Early Farm Life.

It would be difficult to picture conditions in P.E.l. in the late 1700’s. The changes wrought by one hundred and fifty years of steady progress have so obliterated the landmarks of the past, that it is practically impossible to realize the state of the colony at that time. The soil, ”was still covered by the primeval forest except in a few places where attempts at permanent settlements were made. Much of the clear land abandoned by the French was gradually disappearing under a fresh growth of young trees that had sprung up to surprising heights in years succeeding the British conquest of the French Islanders.” At the very least, life for the early settler was full of trials and hardships. But, they succeeded in reducing the land to a tillable state, farmed, and established a way of life that was to span centuries.

Since the first immigrants from Great Britain, the mainstay of the people of Brackley has been mixed farming. The farmer’s reasoning being that if one investment goes stale, then there is always another from which to derive income. In Brackley, there have been asa result, fox farms, cattle farms, pig farms, sheep, hen, and crop farms; a blacksmith, welder, Storekeeper, and in-keeper, to name but a few. In a successful story, ”My Island Home”, Lester Sellick has adeptly described the lifestyle of his, a Brackley, homestead. Since the majority of farms in that locality were organized in much the some fashion, Sellick’s home can be taken as

typical of the day.

To begin with, life centered around the farm house which had a gable roof reminiscent of the time of Anne of Green Gables. There was a huge

kitchen downstairs, which served as a family living-room, where most of the family activity took place. Games like crokinole, checkers, darts, and card games, were played here regularly, often accompanied by guitar, fiddle, or mouth organ. The parlor was the good living-room which con- tained the family’s treasured articles. It was reserved for special occasions such as weddings, courtings, and funerals. The remainder of the house consisted of bedrooms, two or more of which were ”spare”, or guest

rooms.

The farm buildings were standard for the day. The lower section of the main barn was for horses and cattle, while the upper section was relegated to hay and grain lofts with space reserved for the threshing machines. According to need, there were henhouses, pighouses, and sheephouses. A machine shed, pump house, barter house (for butchering and cooking turnips and potatoes), and ice house, were standard for most forms. The ice house was a necessity particularly for dairy farms for it was within these houses or sheds that milk, butter, cream, etc., were stored. Vegetable gardens were seen everywhere along the Brackley Point Road, since most farmers grew their own staple vegetables. Many farmers had "market”

IO