with smoke, wind changed from North to WNW. The 15 cradles commenced to cut down the 30 acres of oats in field No. 25. Indians binding & carting in wheat—some pulling up flax. Mr. [Wm. F .] Tolmie[1] left after breakfast for Nisqually, Mr. [James] Douglas[2] & party after dinner for Ft Vancouver. With the assistance of Mr Douglas men we have cut down 220 acres of grain since Tuesday last.
Tenasman35 engaged to work on the farm at $6 pr month.
Tuesday 24th. Warm weather, strong westerly wind; air quite filled with smoke. There is a great deal of the surround ing country on fire. Commenced cutting our last field of Wheat No. 19. Indians binding carting oats-changing cattle & sheep pens. The indians have finished the salmon weir across the river opposite the farm; and altho the river is unusually high for the season & the water turbid, still they most unaccoun[t]ably cannot take a s[in]gle fish. (I pow is[3]) engaged to work on the farm. Two lads began to cart out manure to day which operation is to proceed this fall Winter & Spring with the least possible interruption.
Wednesday 25th. Warm smoky weather, strong easterly wind. Cutting Binding & Carting Wheat from field No. 19. Counted the Band of ewes; there are 283 of the Cowlitz flock & 232 just received from Nisqually making 515 in all—there are still a number of the Old California Stock among them; began to park[4] the sheep on the Coleseed. 2 Carts leading out manure upon field No 8 in order to clear out the shed for Wheat.
- ↑ Dr. William F. Tolmie was Chief Trader in charge of the P. S. A. Company's Nisqually Farm. He moved to Victoria in 1859. See Dorothy O. Johansen, "William Fraser Tolmie . . ." in The Beaver, September, 1937, 29-32.
- ↑ Douglas was on the Hudson's Bay Company's three-man Board of Management in charge of the Columbia District until May, 1849. See W. N. Sage, "James Douglas on the Columbia, 1830-49," OHQ, XXVII (December, 1926), 365-80.
- ↑ Presumably Indians Roberts hired to help temporarily with the farm work.
- ↑ Pasture.
tion, some punctuation and capitals (for proper names) have been added to clarify the meaning (Thomas Vaughan and Priscilla Knuth, editors).
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