22

By the mid-1930s, many Mennonite farmers had switched to growing soy beans, corn and wheat crops. Late in fall the grain boats would come for the soy beans which had been bagged and stored in barns or in the dock's building.

Wheat crops needed to be sown in the fall and harvested the next summer. When the wheat was ripe, a machine pulled by horses cut the stalks and bound it into sheaves which were dropped to the ground. These sheaves needed to be picked up and arranged into small bunches to allow the wheat to finish ripening. When threshing time came, the farmers worked together. The threshing machine was run by a large steam engine. There was a big belt connecting the threshing machine to the steam engine to make it operate. Generally, about five wagons were used to haul the sheaves of wheat from the field to the threshing machine. The farmers would drive to the field and several men put the sheaves on the wagon, and the drivers would stack them until the wagon was full. Then they would drive to the threshing machine and unload the wheat into the machine which would separate the wheat kernels from the straw. The wheat was put into bags and the straw was blown into a pile. The bagged wheat was often stored in the shed on the dock. Some of the straw would be used to separate the ice-blocks in the Island's ice-houses during the summer months.

23

Jake Gossen planting his corn crop
1938
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

24

Jake Gossen and his Case tractor
1940
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

25

Abe Konrad and George Wiens loading beach sand to repair a muddy Island driveway
Circa 1935
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

26

Katherine Fast and Annie Gossen checking the corn crop
Circa 1940
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

27

Jake Gossen combining soya beans; Dave Reimer working on the combine
1944
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

28

"Mr. Ewald Wiebe recalls that in 1927, on Pelee Island, he grew three acres of soybeans on shares; he pulled them by hand, piled them, and threshed them in the field. Later the beans would be cut by binder, shocked and threshed in the field. At this time in 1927, though, feeding the beans to pigs was unsuccessful and so the crop was forgotten for a few more years."

Recorded by Agricultural Representative Lee Weber in his notes on the beginnings of soybean farming, as relayed by Ron Tiessen, curator of the Pelee Island Heritage Centre, October 2011.

29

Mary Fast driving the tractor; her father Peter Fast is on the combine
Circa 1942
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

30

Henry Cornies Jr riding Bill the horse on the Cornies farm
Circa 1943
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

31

When extra farm help was needed, a young man from the mainland with Mennonite connections would be invited to come to the Island. This fellow would move in with the family and soon be considered an Islander.

32

Don Nast, hired man, in Jacob Gossen's corn crib
CIrca 1938
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Leonard Nast

33

Rev. Gerhard, daughter Hilda & Mrs. Katharina Thiesen. Son Harold & daughter Martha in front
1940
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

34

Helena Heinrichs at the back door of their Middle Island home
1942
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association

35

Elizabeth Heinrichs with dog Teddy at their Middle Island home; crank washing machine is in back
1944
Pelee Island, Ontario

Credits:
Essex Kent Mennonite Historical Association