Old Rural Words?
Mark Barnard
I read this group from time to time and find much of the information
often helpful, and very interesting.
Though this may be a strange question, I was wondering if anyone had any
interesting words that they use, or perhaps they remember their parents
or Grandparents using, on the farm. It could be anything; a different
word that you/they use(d) for a particular circumstance, task, or object.
For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
cattle farm in Southern New York State. It was in a little town called
Howard (near Avoca, which in turn is near Hornell ... I could keep going
up in town size, but you get the idea). My Granparents often used words
that made little sense to me at the time.
Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
different.
One word was "freshen." In context: "The cow will freshen in mid
October." This meant that the cow will calve around that time. Perhaps
this was my Grandparents way of "shielding" the children from
understanding what was going on. However, after hearing it in varying
context it didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
heard this word used elsewhere.
Many of these words I have taken for granted for many years. Since the
recent death of my Grandmother (my Grandfather died many years ago) I
have been kicking myself for not learning more about the "old ways" of
farming. Now that I have a small place of my own, I could sure use their
advice.
Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
definitions.
Mark
Fargo_North, Decoder
<bar...@olympus.ctron.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I read this group from time to time and find much of the information
> often helpful, and very interesting.
>
> Though this may be a strange question, I was wondering if anyone had any
> interesting words that they use, or perhaps they remember their parents
> or Grandparents using, on the farm. It could be anything; a different
> word that you/they use(d) for a particular circumstance, task, or object.
>
> [SNIP!... stuff deleted]
> Mark
Your analysis of the word "freshen" is correct... but , I thing the freshen
term comes from the fact that the cow will.... freshen the milk supply...
as soon as she calves... she grows "stale... or dry.. after a while.. and
must become pregnant again to rejuvenate the milk supply. Fargo-North,...
Decoder
Dan Sorenson
>Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
>cattle.
That's the traditional word, anyway. For calling hogs, it's a
rising-note howl of "Sooooo-eeeeee!" several times.
--
* Dan Sorenson, DoD 1066 vik...@iastate.edu z1...@exnet.iastate.edu *
* Vikings? There ain't no vikings here. Just us honest farmers. *
* The town was burning, the villagers were dead. They didn't need *
* those sheep anyway. That's our story and we're sticking to it. *
Ronald D. Erickson
Mark;
Your grandparents probably were calling the cow(s) by name
or being polite by inferring the cow was in charge. My family
used to call the cows by saying, "here Boss". I do not think
it had anything to do with their Dutch ancestory.
Dave Heisler
farmhouses. apperently during the processing
of wool loose fibers are generated that fall on
the floor.
these were called sluts. and supposedly a sloppy
girl became know as a slut.
d
Linda B. Merims
$10 "live foal" (term still in use--means it costs $10 to get your
mare covered with the guarantee that she will produce
a live foal. If she doesn't, rebreeding at no charge
until she does)
vs
$5 "the leap" (no longer in use--just the cost to cover the mare one time)
My grandpa grew up in Bear Wallow in Adair Co, Kentucky in the late
19th century. He told me the way many stallions used to stand in
those days was they'd go on a county seat circuit. Columbia was the
county seat of Adair Co. Well-known studs would travel from county
seat to county seat. Prior to the breeding season, his owners would
print up fliers saying so-and-so would be available in Columbia during May,
some other county in June, etc. They'd post the counties. The
neighborhood farmers would bring their mares into the county seat
during the month the stallion they wanted was in town to get them serviced.
Linda B. Merims
Waltham, MA
John E. Taylor III
>
> One word was "freshen." In context: "The cow will freshen in mid
> October." This meant that the cow will calve around that time.
>
As another reply pointed out, yes, this has to do with the milk supply
"freshening." Pretty much a synonym for "calving".
> Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
> cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
> way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
> until the cattle came running in to eat.
I suspect my wife picked up the call from some of the local farmers
(Pennsylvania), but she has always called her horses with a "Coooh!" or
"Coooh, horse!" shouted several times. They respond well.
As for the "bossy", and the "sooeee!" call for the hogs, our ancestors
tended to appreciate the classics more than we. The derivations are Latin:
bos = ox; sus = sow. (cf. generic names--Bos taurus and Suis scrofa)
I've always been intrigued by some of the Olde English names for farming
things, like Snath, which is the long, curved handle of a scythe. Or Ted,
the verb for turning hay to dry.
Came across a bunch of variant pronunciations of farming words when I lived
in Alabama, but suspect that's more dialect, and maybe not the subject of
this thread (e.g. swingletree = singletree).
John Taylor
Internet: rohvm1...@rohmhaas.com
C.K. Black
One word struck me like a bolt, you say , in part......
>For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
>cattle farm in Southern New York State.
>Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
>thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
>different.
>Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
>cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
>way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
>until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
>youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
>Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
>colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
>Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
>typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
>heard this word used elsewhere.
I read that and suddenly I was 10 years old again, standing with my maternal
Grandfather on the farm in New Brunswick, Canada. Several hundred miles to
the NE of you. I asked him why "coboss" and he just said that's what his
Grandfather used. I'm going to bet that's a very old colloquialism. Some
of the first farmers in our area of New Brunswick were 'Loyalists', arriving
from the USA circa 1786.
>Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
>anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
>definitions.
Please do, Cheers.......
--
Conrad Black Email: C.K....@massey.ac.nz
Plant Science Dept., Massey Uni., Fax: +64 (06) 350-5614
Palmerston North, New Zealand Phone: +64 (06) 356-9099 ext.7306
C.K. Black
One word struck me like a bolt, you say , in part......
>For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
>cattle farm in Southern New York State.
>Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
>thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
>different.
>Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
>cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
>way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
>until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
>youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
>Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
>colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
>Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
>typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
>heard this word used elsewhere.
I read that and suddenly I was 10 years old again, standing with my maternal
Grandfather on the farm in New Brunswick, Canada. Several hundred miles to
the NE of you. I asked him why "coboss" and he just said that's what his
Grandfather used. I'm going to bet that's a very old colloquialism. Some
of the first farmers in our area of New Brunswick were 'Loyalists', arriving
from the USA circa 1786.
>Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
>anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
>definitions.
Please do, Cheers.......
cook...@cnsvax.uwec.edu
I always heard that it was "come bos" to call the cows, bos being latin (I
think) for cattle.
Mark W Kramer
is used on every 'traditional' dairy farm I've ever worked on, and echoes
the taxonomic name of the beast, which if I recall properly, is 'bos
taurus typicus tyrannus'.
Other words I've noticed that people without farm experience haven't met
(in New England) include 'rowan' (grass),
'clevvy' for clevis pin, 'vetinary' for veternarian, and
'peavy' for cant hook--a wood-handled spike with a hinged flange like one
tong of an ice tongs, for rolling logs. I've read there was a real Mr.
Peavy who improved and patented the tool.
Todd Gleason
grow up on a dairy farm. On the prairies of the midwest we use a different
word to call beef cattle in from the pasture... It sounds like "Sick-Kay."
I can remember many an evening when Dad would stand in the barn calling Sic-
Kay', sic-kaaaaay' with a little up tick on the end. It always worked.
Then again, we had a neighbor who could never keep his cattle fenced and
used his car horn to drive them back home. He'd just go find them and then
begin honking the horn, hearding them back home. I think Pavlov explained
this phenomenon quite well.
Todd
Todd Gleason Phone: (217) 333-0850
Agriculture and Market Reporter FAX: (217) 333-7151
WILL-AM-580 Internet: t-gle...@uiuc.edu
University of Illinois
Tom. Adams 529-7860
: 'peavy' for cant hook--a wood-handled spike with a hinged flange like one
: Peavy who improved and patented the tool.
Peavey is a logging term. Probally drifted into the dialect since logging
was a traditional winter job for the (northern?) farmer. Anyone heard the
term "pine-tags" to describe pine needles? My exposure is from Richmond,
Va. but I suspect it was carried from CO or WI.
--
Tom Adams Southwestern Bell Technology Resources
Telephone:314-529-7860 Fax:314-529-7573
Use this email address -->> tad...@sbctri.sbc.com <<<---
Ren Tescher
>I read that and suddenly I was 10 years old again, standing with my maternal
>Grandfather on the farm in New Brunswick, Canada. Several hundred miles to
>the NE of you. I asked him why "coboss" and he just said that's what his
>Grandfather used. I'm going to bet that's a very old colloquialism. Some
>of the first farmers in our area of New Brunswick were 'Loyalists', arriving
>from the USA circa 1786.
>
for "Come Boss(y)"
Now why cows were called "Bossy"...
(well, some of the ornery ones liked to 'boss' you around!)
ren
dona nobis pacem
ilvac...@gmail.com
Paul
rben...@gmail.com
I'm on here for the same reason. My grandfather's farm was in rural St. Lawrence County, in Northern New York. He too would stand at the entrance to the barn and yell what sounded like " Cabass! Cabass! Cabass! Caboooooy!", and the cows would come in for hay and milking. His last name was Cole, so I'm speculating that this is an English / Irish / Scottish tradition? Any insight is appreciated!
Rod
far...@000.000
>> youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
>> Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
>>
farmer, when I was middle aged. It was tough to learn all the farming
stuff by myself. The basics make sense, but there are a lot of things
that still dpont make too much sense, and there are old wivestales that
some farmers still follow. The hardest part was learning all the farm
machinery and how it all works (and often dont work).
I never had cattle and dont really want to get into them, even though
they are animals that I dont mind being around. But my favorite animals
have always been equines, and I ended up caring for horses, ponies, and
donkeys. Along with that, I got some older machinery and learned to grow
and bale hay. I never went too far into farming, and ended up working a
regular job to get by, but I have always enjoyed the equines and I love
tractors and the machines that city people never even see.
Living in the country is a lot tougher than in a city, particularly in
the winter, but I would never go back to the city. I feel that I was
born and raised in the wrong place, and I was always a country person. I
also find rural people are a lot friendlier than those in the city.
Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
call their cows (cattle) "Bossy". Where, how, why is that word used?
I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?
Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
lack of horn sound around the same time each day.
Don Bruder
wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Dec 2016 06:10:23 -0800 (PST), rben...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> >> youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
> >> Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
> >>
>
> I was born and raised in a city, but I moved to a rural area to become a
> farmer, when I was middle aged. It was tough to learn all the farming
> stuff by myself. The basics make sense, but there are a lot of things
> that still dpont make too much sense, and there are old wivestales that
> some farmers still follow. The hardest part was learning all the farm
> machinery and how it all works (and often dont work).
>
> I never had cattle and dont really want to get into them, even though
> they are animals that I dont mind being around. But my favorite animals
> have always been equines, and I ended up caring for horses, ponies, and
> donkeys. Along with that, I got some older machinery and learned to grow
> and bale hay. I never went too far into farming, and ended up working a
> regular job to get by, but I have always enjoyed the equines and I love
> tractors and the machines that city people never even see.
>
> Living in the country is a lot tougher than in a city, particularly in
> the winter, but I would never go back to the city. I feel that I was
> born and raised in the wrong place, and I was always a country person. I
> also find rural people are a lot friendlier than those in the city.
>
> Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
> call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".
something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
mutates into "Bossy".
> Where, how, why is that word used?
> I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?
>
> Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
> down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
> to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
> annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
> and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
> lack of horn sound around the same time each day.
the gates open in the evening after shutting down the riding stable for
the day, they'd wander out into the umpty-thousand acres of state land
surrounding the marsh we lived near, and gnosh on the various herbiage
overnight. Come morning, gramps, my dad, and sometimes I would go out
and toss hay and fill the grain troughs, then gramps would lay on the
horn of the old Dodge Power Wagon. If you were outside, it was wise to
be on the "barn" side of a tree, the house, or a vehicle when the horn
sounded, as it usually wasn't more than 2-3 minutes before 60-odd head
of horses in full "go like hell" mode came thundering in to somehow
funnel themselves in through the corral gate and start scuffling for who
got which pile of breakfast. Quite a sight to see, lemme tell ya! :)
--
Brought to you by the letter K and the number .357
Security provided by Horace S. & Dan W.
hub...@ccanoemail.ca
>>
>> Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
>> call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".
>
>I forget the full latin, but a cow in scientific nomenclature is "bos
>something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
>similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
>I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
>mutates into "Bossy".
>
>
domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the
subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos,
and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus.
Dean Hoffman
> Mark,
>
> I'm on here for the same reason. My grandfather's farm was in rural
> St. Lawrence County, in Northern New York. He too would stand at the
> entrance to the barn and yell what sounded like " Cabass! Cabass!
> Cabass! Caboooooy!", and the cows would come in for hay and milking.
> His last name was Cole, so I'm speculating that this is an English /
> Irish / Scottish tradition? Any insight is appreciated!
>
> Rod
>
bucket against a post was part of the ritual. One word I seldom hear now
is supper. We had breakfast, dinner, lunch, and supper back in the
60s when I was growing up. Dinner was at noon, lunch around four, and
supper was around sundown.
far...@000.000
wrote:
Dinner, and Supper. But dinner was called "lunch" in school. I never
really questioned this. It just seemed like there were two names for the
same thing, but in another way, dinner at home was usually a sandwich
and chips or cookies, whereas Lunch in school was more like what I got
for Supper at home, meaning cooked food on a tray usually including a
meat, potatoes and a vegetable, plus a desert and a waxed paper
container of milk. So, therefore the change in words seemed to have
something to do with the type of food served.
But as years moved on, Supper began to be called Dinner. As a kid, I
thought those people were confused, I vaguely remember my mother saying
something about this, and saying that it's because those people eat at
different times of the day. So, from that day forward, the names of
meals were mostly just based on the time of day people ate.... (or so I
thought).
As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable, and
probably some were used more in one place because it's a regional thing.
But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner is the last meal of
the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word "supper" seems to have
vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of this type that's always
meant the same thing.
I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
included).
Then again, I see more and more people who only eat one (real) meal per
day. (myself included). But I snack a lot during the day. Thats not as
bad as some people think. Snacking dont need to be junk food. It can be
some veggies, or fruit or a cup of yogirt, or a slice of buttered whole
grain bread and the list goes on. What (to me) makes it a snack, rather
than a meal, is because I dont sit down at a table, and get otu all
sorts of foods and spend a lot of time preparing for it. I eat on the
run, or eat while I am driving my car, on my tractor, eat in front of
the tv, eat in bed, and maybe even eat while I'm out in the garden.
Therefore, if it's not a ritual, and dont involve a table, it's not a
"meal". It's a snack....
Then again, if I watch my horses, my goat, my cats, and most animals,
they eat small amounts of food all day long, and dont follow any
schedule. I now believe that is the *CORRECT* way to eat for people too.
Why do I need a schedule, and why should I eat when I'm not really
hungry. People seem to have ritualized eating, and thats for convenience
and for togetherness. That' fine for a family, but for one person, or
even an older couple, all of the formalities are not needed. When my
stomach tells me it wants food, I feed it.... However, I do like having
one actual meal each day, but that just means eating COOKED food.
Whether I eat it at a table, a restaurant, or in front of the TV, it
needs to be some cooked food.
far...@000.000
>> Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
>> call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".
>
>I forget the full latin, but a cow in scientific nomenclature is "bos
>something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
>similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
>I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
>mutates into "Bossy".
>
that word used.
Taurus means "bull" in astrology, but cow would also work, so that makes
sense too.
Anyhow, from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bos
Bos (disambiguation).
Bos
Banteng (Bos javanicus )
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Tribe: Bovini
Genus: Bos
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
B. acutifrons Ü (Aurochs, primordial bos)
B. frontalis (gayal, domesticated gaur)
B. gaurus (gaur)
B. grunniens (domestic yak)
B. mutus (wild yak)
B. indicus (zebu)
B. javanicus (banteng)
B. palaesondaicus Ü(Pleistocene Banteng)
B. planifrons Ü
B. primigenius Ü (aurochs)
B. sauveli (kouprey)
B. taurus (cattle)
Bos (from Latin bo-s: cow, ox, bull) is the genus of wild and domestic
cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and
Poephagus, but these divisions are controversial. The genus has five
extant species. However, this may rise to seven if the domesticated
varieties are counted as separate species, and nine if the closely
related genus Bison is also included.[1] Most modern breeds of
domesticated cattle are believed to have originated from the extinct
aurochs.
>
>> Where, how, why is that word used?
>> I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?
>>
>> Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
>> down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
>> to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
>> annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
>> and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
>> lack of horn sound around the same time each day.
>
>My grandfather did the same for our semi-free-range horses - We'd toss
>the gates open in the evening after shutting down the riding stable for
>the day, they'd wander out into the umpty-thousand acres of state land
>surrounding the marsh we lived near, and gnosh on the various herbiage
>overnight. Come morning, gramps, my dad, and sometimes I would go out
>and toss hay and fill the grain troughs, then gramps would lay on the
>horn of the old Dodge Power Wagon. If you were outside, it was wise to
>be on the "barn" side of a tree, the house, or a vehicle when the horn
>sounded, as it usually wasn't more than 2-3 minutes before 60-odd head
>of horses in full "go like hell" mode came thundering in to somehow
>funnel themselves in through the corral gate and start scuffling for who
>got which pile of breakfast. Quite a sight to see, lemme tell ya! :)
objects to call my horses. If they dont see me bring them their hay, I
just yell "Hossy Food" and they come running. Funny thing, until this
very moment, I never realized that Hossy and Bossy sound a lot alike!
Dean Hoffman
Some cut.
> As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable,
> and probably some were used more in one place because it's a
> regional thing. But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner
> is the last meal of the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word
> "supper" seems to have vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of
> this type that's always meant the same thing.
>
> I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
> included).
>
piece of home made pie. It was supposed to just tide on over until
supper.
Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales for
example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70 pounds or so.
I don't remember the last time I actually saw those out in a field.
More cut.
far...@000.000
wrote:
horses every day. I dont make them 70lbs. That's too heavy and hard to
handle. Mine are usually 40 to 50lbs.
Last year I had to buy some hay, and (at a hay auction), there was a
pile of 50 bales that weighed 90 to 110 lbs each. Regular bales were
selling for $3.50 to $5.00 each. I bought that pile for $1.35 each,
because no one wanted to handle them. I found myself not even trying to
carry them, I just cut the twine on the pile, and carried 1/3 of the
bale to the animals at a time. Most of it was good hay, but a few of
them has some mold, so I wasted that part of the bale. I was able to
feed double the amount of horses with one of them, and it saved money,
but it was back breaking work. I was actually glad when they were gone.
I dont understand why anyone would bale them that heavy. If for no other
reason, that's hard on the baling machinery, not to mention encouraging
moldy bales, and just too damn heavy for most people to feed.
Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
before the weather warms up.
Ken Olson
propionic acid to keep them from heating up or molding, plus better leaf
retention. It was hard on the equipment and me.
--
"If you're going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use
two feet."
- Keef
far...@000.000
wrote:
>>
>> Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
>> store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
>> some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
>> them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
>> that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
>> winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
>> before the weather warms up.
>>
>
>I worked on a farm that put them up real heavy like that. They used
>propionic acid to keep them from heating up or molding, plus better leaf
>retention. It was hard on the equipment and me.
it. There are a lot of additives in human food too, that was claimed to
be safe, then they became a risk. When I buy hay, I always ask about
that stuff. I heard that its hard on equipment, but since I naver used
it, I can only go with what I hear, But I guess any acid is hard on
metals, and on people touching it. The hay auction I go to, asks the
seller if the hay was treated, and will announce it when it's being
sold. I appreciate that.
Dean Hoffman
> On Wed, 14 Dec 2016 20:53:57 -0600, Dean Hoffman
> <dh0...@windstream.net> wrote:
>> Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales
>> for example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70
>> pounds or so. I don't remember the last time I actually saw those
>> out in a field.
> horses every day. I dont make them 70lbs. That's too heavy and hard
> to handle. Mine are usually 40 to 50lbs.
Ours were probably lighter than the 70 lbs. Not everyone had balers
so one neighbor would bale for the other. The only advantage to the
larger ones would be a bit less spent on baling.
My parents talked about stacking. I remember some of that in the
Nebraska Sandhills where the ranches are. That's been a long time
ago too.
hub...@ccanoemail.ca
far...@000.000
>>
>>I dont use stuff like that. They say it's safe, but I still dont trust
>>it. There are a lot of additives in human food too, that was claimed to
>>be safe, then they became a risk. When I buy hay, I always ask about
>>that stuff. I heard that its hard on equipment, but since I naver used
>>it, I can only go with what I hear, But I guess any acid is hard on
>>metals, and on people touching it. The hay auction I go to, asks the
>>seller if the hay was treated, and will announce it when it's being
>>sold. I appreciate that.
>
>
> Some fyrther info :
>
>http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/preventing.htm
>
> John T.
I know more about that stuff now, but still would not feed it to my
horses. But I surely can see how it could be helpful to bale. I bale
some hay myself and know how tough it can be to pick the right weather.
anthon...@gmail.com
> Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
> Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
> typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
> heard this word used elsewhere.
>
> Many of these words I have taken for granted for many years. Since the
> recent death of my Grandmother (my Grandfather died many years ago) I
> have been kicking myself for not learning more about the "old ways" of
> farming. Now that I have a small place of my own, I could sure use their
> advice.
>
> Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
> anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
> definitions.
>
> Mark
- Tony Alfidi
gabrie...@gmail.com
Dean Hoffman
> My uncle used to use coboss, or however it's spelled, to call the cows in. This is in Western NY state, somewhat near to the OP, and it was in the 1970s and 1980s.
>
Bossy the cow for some reason. This might be why:
<http://pdca-one.blogspot.com/2005/08/why-is-cow-called-bossy.html>
My parents were farm teens during the Depression in central
Nebraska. I guess they had things relatively good from some of the
stories I've read.
mh3...@gmail.com
Dean Hoffman
> My cousins would tell canoes to get the cows to come home,their ancestry was from Switzerland
>
didn't hurt
that she banged a bucket against the feed bunk. Our milk cow didn't
need much
persuasion. A three pound coffee can of corn in the barn's bunk hopper
was all it took.
vicki2...@gmail.com
Anyway, I'd like to hear more words, terms, and so forth, as it jogs my memories and I enjoy hearing experiences of others.
