Everyday Hard Work - Year Round

Growing sufficient crops demanded constant hard work from farmers, who watched warily for late frosts, droughts, and excessive rain because any of these conditions could keep them from raising enough food and threaten their survival. Mountain people worked daily with hoes and harrows to control weeds and maintain needed soil conditions, and pest control often meant the painstaking task of picking worms off leaves one by one. Making and repairing tools also required time and effort, and winter was not a rest period but a season for this labor in preparation for another growing season.

Virginia · United States