IMH 75:2 199

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Tuesday, April 26th

It was cloudy more or less all day and it lacked a little of
being as hot as it was yesterday. I finished plowing the land I
began yesterday, and Father sowed the remainder of his oats
which did not sow much more than half of the ground plowed.
Father then departed on the assessing journey again, while I
went a-horseback out to Mr. Obadiah Ratts's(88) to deliver a note
of Pap's relative to some business in which they were both
concerned. I got home before one by our clock and found Alvin
and Mother washing. I accidentally found Dan Bain and Bill
Dezearn at work and spent about an hour with them. After­
ward Alvin and I hauled two wagon-loads of the wood Bill
Bunton made last fall across the creek, and put it in the wood
house. I then went to harrowing in the oats and it took me till
eight 0 clock

Teaching Notes: "Harrowing the oats" was accomplished by a harrow, or a spiked tooth harrow
pulled by a horse. It was to "stir" the newly planted oats shallowly onto the soil.