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lO-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, March 13,1991 This hiîl is flot far frons the Harris hlI.,1 do flot remember il having a name. It sloped away to the east and on its summnit was Oak School House. Since there is another Oak hll north of Elizabethville one could flot cal thîs hiîl Oak hill. In fact in the early day this-school bouse was called Oaland. It flot only served as a scliool bouse but had at one time a post office in the same building. On Sundays it served as a Sunday School. My mother attended this school and I have a picture of the School House and its scholars in the school yard. The picture is dated 1897 and there were 42 students attendig at that time. Just west of Oakland (Oak) School was the farm of James Burgess. I this farmn lies a sory. Jas Burgess was known locally for being a successful grower of the crop "alsike". This is a low growing plant with a small white or pink flower. It beiongs to the legume family. There were plenty of otber local farmers who also grew alsike but Mr. Burgess seemed to have particular success with it. The crop could be used for fodder but its real economic value lay in its seed. I.ate in the autunln, this seed crop was threshed and cleaned. The seed was shipped to Germnany for the making of dyes. The cloth dyed by the process from this seed was guaranteed fast and would flot run nor fade from washing. The biggest supply of alsike seed came from an area between Lindsay and Oakwood. This was an extremely fertile area and there are many stories of the road from Oakwood to Lindsay being lines with bag loods of alsike waiting their mmr to be unloaded i Lindsay. It is ini the alsike that our interest story lies. When World War broke out (iermany and the Kaiser becamne our enemy. The source of the dyes made from alsike was dut. During the early years of the war the ladies suddenly found their cloth or dry goods were no longer dependable. One washing and you had a faded out garment with a mish masli of running colours. It was flot until the Allies found a way making reliable synthetic dyes that tliey could even be sure a ramn- shower would niot spoil their wardrobe. I suppose, like any war, there was a positive side. We discovered how to make good synthetic dyes. The sad thing was the alsike market lost is market and neyer recovered as a popular crop. I would be surprised if many farmiers today would recognize the alsike flower, let alone see fields of it in bloom. Before I leave this story I should say that Oakland lost its Post Office. The people fons this aea' then went to Kirby Post Office to pick up their mail. Then the Kirby Post. Office àisappeared. Rural mail delivery was started and Orono was the nearest Post Office. In todays world the real meanig of Post Offices seems to be again threatened. While 1 arn oncrops and their economy 1 should like to deal with another crop that, was grown locally. 'Dis crop was flax and it was introduced to the Orono area in 1920. 1 cari recali seeing a field of flax on the farm just north of the Tomlinson farm. The late R. R. Waddell had shown an interest in the flax industry. This crop grew taller; had a pale blue flower and could be harvested as a grain crop to make linseed oul. However this was not the purpose of Mr. Waddell. He attended that the stalks of the plant should be used to make, linen. Linen has been a popular cloth in Ireland for many centuries. To harvest flax and use it for linen the crop cannot bc cut. It must be harvested by pulling by hand. The pulling of the flax was back breaking work. Native Indians from Bran tford and Scugog reserves were hired to pull the flax. The flax had to be "wretted" which was a process of allowing the plants to ferment in water and then pull the individual fibres from the stalk of the plant. This process was flot completed i Orono. Rather it was "skutched" and then baled for shipment from Orono. Anyone who lias been lucky enougli to have an ail linen tablecloth will know how durable this cloth cani be. Unfortunately the flax industry in Orono did flot have a long life. In building a large warehouse for the storage of the flax the building collapsed and five workmen were killed. The building was later rebuilt and today bouses the "J'Me" facilities. The collapse of the new building in 1923 was the death knell for the flax industry in Orono and its crop'in the surrounding fields. Fanning, whether more exotic crops like "alsike" and "flax" or the more popular crops like, oats, barley, wheat and corn have sustained many generations of farmers in this area. The present day farmer faces real economic problems, but lielias always maintained a healthy and somewhat independent existence. Burns again in the "Plougliman" "Then up wi't a', my ploughman lad, And hey, my merry ploughmian! 0f a' the trades that 1 do ken,' Commend me to the ploughnma! The Shop APPLE BLOSSOM 14fe DonTy Jusi SpedaNze- WeMWake Evry Order «;"car Main Street, Orono 983-9155 YVONNE MAITLAND We' Deliver Newtonvîlle, Pontypool, Oshawa and Places In-Between y flair WIth Flair" for LADIES and GENTS Main Street, Orono 983-5333 Letter to the Editor( ) An Environniental Bill deserve'it. Our Earth is a livi of Rights growing breathing entity which1 been denied its Riglit to Life,1 (My respolse to the Ontario struggled valiantly along waii Govemment request for our ideas) for US to wake up, and is only j learning to breath again. Our Eartb has -rights which Our Bill of Rights should weve ail but Ignored. written from the point of view Oply ithe last few years bas it our food-growing, water-cleansf begun to dawfl on us the level to air-producing EARTH. which we've sunk in our neglect of these Earthy Çights. True, therc have, over the past years, been many groups and individuals who attempted to educate us to the sacrilege being TRUST CC committed. 1 remember ini the early 70's being briefly involved with the ANNUAL 96/ Sierra Club, a group keenly aware- INTEREST of enviromnental crimes. I went to I YR. a few meetings, but decided that I .SP's 95 didn't have the time!! And at that RR..s 95 point ini life I clearly didnt, because I had flot yet developed the mind- set which says "The time isW l LLU and time MUSl be made."w 'Silent Spring', written by Rachel- Carson ini 1962 was marketed as 'a devastating attack on human carelessness, greed , and irresponsibility'. It spoke of our polluting habits as 'chemical mass warfare waged indiscriminately against the creatures of, and the body of-the earth itself'. "h Today, of. course, we're beginning to make solid gains. Qh But I think it is important to DES MAGI. Fanrler stress that we, as a people, do not have an inalienable right to a clean enviromnent. We are beginning to understand that we must work toY 2 Kinettes hold Teen Dance Fîiday, Mardi 22, the Great Pine in, Ridge Kinettes are holding a teen hs dance for students in grades six, lias seven and eight. The dance will be ,ig held at the Orono Town Hall from 7 jut p.m. tilI 10 p.m. Admission is $3.00. A special haîf-hour dance 1be contest will be held that evening. A Ov of 500 registration fée for the contest ing, is required. A prize will be awarded. D.J. Cowan is sure to PI make the dance an enjoyable one. IT'S THE ANNUAL BOWMANVILLE ROTARY CLUB'S Easter Seal Campaign OUR LOCAL OBJECTIVE ,$2ooo)o Please.,..HeIp Us HeIp Our Kids Please drop yôur donation off at the Bowmanville branch of the Bank. of Montreal, and help us save on increased postal costs., In order to meet our objective, WE NEED YOUR HELP! WE KNOW YOU CARE. SHOW YOU GARE.