A local farmer, William W. Anderson, had his daughter Doris Anderson record his ‘reflections about farmlife at the turn of the century'

in 1979* He recalled that the average size of farms at the turn of the century was between 75 to 150 acres. For a farm this size, 1 to 2 acres of land would be cleared by hand each year. William also made a list of

what farms might contain at this time:

15 acres of oats 5 acres of wheat

18 acres of hay 4 — 5 acres of potatoes 1 acre of turnips 6 - 8 milk cows

10 young cattle 3 — 4 horses

75 hens 10 — 12 pigs

25 sheep 4 — 5 geese

10 ducks

Hay time in Farmington.

On the wagon: Hilroy & Jack MacDonald. On the tractor: Eugene Mullally. Standing are Earl & Philip Mullally, Walter Whitty, and “Whimpy” the dog- Photo courtesy of Viola MacDonald.

Farms were self-sufficient. Food for both the family and animals was grown on the farm. According to William Anderson, the land used to plant crops was cultivated with a single or two-sod gangplow, disk

* This paper was actually recalled by William W. Anderson and recorded by his daughter, Ms. Doris M. Anderson in 1979. This paper can be located at the St. Peters Library (# 971.77).

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