February, 2009 John Frank, President

February, 2009
John Frank, President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410-531-2569
Chuck Coles, Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410-489-4717
Donna Haugh, Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410-489-4728
Doug Creswell, Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410-489-5832
Allan Bandel, Newsletter Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410-489-7875
Museum Telephone — 410-489-2345
Club web site — www.farmheritage.org
______________________________________________________________________________
President’s Report
by John W. Frank
Another year has passed and it is hard to believe all
the activities that have taken place with the Antique
Farm Machinery Club. The Living Farm Heritage
Museum is into it’s 3rd year with each one more
productive than the previous one.
th
During our 13 year as an organization, we held our
first ever Basket Bingo last March. Another
successful consignment auction sale took place in
April. There was the Spring Field Day in May, the
Cutting of the Wheat in July, the Howard County
Fair in August, the Farm Heritage Days in
September and our second Holiday Open House
and Train Garden in December.
And don’t forget our first ever school tours and
summer day camp. Add to this all the work sessions
and hours put towards grounds maintenance and
construction projects and you can only wonder how
any one organization can experience so many
worthwhile activities.
But, we are not referring to just any ordinary
organization, are we? I have expressed it before
many times, and I continue to maintain that the
members of our Club are a perfect example of the
passion, perseverance and dedication that our
forefathers had and who, despite insurmountable
odds, built a country.
By continuing to exhibit those similar traits, we are
setting an example for future generations that will
assure them a successful future. What better way to
pass along a “piece of ourselves” just like our
forefathers passed on to us.
Thanks for all that you do and have a safe, healthy
and great year in 2009.
_________________________________________
Everett R. McIntyre
December 22, 1923 to December 14, 2008
Sadly, we report the passing, after a long and
courageous battle with multiple health problems, of
our good friend and beloved charter member,
Everett R. McIntyre, who passed away on December
2
Everett was always there to help with projects at the
museum. In addition to faithfully helping with the
annual Farm Heritage Days activities, he especially
enjoyed spending many hours selling tickets for the
Club’s fund raiser drawing at the Annual Howard
County Fair. He was a fixture at his table located
under one of the Club’s display tents located just
inside the main gate. Being nearly a life-long
resident of Howard County, he looked forward to
visiting with many of his old friends and numerous
acquaintances who stopped by as they entered and
exited the fairgrounds.
There is no question that in the coming months and
years ahead, we are all going to deeply miss
Everett’s friendly smile, his good humor, his wise
advice, his pleasant personality, and especially his
friendly, but often “bone crushing” handshake.
Everett in his favorite occupation at the Fair.
14, 2008 at Howard County General Hospital. He
was 84.
Ironically, Everette unexpectedly fell ill for the final
time and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday,
December 13th , just minutes before he was to join
about 75 of his friends and relatives for a “surprise”
85th birthday party at the Crab Shanty Restaurant
near Ellicott City. Instead of rejoicing with Everett
that afternoon, we spent the time missing his
unexpected absence, reminiscing about his
interesting life, and worrying about his health.
Everett was one of the original members of the
Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club. He
looked forward to Club meetings which he attended
faithfully. Even though his health was beginning to
decline more in recent years, he could still be
counted upon to assist with Club activities. Having
resided and worked in Howard County since he was
about 17 years of age, he was familiar with many of
the County’s old established families and knew
much about the County’s history. He was a very
strong advocate for the establishment and
development of the Living Farm Heritage Museum.
For a more detailed description of Everett’s
interesting background and his many valuable
contributions to the Howard County community that
he so loved, please refer to the October, 2006 issue
of The Rusted Plow.
_________________________________________
Wormseed Oil – The Cash Crop
by Don Lewis
Wormseed oil was a major cash crop for a small
geographic part of Maryland for over 75 years.
Although some of its production spread over into
neighboring Howard, Frederick and Montgomery
Counties, Carroll County was the world center for
wormseed oil production from the mid 1800s until
the middle of the 20th century.
Wormseed, botanically named Chenopodium
ambrosioides var. anthelminticum, was considered
a weed in the region until it became recognized in
the 1800’s that the oil in the plant’s seeds could be
extracted and used to treat roundworm, hookworm
and tapeworm in humans and animals. Actually, it
was long known for this trait among the native
Americans.
3
The weed prospered in about a five-mile wide strip
from Westminster to Woodbine, primarily attributed
to the unique stony soil found in the area. Winfield
was once the center of the world’s largest
production area. Once harvested, the whole plant
had to be passed through a laborious distillation
process in order to recover the valued oil product in
the seeds.
sealed and live steam from a boiler was charged to
the vat for about 30 minutes. The built-up steam
pressure was then released thru pipes into a
condenser where the steam and oil condensed. The
oil, being lighter than water, floated to the top and
was then separated and stored. In many cases the
oil would be distilled a second time to improve its
purity.
Accounts vary, but it was noted that in 1940 there
were about 250-300 acres of wormseed production
divided among about 175 farmers in the region.
According to an article in the November 27, 1925
issue of Carroll County’s Democratic Advocate
newspaper, approximately 40,000 pounds of oil
were produced annually in 1925. Price fluctuated
widely, but generally the oil went for $3-$7/pound,
though a high price of $11.50/lb was noted.
Adjusted for inflation, $4/lb in 1925 would be about
$48/lb today. Generally, yield was 45-65 lb of
oil/acre.
In 1927 there were 47 wormseed oil stills operating
in Carroll County. There were stories told of visiting
ministers passing through the area who expressed
great concern (and disgust, I’m sure) of the number
of stills freely operating in the area (even during
daylight hours), thinking that moonshine whiskey
was the product.
To grow wormseed, farmers saved some seeds
from the fall harvest and used them to start plants in
a cold frame in the early spring. The field was
prepared much as one would for planting potatoes.
In late May when the young plants in the cold frame
were about five inches tall, they were replanted in
the field in much the same way as tomatoes were
handled. Growing wormseed was essentially a
100% hand operation throughout the process. It was
found that mechanical devices available at the time
tended to harm the seed.
Plants were hand cut when mature in September
when they were about 2-4 feet tall. The cut plants
were left to cure in the field for several days. At that
point, the entire plant was hand loaded onto wagons
and hauled to the distillery for processing.
Distillation was found to be the best way to extract
the oil. So numerous crude steam distillation units
were built in the area. The process was fairly
straightforward. A vat was loaded with as much of
the wormseed plant as possible and, using their
feet, stamped down by the workers. The vat was
The process for distilling moonshine would have
been very similar to that for wormseed. But one thing
that was certainly very different was the smell. It is
hard to find a description of the distilling process that
does not use the work “stink” in some form. Indeed,
other names for wormseed were “Stinking
Goosefoot” and “Stinking Motherwort”. I can
remember as a kid riding past the still on Ridge
Road in the fall, about ½ mile north of Taylorsville,
and holding my nose because of the stench that
hung in the valley. Workers were said not to be able
to wear their clothes for at least 6 months after
processing the crop and sometimes they were not
welcome to bring their clothes indoors at all.
By 1937, there were only 7 stills remaining in
operation: Condon’s in Taylorsville, Ray Brown’s in
Gist, Bollinger’s in Eastview, Smith’s in Damascus,
2 in Westminster (Gist and Herring), and E.W.
Pickett’s in Woodbine on John Pickett road. Magin’s
still on Ridge Road was built in 1940. It stopped
operation in 1966, and was torn down in August,
1980. It could produce as much as 2,000
pounds/day with a 24 hour operation. A house
stands on the property today and I often wonder
about what artifacts from that operation might be
found when digging in the garden.
After distillation, the rendered wormseed plant was
4
returned to the farm to be used as fertilizer or as
animal feed. No animal would eat the plant before
the oil was removed, but some found it palatable
afterwards. The fertilizer aspect was particularly
important since the wormseed plant depleted soil
nutrients quickly. Even with fertilization, wormseed
crops had to be moved to new fields with regularity
or the yield deteriorated significantly.
the treated wood. Closer to home, wormseed oil was
also extensively used on the hulls of the famous
Clipper ships that plied the Chesapeake Bay for
many years.
_________________________________________
During the 1960’s, the active ingredient in wormseed
oil started to be synthesized by pharmaceutical
companies. This became a more reliable source and
was cheaper to produce. One of the problems with
using wormseed oil as a medicine was apparently
not ever knowing how much to give to the patient.
The oil was very toxic and could cause damage to
the liver and kidneys. They had not worked out the
dose/body weight at that point plus, as with any
natural material, the composition of the oil varied
from year to year. The active ingredient, Ascaridole,
varied considerably and deteriorated with time.
At the urging of one of your directors, Phil
Greenstreet I am writing things I remember about
Lisbon Farm Supply. This endeavor brings into
reality just how old I am, and why the aches and
pains, along with memory loss, have crept up. A little
history, is that I was born on a farm in Simpsonville,
located on Route 29, but moved at age five to the
farm just east of Lisbon on Route 40, now Route
144. We had a dairy farm with Guernsey cattle,
where I grew up; walking to Lisbon school for nine
years before Glenelg opened.
The only quality control technique in use during
production was specific gravity – initially targeted in
1900 at 0.965. This number was widely thought by
farmers to be impossible to achieve. Most growers
were only able to reach 0.940 as a maximum. It
wasn’t until 1919 that it was discovered that if the
plant was allowed to mature for an additional 15
days, then they could achieve the targeted specific
gravity. Many were able to reach 0.970. It was also
found that by doing a second distillation of the oil, a
specific gravity of 0.995 was possible. It became
necessary that the distilleries retain the water
separated from the oil and distill it further. Because
of the solubility of wormseed oil in water, the
contaminated water when discharged was killing
everything downstream.
Most of the oil was exported out of Baltimore and it
thus also became known as Baltimore Oil. In
addition to its value as a medicine, wormseed oil
was found to kill termites and thus found a use in
paint in an effort to preserve wood. Germany used
the oil when building wooden boats because it would
kill any worms from seawater that attempted to eat
Remembering Lisbon Farm Supply
by Ron Wessel
The most vivid memory I have of the machinery
dealership occurred on a cold, icy winter’s evening
when I was ten years old. My father, Melvin Wessel,
came in after evening milking and announced that
he was going to a meeting in Baltimore at the
request of J.I Case Farm Machinery. Why would he
travel in bad weather after working all day, when in
1953, the trip to Baltimore in good weather was
daunting? Besides, we had Farmalls from Billy
Owens, Allis Chalmers and Shepard Diesels over
the years and the thought of the ugly old steering
arm on the Case tractor did not impress a ten-yearold.
Upon his return, things seemed to move like
lightning. My father convinced my uncles, Howard
and Roland Wessel to go into the farm machinery
business with a J.I.Case franchise. Their
involvement however, was short-lived as they were
farming the land near Scaggsville at the Johns
Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (home farm of the
Wessel brothers). The home farm was sold and a
large farm in York Co. Pa. was purchased by
Howard and Roland, effectively removing them from
the dealership.
5
In order to house the dealership, a building was
constructed on the corner of our dairy farm where
Route 144 and Daisy Road meet. The building was
unique in that it was of concrete block with no
mortar to hold it together. The concrete slab had
iron bars that bolted into the top wooden sill, then
rafters set on the sills. The last time I was passing,
it was still standing. Several years later an addition
was added to the back for a paint room and extra
storage and work area.
Also on the property was a galvanized steel building,
which became necessary when my father became
the warehouseman for the Todd Co. The Todd Co.
was a wholesale distributor of short-line farm
machinery. Mr. Ray Lowe was a principal in Todd
Co. and was the original field-man for J.I.Case,
responsible for getting my father involved in the
Case business. Trailer loads of products included
Cunningham Hay Conditioners, Snowco bale
loaders and grain carts, Danser Posthole diggers,
front end loaders, wagons, hay tedders, etc. As
dealers from a four-state area would come to get
units, many contacts and business acquaintances
were made.
Already busy as a dairy farmer, starting the
dealership required more help. Over the years of
operation, three people stand out in my mind. My
mother, Mildred Wessel, was thrust into the role of
bookkeeper, treasurer, and to keep Melvin under
control. Now at the age of 92, I asked her about this
article and she smiled and said she really enjoyed
those years of being in business.
The second name is Leland C. “Bubby” Bowman.
Bubby was a young man with a natural talent for
mechanics. I soon learned; you do NOT touch
Bubby’s tools. If you could sneak one and use it, as
I often tried, he would know. Must have left
fingerprints. Bubby handled all facets of the repair
shop, which in many years was the main source of
income when sales were slow.
The third person was Melvin’s brother-in-law, Willis
T. Thompson. Uncle Willis lived in Clarksville and
would drive to Lisbon daily. He was the parts
department. His jobs included buying, selling,
inventory control, and stocking the 10 cent- 6-oz.
coke machine and the Lance snack jars. Willis was
also a Nationwide Insurance agent and the deal was,
he could hawk his insurance if the opportunity
presented itself. Of course, Nationwide was the
insurance for the business.
One of the major benefits of having a farm
machinery business on the corner of the farm was
the availability of new equipment to show customers
what Case could do. The steering arm disappeared
from the Case equipment after models “SC” and
“DC” were replaced in about two years into the
dealership. The hundred series were streamlined
with shiny paint and new options not seen before.
Tractor manufacturers, in order to promote their
products, would put on shows. “Starlight Revue” and
Case “Showcase” were two that I remember. Door
prizes, pancake and sausage suppers and free gifts
along with discounts would generally get a good
turnout of farmer customers. One demonstration that
I remember in particular was at the Case Showcase
in 1962. A Case 830 diesel tractor with a
caseomatic transmission was put in gear at half
throttle and left to push against the loading ramp for
two hours while other activities went on. At the end
of the show the tractor was driven around showing
no apparent damage. I still have and use that same
Case 830 today on my farm on the Eastern Shore.
Lisbon Farm Supply was in business from 1953 to
1964 when Melvin sold the Lisbon farm and the
business in order to purchase the Pennsylvania farm
owned by his brothers. The Guernsey herd was
expanded but the Pennsylvania farm was still farmed
with J.I.Case equipment. Melvin Wessel was the
only man I knew who didn’t like my uncle’s John
Deere 4010.
We still have the Case 830, and with the help of my
son Richard, we have restored a Case 310 crawler
that my father owned, and a 1470 Case four-wheel
drive. Waiting to be restored is a 1956 Case 120
6
self-propelled combine purchased new by my father
and the first combine I had operated.
A Snowco grain cart (85bu.) is also working today
on the farm. Originally it was used to take grain
away from the Case120 self-propelled (45bu.)
combine. But today, 53 years later, the cart delivers
corn to our local corn stove customers. The Case
310 crawler, blade only, has a special place in my
heart and memory. Along with Uncle Roland, who
also had a 310 crawler from the dealership, we
would work old fencerows on the Pennsylvania farm.
Miles of grown-up fencerows would disappear with
the two small 35hp machines working together.
Of particular fun was the burying of the piles. With
draw bar to draw bar, we would dig a hole until the
machines would disappear below ground level.
Ending up with a pit measuring ten feet deep by
about eighty feet long, we would then fill and fire the
hole. After back-filling, the pits would disappear and
the location of these pits escapes my memory as I
revisit the area.
The farm machinery business was never a
moneymaker as most years were a struggle just to
keep our heads above water. Repairs and parts
along with warehousing kept the bills paid. Having
new and up-to-date equipment for the farm was one
perk. My parents, being long-term dairy farmers,
never had the opportunity to travel. Therefore sales
and promotional meetings in places such as
Nassau, Bahamas and Phoenix, Arizona, presented
a grand change of pace for them. The people who
were encountered, both on wholesale and retail and
memories made over the years, were the real
reason for being in business.
Yes, some memories may not have been totally
pleasant, but are far out-weighed by good ones. I
cannot look at the two old wire-tie balers in my shed
without thinking of Ellis Richardson of Dayton, one
of the many farmers who dealt with Lisbon Farm
Supply while conducting his custom farm operation.
_________________________________________
The Fifth Wheel Buggy
by Dorie Walkling Wagner
(This buggy is now on display in our Dairy Barn
and is in need of restoration.)
During the 1960's I had met Bill Filbert at Foxhound
Field Trials in Virginia and on several occasions
when I was part of a group of enthusiastic trail riders
who joined an occasional weekend camping/riding
trip. Bill and I each had 10 year-old sons who liked to
ride with us. On these camping trips, a man and his
wife drove a horse and buggy around the
campgrounds and even a small parade through town
on Memorial Day. They liked to take anyone there on
rides and this got some of us interested in driving.
It wasn’t too long that Bill and I had an interest in
driving but neither one of us was willing to pay the
cost of putting a horse and buggy on the road. We
agreed to look for a buggy that we could restore.
Meanwhile, Bill acquired a driving horse that we
thought could do the job.
After several fruitless trips to look at buggies for
sale, Bill was told about a buggy in good condition
stored in a warehouse in Baltimore. We left his farm
in Howard County in Bill’s old pick-up heading to the
south end of Baltimore. The warehouse was a huge
4-story building that was on one of the old streets
near the waterfront. It was a musty old building used
for printing and storing paper products. A gentleman
7
took us up to the 2nd floor on a rickety old freight
elevator and, lo and behold, our eyes beheld a
buggy sitting in the middle of a huge loft.
reply! I was informed years later that there was a fire
in the Philadelphia area that destroyed many kinds
of records.
The buggy was old and needed restoring, but it was
just what we had hoped to find. Bill and his friend
discussed the price until they had come to an
agreeable price of $150.00! That meant $75.00 cash
from each of us to take the buggy to the farm! We
had to take it out of there at once and head for
home.
Bill was pleased with the work that we had done and
was ready to do a tryout. He did not ask anyone to
give him a hand and took the buggy on the road. Of
course he expected the horse to drive and Bill just
went with the rig down New Cut Road. It only took a
few minutes before the horse decided to resist the
work and took off in a fast runaway! Since Bill was
hesitant to tell the full story of that first “try-out”, I had
to be grateful that he didn’t get injured nor did the
buggy suffer damage.
With a little help from the seller, Bill and I loaded the
buggy on the bed of the pick-up. Bill tied it down
with rope to secure it for the trip back to Howard
County. This was in the days before highways and
bypasses, so we traveled right through Baltimore
City, heading west out of town. We were both
smiling and happy about our buggy, but we must
have looked a little like country bumpkins to the
curious folks lining the sidewalks along the way.
Since Bill had a full-time job and I was working part
time, we started restoring our buggy during the few
daylight hours that we could eke out to scrape, sand
and paint. I sent the apron from the front of the
buggy to an Amish man in New Holland, PA. He did
a fine job of making a new one in shiny patent
leather. The buggy’s top was in good condition due
to its having been stored indoors for years. The top
required cleaning with leather soap and oil. The
upholstery was replaced with the same original type
of cloth-probably a felt material-and I had the job of
upholstering that.
When scraping and cleaning the undercarriage, Bill
found a patent number on a section of the fifth
wheel. This discovery was exciting since we had a
source to begin trying to find some information on
the buggy.
I wrote to the Patent Office in
Washington, D.C., and the reply was that the date of
that patent number went back to a time earlier than
the Washington Office’s records. It was
recommended that we write to the Philadelphia
Patent Records Office and try to find an answer
there. I did write to them, but have yet to receive a
Soon thereafter, Joe Rogers took the horse on his
truck to Alex Cauthorne’s farm in Sykesville. Bill and
I had loaded the pick-up with hay at a farm nearby
and met Joe to give the horse a driving lesson. This
time Alex loaned us an old breaking cart to hitch to
the horse. Bill thought that he had everything under
control and as we entered an open gate to a large
pasture, he “clucked” to the horse.
The horse unexpectedly jumped up in the air and
started out at a dead runaway pace. This threw both
Bill and me in a backward somersault to the ground.
Bill jumped up and called to me, “Are you hurt?” I
said I was okay and he told me to go after the horse
that still had the cart hitched. We were going to try to
keep him from running into the woods and
destroying the cart. We did catch the horse and led
him, now quiet and cooperative, back to the truck.
Bill brought along the cart and was quite disgusted
at being the object of lots of laughter and teasing.
Now we knew that our only problem was a
recalcitrant horse that needed a bit of training. I was
sure some intense lounging would re-educate the
horse, so I took on that duty for a week or two. He
was not difficult to handle and liked the attention. I
lounged him about four times a week without a
problem.
We then went to a driving horse show in Howard
County. Bill drove the rig in one class and I drove it
8
in another one, an easy class. Well, we did not win
a ribbon but we were ecstatic; the horse was
obedient and quiet to drive in a show ring with other
horses about.
harrow, cultivators, and a single-bottom,
hydraulically-operated plow. I recall that the
purchase price for those items was about $1,800,
total.
It wasn’t long after this that the horse was sent back
to his original owner and I moved to Carroll County
and full-time work. Bill had a nice old bank barn
where he stored the buggy. The barn eventually
deteriorated, with open spaces letting in bad
weather. The roof leaked rain and snow. Our
beloved buggy also deteriorated over the next years.
The cloth and leather fell apart while the
undercarriage survived. Now, the buggy is a relic
needing restoration with the potential of again being
shown as an example of an unusual buggy with a
fifth wheel.
The cost of the new IH refrigerator in 1948 was $235
(plus $4.70 for the 2% sales tax in effect back then).
That was a lot of money in those days! Since the
refrigerator had a small freezer compartment, we
didn’t have to run down to the “Freezer Locker” plant
four miles away at St. Johns Lane and Frederick
Road so often anymore to get our frozen meat.
Bill and I had talked about the buggy over the years
and we agreed that it would be nice to find a place
for the buggy to be displayed in its original condition.
We also agreed our names should go down in
history as the two people who had a respect for our
forefathers’ ingenuity by preserving an unusual
design that set this buggy apart from other horsedrawn vehicles.
________________________________________
I still have the original Owner’s Manual and Warranty
Form. In recent years, I’ve used the refrigerator to
store fishing bait in a styrofoam cooler. Today, the
old IH refrigerator, model 8H3-48, occupies a proud
position in the Museum’s Hebb House kitchen. It still
runs perfectly, and only needs an occasional
defrosting.
The IH Refrigerator
by Art Boone
You may have noticed the unusual refrigerator in the
Hebb House kitchen. Here is a little history on it.
Before we got electricity on the Boone farm, the
extent of our refrigeration was either the spring
house, the dirt cellar under the home, or in the
winter, we might leave a window open in the pantry.
But in 1948, things changed. We finally got
electricity strung back along our 1,000-foot-long
driveway. The first plug-in device that we got was a
refrigerator from our local International Harvester
dealer, Mr. William B. Owings in Ellicott City. The
year before, we had purchased a Farmall “B” tractor
from Mr. Owings that came equipped with a disc
A unique feature of this refrigerator is how quietly it
runs. The compressor housing is very heavy and
thick, not like today’s thin-walled compressors.
When running, the sound is barely perceptible.
International Harvester began making refrigeration
equipment back in 1935. The company even made
a line of gasoline engine-driven milk coolers for use
on dairy farms that did not have electricity. Due to
competition though, IH discontinued its refrigeration
venture in 1955 so that it could concentrate on its
farm equipment business.
_________________________________________
Our “New” J.I. Case Combine
by V. Allan Bandel
In 1950, so that the Bandel farming operation could
be a little more independent at barley and wheat
harvesting time, Dad purchased a previously owned,
but only slightly used, J.I. Case pull-type combine.
This excellent-looking machine, powered by the
tractor power-take-off (PTO), appeared to be in
really “top notch” condition. At first inspection, it
appeared to have been barely used at all, and it
9
probably hadn’t been. But as shall be revealed later,
this observation was a little bit misleading
unfortunately. We later discovered a serious major
weakness in the machine’s overall design.
Dad purchased the combine from a neighbor who
lived five or six miles west of our farm on Triadelphia
Road. To this neighbor’s farm is where I remember
traveling with Dad and my brother Donny one
pleasant summer morning to take possession of our
“new” combine. The plan was to tow the combine
home behind our 1948 John Deere model “A”
tractor, following the generally sparsely traveled
local county roads.
their nest, slowly crawling up our pants legs, biting
and stinging as they advanced. Dad heard our cries
of despair and quickly made an unscheduled
emergency stop whereupon we both made a very
hasty descent to the ground from our now very
uncomfortable perch.
Dad removed the dirty old ant-infested tarpaulin from
the combine’s bagger platform, quickly ridding us of
the source of the ants. But then, because some of
those pesky insects continued to sting us
unmercifully, we had to throw modesty aside, drop
our trousers, and hastily clear the rest of those angry
red ants out of our clothes before we could
comfortably continue on our homeward journey.
The Case combine appeared to have been very well
taken care of and had been protected from the
weather by being routinely “shedded” when not in
use. Although most of the combine’s “skin” (or tin)
consisted of unpainted galvanized sheet metal,
some of the heavier steel frame members were
painted a dark green color. The paint was hardly
faded. There was no serious rust in evidence, and
the sheet metal was remarkably not dented or
otherwise damaged. It appeared to be in really “topnotch” condition, and we were happy with the
purchase.
Fortunately, there were no strangers around to
witness this embarrassing episode. It all happened
in 1950, well before there were any extensive new
housing developments in the area. It was a rare
occurrence back then to even meet people that you
knew while traveling along these local county roads.
Howard County was still very rural. But if we had met
anyone, it might have been really embarrassing
because we would have more than likely known
them. Fortunately, we made the rest of the journey
home safely without further incident.
Another detail that I especially remember about
bringing the combine home was that as we started
off along the farm lane, anticipating an enjoyable
ride, we noticed that there was an old, dirty, yet
neatly folded, canvas tarpaulin resting on the wood
floor of the combine’s bagger platform. Unnoticed by
any of us initially when Donny and I had so happily
climbed aboard for the ride home, we soon
discovered that the seemingly innocuous old
tarpaulin had hidden, deep within its folds, a big nest
of very aggressive stinging red ants.
Since we no longer have any paper work associated
with the Case combine, there is some question now
about its model designation. But most likely, our
“new” combine was either a J.I. Case model “F”, or
perhaps even a model “F-2". Both of these versions
were manufactured from the late 1940's through the
early 1950's. Several years before bulk grain tanks
became popular, our combine was still equipped with
an old-fashioned bagger, and was PTO driven. Both
of these models cut a 5-foot swath, a width that was
considered at the time to be ideal for a small farm.
What happened next was that soon after we began
the bumpy ride down that rutted farm lane, with
Donny and me happily perched on the wooden
plank seat of the bagger platform, with our feet
resting on that old tarpaulin, the ants soon took
offense at being disturbed and angrily came out of
Although this machine appeared to be in very good
condition when we acquired it, it’s main negative
characteristic, which we soon discovered, was that
although it did not show much wear and was very
well designed, it was very poorly constructed. The
pressed steel structural members, for instance, that
10
were used for its main undercarriage framework,
were so thin and fragile that the slightest stress
often caused them to bend and twist out of shape.
Dad learned very quickly that the best way to avoid
creating structural problems with this machine was
to operate it at a very slow ground speed. We had to
be very careful, for instance, when crossing small
gullies or when navigating over even the smallest of
groundhog holes. There was the constant concern
that any unusual stress might cause the weakly built
undercarriage to twist permanently out of line.
Deere “A” tractor eventually twisted that frail drive
shaft into a spiral configuration similar to what the
traditional red and white revolving sign over the door
of a barber shop looks like. Because a suitable
replacement shaft was not readily available, we
removed the original weakened, spot-welded part
and substituted a length of genuine two-inch
diameter galvanized steel water pipe which,
fortunately, served the purpose quite well. We used
this machine for several years thereafter, always
pulling it behind our John Deere model “A” tractor.
The J.I. Case Company of Racine, Wisconsin had
long enjoyed an excellent reputation for building
quality farm equipment. Their threshers were long
considered to be “top of the line” and far superior to
the competition. But this machine, because of the
extremely light-duty materials used in its
construction, did not measure up, in our estimation,
to the historically fine reputation of the J.I. Case
Company.
Sometime during that first year that we owned the
Case combine, Dad, who was always looking for
new and better ways of doing things, had read in a
farm magazine about the potential advantages of
cutting small grains earlier in the season with a
sicklebar mower, then windrowing the crop while the
grain heads were still “tough”, or still in the late
dough stage. The idea was that the unthreshed grain
could finish drying while in the windrow rather than
while standing. An advantage of this process was
supposed to be that it reduced the grain shattering
losses sometimes experienced during normal
combining when the grain and straw, of necessity,
had to be very dry and brittle.
The weak structural characteristics found in this
piece of equipment were most likely the result of its
being manufactured during, or just after, the final
years of World War II. During that wartime and early
post-war period, heavy-duty, high quality steel and
many other preferred materials were still scarce.
The combine’s long PTO shaft, for instance, at first
glance looked like a sturdy length of two-inch
diameter water pipe. In reality though, its looks were
deceiving. The shaft only looked like a piece of pipe,
and was nowhere near as sturdy.
The original shaft was actually made from what had
once been a section of relatively thin-gauge steel
plate which the manufacturer had formed into a
tubular configuration that only looked like pipe.
Where the two edges of the once thin flat piece of
steel were joined, there was a spot-welded seam
along the shaft’s entire length. We soon discovered
that this shaft of “imitation” pipe was definitely not
very strong.
Because the combine was run under a relatively
heavy load most of the time, the power of our John
Another proposed advantage to cutting and
windrowing the crop earlier than normal, was that
any weedy plants could be allowed to dry out in the
windrow. The threshing process was supposed to be
more efficient.
This innovative practice required that the combine’s
cutter bar be replaced with a special windrow pickup
attachment. Believing that there might be some
advantages to this avant-garde idea, Dad purchased
a pickup attachment from the local Case dealer. It
was delivered in a “knocked down” condition
(somewhat cheaper that way) and we assembled
and installed the unit ourselves.
We eventually deciphered the many pages of
detailed instructions that came packaged with the
parts and got the new pickup attachment assembled
and installed on the combine.
11
For numerous mostly now forgotten reasons, this
non-traditional combining process was a great
disappointment to us. After just one season, we
removed the pickup attachment and never used it
again. The whole process was just too much
trouble! The idea might have worked well under
certain unique growing conditions. But for us, since
mowing and windrowing required a couple of
additional steps, the benefits gained were of highly
questionable value for us.
When soon thereafter, one of our neighbors
purchased a modern new Massey-Harris selfpropelled combine with a “huge” 10-foot grain
header, and since the neighbor was soliciting
custom grain harvesting jobs to help pay for it, it
simply made more sense for us to hire our
combining done. So we quietly parked the little 5foot-cut Case combine in the barn.
Since we no longer had any good justification for
keeping it, we soon offered our little Case combine
for sale. In 1952 or 1953, Dad sold it to another
farmer who lived some distance from us, well over
into another end of the county. The feature that I
remember most about the new owner is that when
he arrived at the farm to tow the little combine away,
he was driving one of those tiny little Case model
“VAC” tractors that were once so very popular with
many small-acreage tobacco or vegetable growers.
I don’t know whether Dad ever discussed power
requirements or tractor size with the new owner or
not. But Donny and I were somewhat skeptical
about whether this little tractor was suitably hefty
enough to handle the combine. It appeared to us
that it was neither heavy enough to pull it nor
powerful enough to run it. One thing was for certain
though. Aside from the fact that the Case combine
was now being towed by a Case tractor, it was
highly unlikely that the combine’s new owner would
ever twist off the power shaft with his little “VAC” like
we had done with our John Deere “A”.
Much later, checking appropriate Nebraska Tractor
Test records, we found that the Case “VAC” was
rated at just 21 horsepower. By comparison, it was
often all that our 35 horsepower John Deere “A”
could do to handle the Case combine, especially in
a thick stand of grain with a lot of straw, or if the
straw was just a little “tough” because of the often
inevitable and unwelcome spots of green weeds in
the field.
To finish this story, after our neighbor wore out his
original Massey-Harris self-propelled combine, he
owned a succession of new Massey-Ferguson
combines, all of which were equipped with slightly
larger 12-foot headers. He used these machines to
harvest our wheat and barley every year until 1969.
By then, he had become so well known among other
area farmers for being such a careful and efficient
combine operator, that he started attracting more
customers than he could possibly handle.
Subsequently, when scheduling him to harvest our
small grain became too complicated and uncertain,
we had to conclude that the time had come for us to
once again obtain our own combine. So, in 1969,
we acquired a very nice, used, John Deere No. 55
self-propelled combine with a 12-foot grain header.
From then on, and until we discontinued raising
small grains in the early 1970s, we became once
again highly independent at small grain harvest time.
Thereafter, we could set our own schedule and
combine our wheat and barley just when we and the
grain were ready – weather permitting, of course.
_________________________________________
More Revelations on Hay Making
by Art Boone
I’d like to add some of my own recollections to Allan
Bandel’s article on “Making Loose Hay in the 1940s”
(October, 2008 issue).
Yes, it was a dirty, dusty job, especially the alfalfa.
This stuff could cut and itch your already sweaty
body. You did a lot of sneezing and blowing the
black out of your nose into your ever-present
handkerchief (we called it a “hanky”). Timothy hay
12
was a lot more pleasant to work with.
We didn’t use our dump rakes in the 1940s. My
grandfather did before that. He would go in one
direction to create a windrow, then the other to
create the hay piles. If he had had a hayloader, he
could have avoided making the piles and loading it
by hand.
We pulled the wagon and the hayloader with our
Farmall “B” tractor. My brother was thr driver and I
was the “mash the hay down” man. Dad placed the
hay where he wanted it, and stuck me with the
pitchfork several times. (I don’t believe that tetanus
shots were invented yet!)
Dad was afraid of snakes. When a big black one
would come up the hayloader in the hay, he would
yell, slide off the load, and fall to the ground looking back to be sure that the snake didn’t attack
him. Such hilarity!
Mother would bring out fresh-squeezed lemonade to
the field. She would occasionally bring some
Suburban Club Ginger Ale – but I don’t remember
where that came from.
When the wagon was loaded, we disconnected the
hayloader and headed for the barn. Most Howard
County farms are far from being level, and several
loads slid completely off during transit. The three of
us would have to put it back on with pitchforks.
When the load slid off, and you were on top, it was
as much a thrill as any amusement park ride.
Nothing was more intimidating than to see the sky
blacken in the west and know that a summer
thunderstorm was coming. Severe panic set in. Will
we get this load into the barn before the storm gets
here?
We didn’t have a hay tedder. We used the side
delivery rake to throw over the windrow a couple of
yards to further dry the hay.
We had a four-prong hay fork to get the hay up and
into the barn. One load took three lifts – because
only so much hung on, and also, the rope and
pulleys might break if the load was too heavy. I
remember the barn quivering. I remember the wagon
leaving the ground and the floor boards breaking
because Dad set the prongs too deep on the last lift.
A trivia question might be: Why did the hay come up
the hayloader to one side or the other, and not the
middle? Answer: Because with a tricycle tractor, the
front wheels would compact the windrow before it
got to the hayloader. However, with either dual
teams of horses, a wide front axle tractor, or
offsetting the hayloader (not preferred) this
peculiarity would not be a problem.
As Allan said in his article, farmers threw salt onto
the hay in the barn, and we did also. I never asked
why!
At the end of winter when the hay was down to the
bottom of the barn, it would be black, warm, and
smoking due to the pressure that had been above it.
Spontaneous combustion could not be ruled out if
the barn ever caught on fire.
Yes, making hay used to be a tough job. But, I
wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
_________________________________________
Some Historic Landmarks
in Agricultural Engineering - III
by Allan Bandel
In the last issue of The Rusted Plow (October, 2008)
I again reported on some of the most important
“landmark” first time events that have taken place in
the agricultural world, specifically, as recognized by
the American Society of Agricultural and Biological
Engineers. The source of the information for that
article was the ASABE website http://www.asae.org.
Once again, since not all of our members have
convenient access to the web, I decided to continue
with that idea and list the rest of the important
“landmark” events and their locations that so far
13
have been recognized. Not all of these events apply
to Maryland, or even to the Mid-Atlantic Region. But,
this in no way diminishes their importance.
Grain Aeration. Studies of aeration systems to cool
and dry harvested grain were begun in Kansas in
1930 and continued in other states. The first
commercial system was used in Arkansas in 19491950. Aeration is essential to maintaining an
adequate supply of quality grain to feed the world's
people. Plaques honoring this historic landmark are
located at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa;
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas;
Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana; and the
Agricultural Museum in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
Cotton Module Builder. The cotton module builder
revolutionized the cotton industry. Prior to its
development, delays at the gin and a shortage of
wagons to haul cotton from the field to the gin could
seriously delay harvest. The module builder is a
large trailer that is moved by a tractor and is used
stationary. Loose cotton is dumped into the builder
and packed tightly, forming a module. Once formed,
the builder is removed and the module has an
appearance much like that of a huge loaf of bread.
A commemorative plaque is located on the campus
of Texas A&M University, College Station, TX where
this machine was developed.
Cotton Gin. Eli Whitney developed his first handoperated cotton gin on the Gen. Nathaniel Greene
plantation, near Savannah, GA, and obtained a
patent on march 14, 1794. The gin, which separates
the seed and other trash such as stems, leaves, etc.
from the cotton fiber, was responsible for the
survival of the cotton industry in the south. There is
a plaque honoring the gin’s development in the
Cotton Exchange Building in Savannah.
Universal Soil Loss Equation. Development of the
Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was a national
effort led by Walter H. Wischmeier and Dwight D.
Smith at the USDA National Runoff and Soil Loss
Data Center at Purdue University. The landmark
plaque is located at the USDA-ARS National Soil
Erosion Research Laboratory (NSERL) at Purdue
University.
Rumely OilPull Tractor. The Rumely OilPull Tractor
was developed by John Secor, chief engineer at the
Rumely Company of La Porte, Indiana. A
commemorative bronze plaque is located on the
lawn of the La Porte Hospital, Madison Street and
Lincolnway (State Highway 2), La Porte, IN.
Skid-Steer Loader. The Skid-Steer Loader
designed and built by Cyril and Louis Keller and first
used in 1957, was the first small, lightweight, threewheel, front-end loader able to turn completely
around within its own length. The Melroe
Manufacturing Company in Gwinner, N.D. later
purchased the rights to the Loader, hiring the Keller
brothers to continue its development. One ASABE
plaque is located at the Bonanzaville Historic
Museum in West Fargo, N.D. A second plaque is
located at the Melroe Manufacturing plant in
Gwinner, ND.
Air-Inflated Double-Layer Polyethylene
Greenhouse. Professor William J. Roberts at Cook
College, Rutgers University developed the first AirInflated Double-Layer Polyethylene Greenhouse
which provided a low-cost, energy-efficient
greenhouse structure for optimum year-round
growing conditions. Two plaques are located on the
Cook College Campus, School of Environmental and
Biological Sciences, Rutgers University.
UC -Blackwelder Tomato Harvester. In the 1940's,
University of California, Davis agricultural engineer
Coby Lorenzen began developing a mechanical
tomato harvester while biologist Jack Hanna
developed varieties suitable for harvest. In the late
1950s, Steven J. Sluka developed a successful vine
separator at UCD. Blackwelder Mnfg. Co.
commercialized the UCD design, resulting in the
world’s dominant tomato harvester. Harvesting of
processing tomatoes in the USA changed from
manual in 1963 to primarily mechanical by 1968,
leading to large increases in tomato acreage and
tonnage.
14
Noble Blade Cultivator. In the 1930's, thousands
of acres of North American prairie lands were
damaged by wind erosion aggravated by drought
and inadequate farming practices. Charles S. Noble,
of Nobleford, Alberta, invented a cultivator that
sheared stubble below the soil surface, leaving
residue that reduced evaporation and prevented
wind erosion. Noble’s Cultivator was patented in
1937. By 1979, more than10,000 had been built for
use around the world. The ASABE plaque
commemorating the Noble Blade Cultivator is
permanently displayed at the Nobleford Centennial
Park.
Laser Beam Automatic Grade-Control System.
The first laser grade control was developed by
agricultural engineers James Fouss and Norman
Fausey of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service at
The Ohio State University in the mid-1960's. Other
necessary designs and developments occurred
through the years by various other individuals and
companies. Continuous improvements and
innovations have led to vastly expanded applications
of laser-beam control technology to agricultural,
construction, industry, and military tasks worldwide.
A commemorative ASABE plaque is displayed on
the campus of The Ohio State University,
Agricultural Engineering Building.
World's First Self-Propelled Combine. George
Stockton Berry (1847-1917) of Lindsay, Tulare
County, California, designed, built, and in 1886,
operated the World's First Self-Propelled Combine.
The Berry design embodied many firsts that were
adopted by West Coast manufacturers and have
influenced the design of later combines, both selfpropelled and towed. A plaque commemorating this
historic landmark is located at the Tulare County
Museum, Visalia, CA.
Self-Leveling Control for Hillside Combines. In
1941, near Palouse, Washington, Raymond A.
Hanson conceived of the Self-Leveling Control for
Hillside Combines and the first self-leveling
mechanisms were built in 1945. Hanson founded the
RAHCO Company to build self-leveling control
mechanisms and since then, RAHCO of Spokane,
Washington, has grown into a world leader in the
design and production of custom commercial
machinery systems. It has been estimated that
automatic leveling has saved at least three percent
of grain harvested on lands where combine leveling
is needed, which is worth millions of dollars each
year. Plaque's to be commemorated at the
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.
The Oliver Chilled Cast-Iron Plow. On June 30,
1857, James Oliver filed a patent application for
chilling the wear face of cast-iron moldboard plows.
While pouring molten cast iron in sand molds he
circulated hot water through chillers to regulate the
rate of cooling. Oliver's control of raw material
content and cooling produced moldboards with a
very hard surface and softer, tough inner core for
strength. By 1878, more than 170,000 Oliver chilled
moldboard plows were being used around the world.
January, 1876 The Oliver Chilled Plow Works was
constructed in South Bend, Indiana, and became
one of the world's largest plow manufacturing plants
producing plows and tillage implements from 1876 to
1985. A commemorative plaque will be located on
the site of the Chilled Plow Works in South Bend,
Indiana.
The First Flaked Cereal. In 1894, Dr. John Harvey
Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith (W.K. Kellogg),
were making a granola type cereal for their patients
in the Battle Creek Sanitarium. This granola cereal
was made from wheat that was boiled, rolled into a
sheet, toasted, and ground. They accidentally left a
batch of boiled wheat stand overnight before passing
it through the rolls. The individual grains were
subsequently pressed into flakes which were toasted
to form the first flaked cereal. Two years later, W.K.
Kellogg made the first corn flakes. In 1906, he
formed the Battle Creek Toasted Flake Company,
which was renamed the Kellogg Company in 1922.
The flaking process developed by the Kellogg
brothers continues to serve as a basis for modern
flaked cereal manufacturing processes. A
commemorative plaque will be located in Battle
Creek, Michigan.
15
For a more complete listing of details, please visit
the American Society of Agricultural and Biological
Engineers website at http://www.asae.org.
_________________________________________
The Game That I Can’t Remember
by Art Boone
th
th
This past December 28
marked the 50
anniversary of arguably the greatest football game
ever played. It was the two great quarterbacks of
Frank Gifford of the New York Giants, versus the
formidable Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts – in
Yankee Stadium. It was a game that no Baltimore
football fan dared miss. It was the NFL
championship game – and Baltimore was in it. (The
“Superbowl” wasn’t invented yet. That wouldn’t
happen for another 10 years or so.)
specialty games, 3 raffles and a 50/50 raffle.
Tickets are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 at the
door. Food will be available to purchase. For tickets,
call or e-mail Rebecca Lorah at 410-988-8069 or
Rebecca.Lorah@yahoo.com.
Longaberger baskets are available to sponsor or to
fill. If you would like to donate money or items for the
baskets, you may contact Rebecca Lorah at the
above phone number or email. We are asking for
$50.00 or $100.00 to sponsor a basket or $25.00 or
$50.00 to fill a basket.
We had a great time last year with many filled
baskets. We hope that you will join us.
_________________________________________
The Club’s Website
I was home from college at the time. My family had
but one TV set, which was the norm in those days,
a 17-inch black-and-white Crosley model.
My dad was not a sports fan by any stretch of the
imagination. So, when the game began, he changed
the channel to his favorite “B” western cowboy
station and left me high and dry. What could I say?
It was his TV.
That’s how I remember “The greatest game ever
played”. I’ve never forgotten that I didn’t see the
game that was not to be forgotten.
P.S. The Colts won by a touchdown in overtime.
_________________________________________
Basket Bingo Committee
by Virginia Frank
The Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club
will sponsor a Basket Bingo on Friday, March 6,
2009. It will be held at the Howard County
Fairgrounds, in the Dining Hall.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the games will start
at 7:00 p.m. There will be 20 regular games, 3
Don’t forget to check out the Club’s website –
www.farmheritage.org . See for yourself what
increasing numbers of visitors are checking out more
and more. While there, if you find that something
should be added or revised, please contact, or send
a note, to any of the officers, or send an e-mail to
the site’s webmaster, Jenny Frecker, at
jenny_frecker@yahoo.com. NOTE: there is an
underline (_) between “jenny” and “frecker”.
_________________________________________
Holiday Open House - 2008
by Virginia Frank
We held our second annual Holiday Open House
over two weekends in December 2008. We had a
very good turn out of folks from the community as
well as Club members. We enjoyed sitting around
and talking about “old times” and telling stories on
each other.
Thank you to all of those who baked cookies for the
event. They were delicious and everyone enjoyed
them. A very special thank you goes to Maggie
Langdon of Westminister who provided her
interesting antique train garden with its many
16
houses, stores, people, etc. Maggie and her
daughter, Jenny, spent two days setting up their
beautiful train garden display that helped to remind
us of bygone Christmas’. It was enjoyed by all,
young and old alike.
________________________________________
2009 Membership Dues.
By Doug Creswell
If you have not yet paid your membership dues for
2009, they are NOW DUE! Annual Club
membership dues (still a bargain at $10.00 per
person) are collected on a calendar year basis and
can be paid for the year 2009 at any time now. The
2009 membership cards are available and can be
obtained either at the next meeting or by sending
your payment to Treasurer, Doug Creswell at the
Club’s P.O. Box address listed below. The cards can
be delivered to you by return mail. In order to reduce
mailing expenses though, plan to pick up your
membership card at a general membership meeting
or another event. If the latter is not convenient
though, please send dues payments as soon as
possible to:
Howard County Antique Farm Machinery Club
P.O. Box 335
West Friendship, MD 21794
_________________________________________
Club Officers, Board of Directors
and Committee Chairpersons
Names of club officers and their telephone numbers
can be found under the masthead of The Rusted
Plow. Current members of the Board of Directors
and Committee Chairpersons are as follows:
Board of Directors:
Art Boone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dick Claycomb . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phil Greenstreet . . . . . . . . . . .
Walt Toney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
John Mihm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chris Feaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
410-531-2644
410-549-2171
410-489-0403
301-854-6398
410-489-7704
410-531-3307
Club committees and chairpersons:
Technology/Web Site — Jennifer Frecker.
(contact her
by
e-mail
at
jenny_frecker@yahoo.com) (NOTE: There is
an underline (_) between “jenny” and
“frecker”.)
Hebb House —Virginia Frank - (410) 531-2569
Site Development & Layout — Glenn Webb (410) 461-9243
Bank Barn — David Haugh - (410) 489-4728
Main Display Building — Phil Greenstreet - (410)
489-0403
Fund Raising & Grants — Paul Miller (410) 4618335 & Charles Feaga (410) 531-5100
Storage and Outbuildings — John Mihm - (410)
489-7704 and Dick Claycomb (410) 549-2171
Sunshine — Dorothy Frank - (410) 531-5555
(Notify her regarding the need for cards in the
event of sickness, death, birth, etc.)
Asset Management — John Foertschbeck
(410) 795-1490
Activities — Art Boone (410) 531-2644
For the betterment of the goals of our organization,
your club leaders would welcome any helpful ideas,
your constructive suggestions, and especially, your
active participation. Please feel free to contact them.
_________________________________________
Repair Services Available. Tractor magneto repair
(Wico, American Bosch, IH, Fairbanks Morse).
Some exchange units available. All work
guaranteed. Fast service. Also, carburetor,
generator and starter repair (including Ford Model
“A” and Model “T”). Gil Hilsinger, 1538 Buckhorn
Road, Sykesville, MD 21784. Call (410) 795-3734.
_________________________________________
Calendar of Events
Feb 16 General Monthly Membership Meeting.
Dining Hall. Howard County Fairgrounds.
West Friendship, MD.
Mar 6 Longaberger Basket Bingo. 7:00 pm. Dining
Hall, Howard County Fairgrounds, West
Friendship, MD. See article in this newsletter
for additional details.
Mar 10 Far m
H er i t ag e
Days Planning
Committee Meeting. 7:00 pm. Hebb
House, Museum Grounds, W est
17
Friendship, MD. (Anyone wishing to help
plan for Farm Heritage Days 2009 should
attend.
Mar 16 General Monthly Membership Meeting.
Dining Hall. Howard County Fairgrounds.
West Friendship, MD.
Apr 15-17 Set-up for 14th Annual Consignment
Sale. Set-up and registration of
consigned and donated items, 9:00 am
until 8:00 pm. Howard County
Fairgrounds. West Friendship, MD.
Help is needed!
“Why do you wish to transfer?” the station manager
asked.
He replied, “The climate here doesn’t agree with
me.”
*********
A curious man called up his local weatherman and
asked, “What are the chances for a shower tonight?”
The weatherman, a bit startled, answered, “Well, I’d
say go ahead and take one if you really need it.”
**********
Apr 18
14th Annual Consignment Sale. 9:00 am
until. Howard County Fairgrounds, West
Friendship, MD.
And finally....
Apr 19
Clean-up Day after Consignment Sale.
In the employee parking lot, two weather bureau
forecasters were about to drive home.
Apr 20
General Monthly Membership Meeting.
Dining Hall. Howard County Fairgrounds.
West Friendship, MD.
“Say, Eugene,” said one to the other, “Did you
remember to close the office windows? Never know
when it might rain.”
May 9
Spring Plowing Field Day and
Demonstration with the Maryland Draft
Horse and Mule Association. Land
preparation for corn planting. Museum
Grounds, West Friendship, MD. (Rain date
– May 16).
— from: Country Chuckles, Cracks
& Knee-Slappers
Edited by Mike Lessiter
May 18 General Monthly Membership Meeting.
Dining Hall. Howard County Fairgrounds.
West Friendship, MD.
May 30 Maryland National Road Yard Sale.
Living Farm Heritage Museum, West
Friendship, MD. Vendors needed.
Aug 1-8 64th Annual Howard County Fair.
Displays and Demonstrations. Howard
County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, MD.
_________________________________________
And Finally, A Few Weatherman
Jokes to Lighten Your Day
One local TV weatherman was wrong on his
forecasts so often, he was publicly embarrassed
and applied for a transfer.
Christmas 2008 at the Museum