THE CHANGING DECADES By Maurice Bradley

The period following World lVar I might be described as an era of prosperity. Almost every family had their own home; the most of these were farm homes. Their holding were not large, generally 50 and 100 acre farms. Hard work was a way of life and conveniences were unknown.

The “Frolic” which was a favorite way of getting special jobs done on the farm in the earlier days seemed now to be fading into the past. Large families with both boys and girls were well trained in performing all tasks on the farm and around the home. Not much money was paid out in wages; at harvest and threshing time there was usually neigh- bourly exchange of labour.

The war had brought better prices to the farmers for their prod- ucts. Prices remained good during the 1920’s with a few exceptions, and money. which was now a little easier to obtain, was, in almost all cases. used to pay outstanding bills, and to buy necessities for the farm and the home.

In the fall, after harvesting and threshing was finished, some of the oats were taken to the mill to be made into oatmeal. Wheat was also taken to be ground into flour, bran, and shorts. Buckwheat was grown by most people, and it too was made into flour, which was used in making pancakes and bran, highly valued for hog feed. The mills servicing this area. were Dixon’s, Dunsford’s, and Holmes’ in South Melville; French’s and Leard’s in Westmoreland; and Stordy’s and Leard’s at Crapaud. French’s and Dixon’s also had the necessary equipment for carding wool into rolls.

The acreage of potatoes grown in the teens and early 20’s was small. The potatoes sold were usually hauled to Victoria, in bulk, with a truck wagon and a team of horses, and loaded in bulk, on a boat or schooner. The shipper at that time was Ed Boswell. The price for potatoes during these years was small; everyone kept some for home consumption, and sold what they did not need. In the early 20’s new varieties of potatoes were introduced and a great change gradually took place. The Dakota {eds and MacIntyres were replaced by Irish Cobblers and Green MOuntains.

Seed Potato Certification in Prince Edward Island had its origin at Charlottetown in 1916, with the advent of these new varieties. By the mid-twenties, the new as well as the older varieties were grown in most Island communities. A new method of planting potatoes, the use of com- mercial fertilizer, spraying for blight and insects, was introduced. These changes took place over a few years and resulted in the production of high quality seed and table potatoes. Larger acreages were grown, and before the end of the twenties the Island potato was in demand in Cen— tral Canada and the USA, and was on the way to becoming our leading cash crop. One of the first in this area to try out the new varieties and methods of production, was Emmett German of South Melville. In the fall his potatoes were harvested with an elevator digger drawn by four horses, picked by hand, and put in barrels. He had his own ton truck,

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