Rusty Iron: Columnist still brings a chuckle, 60 years later
In many of the weekly farm papers of the mid-1950s was a regular feature called The Song of the Lazy Farmer, which was a short and humorous observation on the passing scene, as well as the author's troubles with his wife Mirandy over his laziness.
Pennsylvania can claim first covered bridge
The first covered bridge in America is believed to have been the High Street (later, Market Street) Bridge across the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
Facing hard times in December 1932
My parents, Blanche Ganoe and Sam Moore, were married in October 1931, and while I don't know how they spent that first Christmas, I'm...
Magazine column shows how dating has changed
Not long ago I bought a bound volume of Successful Farming magazines from 1939 (the year I started first grade). Each issue contains a...
Let’s Talk Rusty Iron: Relishing in the history of chickens
Poultry and eggs are a big business and, although estimates vary, possibly as many as 45 billion chickens are eaten every year in this country, along with 75 billion eggs.
Remarkably, electric clocks predated home wiring
If you told most Americans living today that at one time people had to actually wind their clocks and watches by hand, they'd probably...
Let’s Talk Rusty Iron: Taking a look at the life of a farmer 50...
What were you doing 50 years ago? Our fathers and grandfathers, and maybe even we ourselves, were settling down after supper with the October issue of Farm Journal to find out what was going on.
Minnie, the red and gold reindeer, saved Christmas
(Author’s Note: The following story is the only work of fiction I’ve ever written and was originally published in the Farm and Dairy on...
Farm news: Some things haven’t changed in the last 70 years
As some of you may have gathered, I have an extensive collection of old farm magazines from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. I like...
How Russia saved Oliver, and vice versa
A chapter from The Romance of the Reaper.