McIver, Rankin 1983-05-03

Rankin McIver discusses the history of agriculture in Central Texas from 1919 on.

General Interview Information

Interviewee Name: Rankin McIver

Additional Parties Recorded: None

Date: May 03, 1983

Location: Trickham, Texas

Interviewer: Richard Mason

Length: 1 hour

Abstract

Tape 1, Side 1: Size of farms, Horse and mule teams, Mule versus horse, Plows, Small two-row tractors, Evolution of tractors and plows, Reception of change, Popular makes, Trading teams for tractors, Prices, Fuel used, Recent models, Acreage devoted to various crops, Cotton, Food crops, Grazing land, Past varieties grown, Recent varieties grown by McIver, Production per acre, Began to slow down after World War II, Rationing, Labor problems, Crops replacing cotton, Transient labor, Seasonal requirements of cotton raising, Seasonal requirements of Milo raising, Cotton (again), Harvest, Grain season, Harvest, Varieties, Fertilizer usage, Conservation practices, Terracing, History, Tanks, Benefits, Terracing (again), Maintenance, Erosion problems, Conservation District; Coleman County, Texas, Diversion ditches, Early dry-land farming, Cotton raising.

Tape 1, Side 2: Early dry-land farming (continued), Crop rotation system, Methods, Yields, Boll weevils, Compared to grasshoppers, Control techniques, Grasshoppers (late 1920s), Dairy operations, 1930s and 1940s, Decline of the milk cow, Poultry, Poultry house, Population changes in rural areas, World War I, Job market improved, Hard times on the farm, Drought decades, Good years for Central Texas agriculture, Farm tenancy, Rents, Mobility, Leasing (today), Differences from tenancy, Class of tenants, Characteristics, Decline in tenancy, Farm financing, Banks, Attitude toward mechanization, Gins, Grocery stores, Oil and gas in area.

Range Dates: 1919-1983

Bulk Dates: 1930-1983

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