Book: Wintersville Citizen

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WBINITERSYILLE


THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 1964 - TWELVE PAGES


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$5.00 per year 10� per copy


DAY


IN


JUNE


By EVE SEITER


  It's  vacation  time!' Your
  Feature Writer has invited
Miss   Wilma   Thompson    to
bring you stories for the next
two weeks. Miss Thompson
is a lifetime resident of the
Area and well known to many
of you. She serves as Clerk
to the' Mayor of Wintersville,
and   may let you have a
fascinating look across her
desk   at the Village!. Wel-
come, Miss Thompson.
** ** **********************
  The poet declaimed, "And
w eat is so rare as a day in
June, then, if ever, come
perfect days?" This writer
replies, "Nothing, if one may
spend the day' on the Sch-
neider farm!"
  Richard and Christine Sch-
neider were bride and groom
way back in 1924 when they
took to the farm. There, on
150 acres, they began their
married -life  living . with
Christine's  mother   and
father. Christine's -brother
had settled on the adjoining
farm,   paying   them   daily
visits. He still does though
his parents have long ince
departed.
  Christine and Richard's love
  affair quickly spread to in-
clude the farm. It was natural.
In their native Bremen, Ger-
many, Christine's father had
been a Miller, grinding flour
by   windmill. Richard   had
worked on farms from time to
time. Sometime after World
War 1 both found themselves
in Steubenville, U.S.A.! Des-
tiny must have had these
two by the hand! They spent
their youth near the North
Sea in Bremen, completeing
their education without once
crossing each other's path
till they met in Steubenville!
  By temperament and inclin-
ation these two young people
were suited to life in the
rolling  hills  of Jefferson
County. Their creation of
their beautiful farm  home
began at once. In 1946 the
old frame house was replaced
by a generous, ten brick room
home,    planned   for  their
families, their friends and
their interests. Situated high
enough to command a sweep-
ing view of the nearby woods,
the far hills and valleys and


the     seemingly    limitless
horizon, .the home seems a
world in itself. Six years
later a beautiful white barn
reared up, near which stand
huge silos.
  Meanwhile, Dick Schneider
  had been proving his worth as
a farmer! 139 acres of land
had been reclaimed bringing
his acreage to a total of
289, Once he had owned
.herds of Dairy cattle, now--
he switched to beef cattle.
His   present herd  of 100
Herefords add to the pastoral
scene as they graze on the
hillsides.
  According  to     Christine,
"Dick always liked turkeys",
and-- so great flocks of tur-
keys were and are raised on


the Schneider farm. During
the holiday season as many
as 800 turkeys are dressed
and sold! All this work is
accomplished with the latest
automatic equipment.
   The Schneiders made the
 transition  from  horses   to
 machinery during this period,
 too. Once Dick Schneider
 worked his farm   with four
 teams of Percherons. -In 1939
 he sold his last tehm as the
 farm became totally mechan-
 ized. This writer was part-
 ticularly touched by his tale
 of one beloved team of show
 horses-which he and Christine,
 couldn't quite bring them.
 selves to sell! They simply
 retired  the  beautiful Per-
 cherons to hfie County Home!
 the "Home" had need of a
 team and the Schneiders made
 them a gift. to quote them,
 "We-wept like babies as they
 left."
   Small wonder that the Schl-
 neider   farm, had   attained
 more than local distinction
 by, now. In January, 1956,
 Radio Station WWVA conferred
 a Farm Family Citation upon
 Richard Schneider., The Sch-
 neiders   became   the  Farm
 Family- of the Week on the
 station's Farm Family Forum.
 The   citation  certified the
 family as "outstanding in
 effort and achievement in
 better-farm and home manage-
 ment. '"
   Two years prior the Sch-
 neiders   had   shared  their
 home and knowledge with a
' :young German farm  youth,
who came to them    as an
Exchange Student. Christian.
Buhler lived with the Sch-
neiders for four weeks,' re-
turning to his and their native
Germany with fresh insight,
and     increased  technical
knowledge of farming. The
Schneiders returned the visit
in 1960 when they traveled
back to Germany.
   Returning   from   Germany
   Christine and Dick brought
 a seed from Dick's Mother's
 Garden!! Along with some
 special tulip bulbs the seed
 was to become a part of
 Christine's fabulous garden,
 All the while Dick had been


developing the farm, Christine
had been creating, too. Her
Mother shared the garden with
her in the beginning but since
her death it has become
Christine's labor of love.
All doors of the Schneider
home open out upon some
vista of Christine's garden,
which embraces at least an
acre of ground. There, the
seed   which   traveled  from
Germany was planted in a
cold frame in 1961. On a day
in June, 1964, this writer
marveled at the small Buck-
eye   tree  it had become,
standing perhaps 27 inches
tall!
  All lovely gardens should,
this writer feels, have some-
where to walk to, small areas
of pleasure. One may pause
in a woodsy corner of Christ-


ine's garden where a gorgeous
blue spruce tree, grown from
a seedling, dwarfs the five
foot plus woman who set it
out.
  A stone wall retains thou-
sands of plants of every
description, lilies,  delph-
inium, bells of Ireland, roses
and tulips - to name a few,
The wall was originally laid
up by the hired man, but not
quite to Christine's liking--
so, stone by stone she tore
it down and built it up again.
  Christine's tulips were gone
as this writer visited her
garden   but one    wistfully
pondered the vision of 2000
tulips in bloom. Masses of
pansies adorn the beds now
and 12 varities of lilies are
burgeoning.
  Two new .houses for the
bluebirds  have   just been
erected, for the Schneider's
garden is home to many blue-
birds. The cardinals have
claimed the nearby woods as
their own and Christine .grate-
fully refrains from the use of
insecticides   as  much  as
possible since the birds keep
her garden free of pests.


  The Schneider Grandchildren,
Barbara and Ernie, 9 and 8
respectively, are becoming
gardeners under Grandma's
tutleage. Their small vege-
table garden is staked out
within   Christine's  garden.
Since the children and their
parents live in their own home
on the same farm they are
always available to care for
Grandma's -house plants.
  Christine's garden is not
confined to the outdoors. Her
home was designed to in-
corporate  her passion  for
flowers. A many windowed
solarium houses 68. African
violets, starts of countless
plants she propagates, vines
and seedling.
  Christine  is   a   Charter
member of the Jefferson Hills


Mrs. Schneider and her two grandchildren- Ernie and Barbara


The Richard Schneider Farm
Garden Club. She also arran-
ges the altar flowers every
Sunday for the United Brethren
Church in East Springfield,
where   she  and   Dick   are
members. All flowers used
are from her own garden. Now
and then she may startle the
nrrembers by her original use
of Onion seed pods in her
arrangements!
  The Schneider's beautiful
farm is a valuable asset to
Jefferson  County, a dem-
onstration of advanced farm
techniques and respect for
soil and water conservation.
Dick Schneider is active in
organized  agricultural work%
of Jefferson County and he
has served as Deputy of the
Jefferson County Granges for
years. A big man physically,


he reflects respect for the
land he loves. Neither he nor
Christine know how they could
live without it! Having shared
a day in June with them this
writer understands.
       (More pictures on page 5)


     DON'T HESITATE
  Stop  in at Village Hall
TODAY and sign that sewer
easement. Help Wintersville
progress.
  The office will be open
foryour convience on Tues-
day and Wednesday evenings
from 7 to 9 PM.

<^^^Xiib~yA  hb(l^hhh


VOL. 2, NO. 30


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VOL. 2, NO. 30


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