MARCH 1897
Mon. Mar. 1st. Cloudy and a chilly and damp S breeze all day and dropped rain a little late in eve. Willie put Joe and Dick in plow together (first time since last year) and broke ground with 4 furrows all day in Gate cut for corn. I hauled 13 cartloads of cow manure from cow pen and spread over all of garden by 3 1/4 in eve and plowed up all of garden by 5 1/4 with Hattie. Pa cleaned up garden early in morn and packed up some wood till dinner and he cleaned up some ground in old cowpen corner to plant Irish potatoes in eve.
Tue. 2nd. Foggy till 9 1/2 in morn and cloudy some balance of day from S but bright late in eve and warmer today. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day in Gate cut breaking ground with 4 furrows and finished all of that cut but about 1 hours plowing in potatoe patch part on roadside by H ridge. I harrowed all of garden early in morn and Nellie and Dixie planted onions and peas and mustard today and I cut 3 prongs off old hickory logs and rolled them out in old cowpen corner and hauled 4 cartloads of cow manure and spread there by 11 3/4 and I hauled 7 more in eve and spread and finished manuring Irish potatoe corner late in eve . I had a dull headache most of day and took 2 Pierce's pills early in morn and headache left me in eve late.
Wed. 3rd. Warm and cloudy some but bright and sun shined most of day - wind from S or W of S. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day breaking ground for corn. He finished Gate cut early in morn and plowed balance of day on hilltop of Persimmon cut. I plowed up Irish potatoe patch in old cowpen corner and harrowed it twice to row by 9 in morn and I cut the potatoes by 10. Pa and I planted them by 11 1/2. Pa trenched the rows while I was harrowing them and cutting the potatoes. Pa and I planted 5 long and 2 short rows of sugar cane in NE part of orchard just on this side of stubble cane there in eve.
Thu. 4th. Warm and cloudy from S and wind damp all day but bright most of eve. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day in Persimmon and Pine corner cuts breaking ground for corn. Lewis and Joe Miller came early in morn with wagon and got a load of seed cane which I owe Lewis for hauling my cane to mill last Nov. I hauled 6 cartloads of cow manure and put around trees by front gate (1/2 load to tree) at 8 1/4 to 11 1/2 in morn and I hauled 6 more in eve and put there and finished all of trees. (I manured 6 of them some time ago with stable manure.) I put 1 load on H ridge in little piles late in eve. Pa cleared off ground in field all day.
Fri. 5th. Warm and cloudy from S and sprinkled rain several times at 10 to 12 and rained most of eve and some at night with some little thunder. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all morn in lower part of Pine corner and new SW corner and it took Pa and myself 1 1/2 hours early in morn to take old point of my A plow (the bolt would not turn) and put a new one on and I ran 2 furrows over all of E side by front gate and part of W side at 8 3/4 to 11 1/2 in morn with Hattie. I ran in old water furrow and threw it back without lapping any. We didn't work in eve on account of rain. I picked some moss and stuffed a new lowells "mule collar" for Sims in eve at 1 to 4. Brother Breland - the young new preacher - came to Lewis' in morn and he and West walked here at 4 3/4 in eve between showers and held prayer with us and left at 5 3/4.
Sat. 6th. Cloudy and ground very wet and wind and clouds from NE and rained in slow sprinkles some in eve at 1 1/2 to 5 and quit then. Pa walked to Lewis' early in morn and got his ax ground and belted some trees in Coon pasture. Dixie and Lilah drove Hattie to Pinson place in morn and carried some potatoes. Willie and I patched up wire fence around Coon pasture around creek around 10 1/2 in morn and I packed and cut up some bay wood from orchard till 11 1/2. Willie rode Joe to Cohen's at 2 3/4 to 5 3/4 in eve. I dug up some ground with spade at SE corner of garden to bed out some yams in eve at 1 1/4 to 3 3/4 between showers and I killed 2 squirrels just beyond garden at 4 in eve.
Sun. 7th. A thunder cloud came up from W at sunrise and rained slowly at 7 to 9 1/2 or 10 and quit till late in eve and sprinkled again at 5 to 6 in eve and air warm and trees and grass putting out very fast. I walked all over calf pasture twice early in morn (in rain) hunting 2 of Curly sow's little pigs and found them in a sink hole by roadside and got them out and they were not hurt. Lewis dined here and Willie ate dinner at Joe Miller's and he came back and rode Joe to Ogden's in eve and returned in night sometime. Miss Grace C and Dixie and Lilah came home from Wiley's at 2 in eve and I drove Hattie on to Estina at 2 1/2 to 4 and carried Miss Grace home. Clara and her 2 smallest children here in eve and B C here in eve and till bedtime.
Mon. 8th. Warm, and cloudy from S but sun shined most of day and dried ground some for it was very wet in morn. Pa belted trees in Coon pasture all day. Willie and I worked on Coon field fence on side next to Lewis' pasture all day and finished that side but about 30 or 40 yards. We drove down stakes or small posts (mostly white oak) between old posts and nailed wires to them.
Tue. 9th. Warm and cloudy from SW all day with a breeze most of day. Sun shined some dimly and it dropped rain a little at 11 in morn. Willie plowed Joe and Dick and I Hattie all day in new SW corner breaking ground for corn. I listed and Willie plowed out middles behind me. We began in old turnip patch part in morn and got down on hillside in log ground part. Pa cleared off ground there all day knocking up stumps and cutting sprouts and briars.
Wed. 10th. Very warm and cloudy some from SW but sun shined dimly all day. Willie plowed Joe and Dick and I Hattie all day in new SW corner breaking ground (in log part) and finished all but hilltop next to wire. Pa cleared off ground there all morn and belted trees in Coon pasture in eve. Seymour dined here and hauled away 2 of his little wagon loads of seed cane in eve (which I gave him).
Thu. 11th. Warm and dark cloudy and dropped rain from 6 to 8 in morn but bright and sun shined after 11 in morn. A pleasant W of S breeze all eve. I drove Hattie to cart to Cohen's at 7 3/4 to 12 in morn and got a bbl flour and a bu meal and a spool wire (for Coon field fence on N side). I got 3 spools some time ago which put up just 3 strands and I carried 5 1/2 doz eggs but had to bring them back. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all morn and he finished new SW corner and plowed some by front gate on W side plowing out middles where I listed on last Fri. Pa belted trees in Coon pasture all day. Willie and I began and planted corn all eve in Gate cut. We planted yellow boat corn (bought seed) in old potatoe patch part next to H ridge and we planted "home saved" yellow boat corn on W end of Gate cut.
Fri. 12th. Warm and cloudy all day from SW and dropped rain several times in morn. Pa belted trees in Coon pasture all day. Willie plowed Joe and Dick till 10 1/2 in morn and finished breaking cut by front gate on both sides. I planted all of E side (by then) in home saved boat corn and Willie and I planted 1/2 of W side by 11 1/2 and finished there and planted in Gate cut till 4 in eve. Willie rode Joe and I Hattie and drove all of our dry cattle from Sims' field and put into cow pasture at 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 in eve. Our bob-tail white sow gave birth to 8 pigs today but she overlaid one and one was broken down in back and I killed it, leaving her only 6.
Sat. 13th. Cloudy and cooler in morn from NE and dropped rain several times in morn and from SE in eve and quite warm and very little sunshine today. Pa belted trees in Coon pasture all morn. Willie and I planted home saved boat corn (yellow) in Gate cut with Hattie and Joe till 11 1/2 in morn and finished that cut then. Gussie came at 1 1/2 in eve and dined here. I bedded out some pumpkin yams at SE corner of garden (in field side) in eve and packed and cut up some wood. Willie rode Joe beyond Sims' in eve and drove home the brown cow and heifer which he bought from Sims last year and Willie and I marked the heifer and put them in cowpen late in eve.
Sun. 14th. Cloudy and chilly - wind from NE and clouds from SW all day and rained a little with some distant thunder in NW at night. Willie and I packed the old pigpen (plank) and put it in hog-pen in SE corner of garden early in morn and we put the 4 little pigs of bob-tail sow (she had lost 4) into pig-pen (and 2 of Curly sow's pigs also) and we drove the bob-tail sow into hog-pen and left her there with her 4 pigs. The Curly sow's 6 pigs (3 weeks old) were sucking the bob-tail sow. No one here today but B C. He came at 4 in eve and left at 8 1/4 at night.
Mon. 15th. Cloudy and cool and wind from NE and clouds from SW and dropped rain some in morn and sprinkled hard at 12 and several little sprinkles in eve. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day - he broke all of old pea ground on NE corner of Cherry cut and some more poor ground there with 4 furrows for corn and finished breaking last of our corn ground at 4 in eve and listed ground for cotton on upper side of Cherry cut till sunset. I harrowed ground for corn all day till 4 1/2 in eve and finished. I harrowed all of new SW corner and all of poor ground which Willie broke today -one to row- with Hattie. Pa finished belting trees in Coon pasture by dinner and cut briars in orchard in eve.
Tue. 16th. Warmer and cloudy from SE and very little sunshine all day. Pa cut briars and cleaned off ground on NW side of orchard today. Willie and I began at wire fence and planted corn all day in new SW corner with Hattie and Joe and we finished log-ground part and got down to bottom next to corner (white oak) by late in eve.
Wed. 17th. Warm and cloudy from SE - very little sunshine all day. Pa finished cleaning off ground in orchard in eve and cut and packed some little pines from Dewberry cut and put in a wash on H ridge. Willie and I planted corn all day with Hattie and Joe and we finished new SW corner at 10 in morn and got a way up in Pine corner by late in eve. Mr. Welsh, a book agent, stopped here for the night (late in eve). He is an old man and walking.
Thu. 18th. Warm and dark cloudy from W of S and no sun all day and dropped rain at 1 to 2 in eve. Willie and I planted corn all day with Hattie and Joe and we finished Pine corner cut at 8 1/2 in morn and Persimmon cut at 4 1/2 in eve and planted little in old pea ground on poor NE corner of Cherry cut late in eve. Pa cut and packed little pines from Dewberry cut and put in washes all day. Mr. Welsh here all day and at night again. I had a dull headache most of day and took 1 pellet at 1 3/4 in eve and another at 5 1/2 and headache left me early at night.
Fri. 19th. It rained a good one in thundershowers at 5 to 7 1/2 in morn with a hard little wind from W at 5 1/2 and clear and pleasant from S of W after 9 in morn. Willie drove up Dick from cow pasture just after breakfast and he plowed Joe and Dick all day after 8 in morn in Cherry cut breaking ground (for cotton). Pa and I cut up the large limbs of old beech on W or NW side of orchard into wood and cut up the log too and I hauled 4 cartloads of wood from there at 10 1/4 to 11 1/2. Buddy and Lewis came at 11 1/4 and helped us to roll beech log (2 pieces) down into hollow and we held a trustee's meeting and selected Mrs. Baker at 11 to 11 3/4. Wiley D sent a note by Jim at 11 1/4 (Rena is in bed sick) and Nellie and I drove Hattie to Wiley's in eve and Nellie stayed there and I got home just after sunset. Mr. Welsh left here in morn and went to Lewis' and I met him going to Cohen's late in eve.
Sat. 20th. Clear and pleasant in morn from SW and warm in eve and cloudy a little. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all morn on W side of Cherry cut breaking ground for cotton with 4 furrows and I plowed Hattie in morn in water hole cut and changed rows there on hillside and broke ground with 6 furrows. Pa cut briars and bushes in field in morn. Willie rode Joe to Cohen's in eve and I packed 3 turns of stove wood and cut up wood in eve.
Sun. 21st. Cloudy and foggy and dropped rain at 7 to 10 in morn from S and rained around in thundershowers (and some here) at 3 in eve to 8 1/2 at night and again later in night from SW. I drove Hattie to Pinson place in morn by 10 1/4 and Nellie and I came home by 4 1/2 in eve (Nellie has been there since last Fri. eve). I had a dull headache all day but took 1 pellet at 5 in morn and another at 1 and headache left me in eve. B C here at 5 to 8 1/2 at night.
Mon. 22nd. Dark cloudy all day and warm in morn and a fine mist or fog from S most of morn and very calm and sultry and dark at 1 to 4 in eve and dropped rain and a thunder cloud came up from S of W at 4 in eve and we had a storm with wind and some hail at 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 and wind blew down a large beech (just SW of cow pen) on wire fence and gate on W side of pen the full length of the tree. We had to put cows into pen through broken wire fence late in eve. Willie plowed Joe and Dick in morn on W side of Cherry cut breaking ground and I plowed Hattie in bottom of new 2nd Cane hollow and in water hole cut and broke ground. Willie and I planted corn in old pea ground in NE part of Cherry cut at 1 1/4 to 4 in eve and rain ran us home then. Pa cleaned up ground in 2nd Cane hollow till 3 in eve.
Tue. 23rd. Bright and a cool N wind all day and sun shined most of day and dried ground good deal. Pa, Willie and I worked all day and cut up the limbs and log of old beech which fell on cow pen fence and repairing fence and outside gate to cow pen and putting in new catalpa posts and we finished late in eve. Ida and children and Maxie F and Sims here in eve awhile.
Wed. 24th. Quite cool early in morn and wind from NW all day but a pleasant day. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day breaking ground in old Cane hollow (he finished Cherry cut on W side in about 1 1/2 hours early in morn). I plowed Hattie all day and broke ground with 6 furrows in new 2nd Cane hollow and Pa cleaned off ground there in part we didn't cultivate last year (on hill side). I broke 2 old laprings today.
Thu. 25th. Clear and quite cool early in morn but a beautiful and pleasant day- wind from N of W. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day and broke ground in old Cane hollow and finished there late in eve. I broke ground with Hattie all day in new 2nd Cane hollow and Pa cut canes and sprouts there on hillside (where we didn't cultivate last year). Parson Breland and wife came late in eve and stayed all night and I stayed in Pa's room with Willie.
Fri. 26th. Clear and cool early in morn but wind from SW and a pleasant day. Willie plowed Joe and Dick all day in orchard breaking ground on E side. I plowed Hattie till 10 3/4 in morn and broke ground in 2nd Cane hollow and broke my plow then (the standard or upright part). Pa cut cane and sprouts on new 2nd Cane hollow most of day. Pa, Willie and I cut the old bay log (just NW of barn) in orchard in two and rolled it around in hollow there at 1 to 2 in eve. Bro. Breland and wife left early in morn. I drove Hattie to Cohen's in eve and got some things which I paid for - and got 1 bu. meal and 1 B plow point and 1 old A plow on credit. Cohen didn't have the new part that I wanted.
Sat. 27th. Foggy in morn but nearly clear after 9 in morn and pleasant from S of W. Willie plowed Joe and Dick in orchard on W side and I plowed Hattie there in corner by cow pen and in hollow till 10 1/2 in morn and we finished all except hollow and hillside around it. Pa worked there cleaning off ground. Wiley and Rena came at 10 3/4 and Wiley went back home in eve and Rena stayed. I hauled a spool of wire to Coon field and hauled 28 white oak wire
posts from there in 2 cartloads and put here in yard in eve. Willie helped "boys" to cover a schoolhouse just beyond Lewis' in eve.
Sun. 28th. Cloudy and a damp SE breeze all day and dropped rain at 10 in morn and again at 5 1/4 in eve and wind high most of night from E of S and rained some through the night. Wiley came early in morn and he and Rena and Gussie dined here (and B C too at 3 o'clock in eve ) and he and Dixie went to Union church in morn and returned at 2 3/4. I rode Hattie to Clara's in morn and carried some "Queens" and Buddy gave me an old A plow standard to repair my plow which I broke on last Friday. Bro. Breland preached at Lewis' at 4 1/4 to 5 1/2 in eve and all of us except Pa went. Wiley and Rena (and Effie) went home at 3 3/4 in eve. B C here till 8 3/4 at night.
Mon. 29th. We had a big rain last night but it fell slowly and didn't wash much and ground very wet in morn but bright and sunshine most of day and a good pleasant breeze from S and dried a good deal. I drove Hattie to cart to Coon field early in morn (and carried harrow) and Willie and I worked there all day on fence. We put up bottom wire on N side from gate to creek and 6 panels on bank there and dug down some of banks and finished all of fence except a little on E side next to Lewis' pasture. Pa cut and packed out brush and roots there all day.
Tue. 30th. Warm and cloudy and a damp S breeze all day and very little sunshine and dropped rain several times in morn and in eve too. Willie harrowed turf ground in Coon field with Joe and Dick all day running twice on a row and Pa packed out roots there all day. I hauled out 19 cartloads of cow manure from "pen" and put in little piles on hilltop of H ridge for a potatoe patch (all day) with Hattie. The ground has not been broken up - we only intend to break once for a potatoe patch.
Wed. 31st. Dark cloudy and warm from SE and rained in little showers some last night and till 7 1/2 this morn and began again at 2 in eve and got harder at 3 and lasted most of eve and at night. Willie harrowed ground in Coon field all morn and till 3 1/4 in eve and rain stopped him then. Pa picked up roots in Coon field till 3 1/4 in eve. I hauled out 2 cartloads of stable manure and 5 of cow manure and put on H ridge for potatoes by 11 in morn and manured enough ground there for potatoe patch. I put 27 cartloads in all there. I had a dull headache all day but took 2 Pierce's pills early in morn and they worked me at noon and headache left me late in eve. I ran 2 furrows with Hattie over all ground manured on H ridge for potatoes at 1 to 3 1/4 in eve and rain ran me home then.