Elmira District Secondary School - Oracle Yearbook (Elmira, Ontario Canada)

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32 THE- QRACLE My Experiences ot a Summer Vacation on the Farm The farm to which I went was quite close to my home and so I slept at home. At live-thirty I got up and sped off to the farm where I was greeted by Bobby, the dog. My first task was to get the cows. Soon I learned to ride a horse and thus saved myself much walk- ing. The cows soon knew, when they saw a rider on horse-back and the dog and heard my loud shouts, that it was time to head for home. Then I tried to milk a cow. I found out that cows are temperamental and prefer their own milker. I learned how to feed calves and that it's not only putting a pail of milk before them, but that they need a scientific feeding to do well. I enjoyed playing with them when they tried to bunt. Horses interested me most. I liked cleaning them, washing them after a hard dayis work, and feeding them. I learned how to buckle the harness, al- though I was not tall enough to put it on the horse. I learned the parts of the harnessg such as, the hames, the belly band, the tugs, the traces, the collar, the martingale, the bridle, and the lines. I learned to hitch them to any vehicle single or double. I learned how to handle a team on a wagon, a hayloader and a plough. I enjoyed standing on a high load of hay or grain. In the har- vest time I learned how to build a load of grain and stay on my feet. Une day I had to step on to the front rack of a load and fell off. The boss said, That's how everybody learns. They have to fall off a wagon once anyway. In the barn I set the slings and built the mow. I learned a great deal about other feeds, as turnips, mangolds, and corn. I used to cut corn, load it on the wagon and bring it out to the fields for the cattle. Hoeing of turnips never 'ap- pealed to me, but one day I found a bird's nest in the potato patch and to my surprise it belonged to a kildeer. I -found other interesting birds' nests be- longing to sparrows, robins, starlings, song sparrows, and in our garden, wrens, tree sparrows, martins and canaries. I was greatly interested in the chick- ens. I helped keep clean the colony houses and drinking pails and learned how to mix the feeds. I thought it lots of fun hunting the eggs. I often was surprised to find a nest in most unusual places. Of course I spent much time ,playing with the chicks, putting them in my lap and watching them go to sleep. One chick in particular would follow me all around the yard when I called it while I was pulling weeds. My days on the farm were not all work. I spent a great deal of time romping with the dog and chasing around on the farm apparently after nothing but never the less highly ex- cited. The outside air seemed to make me very hungry and how I enjoyed the plain wholesome food fresh from the garden and larderg I was delighted when school started later. I found that my experience on the farm was helpful, health-giving, and full of fun. -IREINIE HAIN, X The Student's Part of the War Breathes there a student with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said- I,m getting out of this school and lim going to do something useful for my country. You've felt it, and live felt it-that urge to get actively into the war. It's because there is a war right here and right now and we are part of it. But, have you ever stopped to think that the students of to-day must be the statesmen of to-morrow? The roots of civilization are too long to he withered by hate or blasted by bombs. It is up to us to preserve the finer things of life. ' '- All over the world boys and girls are clamouring to do their part, In the I Continued on page 411

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THE ORACLE 31 booths during the evening, as well as a number of guessing contests and games. A quilt made by the Home Economics classes was raliled off and the sum of 385.00 was realized from this alone. These proceeds went to the ,lunior Red Cross fund and to the Elmira Red Cross. The special entertainment of the eve- ning was the program put on by the 'LThumbs Up Review of Hamilton who gave their services free. They presented a variety program which was enthusi- astically received by the audience. An unexpected surprise of the eve- ning was the presence of Mr. Reginald Sloan, of Hamilton, who has written several successful songs and who is a talented pianist. Mr. Sloan autograph- ed and sold thirty-five copies of a song he had written, and turned the proceeds over to the Junior Red Cross. -MARJORIE BRUBACHER A Summer At Queenston Camp Last summer four girls from our school decided to go to the fruit camps for the summer-Eleanor Arnold, Helen Karley, Grace Omand and l. Eleanor was sent to St. Davids, Helen to St. Catharines and Grace and I to Queens- ton Camp. As l am the only one of the four back at school this year I shall take this opportunity to tell you just what a farmerette must do at Queenston Camp. Each day at 5.4-5 a.m. we all hear the ding-dong of the cow-bell , although it seems far, far away. That bell means it is almost time to get up. Then at six we hear a bell that means we must get up right away. So into our overalls, rubber boots and straw hats and down for breakfast. At 6.4-5 the hurrying and scurrying begin as the farmers from all the neighbouring farms begin to drive their trucks into camp. We grab our lunch, jump into the trucks and oil' we go! Now the work starts! Cherries and strawberries must be picked, tomatoes, too, from the 'green housesg asparagus must be cutg fields and fields of tomato plants must be planted and stalked, asparagus must be sorted, and all the peach trees must be thinned. The peach trees are so overladen with little green peaches that if they were left that way the peaches would never grow to be large. So they must be thinned out very carefully. Some weeks later comes the most important work of all- picking peaches. Of course each girl carries her own ladder from tree to tree. After she has filled a basket it is placed beneath the tree. The baskets are gathered up, loaded on to the truck and taken to the packing house. Other farmerettes there grade the peaches and pack them in baskets. From there they are shipped to all the cities and towns. At noon we get an hour off for lunch and it is spent under the shady trees on the banks of the Niagara River. This is an enjoyable hour, as you can imagine, after we have been out in the hot sun for five hours. We work from one oiclock until six when a shrill whistle is heard coming from Pop four bossj . And we all know what that means--run for the truck. But sad to say very few run-wearily we walk. The minute camp is in sight everyone feels great again and wonders, Will there be any letters for me? Then into the showers! As you can very likely imagine we get surprisingly dirty! Once again feeling clean and refreshed, we have our dinner. But before dinner is even over cars begin to come in the drive. This time not the farmers-the boys from Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Niagara-on- the Lake. Before leaving camp we must sign out for the convenience of the camp mother. Two late leaves are granted each week-Wednesday nights it is eleven and Saturday nights it is 12.30. Thursday nights no one is allowed in camp or outand all other nights of the week we must be in at ten with lights out a half hour later. Now don't you all agree that Queens- ton Camp is a wonderful place? -BETTY SCI-IUMMER, XIII

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RED CROSS EXECUTIVE First Row-Kay Kalbfleisch, Connie Dillon, Betty Vice, Maureen Thur, Bette Dillon. Second Row-Betty Schaefer, Margaret Lutz, Erma Gingrich, Kathleen Lorch, Helen Roberts, Alice Henrich. Third Row-Ross Weichel, Ralph Robbins, Murray Heinbuch, Albert Lorch. ATHLETIC SOCIETY Front Row-Erma Martin, Shirley Good, Vivian Cooper, Marie Simmons, Miss Axford, Beverly Shurly. Back Row-Howard Good, Bill Arnold, John Arnold, Carl Schuett, Jack Allgeier