Were they plain old under-educated  
dummies?

They did not know much about calculus, astronomy, the Punic
wars, calory counts, Robert's Rules of Order, etc.  They had
never heard of  Henry the Navigator, William the Conqueror,  
Attila the Hun,  Eric the Red,  Suleiman the Magnificent,
Alexander the Great; and other notables, who did not merit  
adjectives after their names. It is doubtful if they had any
interest in the origin of species, Pythagoras' theorem, specific
gravity and atomic numbers . The only language they knew, or
cared to know, was English--and that not perfectly, but with
their regional idioms. Dumb though some may have thought, the
farm boy must had some intelligence.

What might a farm boy have known? Here are a few  things the
farm boy might have learned to do.
1.  Milk a cow
2.  Shoe a horse
3.  Harness and hitch a team
4.  Butcher a hog and cure the meat
5.  Render lard
6.  Medicate farm animals
7.  Castrate a boar
8.  Shear a sheep
9.  Gather honey from a bee hive
10.  Train dogs to hunt
11.  Use of firearms
12.  Use of explosives
13.  Sharpen saws, axes, and other tools
14.  Erect and maintain structures and fences
15.  Repair of tractors and other mechanical implements
16.  Operate planters, cultivators and harvesters
17.  Control and eradicate weeds, insects and plant diseases
18.  Test soil for nutrition deficiencies, and for percolation
19.  Mix and apply fertilizers
20.  Drill water wells
21.  Erosion control, including terracing hillsides
22.  Fell trees and convert into firewood
23.  Make grape wine, apple cider, peach brandy, persimmon
beer, and other goodies (but not moonshine)
24.  Personal care:  prevent, treat, or live with--snake bites,
mite and insect stings, poison plant inflictions, sun burn, frost
bite, cuts and scratches, fractured bones, etc.

Yes, That farm boy learned a lot, and used his knowledge for
the benefit of all of us.  Thank God I Was a Country Boy! I still
am, at heart.