Thursday 1st I was not very well. I finished the gates. The boys were working in the E. R.
Friday 2nd Showery day. The boys were underscrubbing in the E. R. I was making Cases in the shed. Mary Anne Pratt came here for tea and then she went with Minnie down for the mail and then up to the Library.
Saturday 3rd It was a fine day. The boys were working in the E. R. in the morning and were mending their fences round their gardens in the pm. Willie helped Mr Rayner bring round his boat from Matakana, Mr R. had tea here and then walked home. I was pruning in the orchard.
Sunday 4th It was a fine day. Revd R. McKinney preached in the Hall in the morning.
Jane & I rode to Pakiri, Mr Boon was preaching in the Hall, but we were too late for the service. We went to Mr Wittens where we had dinner and tea, I went round Mr Wittens orchard and saw his Lemons which are looking very well, he uses a great deal of lime for the black blight on the leaves and also to decompose the mulch that he puts round the trees and turns it into plant food.
He is regrafting a great many of his trees that are not profitable nearly all his Reinette du Canada Apples he is going to regraft with Gozeis, Lord Wolsey and other late sorts, his Coles Prolific Damson he is regrafting with Lothenboio, and Toielle Pears he is regrafting with more profitable kinds. I enjoyed my visit very much, we got home about 7.30 . In our absence Mr Rayner & Miss Pratt had been to our place and staid tea also Mary Ann Pratt.
Monday 5th It was a fine day. Willie left early in the morning, he is bush felling on his own land . The boys were hauling out Posts and Sleepers out of the E. R.
I finished pruning in this orchard and commenced in the farm orchard.
Tuesday 6th It was a fine day. The boys were hauling out of the E.R. I was mending the fence Frearsons side next the creek. Willie came home in the evening and staid all night. I went down to the Steamer, Charlie came up.
Wednesday 7th It was a fine day although it looked dull. Willie went away in the morning. The boys were splitting Posts in the E. R. I finished mending the fence at the creek Frearsons side and then I went into the farm orchard pruning.
Thursday 8th It was blowing very strong from the N and threaten for rain, but we did not get any. The boys were hauling Posts in E. R.
I made a ti tree Axe Handle. Old Mr & Mrs Wyatt celebrated their 52nd wedding today, Maud was their for tea.
Friday 9th It was a fine day. I was pruning in the farm orchard. The boys were working in the E. R. I went up to the Library in the evening.
Saturday 10th It was a fine day with the exception of a few showers. The boys took 2 Bullocks and hauled up Tom Wyatt’s horse that died with getting into a swamp. Afterwards they finished hauling out all the Posts & Sleepers in the E. R. I pruned in the farm orchard in the morning and in the afternoon I rode over to Mr Birdsall’s to get some grafts. Also called in to Mr Hardwicks to get some Apple grafts. There was a meeting of the farmers Association in the Hall in the evening.
Miss Wann, Mary Anne Pratt & George Wyatt were spending the evening here.
Sunday 11th It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the pm, Mr Pratt , Sarah & Mary Ann were here for tea, it rained heavily in the evening so they had to stay all night.
Monday 12th It was a fine day. The boys finished underscrubbing and commenced felling the larger timber in the E. R.
I made a lot of grafting wax in the morning and grafted a lot of stocks in the pm, with Japanese Plums (Botankio & Botan) also other Plums (Pond’s Seedling & Louthenborough).
Charlie & Maggie called in the evening.
Tuesday 13th It was a fine day. We got up early and got the Sheep up to tail the Lambs and clean the Sheep which were very dirty, Mr Neeley came and took away his long tailed Ram. The Lambs that were cut were as follows
Wethers 23
Ewes 17
Total 40
We had another little Ram Lamb in but we did not cut it and we left a little Lamb & its mother on the hill as it was too weak to drive. We made a Pen in the Pigs Paddock as the Stockyard was too dirty. We only counted 123 Sheep that we had in .
The Steamer came in at 4.30 . Willie came home and staid all night.
Wednesday 14th It was a fine day. The boys hauled up from the Wharf for us. 1 Sack Maize, 1 Sack Potatoes, 1 Sack Sharps & 1 Bag Beef. In the afternoon they fell bush in E. R. I was grafting in the farm orchard. I regrafted 2 Veimout Damsons on the bank with Louthenboro and 2 early Blues with Pond’s Seedling and 4 ditto with Louthenbeio.
Thursday 15th The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I headed down the 4 Chaumontel Pear trees and 1 Apple tree in the farm orchard for re-grafting.
Friday 16th The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I headed down a Golden Cluster Apple tree in this orchard and I then nailed on the pailings round this orchard to keep the fowls out and we cut the fowls wings in the evening, I went down for the mail.
Saturday 17th The boys took the young steers, Nelly, Norah and her Calf up on to the mail road and they brought down Chloe who has got a heifer calf about a fortnight old.
I mended the fence at the farm orchard.
There was an election to fill the vacancy on the Road Board caused by my resignation. Messrs W. Lane & G. Hedger were the candidates , Lane got 10 votes and Hedger 9 votes. Willie came home in the evening.
Sunday 18th It was a fine day. I read service in the Hall in the afternoon there were over 40 present. I went to Charlies for tea. I was reading a book lent me by Miss Wann called From Death into Life by Rev W. Haslam. I was very much interested in the book and was very much struck by one sentence as follows. “My own feeling is, that I would rather be among the superstitious than the incredulous; for I think that the former loose nothing by believing, and the latter gain nothing by their unbelief”
Monday 19th The boys were felling bush in the E. R. Willie went out fishing and John went with him in the pm, but they only caught a few rock cods.
I grafted some Mulberries and also commenced to graft a Pear tree in the orchard with a sort called Duchesse D’Augoulême.
Tuesday 20th Willie went away this morning to David Darrochs to saw for a few days with T. Wyatt. The boys were felling bush in E. R. I finished grafting the Pear tree in this orchard with Duchesse D’Augoulême. I put on 27 grafts. I also cut down a tall Tall Harvey Apple tree and regrafted it with Lord Wolseley.
It was a very squally day. I went down to the Steamer in the evening. I received a long letter from my nephew Ernest Latham.
Wednesday 21st It was a dull day but it did not rain. The boys were felling bush in E. R. I finished planting Potatoes in the orchard, made an axe handle also a Fruit Case.
Thursday 22nd The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I was digging in the orchard, but as there was a heavy shower in the morning I had to knock off and work in the shed making Cases. I went to Miss Wann’s in the evening to change some books.
Friday 23rd It was a very fine day. The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I was digging in the orchard.
Saturday 24th It was a fine day but it looks very much like rain. The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I was doing odd jobs in the garden. Willie, who returned from D. Darroch’s last night, went up home to day and then to Pakiri Store, returning here in the afternoon.
Messrs A. Matheson & T. Handby came here in the evening who, in connection with myself, drew up rules for the Farmer’s Association.
Sunday 25th It was very dull in the morning and it came on to rain in the afternoon and rained all night. There was no service in the pm. Mary Ann Pratt came in the pm and staid all night. George Wyatt was also here for tea.
Monday 26th Willie left this morning to go up home. It was fine in the morning but it came on to rain about 2 pm. The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I regrafted 2 Canadian Reinettes that had been removed with Ohinemuri. The boys got up in the morning from the farm 2 Cows that have just calved, Willies cow Rosie and our cow Masie, both have got bull calves.
Tuesday 27th It was showery in the morning but was pretty fine in the afternoon. I went to Mr T. Knagg’s in the morning to get some Apple grafts and in the afternoon I put on the grafts I got from him viz Stewarts Seedling, Late Schell & American Beauty.
Miss Pratt came over in the pm to take Mary Ann home, and Jane went with them on a visit. Willie & Fred came over for the dance that was in the Hall and they staid all night.
Wednesday 28th Willie & Fred Pratt went away in the morning. It was very showery all day. The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I was making Cases in the shed.
Thursday 29th It was a very fine day. The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I was doing odd jobs in the morning and regrafted the Golden Cluster Apple with Red Warrior.
Friday 30th The boys were felling bush in the E. R. I commenced to dig in the orchard, but I had to go to Frearsons as 2 Sheep of ours were in their place a Weather Hogget and a Ewe & Lamb, Minnie & I got them into our place. We cut the lambs tail & ear marked it, it was a Ewe Lamb. It came on to rain in the pm and rained heavily all evening.