I grew up in an area that was full of good Catholics who didn't believe in any sort of birth control. Farm families with a dozen or more kids weren't unusual. Even families from town were often five kids plus.
I had friends who barely knew their older siblings because those siblings were so much older and out of the house by the time my friends were in junior high.
Though I understand the breeding of farmhands, I figured with the advancements in machinery available to most farmers it was a moot point.
True story - My dad was a large animal veterinarian and he traveled from farm to farm taking care of herds and individual cows and hogs. Often the farmers came to our house (where the office was) to pay on their bill or to pick up medication. One long time client who my mother knew on sight and not just by name had been a regular for years and he often sent his kids who were old enough to drive to our house to tend to business. One day he came in with a carload of little kids. Mom figured they were grandchildren. She asked the gentleman if that was the case. His response was, "Nope, that's my second crop."
I had friends who barely knew their older siblings because those siblings were so much older and out of the house by the time my friends were in junior high.
Though I understand the breeding of farmhands, I figured with the advancements in machinery available to most farmers it was a moot point.
True story - My dad was a large animal veterinarian and he traveled from farm to farm taking care of herds and individual cows and hogs. Often the farmers came to our house (where the office was) to pay on their bill or to pick up medication. One long time client who my mother knew on sight and not just by name had been a regular for years and he often sent his kids who were old enough to drive to our house to tend to business. One day he came in with a carload of little kids. Mom figured they were grandchildren. She asked the gentleman if that was the case. His response was, "Nope, that's my second crop."
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius
