Westfield Public Library (Ethel Everhard Memorial)

Every farm tells a story, a tale of family farm values, Jerry Apps

eng

no index present

non fiction

Every farm tells a story

1011543221

Jerry Apps

a tale of family farm values

"During Jerry Apps's childhood on the farm, he witnessed the second great revolution in farming--the arrival of electric lines to rural areas, running water in barns, and new farm machines like tractors, balers, and combines. In Every Farm Tells a Story he traces that revolution by way of costs found in his mother's account books for everything from the family's first milking machine to the used telephone pole that supported their first electric yard light. He recalls his childhood and the traditional family farm values and ethics instilled in him by Ma and Pa. "This book is more than charming nostalgia, for Apps, a former professor of agriculture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is interested in the sociology of farm life as it changed from his childhood to the day he graduated from high school. Milking machines replaced fist power at the milk stool, tractors replaced horses and before anyone knew it the old fashioned farm was a thing of the past. One of the most touching scenes finds Apps describing his Pa's reaction to his earning a scholarship to college and to the sale of his milk cows when he got too old to put on the milkers. It's a fine book for oldtimers like me ... and also for young farmers who, despite their $100,000 tractors face new and more sophisticated challenges."--Dave Wood, past vice president of the National Book Critics Circle and former book review editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune"--, Provided by publisher

Family farm values -- One hundred sixty acres of stones and hills -- The neighborhood -- War -- Winter -- At home -- running water -- Hoeing -- Town night -- Funny papers -- Milking machine -- The war ends -- New barn -- Electricity arrives -- County agent -- School picnic -- Making hay -- Ma's projects -- Ma's illness -- Pickle patch -- Threshing -- Fire -- Silo filling -- Shredding corn -- Windstorm -- New neighbor -- A farm remembers