April 20 thru April 21, 1894

If you follow Bert's diary regularly, you can skip this paragraph. I will not be transcribing each entry since most of Bert's diary is pretty clear. You can read the original more easily by clicking on the image above to view a larger version. I will be including this paragraph, or something similar in each entry so that new readers will know they can click the image to enlarge it for easier reading. Also, there will be some links to the right of the page with relevant information that may be of interest. My notes will include the basics of what Bert talks about each day, along with my own personal thoughts, research, information gleaned from past or future entries, etc. If you have information or suggestions that may help my research, please e-mail me.

Friday, April 20, 1894 -- Bert continues to set hop poles at Milo Dye's place. He says that he set 78 poles in 10 and a half minutes. (I've got to learn more about this process because the hop poles I have read about are 10 - 12 feet tall, and fairly large, so setting them at a rate of one every 10 seconds would be quite a feat! - Any input from anyone reading this would be greatly appreciated. I have ordered a book about the history of hop growing in the US, so I'm hoping this will clear up this mystery.) In the afternoon Russell Dye set more poles, and Bert "punched holes" in the poles until five o'clock when there was a thunder storm!

Saturday, April 21, 1894 ---- Bert declares it a "fair" day. After doing the morning chores, Bert caught sheep for Russell to tag. Bert apparently herded the sheep into some sort of rack to hold them for placement of ear tags? Russell then took the sheep over to Milo Dye's place. Probably the tagging was to identify his sheep vs. his father's sheep? Bert took down the racks, and then picked stone all afternoon. He picked 8 loads of stone. He then did the chores, and afterward went over to Herman Babcock's, but evidently met him on the way, and they both returned to Russell Dye's place.