Farmer Boy

As part of our "homesteading in the city" theme, we have been reading books about people living close to the land, pioneering something new, or choosing an alternative way to live. The stories span the last 160 years, and give us a glimpse into our resourcefulness, adaptability, and humanity. Technology changes continually, but we're always faced with the need to feed and clothe ourselves, provide shelter, live in community, and search for meaning. These "homesteading" stories show a wide range of solutions for meeting those needs.

We couldn't read Little House in the Big Woods without reading Farmer Boy, another book in the Little House series. Farmer Boy was also written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper and Row, 1971; first published in 1933). In this book, Ms. Wilder writes about Almanzo Wilder's childhood on his family's prosperous farm in upstate New York. Almanzo and Laura married in 1865 in De Smet, South Dakota.

The story takes place over the course of a year. Almanzo is nine years old, and lives with Mother and Father, brother Royal, and sisters Eliza Jane and Alice. Their 100-acre farm is located close to Burke, New York near the Canadian border. The story begins in the winter with Almanzo going to school (but happy for any excuse to help on the family farm instead)! The family raised cattle, Merino sheep and horses, and grew wheat and vegetables. Mother cooked for the family, made butter to sell, and was kept busy spinning wool, weaving cloth, sewing clothes, and knitting. Everyone had chores to do to keep the farm and household running. They also enjoyed relaxing together on winter evenings, gathering with relatives, celebrating Christmas and Independence day, and attending church services in nearby Malone.

This book is a wonderful family story, full of fascinating information about farming and living in the 1800s. Projects and activities included filling the ice-house; shearing sheep; planting, growing, protecting and harvesting crops; caring for livestock; keeping the house clean; trading rags for tin implements; having shoes made by the traveling cobbler; harvesting and hauling the wood supply; and more. I especially appreciated  reading about Mother's skill in spinning and dyeing wool, and weaving fabric. The children gather roots, nuts, and bark to dye the wool. I plan to learn more about the dye sources they used to produce the colors described in the book [red, brown, chocolate brown, Indigo blue, yellow, maroon (wine-colored), and green]. I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in history and how to provide for everyday needs with 1800s technology.

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Some interesting items related to the book:

• Almanzo Wilder (1857- 1949) - Almanzo was born to James and Angeline Wilder in Franklin County, New York. Read a synopsis of his life.
• Malone, New York (County seat for Franklin County) - this was the closest major town for the Wilders, where they attended church services, shopped, celebrated Independence Day, and participated in the County fair.
• Burke, New York - the Wilder farm was located near the village of Burke. Almanzo's uncle owned a potato-starch mill in Burke, and a train station in Burke offered ice-refrigerated train cars and carried butter to market.
• Farmer Boy - Historical Perspective, by Nancy Cleaveland, Janilyn Kocher, and Gina Terrana. This blog includes information about the Franklin Academy in Malone, where Royal, Eliza Jane, and Alice attended boarding school in the fall.
• Poor man's fertilizer - this is what Father called snow. According to the Farmer's Almanac, snow flakes contain nitrogen, which is returned to the soil at a slow even rate as the snow melts. Lightening and rain actually carry more nitrogen, but it is released into the soil at a rapid rate.
• Milk-fed Pumpkin - Almanzo won a first place ribbon at the county fair for his milk-fed pumpkin. Try it yourself, and here's how!
•  Dye Colors - the Wilders raised Merino sheep for the wool, and Mother spun, dyed, and wove it into cloth. In the spring, Alice and Eliza Jane gathered roots and bark in the forest for dyeing. They boiled the roots and bark in big cauldrons over outdoor fires, and then dipped long skeins of wool into the dyes. The cloth and yarn colors mentioned include red, brown, chocolate brown, Indigo blue, yellow, maroon (wine-colored), and green. Mother also spun black wool and white wool together to make gray. Select "Dye Colors" to visit the Pioneer Thinking site, and learn about the plant sources for each of the "Shades of" sections. Learn more about the plants of New York state.
• The World of Little House, by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson. HarperCollins Children's Books (New York, 1996). See chapter 4, "Farmer Boy". I appreciated seeing the floor plan of the Wilder's farmhouse, and the recipe for Fried Apples 'n' Onions (one of Almanzo's favorite dishes).