Farming Circa 1800
According to the letters from Reverend Dan Huntington (as seen below) farming was very hard work and required a large amount of behind the scenes work. You needed a lot of expensive equipment to make sure that everything ran smoothly, and you needed to hire a lot of help in order to keep up with the workload. In the 1800’s it was very physical work, and Dan Huntington was only in his mid 40’s and was already tired out. He worked as a Reverend, a farmer and a merchant, which was way too much for him to handle. When running a farm it can be hard to keep up with one’s family members, as seen in Reverend Huntington’s letter where he states that there has been much work to deal with and he was sorry he hadn’t gotten in touch with Edward, his son.
What can you tell about the business of farming or farming itsself from the letters of Dan Huntington?
Tobacco Farming c.1900
Tobacco has been a staple crop in Hadley since 1840.
(Photograph courtesy of the Hadley Historical Society)
The picture aboveshows a Hadley tobacco farm at the turn of the 20th century. The cart and horse in the center of the photo are of an empty tobacco wagon, and off to the right, behind the house, there is a tobacco barn. Using the pictures below see if you can answer the following questions. What is involved in the process of growing tobacco at the turn of the 20th century? What types of tools are used?
Farming in the 21st Century
To gain insight into the modern farming industry and lifestyle, we interviewed a few people who have had experience either actually working on farms, or otherwise being involved with the business side of the farm. According to Tony Czajkowski, whose family has owned and operated a farm for more then twenty years now, farming requires a lot of hard, grueling work. It is stressful both physically (because of the weather conditions, and the strength and energy it takes) and mentally (because of the long hours). One of the jobs Tony has on his farm is planting and picking tobacco. He says tobacco picking is hard work, and it is a four-step process. First, they plow the fields. Second, they have to be harrowed, which involves a process similar to plowing, and it further breaks up clumps of dirt. And third they plant the tobacco. The final step is to wait approximately 40 days, and pick the tobacco and put it in a shed to cure. Although the work is hard, Tony, and his friend Alvin Chan who also has experience working tobacco, say it is worth it, because of the money. Alvin reports that he made about $10 an hour working tobacco.
The third person interviewed was David Kubicz, a local grown hero. He also has some farming experience and gave us some information of the business side of farming. He agrees that farming requires a lot of physical work. David supports local farms, and feels more people should follow his example. He feels that larger corporate farms are pulling small farms apart. He doesn’t think the government is doing enough to support the smaller farms that are so important to the country's economy as a whole, and the staple of the Hadley economy.| |