I subbed because of this story. My Grandfather was born in 1887 and owned his Farm when he turned 17. He farmed till he had a bad stroke at 81 and lived till he was 90 in 1977. If you go to the farm today which is still owned by my family you can see that huge maple tree standing almost in the middle of an 80 acre field. There are many big rocks around it and all of his Grandchildren including my children have all sat in the lower branches of that beautiful tree. I'm 71 now and that old tree will outlive me. Thank you for reminding me of this.
I did too and love reading the comments of those like yours that had similar experiences when we were young. There are still some of the young generation today that time to just be kids playing around the old maple tree in the pasture, but too many just follow the wrong path. Shame. Thanks for the story and the memories.
Another vital reason to have a tree in the middle of a field is to provide a perch for predator birds like owls and hawks, which helps reduce rodent predation of the crops. They are your friends!
Its nice to see a field with a tree in it and livestock can go under it for shade or shelter too , be pretty bland looking if none and yes a place for birds too ,
Ride in the back seat as a little kid through mile after mile of Kansas fields without break and then come across a field with a giant picturesque tree standing in it, maybe with a flock of birds perching, or some cow resting in the midday shade, and you know there is a BIG psychological difference.
@@pmchamlee oh that’s rich. They cut most of them down to get ever square foot of land, and a few extra beans 💰 The opposite of taking care of the land.
My Papa had a 640 acre field that he used for hay. During the summers I would help him mow it with an old tractor and a brush hog. Just taking a single pass down the length of the field would take a while. We took turns. He parked his old 1950's Ford pickup under the tree. With the windows down it was very cool under that single tree. Grandmom would pack us a big container of ice water and some boiled eggs just to hold us over until lunch. At lunch time we would go to their house and have chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with cream gravy, black eyed peas (fresh from the garden) and biscuits! Then we would lay down for about an hour. Then head back to the field. Work until just before sun down. On the way back home we would stop at my Papa's friend's house. Sweet Johnson and his family grew watermelons and also sold plants and vegetables out of a huge garden. We would sit in the front yard eating watermelon, whittling and trading knives. It would cool down some and we would go on home to leftovers (the best) and peaches! Grandmom always had some kind of cake available. Her gravy was so good I wanted to put it on everything! Thanks for reminding me about that tree!!!!!!! It was the coolest spot around!
Holy smokes…. A 640 acre field? That’s a mile long each direction if it was a square! I have a 163 acre farm that has been in my family for 8 generations now with the birth of my nephew's child… my great great grandfather staked his claim to that land prior to the land run of 1889 here in Oklahoma … there are two HUGE pecan trees that stood in the middle of the field and a windmill was placed there along with a well that was dug… the wind mill would pump water into a large tank that was used to water the cattle that my great grand parents raised… another 160 acres was purchased across from the 163 my parents still live on … my uncle lives on that second 160 acre plot … when my mum and dad put their house out on our land, dad wanted to put it there by those pecan trees because that is where he played when he was a boy… it’s where I and my brothers played when we were children and it’s where our kids played too… those two pecan trees have stood there for more than 100 years… they were full grown in 1887 when my great great grandfather got the land…they still produce some of the best pecans I have ever had…
Man, my neighbor cut down a hugeeeee maple tree recently and the way it alters the visual scene I see is depressing. I miss it a lot. A lot of old trees have been cut down recently near me, for various reasons, and I really miss them and realize it would take 50 years before something could replace it completely. They're majestic old creatures. Keep that one. He's made it this long, and serves its purposes for you. I love that tree. That's a nice tree
Nothing makes me sadder than witnessing a beautiful old tree being cut down . I think about what history it has seen , the kids who played on it , the birds who had their babies in it and how it sways back and forth on a windy day . Please if you're a man who wants to show off your masculinity , find another way to show it other than cutting down a beautiful healthy tree .
That feeling of loss is Mother Nature's way of reminding you of the energy connection between you and Her. That tree had a life force, and when it's gone, you feel it.
"A society grows great, when old men plant trees, in whose shade they shall never sit" Greek Proverb. That is one spectacular tree, a true work of art.
@@edgewood2441Until it's high noon in August during the dog days, the tractor broke down and you're waiting for the boy to bring out a replacement part. Sitting in the shade of that tree, cold beer in one hand, and your sandwich in the other..........
@@edgewood2441 may have many functions - and that's only a functionalist perspective. They are beautiful for all they represent - fertile land for one.
Thanks for acknowledging the lone tree in a large field. I’m 4 generation owner of our family farm in Michigan. Dad would tie the team of horses to the tree for his lunch break. Years later in the 60’s I would take a jug of freshly made lemon aid to Dad so he could take a break under the tree. On the back 40 we have a 250 year old oak tree which my great grandfather probably used. Many farms in our area have these large trees in the middle.
Cool! When I was young, helping cultivate fields for my uncle, I would place my lunch and water jar under a tree to keep it cool. I’d sit under that tree and eat my lunch. I’ll never forget it.
Loving the tree, your video, the comments. City boy here, from Washington, DC. From back in the day. Thought the reason for the tree would be for navigation, like living in sight of a mountain. No one mentioned that. Well, "a landmark" in the video. So many other wonderful reasons that never occurred to me, as it turns out.
My grandma was sitting in the shade of a tree a long time ago, and a lightning bolt came down, struck her and the tree, killing her instantly. Even unstitched the soles of her shoes, which fell apart. Rest in peace grandma...
That's the reason why the farmers left it they would actually put the block and tackle to the tree and use the team of horses to pull out the stumps. Anchor tree
Old farmer's trick: leave the tractor stuck for a day or two while the weather dries out, and simply drive it out the field. Of course this only works if you haven't already behaved like a lunatic and bogged your tractor down fully. It also requires your weather to not behave like a lunatic. But otherwise it's the safest, easiest method without the risk of a winch cable breaking.
I would be scared to death to winch to that tree! 😱 Did you see how hollow that it is??? 🤷♂️ That's the kind of tree🌳that barber chairs down on top of you when you are cutting it down! No thanks! I'd just keep it for shade and try not to get too fancy with it! 🤠
Nothing is more beautiful than to see such a tree or even a small grove of trees in a field or at a crossroad on the plain. As a boy I walked to a grove of trees in the middle of a cultivated field, and they marked a tiny old cemetery
My mothers side came over with the pilgrims and were of course farmers and there's an old family cemetery where we can still read some of the gravestones in the 1700. My mother said they used to farm by the sun, moon and stars in a living soil which they called "biodynamic" farming. I remember my great grandma telling me about how they'd be out at midnight planting beans! Today factory farms are killing us so I wholeheartedly support small farms that love the land they work. Thanks for sharing this wonderful journey of yours and ours.
The most important reason to leave a tree in a field is that it acts as a lightning rod. Without the tree, the farmer or his team/tractor would be the tallest object and get struck.
Lightning protection is only within a small cone-shaped volume of space right around the tree, and in this case, probably closer to the tree than you want to be if there's a lightning strike.
My grandfather left a big old elm in the middle of a field because most all the other elms had died I our area. He cared for that tree by making sure it got a little fertilizer every year. He died I January 2021 at 96 and that tree didn't produce leaves that summer. Its almost like they died together.
When an old friend dies you morn that tree and your Grandfather were great friends .It's to bad that tree can't talk I'm sure it has lot's of stories to tell .
We lived on the edge of a small town in a farming group of counties. A huge elm stood out in the field nearby. Climbing up that old tree made a kid feel like he was 300 feet in the air. That tree is long gone. The many species of birds that we used to see every day are rarely seen anymore either. Good old days!
My sister is an artist and she is loves painting trees in a field like this one! Other people also find it beautiful! And often seem delighted to see these paintings of a familiar part of their local countryside! 😊👍🌷😍
My great Grandfather who was a farmer all his life once told me (when I asked why there's a small shack in the middle of his farmland) that he uses it to take bathroom breaks, eat, rest, take a nap, plan a day's work, and many others. No wonder he's always looking fresh as a bee whenever he comes home at the end of the day. I'm sure he'd love to have had a tree, but a small shack that he built did just fine for him. Love you, Gramp..miss ya//
My grandfather who was the tobacco in corn farmer outside of Guthrie Kentucky not only had put a raised Vault grave that they plowed around every year it's still there
I love this video! I remember sitting under the one lone tree when I was a toddler. He plowed and tilled with horse drawn equipment. My job was to guard the lunch Grammie had made for us to share. I'm 76 yo.
Never thought I’d see a video/explanation or even talked about this matter..it’s just oddly beautiful displayed that way. I’d spend a good amount of time under there. God bless
Sixty years ago when I was ten I worked as day labor on a farm. They had a tree at the junction of four fields and the farmer's wife would drop lunch there for the crew, we kept several gallon jugs of cool well water in the shade wrapped in a damp burlap bag. We had lunch at that tree. Nothing was better than that shade in the middle of a ten hour day picking string beans. And that cheese sandwich on white bread was better than gourmet food when you were that hungry. With mustard since mayo was dangerous in the heat.
@@Estes705 I ECHO YOUR SENTIMENTS...WE NEED TO KEEP MEMORIES/STORIES LIKE THIS ALIVE AS LONG AS WE CAN! I MISS THOSE DAYS TOO...IN THE FARMLAND IN MISSISSIPPI...(WHERE MY MOMMA GREW UP) MEMORIES OF THE FAMILY GARDEN OF THE GORDONS, THE CATTLE IN THE FIELD, THE COUNTRY FOOD THAT WAS SO GOOD. THE FIREPLACE IN THE SMALL SITTING AREA IN MY GRANPARENTS HUMBLE HOME, THE STORIES SHARED, THE LOVE AND MEMORIES THAT WILL LIVE ON IN MY HEART AS LONG AS I AM ON THIS GOOD EARTH.
MARK, HOW I LOVED READING YOUR WORDS ABOUT YOUR YOUNG LIFE. THIS STORY NEEDS TO BE PASSED ON, MARK. I HOPE YOU HAVE SHARED IT WITH FAMILY/FRIENDS, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT WITH ALL OF US...FROM ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY. MY MOST LOVELY MEMORIES ARE OF MISSISSIPPI. A GIRL FROM CONNECTICUT, THAT LEARNED A LOT ABOUT COUTNRY FOLK.
I left a jug of water under a tree and when i came back the next day it was very warm water. Amazing how much heat still gets through a tree. Those tips you said probably do make a world a difference at keeping it cool.
@@jimmyschmidt14 Temperature difference between sitting in the sun or in the shade of a mature oak ranges from 20 degree difference up to 40. (Tested it today to confirm what Uncle Kenneth told us.)
I grew up on a farm. Farmers are relentlessly practical, but they also generally have a love for nature. Even if a field tree didn't have a useful purpose, they'd likely still keep it up simply because they liked it.
Yep. Always ran milk coffee and sandwiches and cake to my dad to enjoy under the tree in the field. The tractors were cast iron and did not have air conditioning. If we were lucky, there was a breeze.
My grandfather was born in 1889 in NC. I can remember him from when I was very little in the early 1970s. On his farm there was a lone tree far out in the field. I never heard any stories about the tree but me and my cousins would sit in the shade under the tree. We used to pretend that it was an oasis or an island. Thank you for sharing this video.
My grandfather had a walnut tree. It was halfway on the edge, right next to the water canal. He would sit there in the shade and rest during the hottest time of the day.
Dude… your grandfather lived to be 110yrs??! He simply HAD to sorta feel like he lived on another planet given how much has changed and who was no longer around.
My grandmother used to work in the fields in rural SC with her sisters and brothers along with the children belonging to nearby homes, when they were young. They worked all day in the hot sun. She explained her day as "from can to can't ", meaning they began working at sunrise as soon as they "can" see, and worked until it got too dark when they "can't" see anymore to pick whatever crop that was planted that year, usually tobacco or some kind of beans. They would always stop at midday and gather around the huge tree in the middle of the field to eat their lunch and rest for a while in the shade. She said they all loved that tree and the comfort they recieved from the cool breezes in the shade under it. When you mentioned the part about if the trees could talk, the stories they could tell about all the memories that were made under them, it brought back that memory to me. Thank you for that. I loved her very much and owe her a great deal for helping to raise me into the man I am today, 73 tears old. She also mentioned the fact that there was usually a large hawk's nest in that tree most years and the hawks kept the pest population in check. It was also a spot everyone knew and where the "younguns" would meet in the even8ng and I expect that there were a few that met there and experienced the first kiss of their young lives under it's branches.
I agree with your reasoning and was about to say similar. Before the days of air conditioning it would have been pretty unbearable around 1 PM to 4 PM when the heat of the day was the worst. They may have had to stop sometimes from dehydration. My great grandfather got heat stroke a few times from trying to work the farm in the heat; he lived but the heat could be dangerous sometimes.
That is a great story about your grandmother and that tree. I know they worked extremely hard and that tree saved their lives and kept them happy. The stories under that tree must be phenomenal you should write a book about them.
I think that tree brings your field good blessings. Trees are very essential to our air and lives. Old souls are the most special. Love that you let it stand. :)
My Grandfather told me that the reason HE left a lone tree in the middle of one of his fields was because if there was a thunderstorm, or just a heavy rain, it gave him a place to sit and stay a bit drier than if he just had to sit on the tractor in the field... also, it gave him a place to climb up if a bear was in the field eating the corn...lmao... except, hmmmmm, lightening might strike the tree, and in that area, there are ONLY black bears, and THEY can climb trees... but that tree is still standing almost 110 years after that field was cleared in 1915, and I can still sit under it and think about my grampa.
Don't think going under a lone tree in the middle of an empty field is a good idea during a thunderstorm. It's the tallest thing around. A lightning rod. Not smart to hang near it.
Actually sitting inside the tractor is safer than under the tree cause the tractor acts as a Faraday cage, if a lightning strike the tractor you should be fine inside it
Subscribed. All you fellows with young Grandpas. 🙂 Heiko, my Granddad, was born in 1869. He was 90 when I was born so I didn't get to know him except through stories. But I'm told he was a pleasant man. I suspect he would tell you that his tree was a break area, a place to toss rocks, and just a nice tree for looking at. I didn't do farming but grew up around it and hunted many a property that did indeed have one tree in a field. Heiko, by the way, has well over 100 decedents so if he isn't more alive today through his prodigy, I don't know what counts for living.
Not sure how I ended up here but I watched the whole dam video. Now when I drive thru farm lands and see a tree by itself in a field I will be thinking about it. Good video man
My wife is an Irish farm girl, born and raised on a small farm in County Derry. In the middle of their field stands the fairy tree, home to the little people, and you don't dare mess with it. Yes, there are some big rocks all around it. There are stories of farmers who pulled a branch off their fairy tree and the next day the sow died, etc. etc., You will see these fairy trees all over Ireland. Cheers, and thanks for this video, which I found very interesting.
I was looking for this comment! The tree in the field is sacred to the little people, and spirits of the land and that is where they live, and so is the land around it. You don't go messing around that tree. You don't litter, but you can go and take shade, and refuge, just be respectful, and occasionally leave a gift. And if you need anything they can help you! But if you cross them, your life can be hell. It's also a place for nature rituals, and communication with nature. My people are farmers from Oklahoma and Tennessee and the deep south, and this is old country knowledge. And if you are lucky enough to have your sacred tree near a creek canal or stream it's even better! Leaving candies fruits, liquor tobacco as offerings can help with making peace with the little people, and spirits of nature. I know people used colorful ribbons, and ropes, and stacked stones, and used wind chimes and bells hung on branches to communicate with the land spirits. All I know is that you tread carefully when on a farm and you see a lone tree or a stone out of place.
WOW, THAT IS SO BRILLIANT...I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS FAMOUS POEM...THANKS! I AM GOING TO LOOK IT UP...BLESSINGS...I WONDER IF THE YOUNG GENERATION UNDERSTANDS SUCH A POEM, OR EVEN HAS HEARD ABOUT IT? A SAD REALITY PROBABLY...
Joyce Kilmer, American poet, killed in France in WWI. I thought he was a woman, until I looked up info on him, because of another of his poems- The House with Nobody In It.
I've called these "picnic trees" all my life just because they are the perfect spot for one. I used to take breaks from cutting, fluffing, and raking hay under those trees.
I was driving around and asked that question awhile back. Scrolling through today I was happy to see that that would be answered bc I didn't have the answer myself. Thank you.!!
Before watching the video, two guesses from a city-dweller: 1) It's a place for workers to rest in the shade while working in the field (before tractors). 2) It's a place for livestock to rest in the shade.
Yes! I live in farm country asnd cows are always gathered under those single trees. Also...downside...lightning does hit those trees and some poor cows have met their demise under those trees during storms. :(
I was thinking the second one. If it isn’t for that reason, I will say swear words, swear words and a few more swear words. Bloody farmers, I actually can’t say that, because my extended family is basically all farmers. Love ❤️ from Australia 🇦🇺
Reminds me of a recent visit to a landmark building; I was looking at historical photos of the place and saw the much shorter and younger tree that continues to adorn the side entrance. They’re landmarks, yes, but they’re also timemarks that allow your imagination to craft the stories they themselves cannot tell. Thanks for posting this video and for reminding us to stop and contemplate something as simple as a lone tree.
"I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed, against the earth's sweet flowing breast" Thank you for your story it reminded me of this poem for some reason.
I remember learning this poem and the second grade and it was always my favorite. We list on at least three acres and had one tree in our front yard that was climbable, and I loved getting up in that tree to look around the landscape. When I got older, I realized I like living on the second floor have an apartment building, and then later having my bedroom on a second floor, up in the trees and looking around! I should look up this poem again and relearn it because I'm 71 now and I've forgotten the rest of it. While I'm on the subject, may I urge you to become a member of the Arbor Day Foundation... So many people are whacking the tops off of their trees and ruining them-- even companies that call themselves arborists! That is not an acceptable way to prune ANY tree. It only opens them up to disease. 😢
My grandfather was born in 1894. He told my dad that they only had horses or mules. They would tie a rope to the a tree, wrap the rope around another tree, and then to the horse. That made it easier to uproot the tree. They did that all over the field until there was only one tree left.
This is the exact reason my papa told me that my great grandad had a singular tree in the middle of their six fields. My family ended up having to sell that land when I was young and the corporation who owns it now eventually cut those historical trees down and turned the 250 year old farm into nearly 400 acres of inefficient solar panel eyesores. Commie climate cultists are locusts.
My grandparents owned a farm that was 1/2 woods and 1/2 fields with creeks running through it. They would rent out the land to a neighbor that farmed the land. Looking out the back porch of the old farmhouse was a line of trees up along a fence out in the field. The neighbor talked my grandpa into cutting them all down, remember my grandma being pissed they were gone. Now my greedy uncle has the farm, and his son lives in it. He is married to one of the daughters of the farmer who would work the fields. The farm is a memory for me now.
Very wierd that this randomly popped up on RU-vid. I was driving my van round the Lake District, in England and stopped for a smoke. I noticed a big old tree in the middle of the field and asked myself the exact same question. Now I know 😃 The comments also offer a lot of interesting suggestions. Thanks 👍
Trees also protect the water table. I live in Missouri and almost every farm has trees growing around and sometimes in the middle of their plots. I love it here!
Love this little insight into leaving a tree in the field. I've traveled the lower 48 for most of my life. And with all the farms I admired thru the years, it never crossed my mind about 'the one tree'. Something about this just seems proper. Thanks👍
Thanks for this video. A guy bought a 20 acre farm parcel a couple years ago next to my 100 acre farm and he cut down the one big oak tree in the middle of his field. It was very sad to see them take it down.
When I was growing up we had a tree we stood under shade waiting for bus and played under in afternoon. We called it The Tree. Everyone knew where The Tree was. I'm 61 and it's still there. Love your video.
That's amazing. I just went out to the country recently, and wondered this exact thing. Why there was a single tree in the middle of a farm field, just south of the Oklahoma Border. - I figured it was something like this. - The lone tree is truly Majestic! - Thank you for your video! -
My father in law was a land surveyor and he mentioned one day that a cedar tree(s) in a farmed field would often be a marker for a family grave site. Now, out of habit, I look for a lonely cedar tree in a field as I pass on by.
My granddaddy was also a surveyor and I used to pull the chain for him as a boy. Often on old land maps the survey would use a tree as property benchmark. We had to get our farm surveyed after my dad passed. All the old oak trees and longleaf pines used as markers on the plat were gone. It took nearly 4 months to get a walking surveyor on a 1000 acre farm and woods.
I do genealogy, so I've visited a lot of old graveyards out in farm country. I learned early on once you're close to where the cemetery should be just look for the cedars
I grew up in Idaho. The farmer's there did the same thing. It was for shade and was a bell weather for the health of the field and monitor soil quality. Great channel and video, thank you!
YOUR INFORMATION WAS SO SPECIAL, SO VALUABLE! THANK YOU KINDLY, FOR SHARING...YOU TAUGHT ME SOMETHING SPECIAL IN YOUR POST! BLESSINGS, TOM...(MY SWEET BROTHER IS TOM ALSO)...
I was always told that if a field had many trees, they would use one tree to anchor another out until there was only one left. Not as heartfelt of a story, I know. Loved hearing that you have no plans to remove it though! Farm that land, it was given to us by God!
I love how the first three reasons you gave had absolutely nothing to do with the tree somehow helping the field. All of it was just the simple pleasure of having a tree. A landmark, shade, and convenient place to put stuff.
I appreciate the story. I retired about a year ago at 65. Since then I have been slowly as the Lord has guided me, I've been preparing for my end, made arrangements for my own cremation when the time comes. I've told my daughter where to put my ashes, at the base of an old tree in the middle of the field I used to live close to. I figured the tree would mark the spot.
KEVIN, YOUR STORY IS VERY LOVELY. YOU ARE A WISE MAN TO PREPARE ARRANGEMENTS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. SO PROUD THAT YOU ARE TAKING CARE OF THE BUSINESS OF LIVING. YOUR FAMILY IS SO BLESSED TO HAVE THAT TAKEN CARE OF AND BY YOU...THEY WILL NOT HAVE TO WONDER/STRESS OVER...WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT...INSTEAD, IT WILL ALL BE DONE FOR THEM! A BLESSING! I LOVE THAT THE TREE WOULD MARK THE SPOT FOR YOU! THAT IS SO VERY LOVELY AND DEEP...GOD BLESS YOU WITH THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING...IN JESUS...BEV~~
Please reconsider cremation, I think it's a bad idea personally. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul in that verse could be mentioning the "new body" we as believers will receive at His coming.. but I think it will be our existing body but only refreshed and glorified like the risen Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20-21 (KJV) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. 1 John 3:2 (KJV) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Just something to think about, you have liberty to do as you wish.. 1 Cor. 15 also makes remarks about the body. God bless.
Without knowing what kinda of farming/ soil care done in the area; I wonder if the only soil with a living fungal presence in that area contains that tree?
@@sethgross3904 what are you trying to say? The surrounding soil supports all that too. My concern is whether all the soil still contains the trace elements and minerals anymore. I need to educate myself on that. Maybe that’s up to the corporations that own all this.
@@MarkSmith-js2pu it was more of a curiosity. Tilling, compacting and salt based fertilizers kills the microbiome in the soil, but that patch with the tree has sat untouched for years. I just winder the difference in the soils.
@@MarkSmith-js2pu Even if the soil still has trace elements and minerals, a lot of that being absorbed by plants is dependent on the soil microbiome being healthy.
I was a field scout for 8 years through high school and college. That tree in the middle field was the only place for shade while we waited for our boss and the farmer to finish talking. We had this one notoriously large field that would alternate cotton/peanuts every year. Took about an hour to walk with a sweep net. Boss would drop us off with a Gatorade and say "see you under the tree" Ate many lunches and smoked many cigarettes under those trees. Good memories.
I'm thinking a great big reason is that it attracts People to it, who acknowledge pretty much anything and everything They feel about it... Like You, Brother. Your story made my day. Thank You for this.
My family still has the same land our ancestors cleared, farmed, and lived on since the early 1800s ( NW Ohio). Way out in the field, West of the farmhouse, was a HUGE elm tree, with two main branches strtching up and out to the sky. Almost looked Iike arms stretched up in praise. The sunsets, behind that magnificat tree were incredibly beautiful. You could see them from the kitchen window, while washing the supper dishes. Sitting on the back porch and just soaking it al in, was a favorite, quiet time of reflection and awe for God's green Earth. That old tree, old friend, lost one of its great arms to lightening some time in the 1980s. It lost it's symmetry, but not its admiration. In the early 2000s, it was hit by lightening again and finished its time on Earth. I miss that old tree, its magnificent silhouette, and those quiet times, in a simpler world.
@@Drloew1 Didn't make anything out of the old elm. The new kitchen cabinets were made of Red Oak from our woods nearby. The house has grown and changed over the generations, from a simple log cabin (hand hewn oak) with a sleeping loft, to the 4 bedroom (2 story) farmhouse it is today. All of the beams in the basement are very thick, hewn oak. There's a ruff/heavy slab door in the basement that opens to a small adobe type room with old milk cans, earthen jugs and pickle urns in it. When we were kids, playing in the basement, we laughed at the adobe type stairs going up to the sealed off floor above. We said, "Grandma, some idiot built stairs to nowhere". She told us that the little room was the old root cellar and the kitchen above was the original cabin with a loft. There was a trap door in the kitchen floor, with a rug over it, that was used to hide the women and children, when hostile Indians came around. There were no windows in the cabin, just small gun ports that the men shot from. Sometimes a woman stayed up in the cabin, to load the rifles, when needed. We were stunned, having no idea of what our ancestors endured to hack a farm out of the wilderness.
BOB, WHAT A MOST PERFECTLY LOVELY REALITY! I WAS SO CAPTIVATED INTO A WORLD THAT SEEMED SO MUCH MORE PEACEFUL AND CARING AS I READ YOUR STORY~~THANKS FOR SHARING. MY MOMMA GREW UP IN MISSISSIPPI, IN THE COUNTRY FOR SURE! MY GRANDMOTHER DECORATED HER COUNTRY MAILBOX, BY THE SIDE OF THE DIRT ROAD...(THAT I STILL LOVE) AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUCH A SWEET IDEA AS A LITTLE GIRL. I RECALL HER BISCUITS, SWEET ICED TEA, AND MUCH MORE. ALSO, THE FIREWORKS ON THE 4th. MY GRANDPARENTS ARE GONE, MY MOMMA (AND DAD) ARE GONE...NO ONE LIVES IN THEIR HOME IN THE COUNTRY. IT IS OWNED BY A FORMER NEIGHBOR...BUT NOT SURE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR TREE STORY. IT FELT SO LOVING AND WARM...BEAUTIFUL...BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS...A COUNTRY GIRL AT HEART...(FROM VA)~~
In much of the country, there used to be hedge rows, forests, and native grass edges around all the fields. Today they decimate every inch, from fence to fence. It breaks my heart to see the total destruction of wildlife habitat. Looks like a moonscape for half the year. Bless you for leaving that amazing tree.
Yeah it's sad. And the saddest spectacle of all is how gleefully Mennonites and Amish people so often join in the destruction when they should know better. In Pennsylvania and in southern Ontario I've often seen them destroying hedge rows, forests, grass borders. If the Amish can't respect those borders, what are the chances for the rest of us? But good always arises. In England the destruction of the hedge rows led to men losing their small plots, becoming "masterless," without feudal connection. And that led to--drum roll--Robin Hood. And all the Robin Hoods. For thirty years, through many lost gardens, I've called myself a masterless man. That and I haven't voted in 65 years. --I am Thor, but you may call me Robin.
The tree reminds us of how beautiful nature is. It holds water, stops erosion, provides a home for animals, is a windbreak and so much more. T ne loss of a tree is so sad. A place to shelter under the limbs, to climb and see the world better.
Cool. My husband and I live in Wisconsin. I’m the one always pointing out the “lonely tree.” Sometimes there are a few together. I think all your reasons are valid, but my dad worked the family farm with a pair of draft horses and no tractor! For that reason I can see my father and uncle running to the Rees welcome shade. Thanks so much for this!! 😊
I could sit on a u shaped branch of a sycamore tree that grew in ny grandfather's hedge by the rodside and watch and talk to passers by. I was seven years old. He also gave me a cherry tree sapling to plant in our owm garden. That was also a long time ago. I am now nearly eighty and the last time I visited our old home they were both still growing. Now I'm the only member of our family left who remembers this and that still reminds me of my childhood days so thank you so very much for this video that took me back to those happy times. Take care and keep on posting more like this.
seriously, please do write down your stories because as a 19 yo growing up my interest toward my own family grew immensely and if your children grow to be anywhere near as prideful as me then they will love to hear all about the lives of their lineage
It's crazy to me as a modern, thinking that a seven year old could spend their days talking to strangers and grow up to have no bad experiences with it just one hundred years ago. What a nice world that must have been.
I'm from Illinois, depending on which direction our family roadtrips were going we would see farms for 2-12 hours, with the single giant trees.. I've never wondered, but I guess I would say I was back-of-mind curious, subliminally interested, unknowingly intellectually wanting, about trees in farm fields. Great vid, thanks for sharing. Lots of 'little' practical reasons, makes sense.
Spend so much time running from one place to the other… Man it’s just nice listening to you talking about farming. I know it’s probably hard as all get out ,but a little slower life would be nice
The reason you left the tree is much different than why trees were left 100s of years ago. Old survey measurements needed markers. For instance that tree in your video would be described as a "corner." Go 500 feet to the corner, old oak tree, Then S 1000 feet, etc. I have had to read many oil/gas lease from the 1800s and the survey terms are very interesting.
@@purdyboi8078 I never heard any discussion of the tree as a legal survey marker. And never heard land surveys discussed. If I missed that then I apologize.
Here in brazil we used some very insane measure in the empire, basically each province had their own measure system alongside the imperial one, nowadays it is a lot of pain to translate these old measures to metric because sometimes nobody knows what each measure is equivalent in metric.
During the 1920's major surveys were done in the US and I owned some agricultural property in Florida which has a cypress tree that is close to 150' in height today and was a sapling back then. When I sold the property to someone else I had a discussion about that tree with them and they said don't worry the tree is protected.
Enjoyed this video! Thanks for sharing. We're in Southeast Ohio. My husband's family's farm raises crops & cattle, & feeds out some hogs, & that farm is named Monarch Oak after a tree at the farm. This video made me think of a couple of the fields there, too...each with its own old, majestic tree. We ended up naming our little poultry farm operation at our homeplace Twin Oaks Farm after a couple of Oak trees that have survived & thrived from when we established our place (out of about 20 total bareroot Oak saplings that we transplanted at the same time). The two trees have grown up side by side for 24 years at the midpoint of the length of a neighbor's farm field, & they actually mark a corner of our little property. We didn't think about the name association of the two family farms being Monarch Oak & Twin Oaks until after the fact, but it ended up being kind of a neat connection. The Twin Oaks here at our place are a favorite scene of mine...pretty young as trees go, but really beautiful. They inspired our farm motto: Stay rooted in what sustains, & grow from what inspires. God bless y'all. I liked the video, & I subscribed. Thanks for sharing interesting content.
My house backs onto 100 acre farm field, with an almost identical tree. Actually, the farmer left a few large trees, here and there. It makes for such a beautiful view for us!
Indiana here.. my father would tell stories of his mom and sisters showing up at the shade tree with picnic lunches at about noon.. everybody would drop everything and head for the lemonade and fried chicken! Cutting tobacco or bailing hay or planting beans or corn.. you could always count on a good meal and couple hours sleep to let the mid day heat pass under that tree.. then work till dark.. different times back then
Here in Australia the other reason why farmers leave the trees up (a single tree or a close set of trees) is as a natural lightening rod for an open field
If you see an old tree with spreading branches from low down,if it's older than say 220 years it grew without competing for light as a result of aboriginal management. Naturally seeded forest grows thick so trees grow up for the light..bit off topic 😂. Lots of reasons to have trees.❤
Worked on my uncle's farm in Southern Missouri for a summer back in the 80s. Most of the single trees were pecan. Not only great for shade, in the fall you get tons of pecans.
My parents had a house in Waco in a neighborhood that deteriorated so much they practically gave it away. But the real value of that place in an old working-class neighborhood is that it was a quarter acre of big ole pecans. I miss them.
was walking some woods in Southern Illinois a long time back with a guy from the area. a strong breeze started up and I heard a lot of clicking. asked the guy what was goin on and he told me pecan trees. never forgot that
In Australia farmers are planting groups of trees, usually along fence lines. These contain local species plants, trees and understory shrubs. They not only work as a windbreak and shelter for stock, but they beneficial to soil, reduce salinity but more importantly they are joining corridor for wildlife. Many birds, insects and small vertebrates (like Koalas) in Australia have small areas where the specific plants they live in or find food/nectar live. Farms can be vast monocultures and devastating to some ecosystems. Farmers access a group called Landcare, who supply knowledge, trees and labour to help establish these corridors and help revive land.
The deep roots draw minerals from far deeper than the surrounding crops. There are soil revitalization benefits from the leaves they drop, the roots help to support microbiomes in the soil, and they help to regulate the immediate surrounding microclimate. They use prairie grasses and trees to revitalize spent farmland. Similar to how they can add nitrogen to soil between growing seasons by planting beans or other nitrogen fixing crops, but on a longer timescale.
Where I grew up in Southern Colorado, we used to hunt pheasants. There aren't any pheasants anymore due to the "modern" methods of not leaving coverage along the fences. Most fences have been removed to allow for more acreage of crops.
Maintaining windbreaks and shelterbelts is common in the U.S., although they aren't always readily visible on the farmland most people see from the roadways they drive across the country. Polyculture farming is gaining momentum in the U.S., as it is in Europe. Australia may be further ahead in terms of the percentage of farmland employing some form of polyculture techniques, but data and definition differences make it hard to draw strong comparisons. In the U.S. many universities with agriculture schools operate some form of cooperative extension that work with farmers on all issues related to agriculture, and can help advise on the adoption of polyculture techniques.
My Appalachian Mountain Family (my grandfather and great grandfather, especially) had a tree in the middle of every field. There were many advantages to this, another very important reason being that they had very large families and all of them had to work all day (during the harvest season especially). The tree provided shade for the babies and smaller children to be placed on a quilt and tended to by some of the “older” sisters, who were considered old enough to watch the babies but not quite big enough to do work of any significance. My mother told me that she and her sister’s task was watching the 3 babies and toddlers while they worked in the field. She was only about 5, her sister about 7, watching their younger brothers, ages baby, age 2, and age 4 (there were 12 children total). This way my grandmother could still see and be near them, but still work in the fields. Everyone worked, especially during harvest time! Also, they took their breaks underneath the tree and ate their lunch there, without having to go all the way back to the house (Mama said it was usually leftover breakfast biscuits with jelly, apples and/or grapes from their farm, and sometimes homemade dried beef jerky.). It also provided temporary shelter if a sudden rainstorm came up (if not too heavy). Everyone scrambled to get under three, enjoying the extra break, but heading right back out to the fields as soon as the rain stopped, or became just a sprinkle. We did this when I was a kid, too, except we didn’t take the babies out with us. It was hard work, but the best life, ever!
I thank God for farmers & trees! Blessings of abundance on your harvest. I pray you keep it clean of the poisons they’re putting in our food, seeds, fertilizer & water young man.
I like to add about the Trees in the fields.my great granddaddy had 400 acre’s he farmed. Mostly by himself in Tennessee he had 4 big trees and I have anyways been told he used them as field markers. To Divide different crops and to this day only two of the trees are still there but you can tell where the other two were, with the big piles of rocks etc
@@yvetteandjorgenlarsen9753 Bruceton Tenn. And my dad and a cousin. Play on part of the property I live in Michigan now and have a 20×20 garden and 9 chicken. Lol all my family live down home.
That tree is a Cathedral. In England a thousand years or so ago Churches were a way of orientating when travelling on foot or horseback through the countryside. A Church or Abbey was somewhere one could seek shelter if needed. That tree performs the same function and is a splendid example, thanks for the video.
I really admire that the tree isn't all about practicality, either. It's just nice, and it's not hurting anyone by being there (only helping, if anything!), so that's good enough. :)
There’s one In Wisconsin,along new Highway 10, near Junction City, and we always honk and wave at the “Lonely Tree” as we go by! 😊. Saluting our farm heritage, and all!!
Why is that tree still standing there? Well, look at it. Look how big and strong it is, think of the generations of farmers who have worked that field. The beauty of it, the magnificence. That tree OWNS that field.
Love this video. Your calm, soothing cadence as you unhurriedly and leisurely answer the videos topic is bliss. Too much stuff on this platform is rushed nowadays, feels good to see such a tame explanation.
When we were teenagers, my sister had her happy place, her favorite tree, she was amazed that a farmer never cut it down and felt like the farmer knew that tree was special. It was her happy place. We'd go there all the time, she absolutely loved that tree and seemed to have a spiritual bond with it. Years later the whole field was turned into commercial property and that ancient tree was cut down.
This story has been passed down through the generations. My great great grandfather lived in Montana. All of his neighbors tried to convince him to sell all the timber off his property because the market was good. He told them all no. He told them if you cut down all the trees, the water supply will go away. His neighbors cut and sold their trees. The only place with water after that was my great great grandfather. Where I live, the neighbor told me when I told him I wanted to plant more trees on our property that the ash trees we have here can suck 300 gallons of water out of the ground every day and I should not do it as it would lower to water table. We have a part of our property that is wetlands and there are naturally seeded ash trees growing about. Right now the water table is very high in the pasture and the tractor tires get wet when mowing down the invasive canary grass. I have visited my inlaws farm in SW Oklahoma and see the cedar windbreak rows of trees. There I was told and saw that the trees sucked the moisture out of the ground a certain distance into the field limiting the area being able to be planted to crops. At least the soils is staying put.
I grew up on a farm and the two fields had those trees. One was surrounded by the huge rocks. The other field was beside the orchard and the tree there was an apple tree with the most amazingly sweet and delicious apples you’d ever hope to taste! I never thought to ask in all those years why the trees were there. Thanks for this video.
Bv the by, The comments are THE BEST! I grew up in Orange county CA. in the 60's when there were still a lot of farms/groves if you can believe. Now it's just a wasteland of pavement ,even there there were still a lot of trees to Love. I've read many books with farming as the subject so I probably knew the answer but your video still peaked my curiosity, it's great to see so much interest in a "dull" subject, YT is not dead. I'm still learning so much if you care to look!
More than a few have mentioned it being old, sick, soon to fall. One or two might mention to replace it After it dies. I'm remembering the adage: If you want a tree today, plant it 20 years ago. As well as : "A man that burns firewood looks back, one that plants a tree looks ahead. A nut (Oak ?) tree provides for birds (turkey), moose, elk, deer, squirrel etcetera...your imagination is your limit. I'd suggest planting 5 or so. One won't take, another dies from lightning, a third from disease, but if one or two make it... Thankyou Farmer. ☆
The "nut" you mentioned is known as "mast" in the tree world. Trees produce TONS of mast during their lifetimes, feeding the ecosystem. Pre 1900's the entire Appalachians were covered with American Chestnut trees and chestnuts fed everyone, including us. It's a shame to see what the chestnut blight has done. Chestnut still grow everywhere, but fall to the blight in their childhood. I'm hoping mother nature can over come this as the American chestnut was one of our greatest resources.
Wisdom indeed. For what it's worth, we have a huge dead tree still standing on our farm. It was struck by lightning when I was a small toddler and I'm past 50 now. It's become a sort of farming family talisman and testament to surviving the many challenges of farm life.
@@patrickmchose7472 Tho the " tree world" may refer to tons of mast, i'll continue to say "that tree produced tons of nuts". I dare say, dare i say, more people would understand my words. (Extra example: Ask if someone would prefer to eat nuts, or mast.) I believe you are more correct, whilst i am more right. ☆
My dad left trees for shade and he planted tomatoes about 10 feet from the base of the trees for water . This way we stayed in the field longer on hot days.
I'm sure the local animals really appreciate the fact that the tree remains in the middle of the field. I'm sure that the tree provides shelter for all sorts of animals when they need it. Thank you for keeping the tree.
Thank you for sharing this. This was informative and honestly pretty soothing to listen to. It’s very cool to hear how such trees provide such a long-term connection with the land for you and your family.
