Glossaries

If I Were a Farmer: Tommy's Adventure

barbed wire: strong wire with sharp barbs at intervals to discourage animals from trying to pass through it
barrel: a large container used to store gasoline on a farm
bib overalls: denim trousers with a bib and suspenders, used as work clothing
chores: the duties done twice a day to care for farm animals
post-hole digger: a shovel with two handles, specially designed to dig holes for posts
fencing: fixing or erecting a fence on a farm
gate: an intentional break in a fence where the wire can be moved to allow the passage of a tractor or large animal and then closed again after the tractor or animal has passed through
log chain: a series of heavy steel rings linked together and used to pull logs and rocks behind a tractor
manure: animal or plant material used to fertilize land
manure spreader: also called a spreader; a machine used to carry and spread manure on the fields. In the story, Tommy uses an old manure spreader as a trailer to haul fencing materials.
pincers: a hand tool with sharp jaws, used for holding or cutting
pliers: a hand tool with notched jaws, used for gripping
pocket watch: a watch meant to be carried in a pocket
post: a length of wood fixed firmly upright in the ground to hold up wire for a fence
staple: a U-shaped wire nail used to fasten wire to posts

If I Were a Farmer: Field Work

acre: an area of land measuring 43,560 square feet
antique: an very old object that  may have value because it is beautiful, rare, or both. Farm equipment is usually considered antique after it is fifty years old.
auger: a shaft with a metal incline attached. When the shaft turns, the incline moves  grain through a tube
blower: a large fan that sucks straw from inside a threshing machine, through a large tube,and onto a pile
bundle: many stalks of grain tied together with twine
cab: the sheltered part of tractor or other machine where the driver sits and controls the machine
combine: a large moving machine that cuts grain and separates the grain from the straw
disk: a tractor tool with large, sharp steel disks that turn and break up the lumpy ground into smooth seed bed
dual wheels: when a farmer bolts a second wheel onto each single wheel of a tractor to keep it from getting stuck in the mud
field cultivator: a tractor tool that breaks up and mixes the ground in a field and then levels the soil to create a better seed bed
field work: any work done in the field to prepare the soil, plant the seed, or harvest the crop
four-wheel-drive tractor: any tractor that has power sent to all four wheels
grain: any of the grasses raised for their seed to feed humans and animals. Wheat, oats, barley, rice, and rye are grains.
grain binder: a device that cuts the grain, makes it into a bundle, and ties the bundle with twine
grain drill: a machine that uses disks to create shallow ditches in the soil and drops seeds into the ditches
harrow: a tractor tool with short steel teeth used to level the ground
hopper: a grain-storage tank on a combine
mustard: a hearty weed that can multiply and take over fields of grain
oats: seeds used for food for cattle and humans
plow: a farm tool with one or more heavy blades to break and turn the soil
seed bed: a place to plant seed; the surface of the field
shock: an orderly pile of six or eight bundles of grain, set on end in a field to dry and covered by another bundle, which is known as the cap
spray: to cover an area with chemicals that will kill weeds or insects
straw: the dried stem of a plant after it has been separated from the seed
threshing machine: a machine that separates the grain seed from the straw
tile: sections of pipe buried in wet areas. They collect water and move it away from the field.
tractor: a vehicle with large wheels used by farmers to pull tractor tools called implements
wet spot: a low area in a field that remains wet when the rest of the field has dried out

A Farm Country Picnic

at bay: cornered, trapped, not free
barbed wire: strong wire with sharp barbs at intervals to discourage animals from trying to pass through it
chicken coop: a small building used to house chickens
cows are out: a phrase describing something every farmer fears: when cattle escape the enclosure of buildings and fences
digger: in this story, a post-hole digger: a shovel with two handles, specially designed to dig holes for posts
divinity candy: a creamy white candy made with egg whites, syrup, sugar, vanilla, and water, and used as frosting for cake or eaten as fudge
fence line: any fence, but especially one that stands on property line
fodder: coarse food, especially for cattle or horses, consisting of whole plants or the leaves and the stalks from a cereal crop
hauling hay: picking up the dried hay from the field and taking it to the barn for storage
hay: grass or alfalfa mowed and cured for use as fodder
holes for posts: holes meant to hold posts. Postholes are usually round, less than 12 inches in diameter, and about two or more feet deep
jackrabbit: a large, swift-running hare that often zigzags to escape a pursuer
Make hay while the sun shines: a proverb based on the fact that farmers need to make hay on a sunny day; if they wait too long, rain might cause the hay to rot. The proverb means that you should do something immediately when the situation is right and not put it off until later.
making hay: the process of cutting and drying grass or alfalfa, hauling it to the barn, and then unloading the hay and stacking it in the barn
manure: animal or plant material used to fertilize land
putting up hay: same as making hay
pincers: a hand tool with sharp jaws, used for holding or cutting
pliers: a hand tool with notched jaws, used for gripping
post: a length of wood fixed firmly upright in the ground to hold up wire for a fence
second crop: the second of several cuttings of alfalfa for hay. Farmers cut alfalfa for hay in early June. Alfalfa will grow again and be ready to be cut in late July. If the alfalfa is cut timely, up to 4 cuttings can be harvested from a single field; but usually the weather allows for only two or three cuttings.
slough: low-lying wetland; swamp, marsh
stacking hay: piling the hay on a wheeled rack in a manner that allows it to withstand a rough ride from the field to the barn without spilling
staple: a U-shaped wire nail used to fasten wire to posts
tramping hay: jumping or walking on hay to make the stack more compact so it will better withstand a rough ride from the field to the barn
Watkins truck: Watkins is a company based in Winona, Minnesota, and famous for their quality food and utility products. During the1940s and 1950s, drivers regularly stopped at farms to sell the products to farmers.

A Farm Country Thanksgiving

bedded: to have put fresh straw under and around an animal to keep it clean and comfortable
chute: the enclosed metal or wooden tube fastened to the side of a silo. The chute covers the silo doors and ladder used by farmers to climb the side of the silo to reach the top of the heap of silage. They open a door to the inside of the silo and pitch the silage out into the chute, where it falls onto a pile in the silo room below.
draw: a shallow waterway or gully in a field
euchre: a card game. In the story the adults play several games of six-handed euchre, where there are three partners on a side.
hayloft: the area where hay is stored, located on the floor above where the cattle are kept.
home-canned tomatoes: During the summer months when tomatoes from the garden are plentiful, people preserve them in jars so they can enjoy them during winter months when tomatoes are not available.
icing the hill: the practice of sprinkling water on a hillside in order to create a layer of ice, which makes the sleds slide faster down the hill.
kolacky: a bun made by people of Czech heritage. The bun is made with rich dough and filled with poppy seed, prune or other types of filling.
lard: the processed fat from an animal, usually a hog. Lard is used for cooking. If lard is kept at cold temperatures, its texture is very hard. It would feel lifeless.
peak: the area in the hayloft where the rafters meet. It is the highest point inside the hayloft and also the highest point on the roof outside.
silage: feed for cattle made by chopping the entire corn plant, including the stalk, leaves, and ears, and storing it under its own pressure in a silo until it ferments into a fodder ready to be fed to cattle
silo: the tall, round structure used to create and store silage. In 1950, the year in which this story takes place, silos ranged from 30 feet to 60 feet high and 12 feet to 16 feet in diameter. Older silos were made of wood, tile, or poured cement. Newer silos were made of cement staves held in place by steel hoops.
silo room: a small area at he bottom of the silo chute where the silage could be thrown down and stored until it was fed to the cattle the next day. Typically, silage was thrown down a day in advance so that frozen chunks would thaw before being fed to the cattle.
the old drill: a series of actions repeated so many times that that it is very familiar to the participants

Vocabulary lists for teaching one of the books: