There was once a traveling salesman whose car broke down in the rain. He ran to the closest farmhouse and quickly knocked at the door. An old farmer answered and the salesman pleaded for a place to spend the night.

"I'll give you board," the farmer said, "but I ain't got no daughter for you to sleep with."

"Oh." said the salesman. "Then how far is the next house?"

Submitter comment:

I remember this from Awrey's Bakery, where I worked this summer.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Submission card located in pile marked These don't sound traditional - Do Not File Yet.

Keyword(s): Anti-feminist ; CUSTOMS ; DAUGHTER ; FARMER ; HOSPITALITY ; HUMOR ; JOKE ; Rain ; Salesman ; Stranded

Subject headings:

PROSE NARRATIVE -- Jest Anecdote
Filter - Mature Content

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Toast

Are you making food for thrashers?

Submitter comment:

This question is usually directed toward the woman of the house who is preparing a large dinner.

Informant's Comment: An Indian custom at thrashing-time is for all the farmers to meet at one farm to help thrash the wheat. The women prepare the noon meal for the thrashers. In the same sense "making food for thrashers" implies a large amount or an overabundance.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [V400] is crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: WASHINGTON DC

Keyword(s): COMEBACK ; FARMING ; FOOD ; RETORT ; Thrashers ; Wheat

Subject headings:

SPEECH -- Formula

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Proverb

Agricultural Proverb:

When the sun sets in the West - the lazy man works his best.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original Bn [V400] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DEARBORN

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Aphorism ; Apothegm ; DIRECTION ; FARMING ; Maxim ; PROVERB ; RHYME ; Set ; Sun ; SUNSET ; VERSE ; West ; WORK

Subject headings:

PROVERB -- Blason Populaire

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Proverb

You reap what you sow.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; SAINT CLAIR SHORES

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Aphorism ; Apothegm ; FARMING ; Maxim ; METAPHOR ; PROVERB ; Reap ; Sow ; VERSE

Subject headings:

PROVERB -- Proverbial Apothegm Maxim

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Wedding Custom

It is a custom for the bride and groom to entwine arms and share a cup of wine at the wedding reception.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): Arm ; Arms ; Bride ; CEREMONY ; Cup ; CUSTOM ; DRINK ; Entwine ; GLASS ; Groom ; Reception ; WEDDING ; Wine

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Marriage

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Language: Rhyme

Mary had a little lamb

The doctor had a fix

'Til Old Macdonald had a farm

Then the doctor quit.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): DOCTOR ; Farm ; JOKE ; Lamb ; Language ; Mary ; Old MacDonald ; PLAY ON WORDS ; poem ; PUN ; RHYME ; VERSE ; WORDPLAY

Subject headings:

Ballad Song Dance Game Music Verse -- Lyrical Verse Lyrical Verse

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Room Location

The master bedroom should be located in the northeastern corner of the house to maintain harmony and fortune in the family.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: VIRGINIA ; Roanoke

Keyword(s): Bedroom ; Feng Shui ; fortune ; Harmony ; House ; LOCATION ; Master

Subject headings:

ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Plan, design, color, building material, and technic

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Wheat Harvesting

In Kansas, we grow wheat in our section, and when it was tim eto cut and thrash the wheat, the neighbors would all help each _take turbns, first Mr. J's wheat. Then when finished, go the next day to Mr. H_then Mr. W_ etc._ All men in neighborhood would go and work with the other neighbors_and the wives of all of the men would meet at the home where the men were working, and help that housewife cook dinner for all, then next day to another house_this way everyone helped each other and had no wages to pay and the ladies loved being together.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: FLORIDA ; Plant City

Keyword(s): Agricultural ; Barter ; Community ; CUSTOM ; Domestic ; FARMING ; Harvesting ; LIFE ; Wheat

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Work Commerce Business

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant corn by the dark of the moon

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; CORN ; Crop ; CUSTOM ; FARMING ; HARVEST ; Lore ; MOON ; PLANT

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time F574.82.242.5

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant cucumbers by the dark of the moon. If you plant them by the light of the moon, they will just make vines.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Crop ; Cucumber ; Dark ; FARMING ; LIGHT ; Lore ; MOON ; PLANT ; VEGETABLE ; Vine

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Working

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant potatoes in February in the dark of the moon.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; CUSTOM ; Dark ; FARMING ; HARVEST ; MOON ; PLANT ; Potatoes

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time F574.82.640

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant beans when the sign is in the arms and the moon is dark.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ;

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Arms ; Astrological ; ASTRONOMY ; Beans ; Dark ; FARMING ; MOON ; PLANT ; PLANTING ; SIGN ; Sky

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Working

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Custom; Agriculture

Plant beans on Good Friday

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Beans ; FARMING ; Good Friday ; holiday ; PLANT ; Religious Holiday

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time Week Day Hour

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Belief

The pishtace are nocturnal murderers of Indians. The pishtaco murder Indians in order to obtain human fat to be sold as lubricants for machinery and to be used in pharmacuticals.

The legend derives from 16th and 17th centurey Spanish practices of using human body fats as treatment for wounds and diseases. the people who tell this tale are poor Indians and the pishtaco are usually wealthy industrial men in the area. The tale helps draw lines of social class.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: Journal of American Folklore ; The Pishtaco: Institutionalized Fear in Highland Peru

Keyword(s): BODY ; Cultural ; Culture ; Fat ; FEAR ; HORROR ; INDIAN ; INDUSTRY ; Kill ; Lubrication ; Machinery ; MEDICINE ; MURDER ; Native American ; Peru ; Peruvian ; Pharmaceutical ; Pishtaco ; Poor ; Social Class ; Wealthy

Subject headings:

BELIEF -- Product or activity of man or animal

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Language

In the summer of 1816 there were frosts during each of the summer months in Hyde Park Vt. and much of the surrounding area. These frosts during the summer months discouraged many of the local farmers who abandoned their farms and moved westward. During the summer of 1816 a poem was written which is often recalled by Vermonters and printed in Vermont newspapers when the summers are unusually cool. The poem discourages people from leaving the area. the poem says:

"Moses saud we are to inhabit all the world, warmer climates lead to more vices, one doesn't change wives because of a wrinkle or farms because of a cold summer.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added By TRD

Where learned: New York Folklore Quarterly ; Fitch Against Immigration

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; Chill ; FARMING ; Frost ; HARVEST ; Hyde Park ; Language ; Moses ; poem ; Region ; SEASON ; Summer ; Summer ; Vermont ; WINTER ; Wives ; Wrinkle

Subject headings:

CUSTOM FESTIVAL -- Measure of time

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Environmental Factor

Product of Environmental Factor:

Making a scarecrow for vegetable garden.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE

Keyword(s): AGRICULTURE ; ENVIRONMENT ; Farm ; Scarecrow ; VEGETABLE

Subject headings:

ART CRAFT ARCHITECTURE -- Weaving material For costuming in dance or drama, see C484. Flax Hemp Jute

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Custom

Grammaw's Average Day:

"...go milk the cow and put the milk in the springhouse...churn sum buttermilk 'n make the butter...'n make a batch of hominy...rest a little whilst shelling peas...hoe and weed the garden 'n carry sum vegetables back to the cabin...take sic Mandy Lou sum soup on the next farm 'n gather sum herbs to doctor wid later on...shell sum butterbeans...gather sum pears 'n make sum preserves...git the aigs outta the nests 'n get the goat outta the garden...cook three meals a day."

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

Where learned: TENNESSEE ; NASHVILLE ; Boiling and Baking ; Booger Hollow

Keyword(s): ; Average ; Beans ; Chores ; CUSTOM ; Day ; Domestic ; Excerpt ; FARMING ; GARDEN ; Goat ; Grandma ; Narrative ; Peas ; Prose ; Shell ; Story ; VEGETABLE ; WORK