10. Léon and Marie Arsenault

Potatoes were another source of revenue. They were stored in the cellar of the house and in the spring they were sorted and transported to Summerside, at one time by boat, to be sold. One year Léon suffered a reversal when he lost his entire potato crop in a fire. Aunt Matilda recalls that bad luck: "I remember one fall, the year I was taking my grade 10 in Abram's Village, all of his potatoes were in a barn. There were lots of them. The barn caught fire and burned down. It was a big blow for him. He didn't get discouraged though. He'd try other things."

The homestead in Maximeville in 1949, picture taken by Aunt Dorothy. From left to right: the house, the wood shed, the barn, the outhouse, "Zélica's house" (notice the stairways leading to the sleeping quarters for the summer employees and the garage attached to the building).

Around 1925, during the heyday of the lucrative fox industry, Léon became involved and invested in this promising field. He built a ranch close to the cape in the field behind the family home where he kept up to seven foxes, a significant investment at that time. It seems, however, that he made little money from this venture. Aunt Aline remembers one year when a baby fox was nursed by the family cat.

Fishing played an important role in the family economy. As mentioned, Léon fished for 71 years. In the spring, he fished herring which was used mainly as bait for lobster fishing and as fertilizer. He, in fact, sold some to local farmers. For many years, he also dried some of his catch by hanging it on fences, and selling it as fox feed. Of course, he always salted a full barrel of herring for home consumption, a dish often served during the winter months.

Léon also drifted for mackerel. This type of fishing was done at night. Fishermen would set out before dark, tie nets to their boats and drift until morning when they hauled in the mackerel. For some time Léon canned his own mackerel and managed to sell it in town. He had set up a cannery in the garage where he also processed beef, pork and blueberries.

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