Saturday, January 07, 2012

Crops of Christian County, Kentucky, in 1915

A "Farm Calendar" of income sources


In about 1915, Judge W. T. Fowler of Christian County, KY, put together a 32-page booklet. Every page was devoted to praise of the county's citizens, public institutions, private enterprises, and farms (especially the farms!)

In the foreword, Judge Fowler noted that a delegation of farmers from other counties was visiting Christian County to study the farming methods so successfully employed here. Judge Fowler wanted every visitor to take home a copy of the booklet, to use as a reference for writing articles about Christian County.

 Geoffrey Morgan led the delegation of visiting farmers (the "Morgan party", as Judge Fowler called them). Morgan was a Kentucky Board of Agriculture state agent who worked with county agents, according to documents of the period. A few years later, he helped organize the Federated Farm Bureaus of Kentucky.

Now, here is the Farm Calendar from Judge Fowler's little book -- a list of the most important farm products here, a century ago. Something is missing -- do you see it?

CHRISTIAN COUNTY is the only place in the world where something is doing all the time. Our farmers collect their dividends each month in the year. The following is a partial list of our money crops: Things which are sold off of Christian county farms each month in the year.


JANUARY -- Tobacco, clover, hay, corn, potatoes, dairy products, poultry, poultry products, mules, and pork products.


FEBRUARY -- Cattle, hogs, tobacco, corn, clover, hay, dairy products, poultry products, potatoes, mules, etc.


MARCH -- Tobacco, hay, corn, pork, mules, poultry, and dairy products.


APRIL -- Silage-fed cattle, hay, corn, mules, and all the articles mentioned in the preceeding months.


MAY -- Hogs that follow cattle, wool, seed potatoes, onions, dairy products, poultry products, farm seed, strawberries, early garden products.


JUNE -- Barley, alfalfa hay, new clover hay, early lambs, strawberries, garden products (all varieties).


JULY -- Wheat, late lambs, dairy products, etc.


AUGUST -- Oats, timothy hay, dairy products, orchard products (all varieties), garden products (all varieties).


SEPTEMBER -- Hogs fattened on barley and wheat field, wheat, oats, hay of all kinds, etc.


NOVEMBER -- Cattle fattened on summer and fall pastures, potatoes, garden products (all varieties), orchard products.


DECEMBER -- Corn-fed hogs, tobacco, corn, hay, pork products, dairy products, etc.


Each month in the year, Hopkinsville furnishes a good market for cream, poultry, and truck. Our creamery on First street purchases cream, poultry, eggs, and other farm products and pays therefor the highest market price. This is one of the best markets for dairy products and poultry products in the South.
Related article: 
Passenger Pigeons in Christian County, KY

3 comments:

Genevieve Netz said...

A few people have written to me and guessed about what is missing from this calendar of farm products. The answer is...

OCTOBER. The judge's year has only 11 months!

Elaine said...

LOL I cudgeled my brains for a missing crop!

Genevieve Netz said...

Aw, well, think of the mental exercise you enjoyed. :D

I didn't see it myself as I was typing along, until I suddenly made the jump from September to November...

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CONTENTMENT: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry, live simply, expect little, give much, sing often, pray always, forget self, think of others and their feelings, fill your heart with love, scatter sunshine. These are the tried links in the golden chain of contentment.
(Author unknown)

IT IS STILL BEST to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure; and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
(Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867-1957)

Thanks for reading.