Settler's Toolbox
Imagine draining a swamp without modern insect repellent, or working 12
hours in the field without sunscreen! Early settlers rubbed mud on their
skin to prevent the mosquitoes from biting, and if they were bitten they
would dab the bite with vinegar. As for the sun, rubbing birch bark and
then rubbing your skin was a technique derived from the knowledge of First
Nations people.
Summers had to be faced without refrigerators and
winters without gas heating. Horse and ox, steam and water power got
things done. Communal labour marked certain technical processes, such as a
barn raising or harvesting, and this established a tradition which led to
the growth of communities and the farmer's co-operatives of today. Indeed,
early homesteaders readily shared their innovations in the interest of
communal benefit, and some believed patents reduced competition and drove
up prices.
When
confronting any problem homesteaders creatively used the tools and
materials at their disposal. They rarely had the option of going to a
store or city to get additional technology. If homesteaders didnt
plan well and take an innovative approach to farming and animal husbandry
constantly, their lives and livelihood faced great risk.
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