Farm Journal, 1853–1866

Monday the 3 July cut oats with reaper & 3 cradles until noon then bound uip verry Dry & to day no rain for 3 bucks but one light shower out corn is dying in the top & looks like it would all dye if it did not rain soon my premium corn is fireing & Twist up until it looks like it certainly will die soon. Our oats is verry good the best I have ever raised we have 55 Acres in the field west of Fosters house in oats not quite so warm to day 93 deg

Teusday the 4th July 1854 Cut oats all day before dinner with 5 cradles & in the afternoon bound up no rain to day but in the afternoon there were some showers passing verry hot today Ther 96

Wednesday the 5 July 1854 Run 5 cradles till noon Then bound a while and a light shower come over & stoped us it rained but verry little just enought to lay the dust Cut premium Oast to day 98 Doz on 1 Acre

Thursday the 6 July 1854 Cut Oats with 4 cradles until non then Tied up no rain to day fine rain passing about best we get more The Davie County Agricultural Society held its meeting here to day verry warm to day (Ther 96

Friday the 7th July 1854 Finished cutting oats with 2 cradles before noon run 2 waggons Halling in oats until noon in the after noon we had a light shower of rain and a verry hard wind from the No Eth Tangled our corn verry much a great deal of it is lying flat on the ground & I think will die if it dont rain soon verry hot to day moved the lot by Dry kill in the evening

Saturday the 8th July 1854 Plowed & hoed the Oregon Peas before noon in the after noon [lines off text on left side] 5 loads hay halled 2 loads of hay then a shower of rain came & stopped us we took holiday the balance of the eveing It was the best rain we have had for 4 weeks wet the ground something over an ich the wind Blowed our corn down so bad we cant plow any mor I wanted to play the pump field again verry bad it is young & nice corn & about wist high on an average [??] is Tasseling & a good deal higher we have had some corn sick a week ago but I neglected noticing of it at the time we have plowed the pump field but twice & run the cutivator through it once it is not foul but should of been cultivated again had it not of blown down so bad but it is impossible

Monday the 19th July 1852

Mowed in the shop meadow until 10 oclock it then set in raining and give us a first rate season wet the ground thoroughly the first we have had since the 10th of June while it was raining we cleaned up some old wheat in the barn we had 52 1/2 Bu of it left which was too much I should of sold more of it

Teusday 11 July 1854

Mowed until noon & then put p hay oat too we to haul

Wensday 12 July 1854 Commenced going over the pump field of corn with the culitvator Twice n a row we run 3 of them & mowed with hands until noon then halled oats & put up hay

Thursday the 13 July 1854 Halled oats all day with 2 waggons mowed a while in the morning with 2 hands & finished the big meadow sold 45 Bu wheat at 75 cts verry pleasant weather not too hot nor too cool

Friday the 14 July 1854 Finished halling in oats with one waggon and the other halled & stacked 13 loads of hay in the meadow [lined off text on left] hay 13 loads we commenced mowing in the afternoon in the meadow by shop we had about 1600 Doz oats verry large lies they filled our mow in the Barn full up

Saturday 15 July 1854 mowed in meadow by shop with 3 hands until noon & run 3 cultivators in the corn in the ater noon we raked & put up hay [lined off text on left] 3 loads] & halled 3 loads hay our corn begins to suffer very much for rain

Monday the 17 July 1854 Mowed in meadow by shop with 4 hands all day halled 6 loads of hay [lined off text on left] 6 loads of hay verry hot yesterday (Sunday) & To day Ther 93 [lined off text on left] 38 loading to here

Teusday 18th July 1854

mowed all day finished mowing in the shop meadow and commenced in Dr. Wisemans we are to mow 12 Acres for the half in Dr Wisemans meadow hot & Dry Ther 97

Wensday the 19 July Halled & stacked [lined off text on left] 8 loads hay 8 loads hay in the morning Commenced Thrashing wehat after Dinner John Lunn Thrashes my crop for the 16th Bu hired Thos Hill at 50 cts day to rake from the machine he is a good hand hot & Dry some showers passing but we got no rain

Thursday 20 July 1854 Thrashed wheat all day verry hot & no rain Ther 98 D

Friday the 21 july 1854 Thrashed wheat until noon then machine broke & we stoped [lined off text on left] 2 loads hay halled 2 loads hay from Wisemans meadow & cleaned up premium wheat we had 33 3/4 Bu from one Acre some Thunder Shower passing but no rain

Saturday 22 July Thrashed wheat until noon & stoped to mend up the old machine it broke down no rain & verry Dry cleaned up our premium wheat made 33 3/4 Bu on one Acre

Monday 24 July 1854 Thrashed wheat & hour or Two and then Broke the Thrasher again & stoped The boys went to mowing in Wisemans meadow Tax paying here to day quite a crowd out no rain

Teusday the 25 July 1854 Mowed until noon had one load of hay from Wisemans meadow [text line off on left] 1 of hay in the afternoon put up hay cloudy this morning and hay did not acre much in the evening it Rained a good shower wet the ground Two or Three inches we have a good chance of hay cocked up in Wisemans meadow that will have to be put out to dry The Rain comes too late for our corn it is injured verry much and cannot make a full crop

Wensday the 26 July 1854

Mowed in Wisemans meadow until 4 oclock we then had a good Rain wet our ground thoroughly & our hay too for it was cloudy all day and we could not haul in any to day I suppose we have 8 or 10 loads in acre & scattered that got wet