Way back in the olden days of the mid 50's we plowed the farmland with an old breakin plow. An International W6 was the tractor used to pull a 3bottomX16"plow. Commonly called the 3X16 by farmers and those workin the land. The W6 International was about the same as an M but with a "standard" front end which was quite a bit heavier than the M with a wide front. The W6 also set lower to the ground and was just a beefier tractor with the same motor as the M. Well anyhow, Pap usually wanted the rig run in 3rd gear as opposed to the faster 4th gear. Fourth got it done quicker but sometimes would just work the lungs outta that old tractor. Guess which gear I ran it in!!! That is, when pap wasn't watchin. He was usually in another field plantin with his old H which I have here now. [Lil Dumplin won first place in a photography contect this summer with the H as the "vict'm] If I just happened to be in the same field pullin a disc whilst pap was plntin then I had to gear it down to 3rd. A double sectioned 14' disc with dbl harrows pulled behind was a rite smart load also. I remember when workin the tractor rather hard it wasn't much trouble to burn from 40 to 60 gallons of gasoline a day. That was when gasoline was costin pap about .16 cents a gallon after all taxes were rebated. I don't recall if ole Jeep done much tractor riden or not. Seems to me he always had other things to do that were a whole lot more interestin than gettin your guts shook out on a tractor. Drip gas was a common site back in those days. In case young whippersnappers don't know what "drip" gas is--it's wellhead natural gas in liquid form. We never used it to farm with but bunches of farmers did! Ole Jeep used it to run his old cars. First it was a 50 chev. From there on it continued through Fords, Nash Rambler and a 48 Hudson Hornet. He also had a 54 Packard that burned drip quite nicely also. We'd go "drippin" on Thursday nites and get his weekly supply. A 30 gallon drum in the Hudson trunk and 6- 5gallon gas cans. He would carry two and I'd carry 4. [I was about twice as big as he was and is] Walk 1/4 mile across a field-cross a rodline, watch out for the mean bull, watch out for the landowner and pumper. Load'm down and start carryin'm back to the car. Fill the barrel and then the cans. Ususally 60 gallons was enough but if not then it was Monday nite run. Of course it was always cold, dark and seems like rainy every time we went! Drip gas isn't available much anywhere anymore. They pump it into the pipeline and sell it along with the crude oil. The long ago days of plowin with the W6 are gone as is the "drip nites" and in fact the tractor itself. Pap sold it when he retired from farmin and we have lost track of where it went. If I knew it would certainly be a prize for me to own and drive again. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), September 22, 2000

Answers

The first time I plowed it was with a Farmall H and three disk plow. On about the third round after my dad turned it over to me I took out about 50 yards of fence. Dad was understanding and never said a word about his fence. I just helped him put it back up. In the years after that I broke that blackland prairie many times.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), September 22, 2000.

Hoot, your experience will be lost unless you pursue and promote your talents. I can not do it for you. Your experience holds history that some would pay a few dollars to read. Fer Gods Sake, I hold cherish a 1883 book on American Etiquette.What else can I say to you that your free posts, brought comfort to some, and that I would pay a few bucks to continue to read? Your experience is very interesting. Tis not a shame to make a buck off an experience. Recently bought Oprah book, at a buck.

-- Stand Still (thatI@am.com), September 22, 2000.