Dennison produced this Pa and Ma Pumpkin set of diecuts in 1964. You can tell this is "Pa" by his broken and repaired glasses and by the ubiquitous hay stem clenched in his mouth.
But let's get back to that hay stem. Why is it farmers and "hicks" are always depicted as chewing them?
Well, it seems that there's some grain (ha!) of truth to that depiction. In the pioneer days, dental hygiene wasn't easily available on the prairie. A stem of hay could act as a toothpick or a toothbrush, removing bits of food stuck in teeth. Chewing it produced saliva which further helped rinse the teeth of bacteria. However, this doesn't appear to be working for "Pa" who only has 1 tooth left or for that matter "Ma" who has but 3. Time for a trip to the dentist, Pa. And get those glasses fixed while you're at it.