Several times I’ve figuratively eaten crow. One time I literally dined on one of the birds.
But first, the backstory.
When I was in my early teens in the 1950s, corn was picked on the ear, not shelled as with today’s sophisticated combines. For whatever reasons, things sometimes went awry and ears were left in the field.
Occasionally, farmers picked up some for feed, but I doubt any did so to enhance the harvest.
A fellow named John Crawford was famous for tramping through area cornfields, gunny sack in hand, picking up leavings. He may have sold some, but mainly, if memory serves, he used the grain to feed hogs he kept at his place on the south side of town.
John also was among the first serious recyclers. He liberated metal from the landfill — it was called a dump then — and latched onto anything worth toting home.
Cutting to the chase, I had seen a beautiful Belgium-made Browning light-weight 12 gauge, complete with gold trigger, at a gun shop in Fort Scott. Sporting an improved cylinder choke, it was the perfect quail gun.
Cost was $135. I put my mind to work figuring out how to accumulate that much cash, better than a week’s pay for most breadwinners at the time.
I mowed yards with an old reel-type mower and did odd jobs. My bank account grew slowly, but not to my liking.
So, I took a hint from John.
A survey of several farmers, friends of my dad and granddad, opened cornfields to hands-on harvest after combines had mowed through the stalks and left ears behind.
Most weekends for two falls when the weather cooperated, I hitched a ride to one of the fields with several gunny sacks and began walking back and forth to collect lost ears. When a sack was a third full or more, I’d leave it sitting — its weight slowed my progress — and went to the next.
During the day I’d combine the sacks. Back in town I’d sell the corn for a few dollars at the elevator and add the bounty to my savings.
Eventually, I had nearly enough for the shotgun. Dad added a bit as well, and it became mine.
One day the next summer, I was walking along Coal Creek with a couple buddies, and had the gun along.
