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Unit 7: Set 3. Modernization on North Dakota Farms - Diary Sold Cows

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Olson diary, Selling Milk CowsSeptember 17 1959

Another episode in my life has ended today.  I sold my milk cows.  There will be no more milking by us.  I started to milk one cow to be feed to the little calf.  I could do that to help out for my Mother.  I was 7 years old.  I milked out half of the milk and feed the calf   Mother finished the rest of the milking on that cow but soon I milked out all in one cow and after that I milked every year till I am now 74 years old.  A long tieme

And I had the blues all day. So lonsome not to see the cows. Yet a wonderfull feeling not to wash the separator.  I wash that for 52 years.

I started to milk at the age of 7 years. Just milked a kind cow and feed the milk to a new born calf.  And I felt so proud to be able to help mother.  And not baby sit.  Yes a happy memory.

My mother milked the cows out side in a coral made of poles.  7 cows up to 8 – yes what a job for a mother beside a big family to cook for.  Wash on a tub at first then a kind of wash machine that was hand powered  Gee how nice about this day and age women got it.  1959