javalita, Hmmm. I don't know what mine smell like in the evening--- Usually in the evening (around 8 - 9 pm) I'm out there with the scissors trying to snip the walking sticks in half -- in the dark, I'm usually trying to avoid being scourged by rose thorns, so haven't stuck my nose in it's direction. It's right behind a Double Delight and an Intrigue (not to mention the ancient pink rose that while I have no idea what it is has a knockout scent and the prettiest bud I've ever seen on a rose), it would have to be pretty powerful to catch my nose without serious attention. I'm going out in an hour and I'll sniff a bit and let you know!

Woodyoak..I'm very sorry you got the response you did from your visit to the local garden club. I know it may seem that you'd be tattling like a kid does when somebody does wrong, but I think you need to write a letter or call the President of that club and bring this matter to her attention. It is possible that she was not aware of what you encountered. Does that club have a monthly newsletter that goes out to all its members? If she is any kind of a person/President, she would mention this in that newsletter to prevent it happening to somebody else that has disabilities. I'm sure you are not the first one that has come there with a disability, so it's obvious that it should be addressed. Are there other Garden Clubs in your area that you could check out? The lady that you said walks by your house, is she in the same Garden Club as you? If so, bring up the subject one time she is visiting? Invite her in for a cup of coffee/tea while she tours your gardens. I am on our hosptiality and worship committee at our church, and our leader has taught us to walk up to people we don't normally recognize or act like they are new, and start a conversation by introducing yourself and say "I don't think we've met before but I'm so and so and ask if this is their first time visiting with us? Sometimes it turns out to be somebody that is not a regular attendee and they've belonged to the church for many years. At least, that introduction breaks the ice and you'll remember that person and vice versa the next time. If you can't remember that person's name the next time, you'll probably recognize his/her face. A smile and a friendly Hello does wonders. I know a lot of people are reluctant to join groups or organizations because they fear not knowing anybody. That's a cope out, I'm sorry! I hope that this helps. Don't give up!

When I was growing up on a farm we farmed with horses and at the ripe old age of 8 years old I began mowing hay with a team of Belgian Draft horses and and old McCormic Deering Sickle Bar Mower. (The next year I began operating the Grain Binder). I located a picture of a new Sickle Bar Tooth similar to the one you have, then I made up a composite picture in an effort to show you how they work. Although your tooth is severely coated with rust you can see a circular light colored area on the blunt end where the mounting hole is. Also on the sides you can see an indention where the slot for the blade should be. The individual teeth are mounted on the Sickle Bar with flat head stove bolts. This leaves a nice flat surface for the cutter bar to slide in. While modern combines have cutting heads that are up to 36ft wide or more, typically the old hay mowers had a sickle bar that was 5 to 7 feet long. The cutter bar is the same length as the sickle bar and once the cutter bar is slid into place there is a gearbox on the mower that has an offset cam wheel and a "Pitman arm" which reaches from the gear box to the end of the cutter bar. As the wheel rotates the pitman arm pushes or pulls the cutter bar back and forth through the teeth in an oscillating motion about 4 to 5 inches on a stroke. In fact it works in exactly the same manner as a pair of barber clippers for cutting hair. You had also wondered how this could have been buried so deep. I think I figured that out as well. Although it is the custom of farmers to use commercial fertilizers today, back in the day that simply was not done. Instead farmers relied on a technique that was first figured out by George Washington Carver back before the civil war. They rotated the crops. You begin by planting a grain crop such as wheat, oats, speltz, barley or rye and you top seed that with red clover. The grain was cut with a binder and both the grain and the straw was taken off the field in mid summer. The clover would continue to grow and you could get a second harvest of clover hay off the same acreage. That fall we would sow timothy hay seed, which grew through the winter and into the following summer. Normally we would get two cuttings of hay, and in a good year we might get a third cutting of hay off the same acreage. Throughout the fall and winter we would spread the manure from our livestock on the fields as fertilizer plus the Red Clover captures nitrogen from the atmosphere and stores it as little nitrogen nodules on the roots, further fertilizing the soil. The third year we would plow those fields and plant corn. Corn requires a lot of nutrients and depletes the soil so you then repeat the rotation to build up the soil. (Today they call this method "organic farming" and charge you an arm and a leg for the grain".) I suspect that tooth that you have fell off or was replaced and the old one just left laying in the field and it was later turned under during the plowing operation, which would account for the depth were you found it.

Tragopogon porrifolius (purple one) Salsify. Tragopogon dubius (yellow one) Yellow Salsify.