A special thank you to all those who have participated in our “I Remember Rippey” series. Your remembrances have allowed readers to share in our town’s history, activities, sports, school, church, and daily life covering 150 years.
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Detasseling Memories by Julene Rittgers Hunt Boza
I was 15 in the Summer of 1954 and eager to earn money. My family (Wesley, Mae, and Marna Rittgers) lived in the big Hagerman house on Main Street, next to the highway.
No Taco Bell or McDonalds in Rippey, but thankfully Mrs. Gartsee (not sure of this spelling) liked the way I mowed her grass; I did not mow off her flowers like the boys did when they mowed her yard. She was also my piano teacher which probably put me in first consideration for mowing her grass the first time. After not mowing off flowers, the job was mine.
I also mowed grass in Mrs. Amy Kelly’s large yard; she had bought the house my parents built when they moved into town from our farm. Myron and Maralynn Rinker own the house now and live there.
Art Todd and his wife Lena hired me to clean their home now and then. Mrs. Todd liked my cleaning abilities, thanks to my mom’s teachings. I hung out quilts and bedding on the clothesline for airing and cleaned venetian blinds, in addition to regular cleaning. Art loved my mother’s lemon pies; when the girls in my high school class (Class of ’57) held bake sales at the Rains grocery store, he was always there early to buy the whole lemon pie.
Summer of 1955, Somebody had the great idea of detasseling field corn. Same Somebody said the pay was good. I cannot remember how the idea progressed, but I do recall Sally Burke Drake and I were in the crew – my apologies to other crew members because I am unable to recall all names today. We did not ride the big machines to detassel, we walked the rows of corn. Did I mention we walked the rows?
Our first job was the Dale Roberts farm east of Rippey, (father of my school classmate since Kindergarten, Philip). We were told the corn rows were one mile long, although on some days, they seemed more like five miles long. OK, following thoughts in no particular order:
1. It takes a person with good hardworking peasant stock in their family tree to work in a corn field in the heat of an Iowa summer.
2. Cool, refreshing breezes do not gain access to corn rows. Corn is taller than the person trying to pull the tassel. Pulling tassels will make your hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, and back hurt. No complaining.
3. Only inexperienced teenagers wanting money are eligible to apply.
4. You will get sunburned. Do not apply for this job just because you want a nice tan.
5. You may not quit, call in sick, walk off the job, or die from heat because the farmer planted this darn corn knowing it had to be detasseled and he is depending on you.
6. Remember your folks know this farmer and we do not want to embarrass them by screwing up and pulling tassels off an incorrect row of corn.
7. Start very early, do not let the sun get to the field before you do. Wear long shorts and long-
sleeved shirts. In the early morning, corn rows are wet with dew. Half-way down a one-mile row, the dew on your shirt turns to steam and will never dry.
8. Corn leaves are sharp and will cut body parts. My sister Marna Kay remembers my hands were very cut up and hurt like the dickens. My mother, Mae Rittgers-Presnell, took a pair of my dad’s socks to fashion gloves for my hands and arms.
9. Do not forget Cool Clear Water. First thing every morning, we would estimate the halfway point of the rows, walk into the rows from the side of the field, and put many jugs of water on the ground at that halfway point. As we pulled tassels working the field, we looked for the jugs. When we came upon the jugs, we knew we were half done with the group of rows we were working on. Cool Clear Water at the beginning of the rows, at the end of the rows, and in the middle of the rows.
10. Pack snacks for the whole crew. My mother made many batches of “Detasseling Cookies”. Recipe follows:
1⁄2 c. carnation milk, 2 c. sugar, 1⁄2 c. butter. Bring to boil – boil one minute stirring constantly. Add 1 t. vanilla after cooking. Pour over: 3 c. quick oatmeal, 3 T. cocoa, 1⁄2 c. coconut, and nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet – cool.
I did make money that summer and was on a good crew; I recall we all got along and did have fun. It was hard work; I could not do that work today. If they still detassel corn in Iowa, would I encourage my granddaughter to sign up? Hmmmm.