118 It Happened in Iona

house” with its roof alone visible above ground and covered entirely with earth and grass. Used for storage of turnips, it was entered through a low door at the front and by descending four or five steps to its floor. A unique addition to the yard for sure, it gradually became shaky and was demolished during the early war years. Around 1940 the last of the walls of the old house beyond the tracks were salvaged and used in the construction of a hennery and garage. The 12 by 20 hen house was tastefully assembled with a narrow vestibule all across one end for feed storage and separated from the main area by an open slat wall. The 14 by 24 garage was built in an elevated area by the hedge near the railway and with its wide doorway always open it had an inviting appearance.

Around the time of the house construction in 1914 Dad planted a spruce hedge beginning not far from the house and running north along Farrell’s line to the railway, then curving eastward until it met the much-used railroad right of way. From my earliest memory that hedge had already reached its matu- rity and formed thereafter an excellent shelter from the rugged north and north west winds as well as giving a pretty backdrop to the yard in general. Around the same time he planted an orchard covering a good half-acre triangle on the north side of the yard and touching the railroad fence. Popular in this plan- tation were above all the two transparent trees which every two years produced an abundance of the much-loved “August ap- ples”. In the busy corner by the right of way and with its branches reaching out over the fence, stood a large crab tree which was always faithful in providing its kind in plenty for many uses, particularly for Mother’s superb crab apple jelly. There was a tree of Dutchies, another of Northern Spy and a number of unnamed winter varieties all excellent for eating. With everything thus in place our yard was large and well ordered.

The farm originally contained 100 acres, was fourteen chains wide and nearly a mile in length. Four acres were eventually taken for the railroad which cut slashways across the farm’s width leaving roughly one-quarter of the land in front of the tracks. The CNR provided two right-of-ways with crossings, each nicely sloped from fields to rails and equipped with large wooden gates on both sides. The only passage we ever used, however, was the one near the buildings. Clear land amounted to approximately sixty acres with the largest field containing fourteen. At the rear of the farm was the “big woods”, some thirty