Dublin Core
Title
Carolyn Gay Taft Farm Letters - Transcribed letters from 1914
Subject
Old Mission Peninsula (Mich.)
Agriculture
Farmers
Crops and climate
Agriculture
Farmers
Crops and climate
Description
Carolyn Gay Taft (1873-1952), was the owner of a
small cherry farm on Old Mission Peninsula in the
early 1900’s. While she spent her summers on the
Peninsula, her primary job as a teacher at the Illinois
State School for the Deaf required hired hands to run
the farm in her absence. These farmers, and their
families, lived on the farm and sent frequent written
reports to Ms. Taft. Most letters are written by the
farmer’s wives, and provide a record of both
agricultural and social history.
small cherry farm on Old Mission Peninsula in the
early 1900’s. While she spent her summers on the
Peninsula, her primary job as a teacher at the Illinois
State School for the Deaf required hired hands to run
the farm in her absence. These farmers, and their
families, lived on the farm and sent frequent written
reports to Ms. Taft. Most letters are written by the
farmer’s wives, and provide a record of both
agricultural and social history.
Creator
Ralph Kitchen, Joseph Kitchen, Essie Kitchen, Max Gilmore, Hazel Gilmore
Source
Collection donated to Peninsula Community Library by the surviving members of the Taft family.
Publisher
Peninsula Community Library
Date
1914
Contributor
Mary T Morgan
Rights
This document is protected by copyright law. Contact
the Peninsula Community Library for permission to
reproduce, display, or transmit this document.
the Peninsula Community Library for permission to
reproduce, display, or transmit this document.
Relation
None
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Document
Identifier
LHC 010
Coverage
Traverse City, Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan
PDF Text
Text
March 26, 1914
Miss Taft
Miss Ingraham has not arrived yet Earnest got a letter from her a few days ago saying she would be here the second of April I got your letter today and it has rained most all day we
hardly have two days alike the roads are awful poor any one can't haul a load over them at present. and as to temperature it is 28 above zero.
The trimming is all done. That was 58 hours work. I got 10 bu. oats and 6 bu corn ground.
I put the sleigh away up over the shop.
I sold Mr. Haywood 8 bu. of Mrs. Stutsmans soft corn at 10 cents a bu. and he will pay her when she comes. I can't find any one that wants your cornstalks.
Ralph Kitchen
[June 2, 1914]
Miss Taft
Your sweetcorn and carrots are in the ground and I forgot to tell you in the other letter there is about 3 bu. of your seed potatoes left.
Mrs. Stutsmans corn and oats are up and her orchards are plowed and most all dragged and your oats and peas are growing good, also corn.
The pear trees are loaded also most of the apple trees and cherries are loaded. The chicken yard has been up for some time.
I disked the orchard again Do you want the strips up in the cherry orchard where the vetch was plowed around the trees or all plowed the vetch winter killed and the rye is pretty thick around the trees but not much of any in between the rows.
I sowed ninteen bushel of oats here and 6 over at S.-. I planted planted a half-bushel corn. I planted all of your sweet corn and some of ours Evergreen on the piece back of the barn one pkg. of yours the worms had nearly eat up.
I burnt the tent worms out of the trees once and will have to again as the woods are all full of them and they are traveling all across the land.
Dick is all right now just as good as he was last year the reason I didn't say any thing about him was because I thought if you wanted to get a new team next spring we could get along with him till then and save your buying another horse.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Sept. 21, 1914
Miss Taft
I recieved your letter tonight, yes I cut the alfalfa monday and it rained Monday night. we raked the alfalfa up with hand rakes and hauled it in Wednesday afternoon.
There was 2 bushel of the pears and I sent them to you Mrs. Stutsman did not tell me about them till I was on my way to the boat with them. I helped Mr. Stutsman do the shingling
We had some cold nasty weather but now it is hot and sultry again.
Freman got 4 1/2 bu. of potatoes altogether.
I am cutting corn.
The horses are allright.
Miss Ingrahams beau is here
I just got a card from your freight.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Sept. 30, 1914
Miss Taft-
I got your letter yesterday. I got the potatoes all dug and there is 17 bu. in all I took 14 bu. to Miss Morse and 1 bu. to Cleary's and 2 bu. left for seed. The corn is all cut but the late corn there are 98 shocks in the first field and I havn't counted the others yet.
I started to pick the Maidens Blush apples and Mrs. Stutsman stoped me.
Your freight came and I gave Mrs. Stutsman the bill of it.
Mrs. Stutsman has the bill of what I got to town and the rest of the money.
both covered bins are full of oats and have been ever since the next day after you left.
They have been working on the road and the two rods are all on your land.
The corn crib roof is flat ready for the paper.
No I didn't take any more potatoes as I didn't think you had enough to fill your orders.
The horses are allright.
Ralph.
Old Mission, Mich.
Oct. 13, 1914
Miss Taft,
The weather has been very rainy for the past few days and is cold and windy today.
I picked six bushel of wagnor apples and took them to Stutsmans.
The tar paper is on the corn crib and there is 59 bu. of corn in the crib and two bu. of seed corn up stairs. There is 110 shocks early corn and 24 shocks late corn.
I boarded up the south side of wagon shed.
and put a lock on the cellar door. I put some tar paper on the hen coop that Mrs. S gave me.
Earnest and I went out Sunday morning and got a coon that weighed 27 1/2 lbs. and it was very good eating.
Do you want all the oat ground plowed this fall?
I think I can make the hinges work alright.
The horses are all right.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Oct. 26, 1914
Miss Taft-
We have had some very nice weather but today it is snowing and hailing for the first time and blowing some. Yes I left two barrels at Mr. S to pay for the ones you had before you left.
I took four barrels over there that belong to you with 3 1/2 bbls. of no. 1. Wagnor apples in them.
There is 161 bu. of corn now in the crib and 12 shocks to husk yet.
I don't know what Crampton means about one shoe. I never got just one nor had just one reset I got two new shoes last winter that is all the shoes I did get. I have not had him Dick shod since you left.
The potatoes were just as ripe as they ever would be as they were killed by blight and a great many peoples potatoes were killed by blight this year.
Yes I will take the potatoes at 30 cts. a bu.
I cut off the branches you spoke about. I havnt used the saw yet it is in the case it came in yet. I put the bolt in the little tree but the other two are to long. Those apples I thought were Stark I havn't picked yet and I don't know what either them or the ones by the Tolman Sweets are.
The horses havn't been in the pasture for a month.
The new seeding is doing fine. We are saving the coon pelt untill the season opens. that will be next Sunday. I have not cracked up the big stones yet.
I helped Mr. S. pick apples two days last week and helped Willard thrash one forenoon last week and Ledger thrashed the day Mr. S. and I went to town. We took twelve bags of your oats and there are eight or ten bu. more that wont go in the bins.
I put the cellar window in.
I havn't picked the Ben Davis apples yet I don't know what to do with them unless I put them in the cellar and ship them in the spring as the canning factory and cider apples are not going to take any more than what they already have sacks out for.
Dick has a lame leg I don't know what is the trouble weather he steped on a corn stubble or what is the matter but it is swelled the whole length and matter runs out his fetlock I am doctoring it.
Ralph Kitchen.
[November 27, 1914]
Old Mission, Mich.
Miss Taft-
The tar paper is on all but the porches I got harness oil and bolts at the Mission and some vaseline and Camphor and a tie rope for Dick his leg got worse again and cracked open but is getting a little better now. I got the tree bolted.
Mr. Lardie hasnt even mentioned the rat poison yet.
I got the salt from Stutsmans I am cutting wood and working on the telephone line.
I fixed the kitchen chimney as good as I could fix it and the other one is all right.
It stormed about a week so I couldn't do much but the snow is about all gone now and it is quite warm again. Mr Stutsman and I went to town Monday with sleighs I understand what you mean about the logs but have no saw to cut them with. The first tree has two logs in and and the one broke off up so high has one crooked log in it and the others haven't any logs in them.
What is the other can of stuff that came with the tar paper and what is it for I don't mean the stuff to put on the paper but the other can that came at the same time
We are all better and hope this finds you well.
Ralph Kitchen
Miss Taft
Miss Ingraham has not arrived yet Earnest got a letter from her a few days ago saying she would be here the second of April I got your letter today and it has rained most all day we
hardly have two days alike the roads are awful poor any one can't haul a load over them at present. and as to temperature it is 28 above zero.
The trimming is all done. That was 58 hours work. I got 10 bu. oats and 6 bu corn ground.
I put the sleigh away up over the shop.
I sold Mr. Haywood 8 bu. of Mrs. Stutsmans soft corn at 10 cents a bu. and he will pay her when she comes. I can't find any one that wants your cornstalks.
Ralph Kitchen
[June 2, 1914]
Miss Taft
Your sweetcorn and carrots are in the ground and I forgot to tell you in the other letter there is about 3 bu. of your seed potatoes left.
Mrs. Stutsmans corn and oats are up and her orchards are plowed and most all dragged and your oats and peas are growing good, also corn.
The pear trees are loaded also most of the apple trees and cherries are loaded. The chicken yard has been up for some time.
I disked the orchard again Do you want the strips up in the cherry orchard where the vetch was plowed around the trees or all plowed the vetch winter killed and the rye is pretty thick around the trees but not much of any in between the rows.
I sowed ninteen bushel of oats here and 6 over at S.-. I planted planted a half-bushel corn. I planted all of your sweet corn and some of ours Evergreen on the piece back of the barn one pkg. of yours the worms had nearly eat up.
I burnt the tent worms out of the trees once and will have to again as the woods are all full of them and they are traveling all across the land.
Dick is all right now just as good as he was last year the reason I didn't say any thing about him was because I thought if you wanted to get a new team next spring we could get along with him till then and save your buying another horse.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Sept. 21, 1914
Miss Taft
I recieved your letter tonight, yes I cut the alfalfa monday and it rained Monday night. we raked the alfalfa up with hand rakes and hauled it in Wednesday afternoon.
There was 2 bushel of the pears and I sent them to you Mrs. Stutsman did not tell me about them till I was on my way to the boat with them. I helped Mr. Stutsman do the shingling
We had some cold nasty weather but now it is hot and sultry again.
Freman got 4 1/2 bu. of potatoes altogether.
I am cutting corn.
The horses are allright.
Miss Ingrahams beau is here
I just got a card from your freight.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Sept. 30, 1914
Miss Taft-
I got your letter yesterday. I got the potatoes all dug and there is 17 bu. in all I took 14 bu. to Miss Morse and 1 bu. to Cleary's and 2 bu. left for seed. The corn is all cut but the late corn there are 98 shocks in the first field and I havn't counted the others yet.
I started to pick the Maidens Blush apples and Mrs. Stutsman stoped me.
Your freight came and I gave Mrs. Stutsman the bill of it.
Mrs. Stutsman has the bill of what I got to town and the rest of the money.
both covered bins are full of oats and have been ever since the next day after you left.
They have been working on the road and the two rods are all on your land.
The corn crib roof is flat ready for the paper.
No I didn't take any more potatoes as I didn't think you had enough to fill your orders.
The horses are allright.
Ralph.
Old Mission, Mich.
Oct. 13, 1914
Miss Taft,
The weather has been very rainy for the past few days and is cold and windy today.
I picked six bushel of wagnor apples and took them to Stutsmans.
The tar paper is on the corn crib and there is 59 bu. of corn in the crib and two bu. of seed corn up stairs. There is 110 shocks early corn and 24 shocks late corn.
I boarded up the south side of wagon shed.
and put a lock on the cellar door. I put some tar paper on the hen coop that Mrs. S gave me.
Earnest and I went out Sunday morning and got a coon that weighed 27 1/2 lbs. and it was very good eating.
Do you want all the oat ground plowed this fall?
I think I can make the hinges work alright.
The horses are all right.
Ralph Kitchen
Old Mission, Mich.
Oct. 26, 1914
Miss Taft-
We have had some very nice weather but today it is snowing and hailing for the first time and blowing some. Yes I left two barrels at Mr. S to pay for the ones you had before you left.
I took four barrels over there that belong to you with 3 1/2 bbls. of no. 1. Wagnor apples in them.
There is 161 bu. of corn now in the crib and 12 shocks to husk yet.
I don't know what Crampton means about one shoe. I never got just one nor had just one reset I got two new shoes last winter that is all the shoes I did get. I have not had him Dick shod since you left.
The potatoes were just as ripe as they ever would be as they were killed by blight and a great many peoples potatoes were killed by blight this year.
Yes I will take the potatoes at 30 cts. a bu.
I cut off the branches you spoke about. I havnt used the saw yet it is in the case it came in yet. I put the bolt in the little tree but the other two are to long. Those apples I thought were Stark I havn't picked yet and I don't know what either them or the ones by the Tolman Sweets are.
The horses havn't been in the pasture for a month.
The new seeding is doing fine. We are saving the coon pelt untill the season opens. that will be next Sunday. I have not cracked up the big stones yet.
I helped Mr. S. pick apples two days last week and helped Willard thrash one forenoon last week and Ledger thrashed the day Mr. S. and I went to town. We took twelve bags of your oats and there are eight or ten bu. more that wont go in the bins.
I put the cellar window in.
I havn't picked the Ben Davis apples yet I don't know what to do with them unless I put them in the cellar and ship them in the spring as the canning factory and cider apples are not going to take any more than what they already have sacks out for.
Dick has a lame leg I don't know what is the trouble weather he steped on a corn stubble or what is the matter but it is swelled the whole length and matter runs out his fetlock I am doctoring it.
Ralph Kitchen.
[November 27, 1914]
Old Mission, Mich.
Miss Taft-
The tar paper is on all but the porches I got harness oil and bolts at the Mission and some vaseline and Camphor and a tie rope for Dick his leg got worse again and cracked open but is getting a little better now. I got the tree bolted.
Mr. Lardie hasnt even mentioned the rat poison yet.
I got the salt from Stutsmans I am cutting wood and working on the telephone line.
I fixed the kitchen chimney as good as I could fix it and the other one is all right.
It stormed about a week so I couldn't do much but the snow is about all gone now and it is quite warm again. Mr Stutsman and I went to town Monday with sleighs I understand what you mean about the logs but have no saw to cut them with. The first tree has two logs in and and the one broke off up so high has one crooked log in it and the others haven't any logs in them.
What is the other can of stuff that came with the tar paper and what is it for I don't mean the stuff to put on the paper but the other can that came at the same time
We are all better and hope this finds you well.
Ralph Kitchen
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