1911 06 05 Martha Andrews to Samuel Andrews

Seneca Mo June 5^th 1911

Dear Uncle

I will now try to write you.  It is very warm 98 in the shade but a good

 breeze blowing.  We have had a very peculiar spring had not enough rain from

 the last of April till the night of May 29^th to lay the dust but the evening

 of the 29^th it rained a good shower and again the night of the 30^th   it
 rained so the ground was soaked but we need it again for potatoes.  The

 drouth cut the berry crop off short.  They said there never was such a good

 prospect for the berries as this year but there were  only fifteen car load
sent out but   some fields revived somewhat after the rain and they are still
 sending a few by express.  The average price paid was $2. 25 per crate here
 on the track if will make a good thing for the farmers anyway.
 Cherries are a good crop and selling at $2. 75 per crate.  black berries
will be a big crop as well as all other fruit

Wheat harvest has begun and it looks like oat harvest would crowd it

 easily, corn is small but farmers generally took advantage of the dry weather

 to kill weeds and now it will soon be up with the season.

 my farming is very satisfactory so far I have the best garden in this end of town.

 I planted a pint of peas and picked 10 ½ gallon.  have sweet corn all tassled

 and will have tomatoes before the 4^th of July.  my different kinds of

 corn I think will be the thing.  They are all growing as fast as I could wish.
one kind did not come up good I think the seed was poor but I put millet in where

 there was space enough and where there was only a few hills missing

 I put cow peas so I am keeping the ground full. I pulled the pea vines

 last Thursday and cleaned the ground off and  sowed millet and Sat fore

noon I fixed a patch of ground down on the lots where the house burned and planted it

 to cow peas and it was dreadful hot and as you know surrounded

 with trees so I got but little air and I guess I got too much of a good

 thing for I  haven’t been able to do much since.

 I have been feeling quite well ever since I have been living out doors.  but

my cough still stays by me but I do not cough as much as I did.

 The health of the country is good.  There has been several deaths this

 spring among very old people.  An old man a friend of Pas had a stroke

 of paralysis early in Sept and has been as helpless as a baby and his mind

almost entirely gone ever since till he died two weeks ago.  Mrs. Peterson

 has been sick since Christmas has not been to town since the 1^st

of Jan till two weeks ago he brought her down to her daughters and ate

dinner and took her home.

  She phoned to Mrs. Grinn last Friday to know what had become of me and

 said if I loved her as I ought I would come out to see her.  I certainly

 must go soon.  The cow is about dry and when I get her dry I can go better.
 Wont have to hurry home in the heat of the day.

Where in Ark does Ralph live.  Does D K still live in Lexington.  Now I

will close.  Write soon.

                                                                                                                        Dott

1911 08 18 Martha Andrews to Samuel Andrews

Seneca Mo Aug 18^th 1911

Dear Uncle

How are you

people getting along?

  There is some sickness

 here and most of us

 feel more or less under

 the weather.  it has been

 so hot and since the

 first of July have had

 an unusual amount

 of rain and two weeks

 ago had another big

 flood  the back water

came up into the corner

 of my yard but it

came in daylight so

 I didnt get scared and

 leave home.  It done

considerable damage

to property and washed

 several houses of their

 foundations.  But I think

 the worst thng was that

 it washed so much

 filth into wells and

 some were thoughtless

 enough to drink the

water and that is

causing the sickness.

 But the rains are mak

ing good crops corn

 is going to be a bumper

 crop but I think potatoes

 will be a failure, their

 is lots of fruit of all

 kinds.  and while I

 used to think there

 was no peaches like we

 got in Mich I have

 had bigger peaches

 this fall than I ever

 saw before.  And melons

 are so plenty and

 cheap I have had them

 till I am full but not

 tired of them.  My cow

 finally found a calf

three weeks ago  a

 little boy calf but I am

 raising it for it is a

 full blood jersey and

 a beauty  I think perhaps

 I can sell it by winter

 for breeding.  The cow

 is doing very well but

 it is so hot the milk

 isnt doing me much

 good but I began getting

 ice yesterday so maby I

can make something

 out of it.  enough to pay

 the ice bill.  I expect

 to go in a few days

down south to look at

 a piece of land that

 the people want to trade

 for town property.  a

 friend of mine from

 Chetopa Kans who

 knows the people is

 coming to go with me

 I must get a place

where I can get along

without paying out so

much.  I have raised

 fine crops this summer

 better than any one

 else around.  The

 Frisco Agricultural  car

was here the 15^th of last

 month and the man

 who had it in charge

 saw a hill of my

 Teosmite that they had

 at the bank and he

 came up here to see

 my crops and said

 I had better crops than

 they  had on the exper

imental farm this year

 and he took a hill of

 my Teosmite on the car

 for exhibition.  I felt

 real proud of the nice

 things he said of my

 work.  But I have

 worked hard to get

things to grow.  and

 have worked under so

 many disadvantages.

Tomorrow is

Farmers Day again it

is the third Sat in

 each month and is

 a big thing a sort of

 agricultural fair a

 field day and a 4^th

of July all in one.

 Well I must close

 now and get my

 dirty house cleaned

 up for I expect company

 to dinner tomorrow.

             Good by

   Dott