A FARMER'S DIARY

by CHARLES HENRY CUSHMAN

Submitted by Max B Cushman

MARCH 1897

01 Jack helped his Moether move Lydia took Father Home nice day sprinkled some in morning

02 Went to Annawan hauled some straw for bedding sleeted some raw wind

03 Jack hauled a load of coal for his Mother Lydia went to Annawan bought 6 dozen and ten Chickens at 3.00 per doz of Mrs Eyer nice day

04 Jack hauled two loads of Corn for Haxby to Mineral Lydia went to Rockys rained after noon

05 Cought 4 Turkeys took them to town got $4.08 for them Wysong and Dingman had suit Dingman beat got Judgement for $3.40 chilly day

06 Jack and I hauled wood for Father nice day took 41 Hedge posts over from here that belonged to Johney

07 Sunday Fair day

08 Jack and I went to Annawan nice day muddy Jack commenced work for 20 per month for the summer

09 Rained

10 I sowed grass seed Jack Trimmed Hedge I sorted some potatoes

11 Sowed sed and trimmed Hedge W. Haxby here G. Messmore here rained at night

12 Went to Nicks and got Bugg Iron and broke some stalks forenoon after noon Jack trimmed some hedge I sowed some grass seed, Wheelock Shaw came in field to shoot Ducks said he had sold the estates Oats got 19 cts and that is what I am to pay for the Oats I got of them two years ago for seed

13 Broke stalks in fore noon Jack and I went to town after noon nice day

14 Sunday nice day

15 Broke stalks fore noon Jack got load of Coal of Piles 19 bu I sowed seed afternoon took Pulverizer apart

16 Broke stalks fore noon Sowed seed after noon Jack piled Hedge nice day thawed Marg was here at night to see Jack 

17 Rained all day fixed Pulverizer Jack went to town at night with Marg to see how the Corbett Fitzsimmons fight came off fought today

18 Tinkered around went to Rockys W.Haxby was there Jack piled hedge warm cloudy day

19 Rained all day Lydia went to Rockys and got some papers to read rained hard at night Jack and I threw some straw off stack

20 Sowed some seed Jack Trimmed Hedge I went to Annawan after noon saw Norm He is going to shell my Corn and he is going to breed two mares at 5 each and let it go on the shelling nice day caucus day

21 Sunday nice day Jim and Hatt C. Eyer and Spencer were here

22 Tinkered around somne Jack trimmed Hedge nice day

23 Snowed all day did nothing

24 Went to Annawan with Rocky sent letter to W.Bowen Jack cut potatoes after noon nice day snow melting fast roads bad

25 Cut potatoes tinkered around at one thing and another thawed some

26 Cut potatoes hauled rails out of the Cow yard thawed some nice day lots of snow left yet

27 We chopped Kindling Lydia went to Annawan nice warm day we all got terribly sun burnt killed 4 rats

28 Cloudy but thawed Jack went Home considerable snow yet

29 Hauled straw and chored around I went to Modests got some Hordseradish Lydia took it down to Rockys and had it grated Cloudy day snow most gone

30 Planted some Potatoes nice day

31 Hauled some straw and covered potatoes filled some sacks with oats to sow windy day Jack hauled some manure