That story was from “Farmer Boy”, I believe.
My favorite of the books was Farmer Boy, because it gave details on not only how people lived in those times, but how they did what they did and why they thought what they thought.
It's from "Little Town on the Prarie" when Almanzo begins to court Laura. He explained his unusual name to her. I had the whole set when I was growing up and almost wore them out reading them over and over.
Really? I guess I need to reread it. I used to fall asleep listening to it on tape when I was younger. That’s also why I loved it so much. I learned a whole lot about farming.