238 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



busy to rake away the straw from the grain, another with 

 rake and shovel to remove the grain from before the ma- 

 chine, so as to keep the space in front clear. Every half 

 hour or so the machine would stop, to give the men a 

 chance to "cave up," as it was called — that is, to shovel 

 the grain out of the way to one side. After the threshing 

 was over the grain was run through a fanning mill to sep- 

 arate it from the chaff. Some of the threshing was done in 

 the barn in the winter time with flails, but some was thresh- 

 ed by spreading it out on the big barn floor, turning in the 

 horses and colts loose, and keeping them going around in a 

 circle until the work was done. 



Lumber was cheap. Good pine lumber was worth at 

 the saw mills $4.00 per thousand, while timbers for the 

 frame and stone for the foundation could be had without 

 cost except the labor of getting it out. Almost every farmer 

 had a good big barn, large enough for his hay and grain, 

 and open sheds for his cattle and sheep. 



Money was scarce, and much of the farm produce could 

 not be sold for cash, but could generally be bartered at the 

 stores, or exchanges could be made with other farmers for 

 something needed. Some things would always sell for cash, 

 and among these were cranberries, grass and clover seed, 

 hides and pelts, furs, beeswax and potash. 



Wages were low — when I got old enough to do a man's 

 work on the farm I was paid $10.00 per month, and at 

 teaching school I received $12.00 per month and board, 

 boarding with each family according to the number of 

 children sent by them to school. 



Were the people happy then ? Just as happy as now — 

 there were not so many unnecessary things lying around in 

 sight as now, therefore they did not want as much as people 

 want nowadays. 



