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mustard. The pulled stalks were 
then burned, for the seed could 
mature in the pulled stalks and 
grow vigorously the next year. 
The only ones who bewailed the 
going of the wild mustard in the 
days of weed killers were a few 
epicures who enjoyed mustard 
greens as much as Mr. Cummings 
did. 
  Another pest which flourished 
in the days before chemical con- 
trols was the chinch bug. In the 
1870's, the height of the wheat 
growing boom in Wisconsin, the 
chinch bug ravaged the fields and 
gave the first push toward 
Wisconsin becoming a dairy 
state. 
Similarly, potato bugs were 
known to clean up whole fields 
almost over night. Therefore, 
small boys and girls were enlisted 
to pick the bugs off, place them in 
tin cans, and set the mass alight 
with kerosene. 
  Those were also the days when 
the new-fangled, steel-tipped plow 
was being invented at the 
Weyman blacksmith shop in 
Waukau. Skeptical farmers 
feared it might poison the soil. So 
far, so.good in 1979. 
  Even     without    chemical 
weapons, farmers in early day 
Waukau had a lot going for them. 
Mrs. Francis Wright Paris wrote, 
"Wheat went 40 bushel to the 
acre. The soil was strong and rich 
in the new breakings." 
  Prices for those times were 
good. A market report for 1866 
stated: Wheat, $1.70; Corn, $1.35; 
Pork, per 1 lb., 40 cents; Butter, 
30 cents; Lumber (clear), $25, and 
Lumber (common), $12. 
Food, A Sure-fire Hit 
  "Chicken pie suppers were very 
popular. The pies were made with 
a rich pie crust on the bottom, 
biscuit crust on top, and oceans of 
chicken in between. The pies were 
made in six-quart tin milk pans. 
The usual charge was 25 cents 
and there was plenty of other food 
besides." 
  Laura Brush Hale was writing 
in 1946 about chicken pie suppers 
in the 1870's in Waukau, which 
was a never-failing way to raise 
money for worthy projects. 
  She said, "In my childhood in 
Waukau the Methodist Ladies 
Aid meetings were held in various 
homes every other Wednesday. 
There was a great rivalry as to 
who would have the largest 
gathering and collect the most 
money -- $10 being the largest 
amount    ever  reached. The 
greatest competition was be- 
tween Mrs. David Bean and Mrs. 
Uriah Hall. 
  "The family hosting the dinner 
furnished all the food. There was 
always baked beans and Boston 
brown bread, homemade rolls and 
plenty of butter, fried cakes, and 
often pie. There was no jello or 
salads, but pickles and home 
made jell -- usually currant -- and 
applesauce in season. Tea, not cof- 
fee, was the beverage. 
  "There were extra suppers 
served to raise money which were 
held in the public hall. The dishes, 
tableclothes and silver were fur- 
nished by the ladies. These were 
usually oyster suppers, the 
oysters being cooked in wash 
boilers. The broth was rich with 
cream and butter. 
  "As it became burdensome to 
the ladies to serve in their homes, 
the Aid changed the dinners to a 
picnic (potluck) supper, with the 
ladies taking turns baking the 
beans. I'm proud to say my 
mother baked the beans for a long 
time and was an active member 
until her health failed. Then Mrs. 
Hiram Hemp baked four quarts 
of beans for every Aid supper for 
many    years  and   was   Aid 
president all that time. " 
  Lula Thrall Theiker added to 
the food story that the Methodist 
Ladies Aid Society used to have 
maple sugar festivals in her child- 
hood at her home in winter. In 
summer there were ice cream 
socials at the public hall over Art 
Pomeroy's store. Sometimes the 
socials were at the Good Tem- 
plars' Hall across the street. 
  She recalled that the Rev. R. 
Henry and his wife, who often 
came to meals at the Eli Thrall 
home, loved Mrs. Thrall's "Injun 
bread." The pastor tried to get 
the recipe so his wife could make 
it for him, but he said he was 
afraid she could not go by Mrs. 
Thrall's directions -- she used a 
saucer to measure because a cup 
was too small and measured some 
things by the handful. She used 
yeast, raisins, and coarse ground 
cornmeal in her own special way 
for bread for her large family. 
  Maple sugar was cheap and 
plentiful in those earliest days. 
The Indians often cooked wild 
game in the boiling sap -- a prac- 
tice which was said to improve 
the food value. Indian sugar cost 
only seven cents a pound. 
  Travelers stopping along the 
wilderness trails sometimes made 
what was called a crull. It was 
made by mixing flour and water 
to a stiff dough that could be 
rolled out into a strip about four 
feet long. This strip was rolled 
around a green, peeled stick and 
slanted over the fire with one end 
stuck in the ground. Turning oc- 
casionally insured an even bake. 
  There was no commercial yeast 
in those days. A natural yeast 
was made by mixing flour and 
water and allowing it to sit in a 
warm place. In later years, as 
more refined flour was marketed, 
the older women said, "You can't 
make yeast any more; the life has 
gone out of the flour." House- 
wives of the time were often 
famous for their sourin's biscuit 
(made with sour milk) and salt 
risin's bread. 
                                         The Taste of Beans 
 A man who came to a Waukau Methodist Church bean supper was served a modern
version dressed up with catsup and cheese. He 
critically remarked, "After all, if you like beans, you want to taste
beans." 
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