Friday, January 30, 2015

A Wagonload for the Price of a Bundle

We lived on my Grandparents 200 acre farm in the "Bohemian Alps” north of Garland, NE during the drought and depression days of the ’30’s. Oak creek ran through the farm resulting in some 20 acres of woodland. During the winter, my Dad would cut wood and deliver it to local merchants in Garland and Seward. Often it was on a barter basis where he would deliver, unload and “take it out in trade”. As shown in the picture, the standard wagon box was 38”wide, 10’6” long with the first two sides of the box 13’ high, the 3rd was 9”. The dimensions of the box were such that when loaded with grain, each inch across the whole bed of the box constituted 2 bushel. 
Typically a double wagon box was used to haul wheat and when level full, it was 52 bushels. The 3rd, 9” board was typically added for husking or hauling “ear corn”. To account for the cobs, a full triple box of ear corn was considered to be 35 bushels. When dad sold and delivered wood, he would get $4.00 for the double box and $5.00 for the triple box when taken out in trade. He would sometimes borrow a neighbors wagon and tie one team of horses behind the lead wagon and take two loads to Seward which was about 15 miles away. He would be shocked if alive today, and would see the price/bundle of firewood today. 

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