tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post2060252643831791194..comments2024-03-28T12:13:06.135-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: Saturday Snippet: Farming in a bygone agePeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-76462344913647951712020-07-19T18:26:17.368-05:002020-07-19T18:26:17.368-05:00There is a book, Ten Acres Enough by Edmund Morris...There is a book, Ten Acres Enough by Edmund Morris, published in 1872. Very interesting reading on how he fed his family and earned a living off 10 acres worked by hand.lemmiwinkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12897071451229534159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-23838669481192457262020-07-19T16:07:42.799-05:002020-07-19T16:07:42.799-05:00I was born and raised in Detroit(1948) and grew up...I was born and raised in Detroit(1948) and grew up with all the modern conveniences. My mom was born in rural Mississippi in 1917. Her dad was primarily a farmer, though, as an educated man he would also teach school, keep the books for other farmers and for 1 bad year worked at Parchman prison. Mom remembered the first car in town, people getting excited when the first air plane flew over, growing up without electricity or indoor plumbing and what really surprised me was that my grand fathers farm was mule powered until Ww2. Being a big city boy moms stories of milking cows , gathering eggs and hoeing cotton seemed quite other worldly. Even more interesting were moms stories of joining the army in 1942 and wartime england where she was from 1943 to 1946. Mom lived from 1917 to 2016. I dont think many people get to see the world change as much as she did. My sisters and I regret we made no efforts to record her history. Later in life she would drop little bombs into conversations like when she was in england during the war “ your father stopped by my office to visit and he was out of uniform( he was a b17 gunner) and General Lemay chewed him out” Wait..., mom, you worked for General Curtis E Lemay? . Oh, you've heard of him? Another time there was something about renowned Detroit Red Wing hockey player Gordie Howe on tv and mom commented” he’s such a nice man” How would you know mom? Oh, when you were little he would take the time to skate around with you on his shoulders. <br />Tsgt Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12997121520056731808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-6374096033857721942020-07-18T15:21:51.965-05:002020-07-18T15:21:51.965-05:00tweell if I can grow decent winter wheat using han...tweell if I can grow decent winter wheat using hand tools in the Granite State you might give it a try. It's a Grass so anywhere you can grow grass... There is a good reason that wheat was and is the primary Calorie generator in the world along side rice. Even if you don't EAT Wheat, it feeds the animals you do eat from. I don't bash potatoes either, love them, store pretty well but I have voles that eat them also.<br /><br />Also as a gardener clean straw has so many uses. Even chopped up and mixed with river clay to make bricks and cob. There are still folks living in Cob homes (wattle and dab) in Scotland and Ireland built in the 1400's.<br /><br />I suspect that the buying of bulk wheat after the socialists mess up agriculture with their "Fear" of burning that evil oil will be expensive and slim pickings as that is ADDED to the general graft and failures of Socialism's Collective farming schemes. No doubt they will appoint Diversity Experts to make sure it's all fair and such eh? Ask Peter about what happened after the White Farmers lost their lands to the Revolutionaries. Short version from Bread basket of Africa to a starvation wasteland with warring tribes scrabbling after food and resources. Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329176313885665469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-57393908522291648092020-07-18T15:17:33.654-05:002020-07-18T15:17:33.654-05:00My grandmother grew up plowing with 2 mules down i...My grandmother grew up plowing with 2 mules down in Louisiana. It wasn't a lot of fun according to her.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-32689334806365421252020-07-18T14:45:29.125-05:002020-07-18T14:45:29.125-05:00My family (both sides) suffered as many did during...My family (both sides) suffered as many did during the Depression, and switched from wheat to potatoes for most of their calories. Grain stores much better than tubers, but tubers will feed many more people per acre. Wheat was rich folk food according to my parents. Dad was given a baked potato right out of the oven as he headed off for school - it kept his hands warm on the way and was his lunch. Turnips, potatoes and onions were the staples of the supper menu.<br /><br />Following my family training and heritage, field corn is the grain of choice. The chickens scratch for some food, get some corn, veggies, sunflower seeds and squash, plus some worms. Haven't gotten up to doing soldier flies, probably won't. Wheat gets purchased in bulk and kept as long term storage food. Any surplus will probably be from the orchard, once it gets going.<br /><br />In the end, plant what will grow well on your land. Survivalist retreats aren't on good farmland. Good farmland is expensive. Retreats are up in the hills, with thin rocky soil. Raised garden beds and hugelkultur are the way to grow food when you don't have decent topsoil and don't want to be dependent on modern fertilizer for your crops. Potatoes, yes, three sisters, yes, but wheat? Nopity nope.<br /><br />tweellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164718561825615886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-6675229999888377272020-07-18T14:34:53.653-05:002020-07-18T14:34:53.653-05:00Michael raises an excellent point... Planning vs. ...Michael raises an excellent point... Planning vs. 'expectations' of the survivalists.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-8114074024541943062020-07-18T13:40:03.007-05:002020-07-18T13:40:03.007-05:00tweell you might want to rethink that a bit. Just...tweell you might want to rethink that a bit. Just a small flock of poultry for eggs and meat can eat up an acre of mixed grains (60%) and beans-peas (40%) when Tractor Supply is closed for good. Depending on how many hands your feeding bread (about 50% 0f my post SHTF diet planning just like it was in the Great Depression) too you might want a few more acres in wheat as crop issues and weather and... can make that minimum amount look pretty bad.<br /><br />An acre of winter wheat will after basic hand harvesting and cleaning (with chaff and wastage to the chickens) gives my family two loaves of bread a day. So given the hazards of bad crop years I'd want two plus acres when the Grocery Store is closed for good. I bet I can trade any excess beyond string wheat for a total failure next year for help from neighbors.<br /><br />Always plan for twice the need and half the production and store the rest. Then you will be a successful farmer.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329176313885665469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-42847894336695356042020-07-18T12:55:07.502-05:002020-07-18T12:55:07.502-05:00Ah, but there's a difference between a surviva...Ah, but there's a difference between a survivalist setup and a farm. The farm is set up to provide surplus food, and will specialize in a type of food for that purpose. The old-style farm had a kitchen garden, poultry, dairy, hay and grain production, but generally would pick one of those as the main cash production (usually grain, but some would do others depending on the area).<br /><br />The survivalist retreat will not produce large amounts of surplus food, they are concentrating on subsistence. They won't have 40 acres of wheat, they probably won't have one acre total of grains, just enough for their needs. Cash is acquired by many different means, they don't plan on selling food as their main way to make money.tweellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164718561825615886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-7517444378320221672020-07-18T07:07:00.142-05:002020-07-18T07:07:00.142-05:00Dad said it was no problem to plow a corooked furr...Dad said it was no problem to plow a corooked furrow. You got more seed in the ground that way! STxARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588850178293194825noreply@blogger.com