In the hot summer months
dry periods often lasted for weeks or even months, because not even a drop of
rain fell. The humus and the loose ground used to fill out the driveway
changed the cart under the tires to a sea of dust. The dust was 5, 10, 15
cm. high, so one waded up to the ankles in dust and at the street crossing the
shoes were filled with it. Along comes a wagon, the herd, a gust of wind,
or even an auto and such a cloud of dust would be raised that it was impossible
to even see over to the other side of the street. There was no end to the
nuisance of dust on the busy street from early in the morning to late in the
evening. The dust came in through closed windows and doors of the
dwellings. Fortunately our dust is not so hard, sharp, and cutting as in the
city where the dust contains granules of quartz and granite which damage the
lungs and open the gates to a mixture of germs - the bacteria. The village
dust is soft and for the most part merely irritates the mucous membrane of the
airway. One could remedy the nuisance of dust with water, but so far this
possibility was not seriously considered. Unfortunately it still hasn't
happened, so the drivers like to drive at a walking pace in the village. On the
contrary, the driver does not slow down during a 3-4 km. stretch outside
the village, but instead he cracks the whip as he reaches the village and drives
recklessly without consideration for his fellow man. The walkway is washed
and swept clean every evening or at least on Sunday evenings.
Philipp Häußer, farmer and
owner of a horse mill, has interesting records concerning weather, crop yields,
and grain prices in Feketitsch from 1851 to 1896, for 46 years. For
example, in 1861 on the 2nd and 3rd of June there was a frost and a great heat
spell followed causing the fruit and pasture to wither. There was hardly
any corn, so the people and animals suffered through a great famine. After
that 1864 was so fruitful as it hasn't been for 50 years and one chain yielded
up to 30q of fruit, but 1865 and 1866 were again famine years. The years
1870, 1871, and 1872 were wet years. The fruit rotted, from October to
Christmas it rained so that homes collapsed; thousands of chains of field were
under water. In 1872 reeds, (Liesch?) (busy Lizzy?), and willow trees were
grown in the fields. There has not been so much water in 100 years, etc.,
etc. The exact dates which this farmer has recorded in his toll book are
worthy of recognition. But the descendents were handed the honor of this
"handbook" which the grandfather had the honor of holding till now.
