Corn And Survival
Part II of II
Corn and its significance for survival has been documented throughout the history of our county. Here are more stories about its importance to both humans and animals.
In 1914, the Bargas family was sharecropping in Winchester. They planted corn and cotton in the old way, all by hand. In 1921, there was no rain, so heavy snow from the previous winter was all the moisture they had; therefore, no crops were grown that year. Not having corn for feed or cotton for income was an extreme hardship.
In the early years of their marriage, the Citzlers’ income was derived from farming, with cotton as the chief money crop. It was a very dry year in 1925 with only two bales of cotton produced. Corn had to be shipped in from the Corn Belt to keep their team of mules and the cows alive. In 1926, a gully washer of a rainstorm came, flooding the fields; the top soil was gone, which greatly affected subsequent crops needed to feed their animals and provide income.
In 1951, Virginia Ruth Weikel Rice wrote, “We pressed sugar cane and cooked molasses from the juice. We raised cotton, corn, sugar cane, hygear, sudengrass, peaches, and watermelons and had a very large garden full of vegetables. Corn was removed from the cob by running it through a hand-cranked sheller for the chickens and turkeys. Corn for baby chicks and turkeys, which we hatched in an incubator, was ground in a hand-cranked grinder…”
Corn was very important for ranches, as well as for small farmers. Coy Gates, whose nickname was “Popcorn,” worked for Arnold Sladek, whose primary business was being a cattleman. Cattle in the feed lots that were being fattened for market had to be fed, doctored, and nurtured. Range cattle had to be monitored, doctored, penned, “Branded” (ear notched), and sorted to maintain a strong, productive and profitable herd. Cattle drives had to be conducted – some long, some short. Horses to work the cattle were in high demand. Taming and training mules to perform in the field with various implements as well as doing other farm work was essential. Because of the high demand for feed in the Sladek feed lot, much hay, corn and other grains were needed. Coy was responsible for farming various parcels of land utilized for growing feed for Sladek’s animals. He was also directly involved in preparing the feed for the feed lot cattle. Arnold had a portable grinder and mixer to prepare feed, and Coy was his right-hand man in making this machinery productive. The nickname “Popcorn” was given to Coy because he could “pop “over a fence with amazing speed when chased by a crazy cow or bull. He could also pop quickly on an untrained horse or mule to quickly tame the animal.
Some farmers say the wind picks up pollen from ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If neighbors grow inferior corn, cross pollination will steadily degrade the quality of corn. If you grow good corn, it helps neighbors grow good corn. So, striving to grow the best corn possible was beneficial for everyone.
Today with our present pandemic and shortage of certain foods, it makes us realize that we have taken food for granted, wasting it as if there would never be a short supply. People may now be humbled to the point where they realize that material wealth is insignificant if it cannot buy what our bodies need to survive. We cannot eat money, so grow a garden in the back yard. Add a couple of rows of corn and enjoy the rewards of your effort.
Sources:
Fayette County Texas Heritage: Volume II – F45, 49, 70, 154, 170, 223, 312, 891
Fayetteville Area Heritage Museum and Annex
Green, Donna. “Mary Crownover Rabb”; Footprints of Fayette, Fayette County Record,
Heinsohn, Carolyn. “Rabbs Prairie Floods in the ‘30s”; Footprints of Fayette, Fayette County Record
https://bible.org/illustration/good-corn
http://www.graysgristmill.com/grays/how-the-mill-works/
Kulhanek, Katie. “Jesse Burnam”, Footprints of Fayette, Fayette County Record
Text of historical marker at US Hwy 77 and Rabb’s Prairie Road erected in 1996
www.healthline.com