Photo of the Day

A fall poem.

When the frost is on the punkin

Gathering pumpkins in the Yakima Valley of Washington State, 1904.

and the fodder’s in the shock,

Illinois farmer surveys his corn shocks, 1940s. Harvested corn was stacked in this way to allow it to dry out prior to storing it for use as winter animal feed.

And you hear the kyouck and gobble

Oregon farmer, 1939. Dorothea Lange photo.

of the struttin’ turkey-cock,

Franklin Turkey Farm, Massachusetts, 1940s.

And the clackin’ of the guineys,

Farmer's wife in the farm yard with livestock, 1890.

and the cluckin’ of the hens,

Feeding the chickens, mid-1930s.

And the rooster’s hallylooyer

Native American women pick apples in northeastern Washington State, 1910.

as he tiptoes on the fence;

Illinois farmers gather at a farm foreclosure sale to purchase the hogs. A sad day. 1938.

O, it’s then’s the times a feller

Examining a mule's teeth, Louisiana, 1940.

is a-feelin’ at his best,

Harvesting sweet corn in Grimes, Iowa, 1946.

With the risin’ sun to greet him

Wisconsin pea farmer's wife, 1937.

from a night of peaceful rest,

Down-on-his luck Michigan farmer keeps his chickens in his bedroom to keep them from freezing in the winter, 1937.

As he leaves the house, bareheaded,

Evicted Arkansas share-cropper, 1936.

and goes out to feed the stock,

Fresh milk for the farm cats! 1910.

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder’s in the shock.

******************************

I’ll see you tomorrow.

— Brenda

Poem by James Whitcomb Riley, published in 1911.

Banner image: harvesting corn in Illinois, 1917.