I made my own horse collars of corn  shucks. These were braided in three braids and sewed together with flax thread. I also made my rope of cotton  thread, coarsely spun and the hair from cow's tails and horses tails and manes. The thread or hair was attached to three pegs in a board, which I turned to twist it.

Wylie Bearden - 1937

Our granaries were made by burning the inside out of a large tree, about fifteen feet high. The wheat  was poured into this. There was a hole with a plug in it at the bottom of the tree and a chute was built to run the grain into sacks. When we wanted a sack of wheat or oats , we pulled the peg out of the hole and the grain ran into the sack through the chute. We ground the wheat on a small steel wheel mill , which held a gallon at a time. We ground it three times and it was ready for use.

Wylie Bearden - 1937

I always shucked my corn before putting it into the crib. We had husking bees. A jug of whiskey  was covered with corn as it was hauled in from the fields. The neighbors were invited in to help husk the corn. The women prepared a big dinner while the men husked the corn. They sat in a circle at the foot of the pile of corn and as they husked, the corn came down and kept the jug of whiskey covered. The first one to reach the jug claimed it. That night we had a big dance.

I threshed oats  over a pole. I set two forked poles in the ground and placed another pole in these forks. I then hit the cross pole with a bundle of oats. This caused the grain to fall out on a large sheet, which I had placed underneath.

Wylie Bearden - 1937

The washing was done with a paddle. The clothes were boiled, then put on a wooden bench or block and beat with a wooden paddle in which holes were bored. We had only soft soap made from ash hopper lye.

Wylie Bearden - 1937

We used parched wheat, rye and corn  for coffee .
Wylie Bearden - 1937