The Rural Voice, 1988-09, Page 22"Our experience
assures lower cost
water wells"
88 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Member of Canadian
and Ontano
Water Well Associabons
• Farm
• Industrial
• Suburban
• Municipal
Licensed
by the Ministry
of the Environment
DAVIDSON
WELL DRILLING LTD.
WINGHAM
saw,p onwo SIM* 1900
519-357-1960 WINGHAM
519-886-2761 WATERLOO
4TOPNOTCH
ELIMINATE
HARVEST
LINE UPS
Fast receiving facilities
White Beans
Soybeans
Canola
Corn
Topnotch Feeds Ltd.
Milverton
519-595-4928
20 PERTH COUNTY SPECIAL EDITION
THE PLOWMAN
History of Ontario Plowmen's
Association "Breaks Ground"
The history of the Ontario Plow-
men's Association, the group behind the
IPM, is told by Amber Underwood in a
book published last year.
As manager of program develop-
ment for the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food, Underwood
wrote the book as part of her Master's
Degree in rural extension studies.
Breaking Ground outlines the
popularity of plowing matches in
Ontario from as early as 1824. Between
1830 and 1870, most agricultural
societies in Ontario organized plowing
matches in conjunction with their
annual fairs. In 1871, more than 50
plowing matches were conducted in the
province. But as years passed, matches
became impractical because suitable
land near a fairground site became
scarce.
By the turn of the century, reports
Underwood, a decline in plowing skills
was noticed. In the fall of 1910, a
meeting was held in Richmond Hill to
organize a plowmen's association.
Then, on January 6, 1911, about 60
people met at the Walker House in
Toronto. On a motion by T. A.
Patterson, the Ontario Plowmen's
Association was born.
Underwood notes in her book that
the objective of the Ontario Plowmen's
Association was to advance the interests
of agriculture. Establishing branch
associations throughout the province,
disseminating information on fertil-
ization and cultivation, and encouraging
farmers' sons to become first-class
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Gtr OUND
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plowmen were the OPA's early goals.
In its first 40 years, the OPA con-
centrated on educational activities."Soil
conservation was a big issue even in the
1930s," Underwood writes. In the past
20 years, however, the OPA's emphasis
has been on the International Plowing
Match, with soil management being left
to soil improvement and crop pro-
duction associations.
Breaking Ground—The Story of the
Ontario Plowmen's Association is
available from The Ontario Plowmen's
Association, P.O. Box 1030, Guelph
Agricultural Centre, Guelph, Ontario,
N1H 3X2 (144 pages, 48 photographs,
$7.50).0
Ode to the Plowhorse
Oh, horse, you are a wonderful thing,
No buttons to push, no hom to honk,
You start yourself, no clutch to slip,
No spark to miss, no gears to strip,
No licence -buying every year
With plates to screw on front and rear,
No gas bills piling up each day,
Stealing the joy of life away,
No speed cops chugging in your rear,
Shouting summons in your ear.
Your inner tubes are all O.K.
And thank the Lord they stay that way.
Your spark plugs never miss and fuss,
Your motor never makes a cuss.
Your frame is good for many a mile,
Your body never changes style.
Your wants are few and easily met,
You have something on the auto yet.
— as read by A. W. Sirrett, chairman
of the 1929 IPM in Kingston
(from Breaking New Ground,
by Amber Underwood)0