Following the Plow

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Despite the fact that our energy-intensive "modern" agri biz now does almost all its field work with internal combustion engines; at least one back-to-the-lander figures that it's still kind of nice to hitch up a draft animal and go off following the plow.

SPECIAL NOTE:This is the first half of a two-part article. The second half of this piece will appear in MOTHER NO. 27.

My mate, Theo, and I believe the problems of the "rat race" in so far as we ourselves are concerned-can best be solved by our acting less "ratty". We'd like to flee to our favorite place in the beautiful Ozark Mountains but, since this is impractical (except for a few days at a time), we've decided to make our escape by standing still and living the simple life right here on our sandy hill farm in northern Louisiana. This has meant going back to older methods of doing things and educating ourselves on how to live exclusively from the land.

First we bought a wood-burning cook stove (see MOTHER NO. 7 ) then a hand gristmill to grind our flour and corn meal and a treadle sewing machine to make our clothes. We learned to make soap, to can our food rather than freeze it and to wash our clothes on the rub board. (All these changes took place in piece meal fashion to temper our spoiled, soft bodies. If you think it's no big switch from an automatic washing machine to hand scrubbing, you should try it sometime.)

Now we're working our garden and patches with a walking plow drawn by a horse. We agree whole heartedly with whoever said "There's no surer way of making a living than between the handles of a plow" and we're giving it a try.

WHY A WALKING PLOW?
In doing research for this article I found little or no material in the library on plowing with an animal , just as if there'd never, never again be a need to till the soil with a horse or mule. The best source I found was an old school textbook we have at home, from which I've taken some of my explanations and on which the drawings with this piece are based.

This lack of interest seems to be general. We discussed with a neighbor the idea of plowing with a horse and teaching our sons the art. He looked at us as though he questioned our sanity and said, " 'Long as I can afford gasoline, I'll use my tractor." (Billie Hard away wrote this article before the beginning of the current and unpleasant fuel shortage. By this time her neighbor may be thinking that those oddballs with the walking plow aren't so crazy after all. -MOTHER. )

That's a prime example of how most people feel yet gasoline is in many respects the least of the tractor owner's problems. The prices of parts and tires are sky-high, for one thing. And when the machine breaks down, you have the trouble of finding a mechanic to repair it (plus the cost of his unbelievable fee when you do run him to earth). Oh, the aggravations we've suffered would fill volumes: The frustration when we so badly needed the tractors or plows and had to order them from a thousand miles away the desperation that goes with the breakdown of a baler in a field of overripe hay under a solid cloudy sky we've known them all..