Letter from Estelle Dietterich to her aunt, Mary Winn

Authors

Estelle Dietterich

Files

Identifier

jc19170916

Date

9-16-1917

Description

Estelle writes about how living in the country seems to suit her family; she also writes about canning the fruit found on their land and raising roosters and hens.

Physical Description

Two pieces of lined paper measuring 8" x 10" and one envelope measuring 5.4" x 3.1"

Rights

Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code).

Publisher

Digitized by Forsyth Digital Collections.

Repository

Forsyth Library Special Collections

Comments

For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu

Recommended Citation

Dietterich, Estelle, "Letter from Estelle Dietterich to her aunt, Mary Winn" (1917). Kansas Territorial Documents. 39.
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/tj_ks_territorial_docs/39

Language

eng

Transcription

Morehead, Kans. Sept. 16 1917 Dear Aunt Mary: I will try to answer your very welcome letter which I received some time ago. We are all as well as usual except baby Clark and he is cutting his third tooth, an upper one, but it does not make him as sick as it does some babies, he has kept real well considering the terrible hot summer we have had, he is trying to walk alone now. Well we have been here just six months yesterday, and are all just as happy as can be, and would not go back to the city for anything. I was afraid that Marie would be dissatisfied after the newness had worn off, for she was born in K. C. and had never been in the country but two or three times, and then only for a short visit, but she likes it as well as any of us, she has done Most of the housekeeping this summer for I have worked outside all summer and she had to stay in on account of the baby, and she has done real well. The drought hit us pretty hard as well as others, we won't have half a corn crop, but our kafir corn is fine and will make an immence crop if we do not have frost too soon, we have about ten or eleven acres, we have a 20 acre meddow of prarie hay, we had cut about 2/3 of it before the rains came and it was very short, but it has grown so much since the rains that I think we can cut it again. We have had a little fruite in spite of the late frosts the drought and hail. I canned 21 qts. of cherries and 18½ qts. of peaches and we will have some pears and a few apples. I have canned 9 qts. of beets, but we have had no tomatoes to put up yet just a few to eat, but the vines are full of blooms and small ones so I may get some yet to put up, I hope so for we are all so fond of them. I think we shall have all the beans and turnips we want and bl They would have later second growth after the rain, and we had 16½ bu. Besides what we have been using all summer, we only planted two bu. I do not know what ground cherries are, nor how to get started with them. Are they good to can or jelly or what? I want to plant everything I can that is good to eat. I did not do as well with my chickens as I hoped to I had all kinds of bad luck. The last setting I had 110 eggs in the incubator and set a hen the same time but we had a terrible wind and thunder storm and I only got 40 chicks out of the whole thing, then the rats tool all of them but 14. They would catch them during the daytime for I had them shut up at night. We had to buy all our eggs and with feed so high too it was big loss. Some of our neighbors are losing their chickens with cholera but mine seem to be very healthy so far but I am giving them a preservative anyway and cleaning the house and using a dissafectant, to be on the safe side And I sold all the young roosters that were big enough I have sold altogether 59 young roosters and we have eaten a dozen or so, it seems as if I have more of them than I have pullets and I am so anxious to get a large flock of hens. I have not heard from Lou for a long time, he son and wife were expecting the stork to visit them in Aug. so I am rather curious to know what her first grand child is. Nora never writes to any of us anymore I do not know what is the matter with her. We have all written to her but she will not answer any of us, then Jo wrote to Iola. Well I will stop for this time as I have another letter to write. With love to all, Your niece Estelle Mrs. J. M. Winn Toledo, Ia Cancellation stamp has: Morehead Kans. Sep 17 1917 12 AM Mrs. H. C. Dietterich R 1 Morehead Ks.