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Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 98/123

The sweep stock could be fitted with any size sweep for cultivating
the crop. The two scooter plow would be fitted with two small sweeps
or two shovel plows, a type of turn plow that was used when a large
bed was needed for a particular crop. Mama and I turned a pretty good
crop that year, corn, peanuts, and field peas were the main things
planted in the field. However, our crop of peas really didn't end as
we envisioned. A herd of Deer Homesteaded in our fields and proceeded
to have a peavine feast every night until all were gone and we got
not a single pod of peas. They were well fed to say the least.

To supplement the animals diet with green grass we planted a crop of
millet each year. This was good from spring until late summer or
early fall. It was planted in a row and we used a reap hook (a curved
blade knife) to cut a basket full every afternoon. We fed it to the
cows and horse. Millet is a grain grass, we kept it cut so it didn’t
grow a grain head until late summer. It has a leaf that will surely
put some cuts on the arm if not totally protected, it was always wise
to wear a long-sleeved shirt when cutting it.

That year we pulled fodder, cut and shocked corn tops, all for winter
feed for the horse and cows. When gathering corn by hand, it is
broken from the stalk put in piles and left until the next afternoon,
so ants can get rid of the corn weevils, before it is put in the
barn. The fodder and tops were hauled in and put in the hay loft.
When pulling fodder or breaking corn, it is very rough on the hands,
they can get very sore from the cuts and scrapes. The very worst
thing was when picking up any of the harvest and you get a 'stinging
nettle' mixed with what was being picked up. The Nettle is a weed
that reaches its maturity at about corn harvesting time, and a real
pest to have around. There is no antidote known to relieve the
stinging pain from the stickers on the stem and under the leaves. The
best way to treat it was to be careful and not pick them up. Of all
the farm work hoeing is still the one thing that it takes the most
work to show up even just a little, and it is very tiring.

That crop year we gathered practically no peas, a herd of deer
settled in and cleaned the peavines on about 2-3 acres. We put
scarecrows in there, that helped for a few days, then they got wise,
and came back. Papa and I would walk quietly down corn rows and step
to the edge of the rows of peas, turn on the light and nothing. One
night when we did this there was a loud noise of something running
through the corn, shortly the sound of something running into the
fence. The next day we went into the field and there were several
different sets of deer tracks of various sizes. When we examined the
fence the next morning it noticeable it had

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