Carolyn Gay Taft Farm Letter - February 1, 1915

Feb. 1, 1915 Miss Taft I recieved your letter today, we have been having a cold snap the coldest was 8 below zero but it is getting warmer and the wind is blowing a gale. looks like storm tomorow Mrs Stutsman found plank at Willie Gill Tompkins for stable floor but I havn't got them home yet but will as soon as possible. I went up to Hows to see the cows he has for sale he wants $100 or $125 apiece for them and he has some heifers I think he would sell for $75 but they arn't worth it neither are the cows. Robert Lackey was over to Stutsmans trying to sell his cow I went over to look at it it is about as big as S- Jeresy and has a bunch on the back of its bag about as big as my fist he said she would be fresh in about two months he wants $50 for her People that have good milk cows don't want to sell them till spring. That seed drill is an Iron-Age it is a combination seed drill and wheel hoe The people here dont use the plough that you can get with them just the hoe and cultivator teeth it works good and saves lots of hoeing you can get them at Rices Traverse City. There is plenty of sweet corn both kinds. Mr Stutsman got a little over half of the oat hay 4 ft. deep 11 ft. wide and a small load of corn fodder there is just three ft. deep of oat hay left in the snow I didn't tell Mrs. Stutsman that I couldnt feed the oat hay I told her I couldnt feed it just as you wanted it fed because there wasn't hay enough to go with it 1 ton of hay will be enough with the oat hay or 2 ton without We are not through cutting wood yet. Dick has got "greace heel" I got the leg healed up that was bothering him and now the other one is worse than that one was. I feed corn fodder sometimes 1 and sometimes twice a day yes I use the cutting box If I can cure Dicks other leg I can get along with him until the middle of May and if not he wont be any good I cured the other one with Camphor and Vasolene but I can't get any Camphor here now so Mrs. S- telephoned to Traverse to have some sent down. Mr Haywood says he will do your grafting I cut the scions to early last year and they got too dry. The Ben Davis are keeping pretty good so far. After getting your letter we tried some of them baked and they were as good as any I ever eat I eat three before I could stop. I think you could spare 20 bu. of corn besides the 20 bu. you promised Ralph Miss Ingraham is to be married the first week in March to Mr. Breeding