Country Boy

  

After viewing again the “ Lark Rise to Candleford” series on catch up TV I realise how turn of the 20^th century farming was different. In every other way my country upbringing was different from the bucolic setting lovingly featured. For a start the sun rarely shone as it always seemed to do in Lark Rise.

I lived down a country lane in one half of a pair of semi’s. Apart from the nearby bungalow we were a half mile from the nearest houses. The semi detached house where I lived looked fairly modern but this belied its primitive services. The only mains supply was cold water ( replacing the original well ) but earth closets, paraffin lamps and coal fired range were the facilities. Next door was another boy, a bit younger, but by force of circumstance as the only children around we were big friends.

Outside the house our big entertainment was watching farm workers about their tasks. I was uninterested in birds and plants and very interested in all types of machinery. The main vehicles we saw were farm tractors. We would hang around and often be invited for a ride. This meant clinging precariously to the big mudguard by the single drivers seat. Health and safety would surely put a stop to this nowadays. The workers were usually known to us by sight and would certainly know our parents.

My neighbour, Johnny, excited my envy because his father was a tractor driver. Most usually he had an old Fordson but occasionally he would come home at lunch with a new Fordson Major. I thought this big blue machine was the pinnacle of power and a decent turn of speed.

I recall watching closely as a small wheat field was harvested. The outer margin was cut by scythe to provide enough room for a reaper/binder to enter. This tractor pulled machine cut the wheat and bound it into sheaves. These sheaves were then stacked by hand in “tents” of six to dry a bit before threshing out the grain. I vividly remember one of the workers arriving on a BSA Bantam motorcycle . I was proud that I could name all the component parts.

The tractor was the then new Ferguson; small grey and with a hydraulic hitch.. Older tractors would have a towbar with varying heights and the towed machinery were lifted into position, From our point of view the narrow mudguards of a Ferguson made clinging on more difficult. The best were the old Fordsons with big wide mudguards which made excellent perches.

Farm work was hard work. Watching a mature tree felled by axe the then two handled saw it was several hours hard labour. Tractors generally just pulled other machines, even the Fergusons hitching point only powered up and down. There was no hydraulic buck rakes and the like in those days

When the sheaves were stacked into stooks to dry they were an excellent playground. With sheaves set top to top you could crawl through the gap at the bottom. To a boyish imagination they fulfilled many roles.

I’ve said I took little interest in the wildlife around. I do however remember one sunny day lying on my back in a field and gazing up at a lark hovering and trilling away.

Most usually the sheaves after drying were loaded onto a trailer and moved away to the threshing machine. It was very much a red letter day when the threshing machine was moved to a field nearby. The thresher was large and cumbersome. In one case I remember the gate and posts had to be removed to let it enter. Once in position it was connected by a wide flat belt to a tractor power take off. This was a drum about a foot wide powered by the tractor engine. Sheaves were then brought to the thresher, binder twine cut and the wheat, stalk and, all lifted by pitchfork to the top of the thresher. This then passed through vibrating tines with grain falling to the bottom and then bailed off, and straw collected into bales and extruded from the thresher. Unlike the large round bales of today these would be rectangular and smaller a little over a metre long. These bales could be manhandled and loaded onto a trailer ( although the binder string cut your hands ).

Ploughing was the usual first step in soil preparation. This would often then be followed by a disc harrow followed by raking prior to the seed drill. No cultivation prior to planting ( direct drill sewing )was unknown in those days.

I think we were quite careful county users closing gates and keeping off mowing grass. Keeping to the edges of sown fields was simply a matter of self interest as they often so wet