Old Rural Words?

[i***@gmail.com]

Hi,
I read this group from time to time and find much of the information
often helpful, and very interesting.
Though this may be a strange question, I was wondering if anyone had any
interesting words that they use, or perhaps they remember their parents
or Grandparents using, on the farm. It could be anything; a different
word that you/they use(d) for a particular circumstance, task, or object.
For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
cattle farm in Southern New York State. It was in a little town called
Howard (near Avoca, which in turn is near Hornell ... I could keep going
up in town size, but you get the idea). My Granparents often used words
that made little sense to me at the time.
Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
different.
One word was "freshen." In context: "The cow will freshen in mid
October." This meant that the cow will calve around that time. Perhaps
this was my Grandparents way of "shielding" the children from
understanding what was going on. However, after hearing it in varying
context it didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
heard this word used elsewhere.
Many of these words I have taken for granted for many years. Since the
recent death of my Grandmother (my Grandfather died many years ago) I
have been kicking myself for not learning more about the "old ways" of
farming. Now that I have a small place of my own, I could sure use their
advice.
Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
definitions.
Mark

"Come Boss", "Coboss" or any variation thereof is derived from the Latin 'bos' for bovine. It in fact harkens back to Roman times when it was introduced throughout Europe by Rome's conquering armies. It's the very same reason wagon wheels and the modern railroad gauge is exactly the very odd width of 4 ft 8.5 inches... the specifications of Roman chariots throughout the Roman empire. So after all these years, today's farmers who may not know a lick of Latin otherwise, are calling our cattle in the same as our ancestors some 2000 years ago. Pretty amazing.

Paul

[r***@gmail.com]

Hi,
I read this group from time to time and find much of the information
often helpful, and very interesting.
Though this may be a strange question, I was wondering if anyone had any
interesting words that they use, or perhaps they remember their parents
or Grandparents using, on the farm. It could be anything; a different
word that you/they use(d) for a particular circumstance, task, or object.
For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
cattle farm in Southern New York State. It was in a little town called
Howard (near Avoca, which in turn is near Hornell ... I could keep going
up in town size, but you get the idea). My Granparents often used words
that made little sense to me at the time.
Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
different.
One word was "freshen." In context: "The cow will freshen in mid
October." This meant that the cow will calve around that time. Perhaps
this was my Grandparents way of "shielding" the children from
understanding what was going on. However, after hearing it in varying
context it didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
heard this word used elsewhere.
Many of these words I have taken for granted for many years. Since the
recent death of my Grandmother (my Grandfather died many years ago) I
have been kicking myself for not learning more about the "old ways" of
farming. Now that I have a small place of my own, I could sure use their
advice.
Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
definitions.
Mark

Mark,

I'm on here for the same reason. My grandfather's farm was in rural St. Lawrence County, in Northern New York. He too would stand at the entrance to the barn and yell what sounded like " Cabass! Cabass! Cabass! Caboooooy!", and the cows would come in for hay and milking. His last name was Cole, so I'm speculating that this is an English / Irish / Scottish tradition? Any insight is appreciated!

Rod

[f***@000.000]

youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a

I was born and raised in a city, but I moved to a rural area to become a
farmer, when I was middle aged. It was tough to learn all the farming
stuff by myself. The basics make sense, but there are a lot of things
that still dpont make too much sense, and there are old wivestales that
some farmers still follow. The hardest part was learning all the farm
machinery and how it all works (and often dont work).

I never had cattle and dont really want to get into them, even though
they are animals that I dont mind being around. But my favorite animals
have always been equines, and I ended up caring for horses, ponies, and
donkeys. Along with that, I got some older machinery and learned to grow
and bale hay. I never went too far into farming, and ended up working a
regular job to get by, but I have always enjoyed the equines and I love
tractors and the machines that city people never even see.

Living in the country is a lot tougher than in a city, particularly in
the winter, but I would never go back to the city. I feel that I was
born and raised in the wrong place, and I was always a country person. I
also find rural people are a lot friendlier than those in the city.

Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
call their cows (cattle) "Bossy". Where, how, why is that word used?
I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?

Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
lack of horn sound around the same time each day.

[Don Bruder]

Post by f***@000.000

youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a

I was born and raised in a city, but I moved to a rural area to become a
farmer, when I was middle aged. It was tough to learn all the farming
stuff by myself. The basics make sense, but there are a lot of things
that still dpont make too much sense, and there are old wivestales that
some farmers still follow. The hardest part was learning all the farm
machinery and how it all works (and often dont work).
I never had cattle and dont really want to get into them, even though
they are animals that I dont mind being around. But my favorite animals
have always been equines, and I ended up caring for horses, ponies, and
donkeys. Along with that, I got some older machinery and learned to grow
and bale hay. I never went too far into farming, and ended up working a
regular job to get by, but I have always enjoyed the equines and I love
tractors and the machines that city people never even see.
Living in the country is a lot tougher than in a city, particularly in
the winter, but I would never go back to the city. I feel that I was
born and raised in the wrong place, and I was always a country person. I
also find rural people are a lot friendlier than those in the city.
Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".

I forget the full latin, but a cow in scientific nomenclature is "bos
something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
mutates into "Bossy".

Post by f***@000.000
Where, how, why is that word used?
I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?
Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
lack of horn sound around the same time each day.

My grandfather did the same for our semi-free-range horses - We'd toss
the gates open in the evening after shutting down the riding stable for
the day, they'd wander out into the umpty-thousand acres of state land
surrounding the marsh we lived near, and gnosh on the various herbiage
overnight. Come morning, gramps, my dad, and sometimes I would go out
and toss hay and fill the grain troughs, then gramps would lay on the
horn of the old Dodge Power Wagon. If you were outside, it was wise to
be on the "barn" side of a tree, the house, or a vehicle when the horn
sounded, as it usually wasn't more than 2-3 minutes before 60-odd head
of horses in full "go like hell" mode came thundering in to somehow
funnel themselves in through the corral gate and start scuffling for who
got which pile of breakfast. Quite a sight to see, lemme tell ya! :)

[h***@ccanoemail.ca]

Post by Don Bruder

Post by f***@000.000
Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".

I forget the full latin, but a cow in scientific nomenclature is "bos
something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
mutates into "Bossy".

Cattle colloquially cows are the most common type of large
domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the
subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos,
and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos taurus.

[f***@000.000]

Post by Don Bruder

Post by f***@000.000
Getting back to the original topic, I have never understood why farmers
call their cows (cattle) "Bossy".

I forget the full latin, but a cow in scientific nomenclature is "bos
something-or-other". I *THINK* the "something-or-other" is (or is
similar to) "taurens" or "taurus", but I'm not sure on that. I'm certain
I could google it up, but I'm not motivated enough to bother. Bos easily
mutates into "Bossy".

Ok, that makes sense. I'll have to look that up too, but I never heard
that word used.

Taurus means "bull" in astrology, but cow would also work, so that makes
sense too.

Anyhow, from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bos

Bos (disambiguation).
Bos
Banteng (Bos javanicus )
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Tribe: Bovini
Genus: Bos
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

B. acutifrons † (Aurochs, primordial bos)
B. frontalis (gayal, domesticated gaur)
B. gaurus (gaur)
B. grunniens (domestic yak)
B. mutus (wild yak)
B. indicus (zebu)
B. javanicus (banteng)
B. palaesondaicus †(Pleistocene Banteng)
B. planifrons †
B. primigenius † (aurochs)
B. sauveli (kouprey)
B. taurus (cattle)

Bos (from Latin bo-s: cow, ox, bull) is the genus of wild and domestic
cattle. Bos can be divided into four subgenera: Bos, Bibos, Novibos, and
Poephagus, but these divisions are controversial. The genus has five
extant species. However, this may rise to seven if the domesticated
varieties are counted as separate species, and nine if the closely
related genus Bison is also included.[1] Most modern breeds of
domesticated cattle are believed to have originated from the extinct
aurochs.

Post by Don Bruder

Post by f***@000.000
Where, how, why is that word used?
I still have not understood why they call "Bossy, bossy, bossy..... ?
Of course not all farmers do that. There was an old farmer a short ways
down the road from me, and he would blast the horn on his pickup truck
to call in the cattle. When I first moved here, I thought that was
annoying, but I got used to it. Several years ago, he sold his cattle
and retired. Then the horn stopped and it took awhile to get used to the
lack of horn sound around the same time each day.

My grandfather did the same for our semi-free-range horses - We'd toss
the gates open in the evening after shutting down the riding stable for
the day, they'd wander out into the umpty-thousand acres of state land
surrounding the marsh we lived near, and gnosh on the various herbiage
overnight. Come morning, gramps, my dad, and sometimes I would go out
and toss hay and fill the grain troughs, then gramps would lay on the
horn of the old Dodge Power Wagon. If you were outside, it was wise to
be on the "barn" side of a tree, the house, or a vehicle when the horn
sounded, as it usually wasn't more than 2-3 minutes before 60-odd head
of horses in full "go like hell" mode came thundering in to somehow
funnel themselves in through the corral gate and start scuffling for who
got which pile of breakfast. Quite a sight to see, lemme tell ya! :)

Yea, that would be a sight to see. I have never used any horns or
objects to call my horses. If they dont see me bring them their hay, I
just yell "Hossy Food" and they come running. Funny thing, until this
very moment, I never realized that Hossy and Bossy sound a lot alike!

[Dean Hoffman]

Post by r***@gmail.com
Mark,
I'm on here for the same reason. My grandfather's farm was in rural
St. Lawrence County, in Northern New York. He too would stand at the
entrance to the barn and yell what sounded like " Cabass! Cabass!
Cabass! Caboooooy!", and the cows would come in for hay and milking.
His last name was Cole, so I'm speculating that this is an English /
Irish / Scottish tradition? Any insight is appreciated!
Rod

My parents did the same thing in the evening. Banging a metal
bucket against a post was part of the ritual. One word I seldom hear now
is supper. We had breakfast, dinner, lunch, and supper back in the
60s when I was growing up. Dinner was at noon, lunch around four, and
supper was around sundown.

[f***@000.000]

Post by Dean Hoffman

Post by r***@gmail.com
Mark,
I'm on here for the same reason. My grandfather's farm was in rural
St. Lawrence County, in Northern New York. He too would stand at the
entrance to the barn and yell what sounded like " Cabass! Cabass!
Cabass! Caboooooy!", and the cows would come in for hay and milking.
His last name was Cole, so I'm speculating that this is an English /
Irish / Scottish tradition? Any insight is appreciated!
Rod

My parents did the same thing in the evening. Banging a metal
bucket against a post was part of the ritual. One word I seldom hear now
is supper. We had breakfast, dinner, lunch, and supper back in the
60s when I was growing up. Dinner was at noon, lunch around four, and
supper was around sundown.

When I was a kid (in the 50s and 60s), we had 3 meals a day. Breakfast,
Dinner, and Supper. But dinner was called "lunch" in school. I never
really questioned this. It just seemed like there were two names for the
same thing, but in another way, dinner at home was usually a sandwich
and chips or cookies, whereas Lunch in school was more like what I got
for Supper at home, meaning cooked food on a tray usually including a
meat, potatoes and a vegetable, plus a desert and a waxed paper
container of milk. So, therefore the change in words seemed to have
something to do with the type of food served.

But as years moved on, Supper began to be called Dinner. As a kid, I
thought those people were confused, I vaguely remember my mother saying
something about this, and saying that it's because those people eat at
different times of the day. So, from that day forward, the names of
meals were mostly just based on the time of day people ate.... (or so I
thought).

As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable, and
probably some were used more in one place because it's a regional thing.
But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner is the last meal of
the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word "supper" seems to have
vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of this type that's always
meant the same thing.

I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
included).

Then again, I see more and more people who only eat one (real) meal per
day. (myself included). But I snack a lot during the day. Thats not as
bad as some people think. Snacking dont need to be junk food. It can be
some veggies, or fruit or a cup of yogirt, or a slice of buttered whole
grain bread and the list goes on. What (to me) makes it a snack, rather
than a meal, is because I dont sit down at a table, and get otu all
sorts of foods and spend a lot of time preparing for it. I eat on the
run, or eat while I am driving my car, on my tractor, eat in front of
the tv, eat in bed, and maybe even eat while I'm out in the garden.
Therefore, if it's not a ritual, and dont involve a table, it's not a
"meal". It's a snack....

Then again, if I watch my horses, my goat, my cats, and most animals,
they eat small amounts of food all day long, and dont follow any
schedule. I now believe that is the *CORRECT* way to eat for people too.
Why do I need a schedule, and why should I eat when I'm not really
hungry. People seem to have ritualized eating, and thats for convenience
and for togetherness. That' fine for a family, but for one person, or
even an older couple, all of the formalities are not needed. When my
stomach tells me it wants food, I feed it.... However, I do like having
one actual meal each day, but that just means eating COOKED food.
Whether I eat it at a table, a restaurant, or in front of the TV, it
needs to be some cooked food.

[Dean Hoffman]

On 12/14/16 4:19 AM, ***@000.000 wrote:

Some cut.

Post by f***@000.000
As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable,
and probably some were used more in one place because it's a
regional thing. But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner
is the last meal of the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word
"supper" seems to have vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of
this type that's always meant the same thing.
I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
included).

That four o'clock lunch was something like a sandwich or maybe a
piece of home made pie. It was supposed to just tide on over until
supper.
Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales for
example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70 pounds or so.
I don't remember the last time I actually saw those out in a field.

More cut.

[f***@000.000]

Post by Dean Hoffman
Some cut.

Post by f***@000.000
As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable,
and probably some were used more in one place because it's a
regional thing. But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner
is the last meal of the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word
"supper" seems to have vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of
this type that's always meant the same thing.
I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
included).

That four o'clock lunch was something like a sandwich or maybe a
piece of home made pie. It was supposed to just tide on over until
supper.
Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales for
example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70 pounds or so.
I don't remember the last time I actually saw those out in a field.
More cut.

I bale those small square bales every summer, and I feed them to my
horses every day. I dont make them 70lbs. That's too heavy and hard to
handle. Mine are usually 40 to 50lbs.

Last year I had to buy some hay, and (at a hay auction), there was a
pile of 50 bales that weighed 90 to 110 lbs each. Regular bales were
selling for $3.50 to $5.00 each. I bought that pile for $1.35 each,
because no one wanted to handle them. I found myself not even trying to
carry them, I just cut the twine on the pile, and carried 1/3 of the
bale to the animals at a time. Most of it was good hay, but a few of
them has some mold, so I wasted that part of the bale. I was able to
feed double the amount of horses with one of them, and it saved money,
but it was back breaking work. I was actually glad when they were gone.

I dont understand why anyone would bale them that heavy. If for no other
reason, that's hard on the baling machinery, not to mention encouraging
moldy bales, and just too damn heavy for most people to feed.

Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
before the weather warms up.

[Ken Olson]

Post by f***@000.000

Post by Dean Hoffman
Some cut.

Post by f***@000.000
As an adult, I realized that these words were just interchangable,
and probably some were used more in one place because it's a
regional thing. But it seems that today, lunch is mid day and dinner
is the last meal of the day (not including bedtime snacks). The word
"supper" seems to have vanished, and Breakfast is the only word of
this type that's always meant the same thing.
I never heard of people eating FOUR meals in a day. (Snacking not
included).

That four o'clock lunch was something like a sandwich or maybe a
piece of home made pie. It was supposed to just tide on over until
supper.
Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales for
example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70 pounds or so.
I don't remember the last time I actually saw those out in a field.
More cut.

I bale those small square bales every summer, and I feed them to my
horses every day. I dont make them 70lbs. That's too heavy and hard to
handle. Mine are usually 40 to 50lbs.
Last year I had to buy some hay, and (at a hay auction), there was a
pile of 50 bales that weighed 90 to 110 lbs each. Regular bales were
selling for $3.50 to $5.00 each. I bought that pile for $1.35 each,
because no one wanted to handle them. I found myself not even trying to
carry them, I just cut the twine on the pile, and carried 1/3 of the
bale to the animals at a time. Most of it was good hay, but a few of
them has some mold, so I wasted that part of the bale. I was able to
feed double the amount of horses with one of them, and it saved money,
but it was back breaking work. I was actually glad when they were gone.
I dont understand why anyone would bale them that heavy. If for no other
reason, that's hard on the baling machinery, not to mention encouraging
moldy bales, and just too damn heavy for most people to feed.
Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
before the weather warms up.

I worked on a farm that put them up real heavy like that. They used
propionic acid to keep them from heating up or molding, plus better leaf
retention. It was hard on the equipment and me.

[f***@000.000]

Post by Ken Olson

Post by f***@000.000
Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
before the weather warms up.

I worked on a farm that put them up real heavy like that. They used
propionic acid to keep them from heating up or molding, plus better leaf
retention. It was hard on the equipment and me.

I dont use stuff like that. They say it's safe, but I still dont trust
it. There are a lot of additives in human food too, that was claimed to
be safe, then they became a risk. When I buy hay, I always ask about
that stuff. I heard that its hard on equipment, but since I naver used
it, I can only go with what I hear, But I guess any acid is hard on
metals, and on people touching it. The hay auction I go to, asks the
seller if the hay was treated, and will announce it when it's being
sold. I appreciate that.

[h***@ccanoemail.ca]

Post by f***@000.000

Post by Ken Olson

Post by f***@000.000
Round bales are a lot easier to make, but I dont have a building to
store them, and outdoors they mold. Even tarping them, they still get
some mold. Then there is so must waste using them. So, I just dont use
them. Except if I run low on hay mid-winter, and can buy some rounds
that were stored indoors, I may buy them, because they wont mold in
winter if they are out sitting in snow. Just as long as I feed them
before the weather warms up.

I worked on a farm that put them up real heavy like that. They used
propionic acid to keep them from heating up or molding, plus better leaf
retention. It was hard on the equipment and me.

I dont use stuff like that. They say it's safe, but I still dont trust
it. There are a lot of additives in human food too, that was claimed to
be safe, then they became a risk. When I buy hay, I always ask about
that stuff. I heard that its hard on equipment, but since I naver used
it, I can only go with what I hear, But I guess any acid is hard on
metals, and on people touching it. The hay auction I go to, asks the
seller if the hay was treated, and will announce it when it's being
sold. I appreciate that.

Some fyrther info :

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/preventing.htm

John T.

[f***@000.000]

Post by h***@ccanoemail.ca

Post by f***@000.000
I dont use stuff like that. They say it's safe, but I still dont trust
it. There are a lot of additives in human food too, that was claimed to
be safe, then they became a risk. When I buy hay, I always ask about
that stuff. I heard that its hard on equipment, but since I naver used
it, I can only go with what I hear, But I guess any acid is hard on
metals, and on people touching it. The hay auction I go to, asks the
seller if the hay was treated, and will announce it when it's being
sold. I appreciate that.

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/preventing.htm
John T.

Good article, thanks for the link.
I know more about that stuff now, but still would not feed it to my
horses. But I surely can see how it could be helpful to bale. I bale
some hay myself and know how tough it can be to pick the right weather.

[Dean Hoffman]

On Wed, 14 Dec 2016 20:53:57 -0600, Dean Hoffman

Post by Dean Hoffman
Back then people did a lot more physical labor. Hauling hay bales
for example. Those were the small square ones that weighed 70
pounds or so. I don't remember the last time I actually saw those
out in a field.

I bale those small square bales every summer, and I feed them to my
horses every day. I dont make them 70lbs. That's too heavy and hard
to handle. Mine are usually 40 to 50lbs.

You're probably right about the weight now that I think about it.
Ours were probably lighter than the 70 lbs. Not everyone had balers
so one neighbor would bale for the other. The only advantage to the
larger ones would be a bit less spent on baling.
My parents talked about stacking. I remember some of that in the
Nebraska Sandhills where the ranches are. That's been a long time
ago too.

[a***@gmail.com]

Hi,
I read this group from time to time and find much of the information
often helpful, and very interesting.
Though this may be a strange question, I was wondering if anyone had any
interesting words that they use, or perhaps they remember their parents
or Grandparents using, on the farm. It could be anything; a different
word that you/they use(d) for a particular circumstance, task, or object.
For instance, when I was a kid, I used to visit my Grandparents 400 acre
cattle farm in Southern New York State. It was in a little town called
Howard (near Avoca, which in turn is near Hornell ... I could keep going
up in town size, but you get the idea). My Granparents often used words
that made little sense to me at the time.
Anyway, I remember words that were used in everyday conversation that I
thought were rather strange, and remembered them because they were
different.
One word was "freshen." In context: "The cow will freshen in mid
October." This meant that the cow will calve around that time. Perhaps
this was my Grandparents way of "shielding" the children from
understanding what was going on. However, after hearing it in varying
context it didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Another word was "coboss." My Grandfather used this word to call in his
cattle. He would stand on the edge of the field and yell "Caaabas" (the
way it sounded to me anyway; not sure of the spelling) over and over
until the cattle came running in to eat. A rather impressive site for a
youngster. We thought my Grandfather was magical. Sort of a modern Dr.
Doolittle. Perhaps the word stood for "Come Bossey?" Perhaps it was a
colloquialism for the area. Perhaps it was a foreign word ... my
Grandparents were both Dutch. I don't know what other cattle farmers
typically use to call cattle (if they use anything), but I have never
heard this word used elsewhere.
Many of these words I have taken for granted for many years. Since the
recent death of my Grandmother (my Grandfather died many years ago) I
have been kicking myself for not learning more about the "old ways" of
farming. Now that I have a small place of my own, I could sure use their
advice.
Any other words out there? Perhaps, if I can find the time, and if
anyone is interested, I can compile a list of the words and their
definitions.
Mark

Is "dagnabbit" a rural expression?

- Tony Alfidi

[g***@gmail.com]

My uncle used to use coboss, or however it's spelled, to call the cows in. This is in Western NY state, somewhat near to the OP, and it was in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Dean Hoffman]

Post by g***@gmail.com
My uncle used to use coboss, or however it's spelled, to call the cows in. This is in Western NY state, somewhat near to the OP, and it was in the 1970s and 1980s.

My Mom said the same. I thought it was "come boss". It was
Bossy the cow for some reason. This might be why:
<http://pdca-one.blogspot.com/2005/08/why-is-cow-called-bossy.html>

My parents were farm teens during the Depression in central
Nebraska. I guess they had things relatively good from some of the
stories I've read.

[m***@gmail.com]

My cousins would tell canoes to get the cows to come home,their ancestry was from Switzerland

[Dean Hoffman]

Post by m***@gmail.com
My cousins would tell canoes to get the cows to come home,their ancestry was from Switzerland

My mom would yell something like "Come, Boss, come Boss". It
didn't hurt
that she banged a bucket against the feed bunk. Our milk cow didn't
need much
persuasion. A three pound coffee can of corn in the barn's bunk hopper
was all it took.

[v***@gmail.com]

Post by Dean Hoffman

Post by m***@gmail.com
My cousins would tell canoes to get the cows to come home,their ancestry was from Switzerland

My mom would yell something like "Come, Boss, come Boss". It
didn't hurt
that she banged a bucket against the feed bunk. Our milk cow didn't
need much
persuasion. A three pound coffee can of corn in the barn's bunk hopper
was all it took.

I'm a little late to Mark's original post (is he still out there?) but was so excited to find an actual discussion of this very topic - calling in the cows with "Bossie - isms" and other farm colloquialisms. Some of you are still posting and reflecting on what it was like growing up on a farm. It was Central NY for me in late 50's, early 60's for me, though the dairy herd was sold off and my father cut his work load by just raising calves until they "freshened." I guess they were heifers but like Mark, I never really new what the term meant. I raised my own 4H calves until we sold them off to become milkers. I remember pot luck suppers in which the men would talk about 1st & 2nd cuttings, silage, mastitus, and crop subsidies. I remember my father didn't like the feds to tell him what to plant!
Anyway, I'd like to hear more words, terms, and so forth, as it jogs my memories and I enjoy hearing experiences of others.

[Dean Hoffman]

Post by v***@gmail.com

Post by Dean Hoffman

Post by m***@gmail.com
My cousins would tell canoes to get the cows to come home,their ancestry was from Switzerland

My mom would yell something like "Come, Boss, come Boss". It
didn't hurt
that she banged a bucket against the feed bunk. Our milk cow didn't
need much
persuasion. A three pound coffee can of corn in the barn's bunk hopper
was all it took.

I'm a little late to Mark's original post (is he still out there?) but was so excited to find an actual discussion of this very topic - calling in the cows with "Bossie - isms" and other farm colloquialisms. Some of you are still posting and reflecting on what it was like growing up on a farm. It was Central NY for me in late 50's, early 60's for me, though the dairy herd was sold off and my father cut his work load by just raising calves until they "freshened." I guess they were heifers but like Mark, I never really new what the term meant. I raised my own 4H calves until we sold them off to become milkers. I remember pot luck suppers in which the men would talk about 1st & 2nd cuttings, silage, mastitus, and crop subsidies. I remember my father didn't like the feds to tell him what to plant!
Anyway, I'd like to hear more words, terms, and so forth, as it jogs my memories and I enjoy hearing experiences of others.

4H calves. Bucket calves?

[a***@gmail.com]

I just did a google search to see if my dad made up his cow call or if it was common. Your message came up. My dad was a ND dairy farmer.