The Lost Code

The Seasons of the Habitant: Summer

Hay Harvest in Canada

Musée de la civilisation, bibliothèque du Séminaire de Québec.
Massicotte, Edmond-Joseph. « La fenaison au Canada » in : Album universel. 20e année, no 70 (22 août 1903), p. 377. Loc. 537.6 (temp.)

For habitants, summer was the season of hard work. The habitant's day began at sunrise and ended at sunset. Once the planting was done, the fences damaged from frost and snow had to be mended. For habitants on a new plot or who wished to increase production, June was the month for clearing new areas of land.

Hay, which was used to feed livestock in the winter, was harvested and stored in barns for drying in late June or July. Next it was time to harvest the grains planted in spring, which were gathered into bales and carried by cart to the barn, where they too were dried. Summer was also the season for the women and children to pick vegetables from the garden and fruits from the fields.