HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-06-30, Page 34•1".pODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1977
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Vri6 loot in the
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The story two weeks ago about the sights, the sounds and
the smells of a blacksmith shop prompted half a dozen peo-
ple to write letters.
A reader from Walkerton commented that farrier schools
are again opening up becaus: of the renewed interest in
horses both for pleasure and for racing. Ile even intimated
that. if this energy shortage gets. to the crisis stage, perhaps
more farmers will be resorting to horses and the trade of the
farrier could become Important again
A woman from the Dresden area. in a long and interesting
letter. said her father was a blacksmith fur many years
when she was a child and she will never forget watching him
shoe a wild stallion one day. It took three men to get the
brute into a special stall made of metal bars, designed by her
father for just that purpose. It took the men three hours to do
the job but her father emerged victorious.
'rorn Hastings County. in the Brighton area. another man
sent a copy of a story I wrote more than 20 years ago about
farriers. I had forgotten all about writing that story so
many years ago and [have pasted the copy in my scrap book.
A large colony of horse lovers must live in the Goderich-
Kincardine area because four letters'came from there. One
man said he hasn't smelled the peculiar odor caused by a hot
.shoe being placed on a.hoof for more than 40 years. He said
he intends to make a special trip to the Elmira area this
summer just to stand inside the door of'' a smith again.
1 suggested in my reply that he had better make an ap-
pointment because John Zieske is one of the busiest men in
the.county. A smithy who enjoys company is Jon B. Martin in
the village nt St Jacobs. just a few miles north of Waterloo
on Highway 85 Jonathon is semi -retired now but if you are
ever travelling through the town. watch for his sign on the
main street which will indicate if he is shoeing horses. He
has been at it for more than 50 years and is as lean and
strong us most men half his age.
Letters ate apptec4ted by Bob Trotter Wale Rd . Elmra. Ont Nae 2C7
Stratford and New Hamburg readers also wrote short but
nostalgic notes, A Milverton reader said the Baer family in
his area have been farriers for more than 60 years. Out of the
shop came a design some years ago for an artificial leg for a
horse. It did not get much popularity and he says he cannot
remember if it worked on the pregnant mare it was meant •
for.
Drayton must also be a community of horse lovers be-
cause a letter carne from that area asking for the telephone
number of our blacksmith The writer said he had three or
four horsemen in mind who would come to Elmira for shoe-
ing because the closest farrier in that area was too busy to
take on new customers!
A letter from Brussels, near Seaforth, stated that modern
farriers no longer use the old-fashioned bellows to get shoes
red hot.'
"They have a switch on the wall which runs a fancy fan in
the forge and the fan forces the coals to become hot which,
in turn, makes the shoes hot. My father used to tell me
about working in the smithy as a boy and having to work the
bellows for the smith.'•
Shoeing horses has not changed much over the years but
if a fancy fan helps lessen the work for the farrier, then I'm
all for these modern touches.
We have our horse shoes tipped with borium, an extremely
hard compound that gives them a grip on asphalt and even
ice. These borium tips or corks are applied with a welding
torch and are a special safety factor for our girls when they
are riding on the highways.
Another letter suggested a column on the marvellous odors
that emanate from a harness shop. Maybe I'll get around to
writing about them in a week or two when I havetime during
the summer holiday to interview a few harness makers.
In any event, the column on farriers sure prompted a great
many people to write. Nostalgia is the "in" thing in 1977.
Gerald Dearing of Exeter demonstrated his sheep shearing skill for the residents of
Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped at a special farm show held at
the centre last Saturday. Several members of Huron County 4-H groups participated in
livestock demonstrations and judging during the day. (staff photo'
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o:
Walter
Miller
Several hundred farm
union members from Ontario
gathered at the Skyline Hotel
in Rexdale to honor Walter
Miller of Tara and his wife
Jean at a "Walter Miller
Night" on Saturday, June 25.
Walter has been active in
the Farmer's Union since its
inception in 1952 in Ontario.
He served as a President in
the Ontario Farmers' Union
and a Vice. -President of the
National Farmers' Union
from' 1969 until December of -
1976.
All of the past presidents of
the Ontario Farmers Union
were present and were head
table guests. The past
president in 1952 was George
Sutherland, followed by
Albert Cormack, Gordon Hill, t3
Mel Tibbett, John Dolmar,
and Walter Miller. All but one
of the women's presidents
were also present.
Walter was instrumental in
leading the Ontario Farmers'
Union into a National Far-
mers' Union in 1969, uniting
farmers all across Canada.
This was a great contribution
to Canadian unity.
Greetings to Walter, his
wife Jean, their three
daughters, two husbands and
friend, were given by a
representative from every
County in Ontario. Qthers
Good record
More farm -related injuries
occurred in Haldimand-
Norfold county last year than
in any other county in
Ontario.
Statistics recently releas d;
by the Farm Safer
Association of Ontario
reported 11.7 percent of the
total 1936 lost -time injuries in
agriculture occurred in
Haldimand-Norfold county.
Larry Swinn, senior safety
consultant for the
Association, says the main
reason for the large number
of injuries is the con-
centration of tobacco, fruit
and vegetable operations in
the county. These operations
which employ large numbers
of seasonal unskilled workers
have traditionally . reported
high numbers of agricultural
injuries.
The statistics showed most;;
of the accidents in
Haldimand-Norfolk occurred
in August and September,..
corresponding to the harvest
season.
York county ranked second
in agricultural lost -time
injuries. A total of 194 or 10
percent of Ontario's
agricultural injuries oc-
curredin that county.
The intensity of hor-
ticulture, landscape and fruit
and vegetable operations is
part of the reason for the
number of injuries in that
county,according to
Mr.Swinn.
"Horticulture and land-
scape industries accounted
for 22 percent of agricultural
lost -time injuries in 1976,"
says Mr. Swinn.
Elgin county, part of
Ontario's tobacco belt,
ranked third in agricultural
injuries. More than 6 percent
or 125 of the total injuries
occurred there.
Niagara county, famed for
fruit and vegetable
production, accounted for 5.7
percent or 110 of Ontario's
agricultural injuries.
Although there is a
relationship between com-
modities and the number of
accidents, Mr. Swinn says
most of the injuries occurred
in intensive farming counties.
The number of farm in-
juries reported for other
Ontario counties were:
Oxford, 98; Ottawa -Carleton,
93; Middlexex, 92; Essex, 87;
Wentworth, 76; Halton 72;
Simcoe, , 71; Peel, .68;
Waterloo, 67; Brant, 58;
Durham, 46; Ken, 42; Perth,
33; Bruce, 33; Grey, 29;
Huron, 28; Wellington, 28;
Prescott, 27; Lambton. 23;
Northumberland, . 23;
Hastings, 17; Russell, 16;
Glengarry, 15; Prince
•
Edward, 13; Leeds, 13 . and
Dundas, 12.
Counties reporting less
than 10 farm injuries in 1976
were: Kenora, Lanark,
Lennox and Addington,
Manitoulin, Muskoka, Nip
pissing, Ontario, Algoma,
Dufferin, Fr.ontenac,
Grenville, Haliburton, Parry
Sound, Peterborough, Rainy
River, Renfrew, Stormont,
Sudbury, Timiskaming,
Thunder Bay, Victoria and
Cochrane.
Statistics were complied by
the Farm Safety Association
of Ontario in cooperation with
the Workmen's Com-
pensation Board.
Calf Club
BY COLIN SNYDER
The meeting ' of the
Dungannon 4-H Calf Club
was on the farm of Phil Clark
on June 21. The meeting was
started with the roll call and
the reading of the minutes for
the last meeting. After this
Mr.' Clark was asked to
describe his farming
operation. `
Then the beef and dairy
groups separatedto take up
their quizzes for the month:
Afterwards everybody
went through the barn for a
look at the operation.
Before the meeting broke
up everybody enjoyed a
snack of milk, ice cream and
donuts.
CLAY —
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Cleaners
Stabling
Leg Elevators
Liquid Manure Equipment
Hog Equipment
BUTLER —
Silo Unloaders
Feeders
Conveyors
FARMATIC,—
Mills
Augers, etc.
ACORN —
Cleaners
Heated Waterers
ZERO —
Bulk Tanks
Pipeline & Parlour
Equipment
WESTEEL-ROSCO
Granaries
B & L Hag Panelling
VR'
°ARM •
SYSTEMS
sardine, Qntaric
sne r39s 521
who spoke were Donald
McDonald, IVI.P., and Ellard
Powers, former chairman
of the Canadian Dairy
Commission. A telegram was
read from Eugene Whelan,
Minister of Agriculture who
was out of the country and
unable to attend.
Blake Sanford, National
Director of the Farmers'
Union spoke --of ` the great
satisfaction he had in working
with Walter. George Atkins of
the. C.B.C. representing the
media said that Walter had
leadership qualities which
Ontario had needed for a long
time in the farming com-
munity. Walter had made
farm broadcasting in-
teresting and could always be
counted on for an opinion.
A gift of lawn furniture was
presented to Walter and Jean.
Walter's wife, Jean
received many compliments
for her unselfish devotion to
the farm organization. Ed
Morden, secretary of the
Ontario Regional Office who
acted as emcee said that
Jean, besides taking care of
the children when Walter was
away, "picked the stones and
fed the steers:"
Dancing in --the ballroom
followed the banquet• and
presentation.
Attention
farmers
A. For sale
MONTMORENCY cherries,
ready now with a good crop.
Pick your own at the right
price. Watson's Fruit Farm, 1
mile north Forest, Highway
21. 873-5439.-26,27
SWEET CHERRIES ready
now. Montmorency red
starting July 5 to 20, Plentiful
crop; pick your ownor get
them ready picked. Pitting
machine available for your
convenience. Also pails of
pitted cherries. Open any
time. Call Rock Glen Fruit
Farm Limited, 828-3644,
Arkona.-26,27
300 INTERNATIONAL utility
tractor, loader, bucket, blade
and 3 point hitch. 17 tooth
cultivator with 3 point hitch.
Phone 524-9839.-26
C. Wanted
WANTED TO BUY — steel
stabling for dairy cows,
suitable for reinstallation.
Phone 524-9807.-26
LARGEST STOCK
iN THE COUNTY
WORK
BOOTS
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