I have got enough." Every dollar pf his income beyond that which is required for a very modest support of his family is appro priated to public and private charities. That man, Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt, has a proper conception of his duty. I do not wish to preach what may be called "the gospel of wealth," but I know that when those who work shall have educated themselves up to a com prehension of the fundamental princi ples upon which society rests—then I know that the rich man will be educated pari passu and will recognize the fact that as to this excess of income over any ordinary requirements for a comforta ble or even a luxurious life they are trustees responsible in this world to public opinion, and in the next world to God for the way in which the trust has been executed. What, then, is the remedy for the evils which demagogues handle with such ad vantage to themselves and so much dan ger to the community? They are play ing with fire. The remedy is education first and thrift next and last of all asso ciation together for the discovery of cor rect principles, for the discussion of grievances, for the representation of wrongs to those in authority, for secur ing in the public halls of legislation men who are fit to represent an educated community and not, as they are often now, representing the worst element of the community. On education, thrift and association 1 base all my hopes for the continued prog ress of society, and I believe that under this potent influence the evil incident to the rapid accumulation of wealth in the hands of men who do not appreciate their opportunities and duties wil disap pear.—Ex-Mayor Hewitt of New York. They Can Do It. there any way to make new fur niture look as though it had been made a century ago'r' asked a correspondent. There is. A houseful of children will do it for you in about a week.—London Notice. Land Office at Mitchell. S. D., Oct. 12, 18S3.— Notice is here')) given that the following-named settler has filed notice ot his intention to make final proof in rapport of bis claim, and that said proof will be made before the cierk of the cir cuit court, in and for Lake county, 8. D.. at Madison, S. l.,on November'ii, 18m, vir.: Wil liam H. Kennedy, for the northwest qaarter, section 0. township HIS north, ranee "4 west, 5th P. M. (H. E. No. !i8,H5.Y) He names tbe follow ing witnesses to prove his continuous residence upon and cultivation'of. faid land, viz: Andrew Jacobson, .lonas Johnson, (I. W. Masftker and Kzra Lee, alt of Oldham 1*. O., S. I). H. N. KKATZ, Register. It'K. CHOICE CRYSTAL ICE. File you orders for the season o 1893 with Li FISHER ^ssss&str RAT MAItKIT W. L. DOUGLAS 83 SHOE NoTttr. Do yos wmt them? When next tn need try pilfcl Beit in the world. 12.29 For Bronchitis "J new tin' ptt.nl i: a UK»«ii Cino so iiuuli as I h.tve in tin- i-1 few fhoi)ti*, liiiriiig which tune I have euf |Lrtri intensely from piifiiinonia, foikmtd by l.ronchilis. After trying various rem edies without benefit, I began tlie use of Ayer's Cherry Pectoral, auti the effect has Ix'oii marvelous, a single tiose re lieving me of choking, ami securing La Crippe Dated October 12, Constable to ta4 •2.00 l.7« rait »0Yt #1.75 tfyotfwanttffwOffSS SttOC, Mfc tiylet, try ^$3,1330,144)0 or $5 Shoe. TNyfltsqnsI to rate* «*ari*v«Hp If vw villi to sewsmlze In yoerWeri so Iw ppchsMM W. Dwflat She**, (top# fnd prke battel J»k for it whtaiMfctf W*£» MM*. THE FAUt, PALMER&CARKY. Preps. WOOD'S PIIOSPHOIJlNtai The Qr«»t Enclka Remeifi £EKS«r ((PeotniM,Kmi otorrhea, imp Cfief of Ainu* IIWMto: mtlMUct car dnuM j&ssigrja a good night's rest."—T. A. lhgglnbothato, Gen. Store, Long MounUuu, Va. "Last Spring 1 was taken Cown with la grippe. At times I w »s completely pros trated, and so difficult was my breathing .Uiat niy breath seemed as if confined in t.yer's n iron cage. I procured a bottle of Cherry Pectoral, and no sooner •fcad 1 begun taking it than relief fol -flawed. I could not believe tluu the ef fect would be so rapid."—W. H. Williams, 'Cook City, S. Dak Lung Trouble "For more than twenty-five years, 1 was a sufferer from lung trouble, attend ed with coughing so severe at times as to cause hemorrhage, the paroxysms fre quently lasting three or four hours. I was induced to try Ayer's Cherry Pec 1 ral. and after taking four bottles, was |h roughly cured. I can confidently fee mmend this medicine."—Franz llof maan, Clay Centre, Kan*. AYER'S Cherry Pectoral Prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer &Co., Lowell, Maw. Bold by all Druggiiti. Price $1 six bottles,f&. Promptto act, sureto curt Notlccki- L«ft#OHrei! i»t SuiJMl wiltot*, Answer Notice 18 hereby niv*n thnt thelollow. ing named pettier ba filed notice of his intention to nittke fioM.1 proof in ttip|ort of hi* claim, and' that paid proof will be made before the clerk of the circuit court, in aud for Lake county, h. !., at Madison, 8. D., on October 14th, 1H98, viz.: John W. Hurry, for the northeast quarter of section JT, »owiinbiii 105, N., ranije 5a, W., 5th 1'. M.. (T, C. E. No. 14(W). Me names the following wit. neMep to prove hiB cotittnoone residence upon? and cultivation of i»aid land, viz.: GeorccWafckey^ Henry Htonefleld, Albert htonefleld and Dctler Peterson, all of Madison 1'. O., H. D. K. N. KKATZ, Register. Notice. Land office at Mitchell, South Dakota, AanM •2s, IRftl. Notice it hereby g.ven that the follow iujj named settler ha* filed notice, ot her inten. tion to make final proof in support of her claim, and that said proof will be made before the clerk* ol the circuit court, in and for Lake county, S, D., on October 11, 1893, vis: Mariah Barton, widow of Smith Barton, deceased. lor the section IT, township 107. ramie M, (H. E. No. She name* the following witnessed t# prove her continuous residence upon and cnlti vatiun of.'faid IhiiU, viz Joc^pli Cress, of 1V mona. aud Robert Ohv»r, fdgar Laaghlin and G. wall, of Madison, 8. D. H. KRATZ, Kegiater. Mortgage Sale. Default ha* been made in the cond:tions of a mort| :i£c cocituuiiue power of sale, dated April 2nd, 188*, and recorded on the Srd day of May, 1888, in the office of the Kegidter of leed« of Lake county, Territory of uakota, now State of Sonth Dakota, In lok "U" of mortgacee, page INS. whereby William B. Wood and Emma E. Wood his wife, mortjtairor*, mortgaged to Geo. H. Brace, mortgagee, the west half of the west half of ihe southeast quarter of section T, township 1*4, KaUi/e &4. in said Lake coantv, S. D.. by which default the power of sale has bee me oper ative, and no action or proceeding at law been instituted to recover the debt secured there by or any part thereof. The amonnt claimed to be due on ssid morteage at the date hereof la $372.25, besides the sum of Jfrfi attorney's f#e stipulated for in said morteairt, to which should be added th»- taxes on premises described in said mortestre, and nmonntlnr to 11.64. Now notice is hereby eiven that by virtue of said power, said mortgage will be foreclosed, and said premises sold at auction by the sheriff of said county, or his deputy, on Monday, the 23rd day of Octobar, 1W«3, ai 10 o'clock a. ro., at the front door of the court bouse in Madison, 8. I) to pay said debt, attorney's fees and disbursements allowed Iwr law. D*te& Hioux Falls, S. D., September 8th, 1883. GfeO. H. BRACK, Mortgagee. Paul 8. Kxowuts, Attorney for Mortna^ee. Constable's Sale on Tax War-ant. State of South Dnkota, conntv of Lake, sb: Notice Js hereby given. That by virtue ol tax warraut to nie directed and delivered, and now in my bands, issimi by ihe county treasurer In and for the county of Lake, in the Kate of South Dakota, upon an amount of personal properly for taxation lor the year'A, D, 1W3, a transcient aud itinerant stock of merchandise owned aQd possessed by Harper Bros. A Co,, and brought nto said Lake county for sale on or about Octo ber 10. lsR'j, I have levied upon the following de scribed personal property of said Harper Brot, & Co. to satisfy snid taxes and amounting to $73.00. to wit: Twenty two csi) sacbf contain ing 100 pounds each of grannlatcd sugar. Aad that I shall, on Monday, the 2Hd day of Octo ber, A. D. lbHH, at the hoar of 2 o'clock p. of said day, at the front door of Hubbell Br(M barn, In the city of Madison, In said county and state, proceed to sell all the right, title and ia terest of the above-named Harper Bros. A Co. tn and to the above described property to satisfy said taxes and costs, amounting to seventy: three dollars, together with all accruing coats of sa'e, to the highest bidder lor cash. GEO. MEAD, tor county, ~. D. kakeriew Township, Lake Mortgage Sale Whereas, default of thP principal and Interest on the moneyee e 11 red by a mortgage dated the 24th day of S»'ptem ber. 1HK7, executed'bv Henry Smith and KniilyJ. Smith, to Hiram I). Vpton, and which mortgage wa* recorded in the office of the register of deofls of th» county of Lake, state of South Dakota, in book of inortgHgen, on pages -Jty, 2W. at 4 o'clock p. in.. 011 the Wth (fay"of September, 1S87 and, whereas, Ilinun I). I'pton did, on the -M day of N ovember, 1WI1, duly asnign said mortgage to Wilbur F. Smith, said assignment being recorded in the office of the register of deedc of Lake county, utate of South Dakota, on the 2SM day of December, 1891, at 4 o'clock p. 111., in book of mortgages, 011 page '34 ann, whereas, on the 14th Say of April, said mortgage was dnlv assigned bv tsaid Wilbur F. Smith to r. F. McCul longh, said assignment being duly filed in the of fice of the register of deeds of Lake county, South Dakota, on the iMth day of September, 1W98, at ft:66 o'clock a. ni., and recorded in book ltf, page 40 aild, whereas, no action or proceeding at law or otherwise have ieen Instituted to recover the debt secured by said mortgage or any part there of and, whereas, default nas been made in the payment of the principal sum together wi .hthe accrued interest secured by said mortgajte when due and, whereas, the whole amount of the prin cipal and interest has become due and payable and, whereas, it is stipulated iu wid mortgage is substance that if the mortgajreor shall rail to pay the taxes on said land des riled tn said mortgage when due, that the mortgagee may pay the same and the amount so paid with interest at 12 per cent, per annum whall I* secured by th** above de scriled mortgage and, whereas, the mortgagee bus paid the taxes on said land which with the principal and interest to date on said taxes amounts to $180.4) and, whereas, it, is stipulated in said mortgage that in the event of the fore closure of the wuiip, $45.00 shall lie allowed as attorney fee* and, whereas, the amount claimed to be dr'ie on said mortgage at the date of this no tice is $.*Ml.(ft, And the tax#* paid amount to £180. 40, and the attorney's fee of $45.00, Now, there fore, notice is hereby given that by virtue of the power of sale contained in said mortgage and duly recorded as aforesaid, and in pursuance of the statute# in such ease made and provided, the said mortgag® foreclosed ty a sale of the mortgaged premise* therein described, at public auction, at the front door of the court honse, in tbe city of,Madison, and county of Lake, and state -of South Dakota, on the IStti day of November, 1803, at one o'clock In tbe afternoon of that day. The mortgaged premises are situated In the coun ty of Lake and state of South Dakota, and de scried as follow#, to wit: 1-ot ten (10), in bleck twenty ("-JO), original plat of the town of Madison, Dakota, fsow Sonth Dakota), according to the receniMl plat of said to'wn, in the office of the register of deeds in and for Lake 'toflftty, South PstQd'st Madison, South Dakota, this 2nd day of October, A. }'. ¥\McCTJLLOUOHJ: Asstlne® at Mortgaged MADISON i-i-A- oi Mill. f" •TMEcts SUB-BIT •Off OF SOOTH DAKOTA. MADISON *18 LIGHTED BY— The Streets Illuminated by 12 Arc Lights The Most Complete Plant in the State. w State Chautauqua ASSEMBLY GROUNDS Allt4K£ MADISON, three and one-half miles southeast the city. Connected by Motor line A Large Number of State Meetings are held at the ChautauquaGttHuada ©very summer. The Lake provided with the Steamer "City of Mad ison," capable of carrying 150 persons. A Beautiful Sheet of Water, Eight Miles Long and Two Miles Widfc, Two and one-half miles west of the city surrounded by beautiful groves of natural timber. MADISON lift A Mnctiml Center The seat of the St&te Normal School. Value of Normal buildings, $55,000. The Normal School is now in ses sion, with over 250 students from various parts of the state in attendance. Excellent City Schools. New Central School build ing recently completed at a cost of $20,000. MADISON Is the home ot Nine Churches! Excellent Society. Stone and Brick Business Buildings THE- Freight and Passenger Divisidn- the S. M. Div. of the C., M. & Sti P. R'y running north and west. fine Brick IQ-Siall Round Ho»3e. MADISON Is a great Grain Market. Seven El' evators, Flat House and. Roller Lake County has NEVER Experienced a "Crop Failure. CITY PROPERTY And FARM LANDS can be purchased at reasonable prices.' HOMESEEEJE8 are cordially invited to settle in this community. For additional barticitlars concerning the resources of this section, prifcet ef City Property, Farin Landti/etc., ete.y TiUIAS. of B: l^fNEDY Madison South DakotaS