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 18 acres of hay 1 acre of turnips 10 young cattle 75 hens 25 sheep 10 ducks 5 acres of wheat 4-5 acres of potatoes 6-8 milk cows 3-4 horses 10- 12 pigs 4-5 geese 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). 98