And when- when you're- then ah- and if you're watch what your doing when you're stooking, you can (inc) down the- the row of stooks so that you- you went down this way and the guy put them all on that side of the wagon and the guy on the wagon building, built a load like it was (inc) day before.

Um, the guy throwing on would ride the tractor to move on the next, the bunch of stooks or if somebody like myself, a kid was around, he- he moved the tractor around the field while I put the load on.

And there was a whole pile of blackbirds or starlings out there and they were just nesting in the top of all these stooks of grain helping themselves. Well I said, "I'm going to fix that." Oh I got the old long barrelled shotgun out there.

And the ah bailer t-- or the binder twine. And then you got to run around there and stook all the grain.

And then you got to run around there and stook all the grain.

Like you'd- I- I must have been difficult for my mom because she'd have the huge table full of all the neighbourhood men there for lunch and she'd have to put on this big spread for lunch and, of course, um, she always had to have pies and the men raved about her pies and her- her cooking, but, ah, yeah, it was- it- the one farmer had the threshing machine and he would bring it over and then all the other farmers would come with their wagons and- and- tractors and- and we'd go out to the fields and throw on all the stooks of grain and bring them back and throw them into the threshing.

It was stooked and ah, I was building the load and um, a groundhog was in a stook. A stook is five sheaves or- or seven or eight whatever

It was stooked and ah, I was building the load and um, a groundhog was in a stook.

They- they w-- they would be sick or- or- or-whatever and once spring work came and ah, sometimes in the fall, grade seven and eight boys would be pulled out to- for thrashing or stooking grain or- or- or-whatever.

Speaker: So they would cut the grain with the binder and would b-- be done up in stooks. Interviewer 2: Right. Interviewer 1: Yes, okay. Speaker: And then people went- neighbours went to the next neighbour and the thrashing mill would come and neighbours would bring this- load these stooks of grain on their wagon, bring it to the thrashing mill.

And when you ah harvested the crop, it was cut with a binder and it was put in stooks in the field and you had a threshing machine.

And that's what they did. And then they got to come around and stook it, and then they'd pick it up with the wagon and take it in the barn and then thrashing machine would come in the winter.

Interviewer: And how many would be in one stook? Speaker: There was two kind of stook. They used to have the long stooks and they'd be two, two, two and two. And the stook would be about- it would have maybe ten sheaves in it. Five pairs. And then the round stooks you just had two and two and- 'bout maybe six or seven.

Speaker: And that's what they did. And then they got to come around and stook it, and then they'd pick it up with the wagon and take it in the barn and then thrashing machine would come in the winter. Interviewer: Now explain what stooking means. Speaker: Oh that put the sheaths up against each other like this and take the heads off the ground. Interviewer: And how many would be in one stook? Speaker: There was two kind of stook. They used to have the long stooks and they'd be two, two, two and two. And the stook would be about- it would have maybe ten sheaves in it. Five pairs. And then the round stooks you just had two and two and- 'bout maybe six or seven. And- and it was round then. The two in the middle kind of held it just to got going, yeah. But- but the other ones would dry better, the long ones would dry better.

Speaker: Makes it into stooks, yeah makes it- Interviewer: Oh 'kay! Speaker: Into stooks, into sheaves, yes stooks is when you put them all together made it into sheaves. Glad you remember these things (laughs) 'cause I can't- made it into sheaves and then ah- Interviewer: She drove the tractor, mom road the binder- Speaker: B-- binder. Interviewer: Dad stooked the grain. Speaker: Yeah, he had to stook it up into stooks so the f-- when it rains, the rain will fall off it so it doesn't get it all wet. If you leave it on the ground, it gets mouldy and-that so- Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: You have to stook it up into stooks so my dad did that and ah- and then I drove the- the- when we had the- what was it, the elevator?

Speaker 2: Dad stooked the grain. Speaker 1: Yeah, he had to stook it up into stooks so the f-- when it rains, the rain will fall off it so it doesn't get it all wet.

If you leave it on the ground, it gets mouldy and-that so- Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: You have to stook it up into stooks so my dad did that and ah- and then I drove the- the-

Yeah. And then um, Donald and my dad I-guess would stook the bales, then you were- yeah you were hel-- still helping on the farm.

Absolutely, absolutely, the haying, the gathering wheat, tooking wheat as they called them, putting them up in- things-like-that.

Interviewer: Like what kind of jobs? Speaker: Lots of different jobs, they could do working in the shaft and ah dangerous stopes and s-- so-on.