An anecdote from northern New Mexico. Some years back I was asking our OB
techs, who grew up in rural NM in the 1920's and 30's, no ice box and no
cold cellar in the ground, about what were the first chores that little kids
were expected to do back then, and how young did they start, that kind of
thing (I was a new parent). They both recalled that the earliest chore was
to "move the milk bucket". That meant making sure the bucket of cow's milk
stayed in the shade all day, covered with cheesecloth so the flies couldn't
get in. Kids as young as 4-5 did this chore. The bucket was for daily
cooking and drinking, cream, butter and buttermilk (some family members had
dairy on a daily basis, a few didn't), and they made cheese periodically.
Neither woman could remember how long the bucket lasted, on average, but
guessed several days, certainly more than 1-2 days, even in hot summer.
Their cows were healthy, they thought, and they never attributed any
sickness to milk from the bucket. The main points were keeping it in the
shade and keeping flies out.

(The next chore was minding the younger kids.)

Ann Lown, Santa Fe, NM


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