Interview with Seldon E. Morton, June 1, 1992

Partial Transcript: Today is June the first, 1992.

Segment Synopsis: Morton gives a brief overview of his family history. The various places that Morton lived in Kentucky before settling in Cane Creek are also mentioned. Next, Morton discusses his childhood in Stanton, Kentucky. The occupation of Morton's father and the interviewee's own former and current jobs are given as well.

Keywords: Cane Creek (Ky.); Childhood; Construction; Homes; Ohio; Parents; Powell County (Ky.); Power companies; Siblings; Stanton (Ky.); Wolfe County (Ky.)

Subjects: Agriculture; Education; Employment--Kentucky; Farming; Genealogy; Life

Partial Transcript: How long have you had a garden?

Segment Synopsis: Morton begins by describing his garden, but then quickly turns to describing in detail how his father butchered pigs. He also talks about curing meat, how they did it, and how long they kept the meat. The chickens and pigs in his family home were all for household use, not for selling. He talks about butchering pigs himself.

Keywords: Chickens; Gardens; Meats; Parents; Pigs; Slaughtering pigs

Subjects: Agriculture; Farmhouses; Farming; Gardening

Partial Transcript: Did your, uh, mother from her garden and your father from their garden, uh, preserve any of the food like by canning or freezing?

Segment Synopsis: Morton describes the kinds of things his family canned and how they did it. They used a pressure cooker for canning. They canned beans, tomatoes, and made peach preserves.

Keywords: Canning; Preserves

Subjects: Canning and preserving; Farmhouses; Food--Preservation

Partial Transcript: Now I'm--I have a whole list of different vegetables that someone might grow in their garden...

Segment Synopsis: Morton describes the varieties of green beans he grows and how long he has been raising them. He talks about the new varieties he is trying. He also talks about tomatoes, their variety, and and how long he has been growing them.

Keywords: Beans; Tomatoes

Subjects: Beans; Gardening; Tomatoes; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: Uh, are you raising any, uh, white or Irish potatoes this year?

Segment Synopsis: Morton describes the varieties of potatoes and sweet potatoes he grows and how long he has been raising them. He does not grow sweet potatoes anymore because they take a lot of space. He also talks about zucchini, their variety, and how long he has been growing them.

Keywords: Growing potatoes; Growing zucchinis; Potatoes; Sweet corns; Zucchinis

Subjects: Farmhouses; Gardening; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: How about cucumbers?

Segment Synopsis: Morton talks about some other vegetables he grows and how long he has been raising them. He grows cucumbers, cabbages, onions, and sweet peppers.

Keywords: Cabbages; Onions; Sweet peppers; Vegetable gardens

Subjects: Gardening; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: About how much, uh, produce do you think you sell each year?

Segment Synopsis: Morton talks about how much produce he sells each year. He sells tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, and potatoes. He talks about the price he charges for these. He also describes how he works in his garden, including the fertilizers and the pesticides he uses.

Keywords: Gardening; Income from gardening; Selling garden produce

Subjects: Fertilizers; Gardening; Pesticides; Traditional farming

Partial Transcript: Okay, here we are out at your garden.

Segment Synopsis: Morton details each row of his garden for the season. Each plant is listed, and the longest row in length is also highlighted. Next, Morton states what portion of the crops he will keep, and the price that he will sell the others for (by the bushel). Morton's budget for pesticides and fertilizer in a typical harvest year is also mentioned. How much time Morton spends, on average, tending to the garden is speculated upon, as well as the amount of time the interviewee spends helping others and friends garden (usually for pay).

Keywords: Beans; Budgets; Cabbages; Corn; Costs; Fertilizers; Friends; Gardens; Helping; Lettuce; Onions; Pesticides; Prices; Radishes; Rows; Tomatoes; Working

Subjects: Agriculture; Farming; Gardening; Life; Traditional farming