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Excerpts from Souvenir Submitted by David M. Waid |
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FAMILY
REMINISCENCES. "Thought in the mind may come
forth gold or dross; When coin'd in words we know its real
worth."
Young.
I recall a contract that I entered into many years ago, and the
recent fulfillment of which has given me much pleasure.
Here is a copy of the agreement:
May 13th, 1871.--George N. Waid has
given me sixty dollars ($60) to keep for his son Ira until he become of
age, unless the money be sooner wanted by his parents; in which case I
will pay the amount with interest. The money is a deed of gift from Ira C.
Waid to his namesake and grandson. F. C. WAID.
A few days before my father's death he called my brother and
myself to him, and gave George $60 for his
son, saying that it was to be kept until the little boy was of age.
George asked that I might be allowed to hold the money, and,
accordingly, it was given into my hands, and my father repeated his wish
regarding its disposal. On the 2nd of December, 1888, little Ira came of age, and I,
in behalf of my father's memory, saw the contract fulfilled, principal
and interest.
I wish to say that the carrying out of one's parents' wishes is a
duty performed with the keenest pleasure, and gives rise to a happiness
of the better sort. I must
not close the account of this little incident without saying that if it
gives us such joy to carry out the wishes of our earthly parents, how
much happier will we be made by rendering strict obedience to our Father
in Heaven. Think, O youth,
of your duty to the Parent of all good.
The following incident I relate to show to what extent children
will at times imitate their parents: "As the twig is bent the tree's
inclined."
The Bible says: As
your fathers did, so do ye, and I have carried out this injunction
in one important matter at least, as will be seen by a perusal of the
following example of the truth contained in the first sentence.
I was looking over an old account book recently, and found
entered above my name this statement:
September 20th, 1865.--I have this day rented father's farm
for five years, having the right to discontinue at the end of any one of
the intervening years, in case I am not satisfied.
Father has also the right to bring the agreement to an end in the
same way, in case he be unsatisfied with my methods.
The terms are that I am to have one-half the produce of the farm,
excepting that of the garden and orchard.
One-half of the barn and stabling room is to be mine, as is also
the use of the farming implements.
Father is to work when he pleases.
On November 22, 1887, after a lapse of more than twenty-two
years, I find that I am under a like agreement with each of my children;
I rent each one who is married (They are now, November 20, 1889, all
married, and rent the same--F.C. Waid.) a
farm upon the same plan, with nothing further than a verbal agreement
between us. Several years
ago one of my sons asked me if we had not better have a written
contract. My reply was to
the effect that my father and I managed nicely with our words for our
bonds, and I thought that there could be no trouble in the present
instance; and to this day we are under the same agreement.
Many a visit in childhood and youth, accompanied by my twin
brother, have I made to the old homestead of my grandfather, Robert
Morehead, Sr., now owned by his son, Robert
Morehead, Jr., in Vernon Township, about four miles west of
Meadville, on State Road. And
I also remember with pleasure our visits to "Uncle" James
Fergerson and family. Sometimes
in May or June, when the fishing season was in its glory, as we boys
used to view things, we would be there and make two of a party,
occasionally going to Conneant Lake for a day's fishing.
And I confess the length of our stay with our relatives depended
pretty much on our "luck," as we called it, in our piscatorial
ventures. At same time, as
I remember, if our catch of fish was not very large, our uncles or
cousins would generously fill our "strings" with what they may
have taken. In such manner
passed many a happy hour.
In this connection I would say that some of my relatives living
west of Meadville, like my uncle, George Roudebush,
of Blooming Valley, were noted fishermen, a compliment they have
long merited. Memory loves
to linger as it reviews the pleasant scenes of our younger days, and
there is much pleasure in living our lives twice over, if rightly
passed, and forty years have gone over my head since first I began to
sip the sweets of real life. SUGAR
MAKING.
Many a happy day have I spent in the Arcadian pursuit of
maple-sugar making, of all farm work probably the sweetest.
It has been said that labor is sweet, but in this ease it may be
said that the product of the labor is far sweeter.
The honey bee alone can compete with the sugar tree in our clime,
as a saccharine producer.
For myself, I like the work connected with the sugar camp, and as
I had experience when a youth, I have done some "tapping and
boiling" each spring. This
year [1888) I am carrying on the work alone, as it is not so extensive
as in former days. At one time there were several camps on the farm of Ira
C. Waid, but at present there are but two--one on the old
homestead farm, which was willed to R. L. Waid,
but is now occupied by N. P. Waid, and the
other the one which I myself work.
The N. P. Waid Farm consists now of
sixty-four acres, nine acres having recently been added by purchase, in
order to gain easier access to the public road. The bush upon this farm is in operation, and as Mr. Waid has
all the modern improvements, including a Hescock iron
arch evaporator, it is successful.
Here is a tank holding about four barrels into which to draw the
sap, storage capacity for thirty barrels, and about 300 sap pails.
It is sufficiently sharp work when you are boiling away two and
one-half barrels of sap each hour, and this amount of consumption will
keep those around the boilers busy.
On an average thirty gallons of sap will produce one gallon of
syrup. The variation depends on the trees from which the sugar water
is drawn--dark colored maple running a better producing quality of sap
than any other, while a soft maple is considered the poorest producer of
any of this family of trees. We
call it a good sugar season when we obtain one-half as many gallons of
syrup as we have trees; although it is not uncommon for a person having
but few trees, by taking especial care and avoiding waste, to average
one gallon for each maple. My
friends, George Floyd and Mrs.
Laban Smith, make such a report concerning their sugar bushes.
The care of tools and machinery forms an important factor in
success as a sugar maker, as it is in every work.
One must learn to save, that is half the battle in a struggle for
success.
In this connection I wish to say that many years ago, before my
twin brother died, he and I worked in the bush on the farm, and my
father bought fifty new cooper-made sap cans to take the place of the
old troughs formerly in use. Those
cans are nearly all in use to-day.
Care has done this for the old sap cans, and will do much in
every direction in life. STEAM
THRESHER.
While on the subject of farm life I would like to say a few words
on the subject of improvements which have been made within the past
three decades in agricultural implements generally, threshing machines
in particular.
As years roll by I am reminded not only of the mutability of all
things mundane, but also of the reforms and improvements ever going on
in mechanical appliances, particularly in the implements of the farm.
I cannot help, from time to time, contrasting the early days of
my life with the present. More
than thirty years ago (about 1855), when my brother
Lyman and I used to thresh with a two or three horse-power
machine, and leave the grain in the chaff, we thought we were doing a
good business to thresh on an average from 150 to 200 bushels per day.
In 1887 my two eldest sons, Frank and
Guinnip, operated a steam thresher with an eight-horse-power
engine manufactured for Waid & Bro., at Mansfield, Ohio, by Aultman
& Taylor, and which they claim will thresh 1,000 bushels per
day. No thresher except a
separator is used here nowadays.
Michael Roudebush and Ira
C. Waid bought of Ezra Cooper August
17, 1847, a two-horse-power machine, and on the following day my
brother, Lyman, and David
Pitcher (I think), threshed seventy-three bushels of wheat for Mr.
Ray, who lived in Meadville.
We threshed in those days for several parties in Meadville, among
them being John Reynolds and Squire
Arthur Cullon, and soon after the fall of 1847 I followed the
business along with my brother.
The above-mentioned machine, which was second-hand at the time of
purchase, was bought for $55, and was owned by the above-named parties
till 1850. At that time our
lay for threshing was six of wheat on a hundred, ten of oats.
The steam thresher we now have is new, and much in advance of the
Cooper machine of forty years ago, while it
does four or five times the amount of threshing in a day, besides
cleaning the grain. This
steam separator costs about $1,400, and threshes for five bushels on a
hundred wheat or oats.
Our boys did their first regular threshing with their new steam
thresher for Lewis Slocum, Guinnip's father-in-law,
and on August 22, 1887, they threshed for our near neighbor, Gaylord
Smith, 746 bushels of oats--402 in the forenoon and 344 in the
afternoon--finishing by about 4 P. M.
I am of the opinion that under favorable circumstances they could
thresh from 800 to 1,000 bushels per day (On August 17, 1888, they
threshed 1,026 bushels for Mr. Smith).
Fred and I helped Mr. Smith thresh,
so I had the pleasure of working with all my boys.
I may add that they have frequently threshed one hundred bushels
of oats in less than an hour, and in the fall of 1887 they threshed
27,000 bushels; in 1888, 42,000 bushels, and in 1889, 35,000 bushels.
The enterprise of the boys pleases me more than the improvements
in machinery, yet I acknowledge I am satisfied with both.
It takes not only works but also faith to bear us down the stream
of Time, to see where our children take up the active duties of life to
our satisfaction. I rejoice
there is such a thing as patience; it is a crowning virtue.
I waited patiently for the Lord, and he heard me.
After we have done all we can, how good it is to commit our
ways unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass.
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