Curb Appeal - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday, featured weekly on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with this one (the most recent always shows up at the top). 

This week, we're going to delve into the visual appeal of postal history items.  Sometimes that appeal lies in the "eye of the beholder," but there are some traits that typically result in better "curb appeal" as the title suggests.  Now, before I get too philosophical on everyone, let me remind you that everyone is welcome here.  Thank you for coming and reading, and I hope you enjoy a few moments as I attempt to distract you from your busy lives.

What makes a cover "pretty?"

Already, I may have lost some of you who are not necessarily collectors of postal history.  You might be saying to yourself, "Self, that's an old piece of paper that's already served its purpose.  Pretty does not enter into it!"  And, if you feel that way, I certainly understand.  There are many things in this world that other people think are quite good looking and I just do not see it.  So, what should make me think that this can't run the other way around?

On the other hand, if we think of this topic as "curb appeal," you might be able to figure out what I am talking about even if you don't see postal history as "pretty."  Two houses might be practically the same in most respects, but even someone who does not find houses to be "pretty" can probably identify why one is more attractive than the other from the street.  Or to put it another way, what are the clues that you might observe that make you want to select one house (or postal history item) over another?

Take a look at this envelope, mailed from Toledo, Ohio in 1867.

Now, take a look at this one and compare the two.

Which one of these has the better curb appeal?  It is not required that you think either of these is "pretty," but I think you are likely to agree with me if you think the second cover is more attractive and more desirable than the first.

Both of these envelopes bore letters to the same correspondent, Ensign C.H. Breed on the USS Swatara.  Both were mailed in 1867.  In each case, B.F. Stevens and the United States Despatch Agency handled the process of getting the letter to a person on one of the ships in the European Squadron.  They both tell a similar story (one I will tell in a future Postal History Sunday!).

But, which one would you PREFER to show if you wanted to illustrate that story?  

Of course, you would want the one with more curb appeal - the second envelope.  The markings are clearer and easier to read.  The postage stamp on the first one looks like it has seen better days.  There are stain marks on the first example.  The second cover is brighter, cleaner - and just better looking.

Enough curb appeal to make me try something new

So, let's go back to the first item I showed in the blog.  This is an 1832 folded business letter from Bologna, then part of the Papal States, to Wohlen in the Swiss canton of  Aargau.  This letter is older than what I normally collect, but the price was very nice and... this thing has a ton of curb appeal.

The markings are clear, the paper is still quite clean, there is very little wear and tear, and... the handwriting is exquisite. Feel free to click on the image of the contents at left to see a larger version.

This letter comes from the Jacques Isler & Company business correspondence.  It turns out that there are many examples from Isler & Company available for collectors, such as myself, to acquire and appreciate.  However, let's consider that these are business letters written TO this company.  That means the handwriting will not be the same from one item to the next because they had many different customers.  It just so happens that I located and selected this example that shows impeccable handwriting.

That's pretty good for the curb appeal, if you ask me.

For those who might like to know some information about rates, routes and markings - the next bit is for you!

This letter was prepaid to the Papal border at a cost of 2 1/2 bajocchi and would have traveled through Parma and Modena on its way to Milano in Lombardy.  The red marking that reads "LT" with a red arch over it was put on this letter in Milano and it is an abbreviation for Lettera Transito - indicating that it was recognized as an item that was just "passing through" Milan on its way to Switzerland.

At that time, Switzerland was a collection of independent cantons and most cantons had its own postal service that had agreements with other postal services to exchange mail.  The red pencil markings that read "8/12" tells us how much postage was collected from Isler and Company for mail service to Wohlen from the Papal border.  The bottom number indicated that payment of 12 kreuzer was to be collected from Isler by the Aargau post.  Of those 12 kreuzer, eight were passed back to the canton of Zurich. 

I do not know enough to be able to tell you how much, if anything, was passed by Zurich to Lombardy or Modena or Parma.  But, that's how these things often went at that time.  Each postal service wanted a cut of the postage to cover their own costs - and that could really add up to a significant cost.

Sometimes flaws don't seem so bad

Swiss letter rate to England - 60 rappen per 7.5 grams : Aug 15, 1859 - Sep 30, 1865

This 1859 letter was mailed from Basel and crossed into France at St Louis (across the river from Basel).  It then traveled via Paris, Calais and Dover before arriving at its London destination.  The total postage was 60 rappen, paid for with two postage stamps (one 40 rappen and one 20 rappen).

This is another item that I think has plenty of curb appeal.  There are some nice clear markings with different ink colors.  The stamps are clean and they provide some additional color at the top right. 

But, look closer.  There is a hole in the paper under the stamps that takes a small chunk out of the lowest Basel marking.  There is some erosion where the paper has reacted to the composition of the ink.  The big flourish under "London" is the easiest place to spot it.  So, this item is NOT perfect.

But, perfection is not necessarily a way to achieve curb appeal when it comes to postal history, in my opinion.  Some reasonable wear and tear that does not overwhelm the rest of the item actually enhances that appeal by reminding us that this folded letter was mailed over 162 years ago.  

I think the word "overwhelm" is actually a key here.  What do you see first when you look at an item?  In this case, I see the clear readable markings that can help me tell the story of the cover.  I see the positive characteristics first and I actually have to call attention to the negatives.  Typically, I prefer that the positives overwhelm the negatives rather than the other way around.

Now, what if I could find another item from this correspondence that was nearly identical, but it did not have this ink erosion?  Then I suppose I would prefer that one because it would have even greater curb appeal.  But, just because there are a few imperfections, that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the house we've got!

"Filing folds" are natural consequences of the use of the item

Since we are currently in London, let's take a quick look-see at this letter that was sent from London in 1872 to Stockholm, Sweden.  Once again, what do you see when you look at this particular cover?  You see a bit of color.  You see clear, readable markings and docketing so you can figure out the story that comes with the cover.  And you don't see much along the lines of tears or staining, despite the age of the item.  

Yes, there is some smudging of the ink for the addressee's name.  The postmarks on the stamps do a pretty good job of covering up their design.  And, there is a filing fold across the center of the whole thing.

We need to remember that most letters that survive from the 1850s to 1870s were probably business letters that were kept as business records.  There really wasn't any interest in trying to keep these pieces as pristine artifacts of postal history and it wasn't always convenient to leave these letters folded up the same way they were delivered.  After all, if they wanted to reference their records, the postage stamp along with their own address was NOT the important part.  As a result, the letters were often refolded to emphasize the content - not the stamps, not the postal markings, and certainly not the address panel.

Sometimes, letters were filed as they were received (without being refolded).  For example, the folded letter shown below has the contents shown at the right.  There are no apparent additional folds here.  Even so, there are still folds both horizontally and vertically to turn the full sheet into an envelope-like item that could go through the mail.  It's just part of the normal life of a piece of mail.

This letter was sent from a business representative named G. Contant in Lille, France.  At the time, the area around Lille was well known for its textile industries.  This letter was sent to the Samuel H. White Company in the United Kingdom that supplied equipment and accessories for spinning mills.  So, the connection is in character with the Lille region.

Apparently Monsieur Constant was not entirely in agreement with the pricing provided by the Samuel H. White Company.  And, as far as I can tell, this particular letter does not include an order or reference a particular payment.  Perhaps that meant it was less likely this letter was going to be referenced all that often by those who did the filing for Samuel White?  We'll never know for certain if this was how they went about filing or if they simply refolded things they were more likely to view again in the future.  But, it can be fun to speculate about such things once in a while.

France to the UK - postage rate of 40 ctms per 7½ gms  : Jan 1, 1855 - Dec 31, 1869

This cover has some pretty good curb appeal too.  There is something about an item with multiple postage stamps that can actually make you more forgiving of things like some smudging on the P.D. marking or the weaker strike for Lille.  Curb appeal is not always about the tiny details, even though those details can certainly impact how you feel about an item.

Curb appeal can make something that is common more appealing

Here is a much more modern item.  This envelope was mailed in Kansas City, Missouri on November 6, 1950.  The internal letter rate for the United States was 3 cents per ounce - and that rate lasted for a very long time.  As a result, there are many, MANY examples of simple letters with three cent stamps.  In fact, this particular purple stamp featuring Thomas Jefferson is ...

Well, let's just say they're all over the place and it is extremely easy to get lots of them for little to no cost.

So, if they are extremely easy to find and there isn't anything else going on that's all that special, why would you want something that was also missing curb appeal?  This one is actually quite good looking.  Everything is neat and clear.  There is a fancy slogan cancel celebrating Kansas City's Centennial.  The postage stamp is in excellent condition.  Even the pre-printed address is attractive.

If we consider my area of primary interest (postal history that features the 24 cent U.S. postage stamp from the 1861 design), there certainly can be items that have a wide range of curb appeal.  There were two earlier in the blog that we compared to each other, and now I show you two more examples - the first one mailed in Boston in August of 1862.

While I am not trying to say that a letter from the U.S. to the United Kingdom using a 24 cent stamp is incredibly common, I can tell you that this is the most common use, by far, for this stamp.  So, if you can find an example like the one above versus one like this....

Maybe you can get a better idea of why curb appeal might matter.  After all, which one would you like to look at more often?

Hey, there might be reasons that this last item is of interest.  A letter with a Chicago origin and the red "3 cents" marking is much less common than Boston.  And, of course, a letter that looks like this is going to cost much less if you just want an example for your own collection and you don't (or maybe you can't afford to) care about curb appeal.  Or maybe, you are attracted to covers like this because they show the wear of a life of use and abuse?  Maybe we'll have to do a Postal History Sunday on "ugly covers" someday.

In the end, it actually comes down to this.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  If you like postal history and you find beauty in them, then you will be looking for the curb appeal that makes you happiest.  If you are attracted to houses with bright blue doors and sunflowers by the windows, so be it.  It just so happens that I, and many other postal historians, prefer items with some of the curb appeal that I have been illustrating today.

So, why in the world am I attracted to this one?  I guess that will have to be for some future Postal History Sunday.

Bonus Material

Who was Jacques Isler and what did his company do exactly?  Well, here is a quick video that just might give you a clue!

In 1787, Jacques Isler founded the straw hat company that was going strong in 1832 (when the first letter in this blog was sent).  According to this article in the "Hat Magazine" put out by the Straw Museum that is the transformed Isler family home, as many as 12,000 women were employed to weave these hats during the winter months.  

But, as machinery was developed to mechanize the creation of straw hats, companies like Isler's worked to create designs that could not be easily replicated by a machine.  They could remain relevant by focusing on the trimmings and embellishments that made hats more unique.  Sure, that factory in England could pump out a bunch of hats, but Jacques Isler & Co could provide decoration that would make those hats special.

image from the Straw Museum 7/29/22

Well, I don't know about you, but I learned something new today!  I'd never really considered how straw hats were made, nor had I really made the connection to oat, wheat and rye straw (among other crops) and straw hats.  Sure - it makes sense because the connection is in the name.  But, as a person who farms, I don't see straw as a decorative item - especially after I've scooped out one of the poultry rooms where we use straw as bedding.

Thank you for visiting and viewing Postal History Sunday.  I hope you have a good remainder of the day and a fine week to come.

A Playlist for July

Saturdays are good days to share music or whatever sort of artistic stuff I feel like sharing - isn't it?  Well, if it isn't, you can just tell me that I'm wrong.  But, I'm still going to share this time around because... well, no has told me to stop yet.  

And I do love music.  So...

We've had several tough weeks in a row at the Genuine Faux Farm.  When that sort of thing happens, I typically go one of two ways with my music.  I either overcompensate for my own lack of energy or try to drown out the negatives with some aggressive, louder tunes OR I find myself listening to a batch of sad songs.  

I wonder where this one will go?

The Precipice - Classic Crime

I've shared this tune in the past, which might be a clue about how much I like the song.  It certainly lands more in the second category without getting TOO sad, if you know what I mean.  

Now, when I say "sad" songs, that might actually be a bit of a poor description.  Maybe I should have said they are songs that make me reflect and ponder.  Like this one:

Invincible - Tool

I do enjoy bands that play with different time signatures other than 4/4 and Tool fits that bill.  Add to it interesting references that rarely show up in popular music and tunes that stand up to careful listening as well as casual listening and you have something I can enjoy.

That tune kind of led me to this one.

Mytho X - Mortal

Now we're kind of on the border between the two types of music that I tend to favor at times like this.  When I think of Mortal, I usually classify their music as harder rock to industrial (not that they always stayed in that lane, much to their credit).  But, the lyrics are often very interesting and thought provoking.  So it fits.

Boys Don't Cry - Plumb

Here's a really nice cover of the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry."  I like this take on the tune as it places much more emphasis on the lyric by turning it into a ballad.  Now, if you know and really like the Cure's original version, I could understand if you weren't sold on this one.  

Scarred for Life - Argyle Park

And here's one that falls into my first category.  Turn it up and get lost in the noise if that's your thing.  If it's not, feel free to skip listening. Or listen for a couple of notes and move to the next.

Human Behavior - Bjork

Ok.  I suppose Bjork may not be everybody's cup of tea either.  But, look, I told you that I sometimes find things that are "aggressive."  While this tune isn't loud in particular, it is different and calls for your attention if you choose to listen to it.  It's this sort of thing that can sometimes drown out whatever is occupying your mind and let you escape for at least as long as the song plays.

Honesty - 77s

When in doubt, fall back on one of your favorite bands - and while you are at it, pick a tune that has some grit, both in the lyrics and sound texture.  Yep, that'll work.

Give It Up - King's X

While I am at it, I can share some new music from a group that I have enjoyed for a very long time.  All I can say is that I have great respect for musicians who can keep being creative for many years.  Apparently, King's X is releasing a whole new album in the near future.  Something for me to look forward to.

May God Love You (Like You've Never Been Loved) - Over the Rhine

There always needs to be hope, as far as I am concerned, even when I am struggling.  So, let's go to some of the best songwriters on the planet and just let the words roll over us.

And, this will tell you something.  I'm going to stop this list at nine.  On a blog where lists (almost) always go to eleven.  

Have a great day and enjoy the music, whether is some of these tunes, or those you select for yourself!

Hobnob Makes Her Exit

Some days do not start the way you thought they were going to.  Yesterday started in a way that none of us at the Genuine Faux Farm is very happy about.  It started with the exit of one of our Indoor Farm Supervisors and fine, furry friend, Hobnob.

Perhaps at some point in the future, we'll give Hob her proper send-off in the blog.  But, for now, we're just going to keep on moving.  Because, sometimes, that's all you can do.

But It Wasn't Funny

I thought this post featuring Crazy Maurice was a good candidate for a Thursday Throwback post (something I haven't done for a while). After all, Maurice and I are working on a new blog post - but it is taking some time.  Remember, when you are a tree, things take a bit longer to do.  So, this one will have to tide you all over until we are done with the new one.

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Crazy Maurice is a young Weeping Willow tree in the northeast section of our farm.  For a significant part of the Summer of 2020, Maurice was keeping watch over the older hen flock as they went about their business, kicking up the dirt around his trunk and taking shelter under his limbs.

Being a young tree, Maurice is still fairly 'hasty' (as an Ent might say), so he frequently has conversations with the humans on the farm.  In fact, he has even authored some blogs for us in the past.  We hope that he will remain hasty enough to continue to talk with us.  But, even if he gives in to the slow, contemplative ways of the older (and possibly wiser) trees, we'll still enjoy visiting him.

This is Crazy Maurice's latest - dictated to me over the course of the Summer (2020).

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I do very much enjoy the visits with the Pretty Lady and the Fuzzy Guy with the Red Top.  It almost is worth it having all of these fussy, noisy, feathered fussbudgets running around me.  After all, I know they come out here to give them food and water.  I am also aware that they collect eggs from those little buzzards every day.  But, I also know a day will come this Fall when I won't see either of them much.

It's ok.  I usually take a bit of a nap for the colder months anyway.  If they visited then, I am afraid I wouldn't be the best company.  But, it does get a bit lonely out here sometimes.

Blaise (the maple) isn't much of a conversationalist and is destined to be much more tree-ish than ent-ish, in my opinion.  Minnie (the oak) is still too small to tell what she's going to be like.  The conifers think they're better than the rest of us because they stay green all year.  Ya, ya.  Whatever.

But, occasionally, I get to hear the whispered conversations of my elders - the Burr Oaks on the southern part of this farm.  I have learned that, when they talk - I should listen.  And, when I listen, I have to be prepared to listen for a while.  I mean - they are kind of... well... deliberate.   That's a new word the Fuzzy Guy taught me this year when I tried to explain it to him.  I like that word.  And that's not an accident.

See!  I have even learned to make jokes.  That's the Fuzzy Guy's fault too. 

Anyway, this Summer was enjoyable because the Fuzzy Guy was telling me about a story of trees... and some other creatures....  Burrrahobbits?   Eh.  Whatever.  Some little fellow called Billedfrobo?  Well, anyway, that doesn't matter because some of the key characters were Willows and Rowans and an Oak-like creature called an Ent.  

I was a little dismayed that the Willow was portrayed in a less than flattering light - but Fuzzy Guy assured me that he felt my mannerisms held no resemblance to that Old Man Willow character.  Perhaps that tree didn't get to hear stories from nice farmers when he was young?

He told me a story about going to see a, what was it?  Mohvee?  A book that had sound and movement?  Whatever.  I know what a book is, because Pretty Lady explained that one.  I like Pretty Lady, she is ever so kind.

Anyway, he told me that the Ents were sad because they had lost the Entwives.  When asked what Entwives looked like, the Ent said he could not remember.

And Fuzzy Guy told me that some people laughed.

But, it wasn't funny.

Trees do not forget.  And, if they do, it must be a tragedy.  That's another new word my friends taught me - but I am not as pleased to have learned it as I was with the word "deliberate."

I listen to my elders, the Oaks to the south.  They tell me about the ball of fire that took one of their number away.  They remember her shape and feel, still refusing to encroach on her space even though she has been gone many seasons now.  They have grudgingly allowed admittance of a young sapling (or so I have heard), nearby, but they still see their missing sibling when they look at that open space.

They have not forgotten.

And it isn't funny.

What would it take for a tree to forget?   After all, the Oaks tell me it is tree-ish to remember.  It is tree-ish to endure.  And it is tree-ish...to not talk to the farmers.

I whispered back to them that that wasn't funny.

And they laughed.

I'll remember that.

Combat Zone

It is the last week of July and, once again, we feel like we are living in a combat zone with the number of spray planes diving around the fields in our area.  I have to admit that, thus far, things have not been as concentrated as it has been some years.  This is, in part, due to a much larger window of decent weather than we sometimes have for optimal application conditions.

I find that I have had lots of trouble concentrating on my own work because I still react very badly to the sound and/or sight of a crop duster.  I hate calling it PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome) because it feels like I belittle the experiences people who have dealt with survival in actual war zones.  But, the description is so accurate for how I feel and how I react that I find it an apt and accurate description to try and get others to understand why I react the way I do.

While we have not been in the farm all that long compared to many folks who have lived in the area all their lives, we have noticed changes over the years.  When we first moved here, aerial application of insecticides was the exception, rather than the rule.  But, that rapidly changed and now two things are much more common than they used to be.

1. Aerial application this time of year is the rule rather than the exception

2. Fungicides are applied much more regularly than they used to be - even though it can be argued that fungicide application most years will not "pencil out" as being a reasonable investment for row crop farmers.

Reasons for Frustration

There have been moments when I revisit the idea of anti-aircraft guns for the farm this week.  Perhaps more practical is Tammy's idea of getting some larger balloons and tying them to the borders of our farm.  Why?  Well, we have one flyer who apparently gets their giggles by buzzing over our farm as low as they can go. It's certainly not every flyer.  But, it is pretty obvious that this one person has made us a target.

No, they aren't spraying anything as they fly over.  And, no, I don't get a thrill out of their daring-do as they zoom by.  And, no, I don't care much for the point they might be trying to make either.

On a more philosophical note - I struggle with the farming system we support with governmental funds and programs that rewards larger fields with single crops.  This type of farming almost forces farmers to use pesticides and seems to punish them for any sort of alternative crop or cultivation techniques.  I am also frustrated by how much power this system gives to those who sell pesticide products and how little is left for those who wish to be stewards of the land and growers of good food. 

I am also frustrated that the highly visible spraying of insecticides/fungicides in late July through early August often overshadows the real problems we also have with herbicides and synthetic fertilizers earlier in the year.  Have you noticed how many of our trees in Iowa are showing signs of weakness or illness?  Have you noticed that many of the bush lines, including many that were planted to provide snow-catching windbreaks near highways, are struggling?  

If you are wondering why that might be, let me remind you that everything in nature has to fight through disease and pests.  So, healthy trees, plants and animals will still feel pressure from these natural phenomena.  However, if you begin to tilt the playing field against these living things by, for example, applying pesticides liberally, they are more likely to succumb to the combined attacks of disease, natural stresses, and pesticides.  It's a simple equation - but we don't seem to understand it very well.

And finally, I am frustrated because I am, again, noticing lower numbers of butterflies (for example) on the farm.  And, we have been watching a very strong batch of baby birds fledging in recent weeks. Adding more pesticides into the surrounding environs certainly does not help either population.  And I find that troubling.

Reasons for Hope

But, I still have reasons to hope and motivation to keep trying to make a difference.  For example, we have a newer, neighboring, young farmers who have been texting us to let us know when they hope to make a pesticide application and they give us some idea as to what they intend to do.  They also voluntarily provided a buffer zone next to our farm where they did NOT spray herbicides.

It was almost enough to make me cry.  

The good news is that the buffer zone does not appear to be having terrible weed pressure except for, perhaps, the row right by the edge.  I am very invested in seeing that this move be rewarded, so I've actually walked out to cut down a few taller weeds without being asked.

The other thing that gives me hope is an odd one.  It's the fact that we have observed things changing to include more flyers for pesticide application over the years and we have noticed increased use of fungicides.  They both seem like a negative from my perspective until I realize something important...

It illustrates to me that farming can change dramatically over a fairly short period of time.

It can change for the bad.

And it can change for the good.

And, that, my friends, is what I will hold on to.

What's Up at GFF?

It has been long enough since we've done some sort of "farm report" that it feels like the time is right to do just that on the Genuine Faux Farm blog.  Since the daylilies are at their peak this time of year, it only makes sense to open the blog with a nice, big picture of one of the beautiful blooms we can find here.

For those who do not know, Farmer Tammy had surgery to repair an Achilles tendon and remove the bone spurs/chips that were sawing away at it.  She is approaching the six week mark after surgery when she can begin rehab in earnest.  

She is also hoping this will signal the beginning of the end of her "captivity" in the farm house.  You see, it turns out that much of the farm is not horribly accessible if you don't have two working legs and feet.  We did invest in a three wheel scooter to try to provide her with a tool to have access to the farm, but one of the wheels was warped and we only just received the replacement.

Speaking of annoying things...  Ok.  Wait.  I am not saying Tammy is annoying.  But, I WAS saying the faulty scooter was annoying.  Are you all trying to get me into trouble or something?

 

A few weeks ago I might have said something about the annoying deer at the farm.  Having varmints like woodchucks, rabbits, raccoons and other critters cause us problems is not a new thing at the farm.  However, we haven't had horrible issues with deer in the past.  So, of course, this year had to be the exception for that particular animal.

The amount of space we planted for veggies this year is a mere fraction of what it once was.  We've provided a bit more wild space, which is nice.  But, the deer apparently decided this was not adequate and they found that our potted plants up by the house were tastier than anything else.  If you look at the photo above you can see that they got up on the back entrance to the house and managed to bend up some of the railing.  

We suspect they pushed each other around when they realized there were no more spider plants to eat.  Apparently, every part of those plants are pure ambrosia for deer.  They tasted several other plants as well.  I guess we've got about twenty or more pots available for new plants if we want to bother with that now.

So far we have been able to keep the deer out of the high tunnels.  So, that's where the remaining potted plants went for a while.  

The snow peas germinated poorly this year, but we were able to harvest enough to have several meals (but not enough to share with others - sorry).  We had a couple of sunflowers that volunteered in the pea row and we just couldn't quite bring ourselves to pull them out.  So, there they are.  

The green beans have been producing pretty well and we've been concentrating on freezing beans for Winter.  We did have enough to offer beans to people on our egg and veggie list and I suspect we'll be able to do that again once people come back from vacations and the next flush of beans fill out.

The potatoes in Valhalla look like they are about ready to harvest, so we'll be pulling those in soon too.

Typically, we like to move the Valhalla high tunnel in May, but we just didn't have the time, energy and resources to do that this year.  That's ok, we'll be in better shape to do that next year.  For now, we'll start converting the old pea, lettuce and potato rows to Fall crops over the next week or so.  That's actually right on time, so there is hope for future crops.

Eden, on the other hand, is in need of some repairs and then we'll see what happens with that one for the rest of the year.

The garlic crop has been slow to develop this year, but the harvest is just around the corner.  The plants seem healthy enough, but are a bit smaller than they often are.  We'll see what the heads of garlic look like when we pull them out very soon.

The poultry on the farm are doing well (or have done well).  We took the broilers (meat chickens) to the park just under two weeks ago.  This year, we are only raising 100 birds in total - down from the 500 we had last year.  

This is just another fact of life with our farm right now.  Two people on the farm, both people have full-time off-farm jobs.  Something has to give.

Poultry, if you don't know, require attention more than once a day, each and every day that you have them on the farm.  While we have shown we are certainly capable of maintaining multiple flocks, it does wear on a person after a while.  And when you are down to one person doing the chores...

At present, we have a flock of turkeys, who are inquisitive and participating in crowd gobbles as a way of greeting Farmer Rob when he brings food or water.  We are raising the same sized turkey flock as we have now for many years running.

We also have two flocks of laying hens.  One flock is currently laying and resides in the Summer Cottage on pasture ground.  We will be looking to move these birds to new homes as we get closer to September.  The young hens (known as the henlets) should begin laying about that time.  In the past, we have kept the older hens until October to give the henlets more time to get into the swing of laying. That will not be the case this season.

The net result is that we may have a lull for a while where we might not have as many eggs to sell as we have in the past.  But, once the henlets get back to full swing, we should be able to fill orders just fine. This is just another of those things we need to do to adjust to the realities we find ourselves facing in 2022.  

There it is - a farm report from the Genuine Faux Farm.  If you've got questions, feel free to contact us or make a comment and we'll be happy to write a follow-up blog to address them.

Have a good day everyone!

The Oaks Painted the Sky

 I walk a fine line between two worlds.  The world of "responsible individual, with many things that need to be done" and the world of the "person who takes the time to observe things that evoke feelings of awe, wonder and gratitude."

You see, I value both worlds.  I like to meet my obligations and I feel some pride in work that I do and tasks that I perform.  I recognize the value of responsibility, consistency, and real effort.  I also believe that it is extremely important to take the time to recognize beauty in nature, artistry created by talented humans, and peace that comes with observation and reflection.

The difficulty here is that I often find conflict between the two.  There are many times on the farm that I have work to do and I just need to concentrate and get it done.  But, as I go about my tasks, a butterfly floats by and the sunflowers nod at me as they weave a lazy pattern in the breeze.  I find my steps slowing as nature tugs at me to take a moment and just appreciate the world around me.

Then, there are those moments where I purposefully give myself a chance to just be - to give myself a chance to really feel what the wind has to say, or listen the birds as they train their young to navigate in the world.  But an internal time clock keeps telling me that this is irresponsible.  There are things to do.  People are relying on you.  You are wasting time that should be spent accomplishing!

Our elder Oaks on the farm took a moment to teach me a lesson when they noticed me trying to hurry myself up at a time when I'd actually got the camera out because I thought the sky was interesting to look at.  They reminded me of contrast, and how it helps you see the beauty of very different things.  

"A picture of the sky - and only the sky - might be ok," one of the oaks whispered to me, "but come over here and watch us paint the sky for you."

This is remarkable, because the oaks don't talk to the farmers much at all.  They have even chided some of our younger trees for doing just that.  Don't get me wrong!  We do hear the oaks talking frequently, but they rarely direct their slow, patient words to us.  After all, we've barely been on the farm long enough for them to notice.

Perhaps my habit of saying hello to them when I go out to check the mail each day is finally breaking the ice?  Whether that's the case or not, the oaks were right.  They painted the sky with their shadowed leaves and branches and the sky looked deeper, richer and so much more fascinating.

And for a few moments, I forgot I had things I needed to do.  I took a few pictures and then I just soaked it all in.

Carried Away - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday, featured weekly on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and the GFF Postal History blog.  If you take this link, you can view every edition of Postal History Sunday, starting with this one (the most recent always shows up at the top). 

Everyone is welcome to join me each week when I share a hobby I enjoy with anyone who has interest.  It doesn't matter if you are an accomplished postal historian or just a curious bystander, we all have an opportunity to learn something new (even if that something new is "I don't think I'd like postal history!").  Put your troubles and worries under the bed in hopes that you vacuum them up when you do some cleaning.  Grab a beverage of your choice and put on your fluffy slippers and take a few moments away from the rest of your busy life - I'm sure it'll still be there once you're done with this post.

This week, we're going to look at the service provided by letter carriers to get the mail from the sender to the post office in the mid-1800s.

I'd like to start with this 1863 letter that was sent from New York City in the United States to Liverpool in England.  There are two postage stamps on this envelope.  The blue stamp on the left is denominated at 1 cent and the stamp on the right provided 24 cents in postage for this letter.  The required postage to send a letter from New York City to Liverpool in 1863 was 24 cents as long as the letter weighed no more than 1/2 ounce.  So, the presence of the 24-cent stamp is accounted for, but what is that one-cent stamp paying for?

A Service Taken For Granted

While I recognize that fewer and fewer people actually send letters via the postal service, many who read this blog have at least some memory of a time when paying bills and sending written correspondence via the mail was commonplace.  Unless you lived in a small, rural town, you probably have (or had) a postal person delivering mail to your office or place of residence.  If you wanted to send something in the mail, you could simply place it in your mailbox and that same person would pick up your letter and take it to the post office for you. 

from Smithsonian National Postal Museum

In fact, as a person who does not live in a town, I benefit from Rural Free Delivery in the United States.  In other words, I do not have to pay extra to have someone drive by our farm six days a week and drop our mail off in a box that looks a good deal like the one shown above.  And, just like someone who lives in a city with postal carriers, I can place mail into my mailbox and raise the red flag on the side to alert our rural carrier that I have placed a letter(s) into the box that I want them to take to the post office for me.

The rural service started in the late 1890s, though it was not adopted everywhere at one time.  Prior to that point, rural customers had to make a trip to the nearest post office (that could be lengthy) to pick up and drop off mail.

Well, believe it or not, there was also a time in the United States where even people living in our largest cities either had to go to the post office themselves to pick up or send a letter OR they had to pay someone to go to the post office for them.

A Penny to Carry Your Mail

You've probably figured it out by now.  That extra one-cent postage stamp was intended to pay for a postal carrier to take this letter to the post office in New York City.  The trick, of course, was catching the postal carrier so they could take the letter for you.  Unless the person mailing this letter was receiving a letter delivery from a postal carrier, their best choice was to find one of the 586 lamp-post drop boxes scattered throughout New York City in 1863.  

from Smithsonian

According to Appleton's United States Postal Guide for 1863, carriers visited these boxes six times a day to empty them and take the letters deposited there to the post office.  There were 137 postal carriers employed by the New York City post office if we use the numbers in the report of the Postmaster General for the fiscal year 1863/64.  Their job, in addition to picking up letters from these letterboxes, was to also make deliveries of the mail (also for a penny until the middle of 1863).

You might be surprised to learn that the first collection box officially sanctioned by the US Post Office was patented in 1858 by Albert Potts.  These were quite small and required frequent emptying.  This, of course, led to larger boxes, including those built under contract with the Post Office by John Murray in 1860.  If this topic interests you, you may enjoy reading the summary provided here by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

The motivations for the US Post Office to begin taking carrier pick up and delivery seriously is a fairly complex question.  You could point to Europe and the history of mail pick-up and delivery that was well established there.  But, that would only serve as the model for some of the ideas that were implemented in the United States.  We need to remember that the majority of the population in the US resided in rural areas.  And, we also need to recognize that the infrastructure in cities was much younger in the US.  So, there are reasons why the same model was immediately adopted.

In any event, the reasons for these changes are complex, so I will feature only parts of the story today.

An Outside Motivation - Protecting Turf

Just as private mail services pushed the US Post Office to provide cheaper postage (and get laws passed to remove the competition), the private services that offered to take mail to and from private homes and businesses encouraged change by providing competition.  One well known private service was called the Blood's Penny Post in Philadelphia.  

Shown above is a letter that was mailed in Philadelphia on September 4, 1861, to Washington, D.C.  A three-cent stamp paid for the domestic postage to get from Philly to D.C., but there is an additional adhesive on this cover that represented payment to Blood's for carrier service.

The Blood's carrier service started in 1845 as D.O. Blood & Co, becoming Blood's Despatch in 1848 and was finally known by the Penny Post in 1854.  At its height, it had hundreds of collection boxes throughout Philadelphia that were emptied as many as five times a day.  

If you'll look at the cover above, you'll find a round marking at the bottom left.  It is hard to read, so I can provide you with a similar marking that bears different dates and times.  If the marking on our cover were clearer, we might expect to be able to find out which time of day this letter had been collected by Blood's Penny Post - just as the example below from 1858 illustrates for us.

In September of 1861, the cost for carrier service by Blood's Penny Post to the US Post Office in Philadelphia was one penny.  Blood's started the service at a cost of three cents in 1845, dropping it to 2 cents and then 1 cent (in 1855) as business grew and competitors attempted to get into the fray.  If you are interested in seeing examples of postal history from Blood's and their competitors in Philadelphia you may view them in Vernon Morris' exhibit that can be found at this link.

It turns out that it helps to have the federal government on your side.  The US Post Office had the ability to declare any road or street a "post road."  Once a road or street had that designation it was no longer legal for a private entity to carry the mail via those routes.  In July of 1860, the Postmaster General announced that all streets in Philadelphia were now post roads.  As a result, Blood's was technically no longer able to carry mail in the city - but they opted to ignore that announcement and continued to provide their services.

However, after the Post Office sought an injunction to prevent Blood's from continuing in 1861, they finally shut their doors on January 10, 1862.  If you would like more details about Blood's Penny Post, I suggest you read this article in the Classics Society's Chronicle by Edward Harvey.  And, if that's still not enough for you, you can read this article that expands on certain details by Steven Roth (starts page 4). 

US Postal Carriers in Major Cities

It is interesting to note that a person can, if they wish, find examples of the US Post Office's penny carrier service in several of the major cities in the early 1860s.  In my own collection, I have examples for New York City, Boston, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Philadelphia (shown above).  In each case, a three cent stamp pays for a simple letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce to travel from one point to another within the United States.  The one-cent stamp pays for the carrier service to the post office.

It is interesting to note that the US Post Office in Philadelphia was not too proud to take a few clues from the successful Blood's Penny Post.  The back of this letter shows a poorly struck postmark that would include the date and time stamp to show which carrier circuit picked the item up.

Rather than show you that marking, because it is hard to read, let me show you a similar marking that bears a different date in time so you can get a feel for what it looks like.

As postal use grew in the 1860s, the number of cities that provided carrier services increased.  And, on July 1, 1863, the one cent fee for carrier service was removed and Free City Delivery was established in the United States. At that time only 49 post offices employed at least one carrier and there were approximately 450 carriers in total.  By 1900, over 400 cities employed nearly 10,000 letter carriers.

Why are Postal Historians Attracted to "Carrier Covers"?

As a postal historian, I appreciate items that provide me with clues that tell me how the letter traveled through the mail. Once we get to the middle of 1863 and the 1 cent fee for carrier pickup to the post office was removed, we lose some of the indicators that might tell us how a letter got to the post office in the first place.  A letter that was picked up from a lamppost drop box will look exactly the same as one that was dropped by the customer at the main post office after July 1st of that year.

That's why items prior to that date, like the cover shown above, have a special attraction.  The mere existence of the 1 cent stamp on this cover tells us that a carrier picked up this item and took it to the post office.  Just a bit more of the story is evident here.  And, because I know it cost 1 cent for a carrier to pick this up, I know the item shown below was NOT taken to the Philadelphia post office by a US post carrier.

However, if this item were dated October 1, 1863 (instead of 1861), I would not necessarily be able to tell the difference.

But, that's not the whole story of what attracts people to items we call "carrier covers."  You've actually gotten a taste of it in this Postal History Sunday.  We have interesting stories involving private local carriers that provided a service that the US Post Office was either neglecting or not doing sufficiently well.  We see evidence of social change as mail was made more accessible to a wider audience.  We see the progress where a convenience that initially required payment eventually becomes an expected free service.

It's a good story.  And you all know how I like a good story.

Bonus Material

The letter that features the Blood's Penny Post stamp is written to a Private James C. Hufty of Colonel Baker's "First California" Regiment, Company C.  Hufty, a 21 year old, enrolled on April 18, 1861 with the First California.  Apparently, Hufty found some way to hold on to the letters he received because there are several envelopes from this correspondence available to collectors.  

Camp Oregon (where this letter was addressed to) was part of the defense around Washington, D.C. (to its northwest) and many of these camps included the families of some of the soldiers.  This could, I suppose, help explain how these envelopes survived.  Is it possible he had someone at camp who kept track of these letters for him?  Below is a photo of the 31st Pennsylvania Volunteers encamped at that time near Washington, D.C. (a different unit that did not include Hufty).

Courtesy Library of Congress, LC-DIG-cwpb-01663

Private Hufty would be among 553 Federal prisoners taken at the Battle of Ball's Bluff on October 21, 1861.  I have not been able to track Hufty beyond that point in time.

Senator Edward D Baker, of Oregon, formed this regiment largely with volunteers from Philadelphia and New York City, despite what the name might imply.  Baker was a politician and a friend of President Lincoln.  Because he recruited this regiment (and he had connections), Baker was given the commission as Colonel, despite his lack of military training.  This was a fairly common occurrence early in the war, which led to numerous mistakes in early action.

from WikiMedia Commons

The Battle of Ball's Bluff was a prime illustration how the lack of military background cost dearly.  Baker positioned his troops on low ground, putting them at great disadvantage.  They were pressed back to the Potomac where many were killed, captured or drowned in the attempt to retreat.  Baker paid with his life and his incompetence resulted in the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War.  The Joint Committee was created to begin addressing the competence of military leadership and to counter politically motivated appointments.

Baker shot at Ball's Bluff - from Library of Congress

After the Senator's (Colonel's) death, the 1st California was renamed the 71st Pennsylvania Infantry, though it was (and is) still often referenced by its original name.  The 71st participated in many major battles, including Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.  They were mustered out in August of 1864.

If you are interested in more details surrounding the 71st Pennsylvania, the History of Edward Baker's California Regiment, 71st PA Inf. by Gary G. Lash could be of interest to you. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's Postal History Sunday.  Have a good remainder of your day and an excellent week to come.  See you next week!

Once Upon A Barn

The first digital pictures we have in our farm "archive" come from 2008, when Practical Farmers of Iowa sponsored a field day on our farm.  Sally Worley, now the Executive Director of PFI, brought the camera along to capture the event as it unfolded.  For whatever reason, I decided to scroll though the pictures taken on that day once again - and I was struck by how different things are now at the Genuine Faux Farm.

Perhaps the most stunning difference was the mostly functional, very large, barn on the premises. 

The barn was home to our laying flock and our turkey flock.  The hens had a nice pasture that was accessed from the back (East) of the barn.  The field was surrounded (mostly) by cattle panels that we added chicken wire to, in hopes of containing the birds and excluding the predators.

Let's just say that the idea was fine in principle and periodically troublesome in practice.

We lost chickens to mink and raccoon.  We even lost turkeys to a raccoon that we unfortunately and inadvertently locked IN with the turkeys one fateful day.  We were forever (it seems) trying to patch up holes in the fence, in the rooms we created for the birds to sleep securely at night, and in our jeans (after we caught them on the fence).

These were the days when we were always listening for alarm calls from our poultry flocks.  It seemed like each of the days in June and July had at least one such instance.  Of course, the issues did not stop once the sun went down as I can recall several instances where we found ourselves in the barn, at night, trying to do one more patch or otherwise doing what we could to protect the birds.

There are stories we can tell.  And we've told some of them.  But the problem is that so many of them have melted together into one blobby mess.  That's what happens when exhausted people go from one seeming catastrophe to another.

Now, was it really all that bad?

Well, truthfully?  Yes and no.

The year 2008 was only the fourth full season of production at the Genuine Faux Farm.  We had done a little bit during a fifth year, but it wasn't quite the formal farm business that it became until the second year.  We were still learning how to cope with all of the things that simply "happen" on a small-scale, diversified farm.  And, to top things off, neither of us had grown up on a farm.  So we didn't even have that to fall back on.

But, here we are in 2022.  We're still at the farm.  And the barn isn't... unless you count the rubble that lies in its place.  We have a flock of turkeys and a couple of hen flocks.  We just sent a flock of broiler chickens to the park too.  

Something must have gone right between then and now.  Even though the remains of the old barn, which once sat prominently in the center of it all, now do little to contribute to the farm's goals.  

The barn is actually something I find that I miss at times.  And at other moments, I recall how impossible it was going to be to restore the barn to its full function given the state we received it in.  The roof was in dire need of repair - and we couldn't afford to do it.  And, you all know the old saying that once a roof for a farm's outbuilding goes - so goes the building.

Well, it has gone, and one day we'll do the cleanup and make decisions on what will happen in that spot next.  Until then, I'll walk by the pile of old lumber and remember that we were often uncertain about what were were doing, even while we were actually doing pretty well.

Then I'll remember that today isn't all that different from that day.

Somehow, I find that comforting.