Woo Pig Sooie

Started mowing an area on our farm called "the bottom" that is heavily traveled by the community's wild hogs.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=014.jpg" target="_blank"> </a>



Back in the early 60's my father and another man named Warren Montgomery cleared all the sweet gum and willow trees using axes.

I kept it mowed as a teenager with our Farmall Super C and Bush Hog rotary cutter.

When finished for the day, I'd park the Farmall under the large oak tree in the photo below.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=015.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

It is still a pretty good old shade tree.

Saw only one water moccasin while I was mowing.

Didn't have my tape measure with me for proper measurement so I'm guessing the snake was about 2ft long.

Even though the weeds were taller than the tractor in some places, it still isn't as bad as it once was.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=016.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

Higher up in one corner of the bottom is some very good Coastal Bermuda grass.

Even though it was shredded, we decided to rake it just in case someone wanted it.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=003.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=002.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

The majority of "the bottom" is covered in Bahia grass as shown below just right of the tractor and rake.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/The%20Bottom/?action=view¤t=001.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

Once it is cut back, Nancy will spray "the bottom" to kill out the broadleaf weeds and other trash plants.

We hope to get our first cutting off "the bottom" this time next year.

Ahh... now there's a tractor (first 3 pics) I can live with! From the other pics I've seen, I figured you bled green. Thanks for posting all the pics.

I will be the first to admit that our Ford 2810 is one of the best and most dependable tractors we have.

It gets a workout every weekend.

Glad you liked the photos.

That top pic reminds me of when I let our little meadow go for several years. We have about an acre on the lower end of our 5 acres that has a very steep access road, so we don't get down there much. When I finally got to mow it with my IH 300U and rotary brush mower, the salmonberries and nettles were about 8-9 ft tall, and the blackberries were using the salmonberry and our fruit trees as trellises and they were also 8-9 ft tall. I bundled up with heavy gloves, a heavy jacket and a hardhat and goggles when I mowed, to keep from being torn to shreds by the blackberry thorns. Managed to knock it all down, though.

(Teasing alert!) Put in a good surrounding fence, add about 2 Dorper sheep and 2 Boer goats to the acre- no more tall weeds, brush to worry about and save fuel. At end of growing season get the larger sticks and start cooking fire, select worst behaved critter and skin,clean, cook couple hours and munch away. Make warm vests, knit a cap and select next dinner. restock in spring. RN

Was hoping for some good pig pics!

Your comment about parking the tractor under "that very tree" in your youth is what nostalgia is all about- I do the same thing, and think about all the water under the bridge in the meantime. Thankfully, my kids (in their 30's) actually understand, and don't scoff at it- and I see them doing the same thing with their kids.

While I like and enjoy our vintage JD tractors, the Ford is an excellent tractor. It seems to get all the dirty jobs and has plenty of dents, scratches to show for it. It gets used more than any other tractor, too.

Because of the rough work it does, it frequently gets flats, so its the only tractor that has a spare.

The only time it failed to start was when the key got left on and the battery ran down. Once the battery was charged, it fired right up. Its very dependable and has needed very few repairs. Its really a great tractor.

The tractor and the truck are parked under the same tree. Its now nearly 4ft in diameter. Its one of about 4 massive oaks we have on the farm and my favorite.

There were bunch of berry vines growing above and beyond the tall weeds.

The berry vines "tugged" on both pant's legs several times.

Part of the problem with the low lying bottom is that there is always water standing in certain areas that can not be cut.

There are a couple of areas that I back the tractor and mower to cut/shred the weeds.

I have to watch the front tires for water; if they suddenly get wet, then there is water on the ground.

Got stuck once on the first day of mowing and had to go get "52" our JD 52A and pull the Ford 2810.

That sounds like a good plan, but here's the reality of what would happen with my luck:

[i:654c4848f0]Put in a good surrounding fence.[/i:654c4848f0]

I would have to mortgage the farm to borrow enough money to put in a "pig tight" fence. It would come a 100 year rain, like we had two years ago, and take the fence down like it did two years ago.

[i:654c4848f0]add about 2 Dorper sheep and 2 Boer goats to the acre[/i:654c4848f0].

Add one cougar to the local community and the sheep/goats disappear.

Still a good plan!

There"s about 15 acres or more in this area. It has overgrown with pine and sweetgum saplings, briers, berry vines, and lots of other weeds. Even found some kudzu.

Got lucky when I stepped on a bumble bee nest. It was a very small nest only a couple of bees and only one that got after me. That bee was very determined to sting me in the face, but I was able to fend him off. He did eventually tag me on the leg.

Surprisingly the wasps were not nearly as aggressive. They didn"t get after me when I cut down the sapling where their nest was or James when I called him over and had him run the bush hog over it. And yes, I told him there was a wasp nest there before he shredded it.

The first time that I mowed that area several years ago, I noticed the wild hog trails.

Saw the grass and weeds moving and saw several of them come out near the fence and run across the county road.

Next time I went down there to mow, I carried a 45 automatic pistol just in case.

There are several other "spots" on the farm that take me back to the past.

Can't go back in time, but I can get in some good "tractor therapy" recalling events of 40+ years ago.

Just a pleasant reminder of how far I've come to get to where I am today.

James I have got some memories coming up. Three daughters my son and son in law are taking me up to Iowa July 17 & 18 for a double family reunion. Paternal great grand father came to Iowa in 1850. He and his wife and five children(one just a baby) came down the Ohio River to Wapello County. Marrage of my paternal grand parent joined togther two of the old families in Black Hawk County. The second reuion is my maternal family which migrated out of Wisconsin in a cover wagon to western Nebraska and then back to Sac county Iowa. The leader of the family was killed while delivering milk door to door when the horse pulling his buggy start up while he was gettin in and run over him.
gitrib

Sounds like a good reunion for your family.

One suggestion that I will make is for someone in your immediate family to carry a tape recorder or video camera to your reunion.

Record on tape/video the family stories that have been passed down over the years.

There will be some good story tellers that will share family history that probably isn"t written down any where.

Folks will start to "connect" and share what they know; whether it is 100% correct, true, or not really doesn"t matter.

Think of it as a large family history puzzle and someone there has one or more pieces that fit the puzzle.

Looks like the old Longhorns-or Bison- are about the only thing that will survive there without someone with a .243 (or bigger) watching over them. You mentioned hogs running loose- check wild boar recipes, carry .44 on tractor while cutting weeds. (<--more sort of teasing) RN