Raising, feeding and caring for 13 children living on the Colorado prairie, Della and Harker Davis experienced long days of hard work. The responsibilities of the home and children fell to Della, and Harker took his commitment to provide a living for his family very seriously. Circumstances required that the children work alongside the adults whenever possible - even planting potatoes!
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| Antique potato planter probably similar to the one used by Grandpa Davis. |
Norman - One year Dad put in 80 acres of potatoes. The potatoes for planting were cut in quite large pieces, so they would provide moisture to start the plant along, and each piece must have at least one eye. A potato planter in those days was made either as a sled with a V-shaped plow effect, or with wheels and the same sort of plow. The person doing the planting had a seat, and a large box containing the potatoes to be planted.
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| Horse drawn potato planter |
The year the 80 acres were planted I was still a small boy, but Dad gave me a gentle team with which to work the knife weeder. At the end of the field I turned too short, and somehow the horses became tangled. They took off down the field, turning the knife sled over on me as they went. I managed to escape injury, and the horses were not hurt, though they tangled in the lines and tugs, and one animal was down by the time Dad got there. He was working with another team in the same field, and had seen my difficulty. I remember helping pick up potatoes that fall. There were several pickers, as we hired help.
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| Seed potatoes with eyes ready to plant |
Birdie - Where the land was plowed for sod, became our field after plowing deeper and working it up. Corn and potatoes were the main crops. Some milo (a grain sorghum) and corn was planted for hay crops. The corn was planted with a hand planter, but potatoes were planted with a riding planter. I rode the horse while Uncle Jim dropped the potatoes one piece at a time down a chute to where a V shaped digger made a ditch in the row. It was a regular nightly chore to have the men bring tubs and a sack of potatoes into the kitchen. We would cut them in pieces, each piece having at least one eye. This done, we went to bed knowing the next day’s planting was ready for us. This was the order of the day for a week or so, for we planted several acres of potatoes which were taken to Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek to exchange for apples or groceries for winter use.
We also raised beef and pork which was butchered and taken to market. Several trips were made each winter. Sometimes we were able to get a load of coal from Canon City which was used in our cook stove and a large heater.
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