Having chosen their quarter section of land and built their shelters and homes, the "Sons of the Soil" as the Ukrainians have been called, turned their attention to the other necessities of life.

The pioneers were largely self-sufficient. They produced much of their own food and clothing. One of the first things they did after settling on the land was prepare a garden near their dwelling. They sweated under the hot sun and fought the pesky mosquitos as they chopped trees, dug up roots and cleared the field of rocks. They ploughed the soil using human labour or oxen if they could afford them. Then they sowed the seed that they had brought from the Old Country or purchased locally. Unfortunately, many pioneers settled on rocky or sandy land which was poor for growing crops and resulted in a poor harvest. However, when they got their first harvest, they were finally beginning to live off the land.

not Some of the tools and seed that they used had been brought from the old country but many of their tools were hand-made. Any surplus produce that the pioneers grew had would be taken to market and sold. Clothing could either be made from hemp that the farmer grew or purchased locally.

(The tools shown in the accompanying photograph, the rake, pitch fork and flail are hand-made. The handle for the syckle would have been hand-made but the metal blade would have been brought from the old country or purchased locally.)

The pioneers augmented any money they obtained from their land by obtaining work off the farm. Very often, the husband would have to go away to earn the money required to supplement the provisions they could grow on the land. The men usually went off to work in the spring and returned in the fall. They frequently found work on the farms, on the railroads and in the mines.

While the men were away, the women stayed at home, cared for the children and tended the garden. When the children were old enough they helped their mothers and when they got older still, they themselves went off to find work. The boys, like their fathers, would usually find work on the farms, on the railroads or in the mines. The girls usually found work as a maid in their wealthier neighbours homes.

They huddled indoors during the cold winter months and they started all over again if to their misfortune fire destroyed all they had.Although the Ukrainian pioneers had to struggle just as hard in Canada as they had to in Ukraine, there was a greater chance that they could improve their lot in Canada.