One Acre and Security

I transcribed this from the writing of my Grandfather, Theron S. Hall (I didn't do any editing, so it's in the original format). He died a few months before I was born. I look forward to meeting him one day--I think we'll get along splendidly. He never finished school but valued education above anything else--all of his seven children graduated from College--half with graduate degrees. Most of them served missions--including two of the girls. He inherited large amounts of land, most of which he sold to finance college and missions. I know it's a bit lengthy, but it's worth the read--it reminds me of how I feel each fall--pulled toward putting things in order and being prepared.

Springville, Utah 1972

I am a farmer by experience and education, but the depression days of the thirties changed that. I looked for public employment to supplement our income. I was married in the fall of 1927 and the next spring we fenced off an acre lot for a home and garden. We started our house that spring but it took ten years to complete a five bedroom house with out a mortgage. I abhor debts. My father was sick for years before he died and was heavily in debt.
The need for security was deeply impressed upon me by this depression—the great depression as it was called. I was a Utah County commissioner in 1937-38 and I became acquainted with many of the bishops and stake presidents in our area. The county and the church took care of the needy medical and hospital cases on a 50-50 basis.
When I retired from my position as Utah County Sheriff, after seventeen and one half years of service, I was glad that we had felt the need and planned for some security. No couple can live on Social Security and a small retirement pension alone. In the meantime, we had sold most of our farm to send our children to college and on LDS mission.
We have a comfortable home on our acre and sufficient storage room. The fruit room in the basement is cool and darkened. In such a room bottled fruit is of good quality for several years. We always try to keep a two year supply, so the loss of the tree fruits this spring hurt us little.
The following tree fruits are on our acre: sweet and sour cherries, fall and summer apples, early and late peaches (including a white peach that ripens in October), pear, apricot, plum and prune trees. We also have white and purple grapes.
Our nut trees include an almond that bears occasionally, and English Walnut and five black walnut trees. There is nothing that adds to the flavor of homemade candy and cookies as does the black walnut.
The berries we raise add much value to our food supply. We have gooseberries, dewberries, black and red English currants, native black currants (these make the best pies and yield every year), ever bearing and regular red raspberries and blackcap raspberries. We also have rhubarb and ever bearing strawberries. These and the tree fruits are not only good for bottling but for freezing.
In our garden, we raise those vegetables that we enjoy eating: radishes, lettuce, table beets (we use the tops for greens) parsnips, carrots (the carrots and parsnips that we don’t put in storage are left in the ground and are delicious when harvested in the spring), squash, sweet corn, cucumbers, cantaloupes, beans, peppers and tomatoes. We also have asparagus, chives and multiplying onions. The buttons from the onions, we plant in the fall and have an early spring crop of green onions. We can’t raise potatoes as our garden in very rocky and heavy clay soil. Leaves and clippings plus sodium nitrate put on in the fall help to maintain the fertility. The prunings from our trees and shrubs help furnish wood for our fireplace.
The whole acre isn’t needed to meet our food needs. Our house is on a small elevation and the slopes are landscaped. We have flowers and shrubs in bloom from the time the early pussy-willows and violets come out until the winter takes the “mums.” Our north and east boundaries are fenced by lilacs and south of our house is a lawn bordered by a hedge, which I keep trimmed.
The Lord has been good to us. Our health is quite good, but we have had enough sickness to make us appreciative. I will be seventy-four in August. We want to keep our acre and home as long as we can take care of it, not only for our own security but for that of our children and grandchildren, for they understand that this is their home also, in time of need.



My grandfather's loves were passed on to my father and in turn, to me. Below are some photos of what we raised when I was growing up (the following photos are actually just the "small" vegetable garden my father had after he retired. When the kids were home they were much bigger). There was the orchard and the strawberries and raspberries and asperagus patch and gooseberries and choke cherries and currents....