FARMS: After reading The Era’s “Then and Now” special section from Thursday, Donald Comes of Smethport called with a little more to add on an article about agriculture.
He talked about the E.D. Comes and Sons Dairy Farm. “E.D. Comes mowed all the hay with mules in the ’40s,” said Donald. After a day of mowing in August 1946, E.D. Comes died.
“At that time, the dairy had to close to selling raw milk because there was a law forbidding the sale of unpasteurized milk,” according to Donald.
As local dairy farmers, E.D. and Marvin Comes competed for the highest butterfat in Pennsylvania.
Donald explained the milk at the farm had to be tested monthly — once at night and again the next morning — and the tester would stay overnight. A TB test and a blood test were done. He noted that W.A. Ross was the first county agent and only the second person ever to hold the job. He was accredited to test milk.
Donald recognized several of his own family members from the photographs with the article. Brothers William and Paul Comes were pictured on Page 17; and brother Paul, along with grandfather David Comes, stood next to a couple of horses on Page 18. Also, that’s Donald’s brother, Gordon Comes, pictured with a cow on Page 19.
FAMOUS TOYS: The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., announced last week which of its nominees will be inducted into its National Toy Hall of Fame in 2016.
Of the dozen nominees announced in September, the three that will be making it to the Hall of Fame are the swing, Dungeons and Dragons and Fisher-Price Little People.
The winners beat out other nominees including bubble wrap, Care Bears, Clue, the coloring book, Nerf, pinball, Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, Transformers and Uno.
According to The Strong, swings have been around for a very long time and were even depicted in ancient cave drawings in Europe and carved figurines and ceramic vases from early Greece.
Meanwhile, the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons is the most modern of the three toys, developed in the 1970s to allow its players to assume the identity of fictional characters in a fantasy setting.
Finally, Little People were brought out in 1959 with the unveiling of Fisher-Price’s Safety school Bus pull toy, according to The Strong. Over the decades, the tiny beings have been sold with various sets, and they’ve become larger and more realistic in recent years.
