The Brussels Post, 1976-05-05, Page 11After you look all around,
you'll want a John Deere
Riding Mower.
Start looking in back.
The engine is fully enclosed
on a John Deere to
reduce sound for a
quiet ride.
Look at the hood. It's made
of rust-resistant fiberglass
to keep your rider looking
showroom new. It lifts for
easy access to the engine and
the one-gallon (U.S.) gas tank.
Sit on the padded, contour seat.
Touch the clustered controls.
Stretch your legs on the
roomy deck.
-41110.0.Towe
. • +Ito\
Notice the mower. The 30-
inch mower has a tough steel
blade and a deep tunnel for
strong lift and discharge.
Put it in gear. The shift-
on-the-go transmission offers
a neutral start for safety.
A reverse gear. And 5 forward
speeds-1.4 to 5.3 mph on the
66, 1Z to 5.7 mph on the 68.
See the handsome styling
with sleek contours and
enclosed design. Optional
wheel• covers add a finished
touch to your machine.
John Deere Riding Mowers are avail- bagging attachment for the 30-inch
-The 8-hp model is available with removes easily for quick dumping.
30- or 34-inch mower... and has a For super-quiet mowing, an electric
able in two gas-powered models. The mower lets you trim close to
6-hp rider combs with 30-inch mower. shrubs and buildings. The hampey
synchro-balanced engine to reduce riding mower with 34-inch.cut is
• vibration. An optional rear-mounted also available.
Come in today look all around •a John Deere.
Fred 'McGee
Auto Electric km,
.•
SALES BACKED BY SERVICE •
WINGHAM .3571416
[JOHN DEEP
T
!)
THE BRUSSELS POST, MAY 5, 1975 11
Everyone helped with
day on the farm
1881
It has been said' that elderly
folks' memory ebbs and their
senses wane. Be that as it may, at
times one does feel pangs of
nostalgia when thinking of the
days that are no more.
Wash Day on the farm as
elsewhere was a big and busy day
for mother and children. This was
a proverbial job for Monday
following the regular Saturday
night bath and complete change
of clothing .on Sunday.if
Monday's weather did not appear
to be propitious, the event had to
be postponed until later in the
week. Usually wash day was a full
forenoon assignment and the
earlier it began the better. Early
warm sunshine and a breeze in
summer seemed to provide ideal
conditions.
The last thing junior had to do
on Sunday evening before going
to bed was to m ake sure that the
wood-box was full of dry wood,
that there' was ample kindling
under the stove and that the
reservoir was full . That was a
copper tank at the end of the
wood-burning stove holding
water which was warmed by the
heat from the flames of the
fire-box as it passed around ..-the
ovfen enroute to the chimney. This
fresh water had to be carried in
pails from the wooden pump
several 'yards away or from the
underground pipe that carried
spring water to the barnyard
trough where animals quenched
their thirst: Woe . betide the
urchin who tired easily and left
the reservoir only partly filled.
At an early hotir on Monday
morning father, started the fire
and made his way to the barn to
do some of the chores.
Immediately after breakfast was
over and the dishes washed,
mother removed the two front lids
and the interlocking device over
the fire-box with the aid of the
proper poker and placed the
partly filled copper boiler in the
open space. More water was
added to bring the
contents up to the required level.
Often rain water was caught in
tubs or rain-barrels placed under
the downspout. from the eaves
trough. This soft water was used
in summer to supplement the
hard water from the well. Sundry
kettles and pots were utilized to
heat additional supplies on the
back lids.
In summer the washing was
done on the back porch or in the
summer kitchen but in winter the
kitchen proper was the scene of
operations. The first job was to
set up the wooden bench which
supported two wash-tubs. If the
wash happened to be unusually
large an extra tub was placed on
two kitchen chairs facing each
other. One of the tubs was partly
filled with water from the reser-
voir, the other with colder water
for rinsing to which was added
the bluing, a cube of blue powder
in a cotton bag which had to be
swished around in the water until
it dissolved. Have you seen any
such product on the shelves of the
supermarket lately?
The dirty laundry had been
carefully sorted into piles - white
clothes in one pile; coloured
clothes in another; hand, face and
dish towels in another; work
clothes in another and so on. The
white clothes were washed first.
After a brief period for soaking
the washboard came into use.
Coarse homemade, lye soap Was in
common use in rural areas on
Wash day, Comfort soap was a
luxury and was often supplied by
harry Martin, the' ashman by
which appellation he was
popularly known, Annually he
loured the country concessions,
he green wagon box and the team of w atch ci
long-johns, sheets and- shirts was
a task not soon to be forgotten. By
the time the 'assignment was
finished fingers were numb, feet
cold, ears tingling and temper
rising. •
With the advent of the Beatty
washing machine and the double
wringer-washer early in this
century much of the labour was
removed from wash day: Yes,
technology has done a lot for man
and woman and smoothed their
paths in divers ways. In some
ways, perhaps, it has made us
lazy and arrogant. Too many
gauge success in this world by the
number Of. automatic household
appliances we use,by the variety
of the power tools ,and garden
equipment and even by the size of
the car we drive. Technology
Clydesdales being recognized by
all. His mission was to pick up the
accumulation of wood ashes
dumped not too far from the
house but far enough away as not
to endanger the buildings. These
ashes were carefully screened to
remove unburned portions of
wood and cinders that fell into the
ashpan, under the firebox when
the fire was stoked or fresh, fuel
added. If memory serves me well
one bar of soap was, exchanged
for each bushel basket of ashes.
The making of lye soap is a story
in itself.
When the first batch of clothes
was thoroughly scrubbed • and
washed by hand, they •were
transferred to the boiler of boiling
water on the stove. Usually the
dishpan was brought into .use to
convey the load. The coloured
clothes were then placed ,in the
first tub to soak briefly. By the
time they had been washed the
white clothes were fished from
the boiler by means of a wooden
stick some thirty inches long,
allowed to drain briefly, returned
to the dishpan and deposited in
tub number _two and tossed about
in the rinsing liquid. Then
followed the tedious task of
wringing the wash by hand. This
required strong wrists, muscles
and arms as well as a stout back.
The clothesline was given a
leisurely mop with a wet rag, and
soon the weekly wash was on
display.
Those who depended upon the
clothesline and the weather often
developed an elaborate but
unwritten code of rules with
regard to the proper hanging of
the wash. Appearances were very
important. "What will the
neighbours say?" was on many a
lip. Tattle-tale gray had to be
avoided by every painstaking
housewife. Colours had to be
more or less Matched.
Undergarments had to be pinned
according to size. Socks had to be
`paired and hung b y the toe. To
leave clothes out overnight was
often the sign of a careless
housekeeper. Needless to say,
each clothesline on wash day was
a iriulti-coloured patchwork, All
day the wash swayed.and flapped
in unison with the wind's tunes
acid vagaries. The lone weather-
vane rooster atop the barn roof
seemed to direct the dancing
clothes as the wind changed
direction. In winter the frozen
wash did a stiff, drunken dance.
Perhaps there was nothing
more one hated to be asked to do
on a mid-winter afternoon than to
bring in the wash, especially if a
cold, north or east wind was
blowing.To struggle with frozen
clothes pins, stiff and rigid
although meant to serve us can
become our master unless we are
knowledgeable enough to curb its.
influence. For many, howeirer,
technological advances have
made life easier - the coin wash,
the laundromat,, the automatic
washer and dryer. It has meant
the disappearance of the'Chinese
laundry around the corner but the
commercial laundry- ' firms
continue to operate but with
lessening demands for their
services.
There 'are some women today
who still do the weekly wash by
hand, hang out the clothes and
worry about •showers. They take
comfort, however, in the fact that
no wash out of the dryer smells as
fresh as the one from the outdoor
clothesline.They seem to derive a
deep sense of satisfaction when
they see a line of bright, clean
clothes snapping and waving and
popping in the sunlight. Like so
many other unpleasant jobs in life-
there are true compensations
even if on a rainy day the clothes
have to be brought in and hung in
the basement to dry.
In villages, towns and cities the
art of clothesline reading gave
one instant information about the
neighbours' activities. Close
quarters encouraged familiarity
and there was almost daily
conversation from the back potech
or rear window. Neighbourhood
gossip was exchanged freely and
liberally.
"The Murphy baby has -finally
arrived. I saw brand new diapers
strung out proudly."
"Mrs. O'Reily, poor soul, is
still sick. Pete hangs out the wash
by himself. She would never have
left those open spaces or hung the
shirts the way he did and they
don't look too clean, either.'.'
"Debbie Smith is back from
summer camp. Her mother will
have a summer's washing and
, mending to do."
These lines stretching across
backyards for sun and neighbours
to see told more about the family
than the neat front lawns and
tailored shrubs.
"There is no question that
things do change,
That age does' alter one's point
of view;
That passing years do seek
exchange
As time trades old things for
the new."
(Reynolds)