September 30th.

Sunday September 30th. 1923

Fine
All at home
Jack & Nellie come over with Eric & Nora

September 29th.

Saturday September 29th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & J. Howe W. Pearl & myself carting muck for Winter Beans

Memoranda
Sep. 28th.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe .. .. 25/0
W. Pearl 1 day 1/3

September 28th.

Friday September 28th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & J. Howe Ploughing Clover Land

from Agricultural Review of the Year 1922 (Scotland contd.)
Ewes increased by 53,000 to 2,868,000 and lambs by 17,000 to 2,750,000, whilst other sheep declined by 57,000 to 1,053,000, giving an increase of 13,000 in the total number of sheep.

September 27th.

Thursday September 27th. 1923

Fine
Go to Stow
E. Mayes Ploughing Clover Land
J. Howe harrowing for Winter Beans in Big Brettenham field
Sold 25 Coombs of Barley at 19/6 to Mr. Squirrell

September 26th.

Wednesday September 26th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Clover land
J. Howe harrowing land for Winter Beans
myself flashing

September 25th.

Tuesday September 25th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Clover land
J. Howe spreading muck in the morning
& myself. J. Howe flashing in the afternoon

September 24th.

Monday September 24th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Clover land in woodfield.
J. Howe & myself spreading muck in wood field.

September 22nd.

Saturday September 22nd. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing in crown field
J. Howe Clearing up Stackyard

Memoranda
Sept. 22nd.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe .. .. 25/0
W. Pearl 1 day 1/3

September 21st.

Friday September 21st. 1923

Showerey
At home
E. Mayes take 40 Comb of Wheat to Mr. Hitchcock at 19/6 Per Comb
J. Howe take a Load of corn to Buxhall Mill & jobbing about

September 20th.

Thursday September 20th. 1923

Showerey
At home
E. Mayes & J. HOwe Threshing & Cutting Chaff
Threshed Wheat 58 Comb
.. Barley 70 ..
.. Peas 37 ..
.. Beans 15 ..
.. Oats 63 ..
Chaff Cuttings 2 hrs

September 19th.

Wednesday September 19th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & J. Howe threshing
borrowed F. Pearl from Mr. Tingay

September 18th.

Tuesday September 18th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & J. Howe Ploughing in crown field till Dinner
Threshing Wheat in the afternoon

from Agricultural Review of the Year 1922
(Scotland contd.)
As regards live stock, changes in the number of horses, cattle and sheep were similar to those recorded in England and Wales, though the increases in ewes and lambs in Scotland more than counterbalanced the reduction in other sheep.

September 17th.

Monday September 17th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes & J. Howe Ploughing in crown field

September 16th.

Sunday September 16th. 1923

Fine
All at home

from farm Work for the Year
Special Crops:
Hemp is ripe this month, and may be pulled and tied in bunches to dry. Hops ripen in September, and as soon as fully ripe should be gathered quickly. Canary is ready for the sickle after wheat harvest, being cut as soon as the top ears are ripe. In the orchard, pears, apples, and plums may be gathered. Put rams with the ewes in September and earlier, the earliest lambs coming in December and January.

September 15th.

Saturday September 15th. 1923

Fine
At home
E, Mayes finish handle harrowing & start Ploughing in crown field
J. Howe Ploughing in crown field

Memoranda
Sep. 15th.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe .. .. 25/0
W. Pearl .. .. 7/0

September 14th.

Friday September 14th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes finish rolling & start handle harrowing in crown field
J. Howe finish skimming for Winter Beans in Big Brettenham field & start running furrows & setting tops in crown field

September 13th.

Thursday September 13th. 1923

Fine
Go to Stow
E. Mayes finish Ploughing Fallow & start Rolling little Brettenham field
J. Howe Skimming
Buy Foal at Stow

September 12th.

Wednesday September 12th. 1923



Fine

At home

E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow

J. Howe Skimming

September 11th.

Tuesday September 11th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow
J. Howe Skimming

Farm Work for the Year
September:
Stock Farm:
Cattle at grass should be fat and ready for sale; they may have some early turnips or cabbages to help the greenstuff of the fields along with their cake, scattered in the pastures. Sheep may be put on rape, and ultimately on the earliest turnips. Breeding ewes should be put on better fare than they have had since weaning time. They should be dipped or run with some protecting fluid any time in September, to free their wool and skins from vermin. Pigs may be put to fatten, the larger stores for bacon, the smaller for porkers. Dairy operations are gradually shrinking.

September 10th.

Monday September 10th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Ploughing Fallow in the morning Horse hoeing Swedes in the afternoon
J. Howe Skimming

September 9th.

Sunday September 9th. 1923

Fine
All at home

Cash Account
September
Receipts

4th. 14 1/2 Sc. Eggs 2/10 £1..19s..4d
6th. 11 1/2 Butter 1/10 £1..1s..2d
11th. 11 1/2 Sc. Eggs 3/0 £1..14s..6d
13th. 8 1/2 Butter 1/10 15s..7d
18th. 8 1/4 Sc. Eggs 2/11 £1..4s..0 1/2d
20th. 8 1/2 Butter 1/10 15s..7d
25th. 8 1/4 Sc. Eggs 3/1 1/2 £1..5s..9d
27th. 7 1/2 Butter 1/10 18s..9d

September 8th.

Saturday September 8th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes start Ploughing long Fallow & finish ploughing between swedes
J. Howe skimming

Memoranda
Sep. 8th.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe .. .. 25/0
F. Reynolds 2 hrs. 1/0
W. Pearl full week 7/0

September 7th.

Friday September 7th. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes Setting tops in Brettenham field in the morning Ploughing between Swedes in the afternoon
J. Howe Skimming in Big Brettenham field
Auntie Flo come

September 6th.

Thursday September 6th. 1923

Fine
at home
E. Mayes fetch 3/4 ton Coal from Cockfield
J. Howe finish Pea Stubble & start in Big Brettenham field

from Agricultural Review of the Year 1922 (Scotland, contd.)

The area of barley was reduced by 13,700 acres to 157,000 acres, whilst wheat remained practically stationary at 65,300 acres.
Potatoes were increased from 153,800 acres to 157,400 acres, but turnips and swedes declined by 6,600 acres to 404,000 acres.
Arable land was reduced by 12,000 acres and permanent grass increased by 8,000 acres. The total area of hay in Scotland this year was 25,000 acres greater than in 1921, seeds hay being increased to 431,000 acres and meadow hay to 147,000 acres.

September 5th.

Wednesday September 5th. 1923

Fine
At home
All men Carting coal from Cockfield
Nellie & Jack come over & take little Eric back

September 4th.

Tuesday September 4th. 1923

Showerey
At home
E. Mayes Horsehoeing Beet in the morning take horse to Blacksmith in the afternoon.
J. Howe on Double Plough
F. Reynolds 2 hrs
Edith laid up with a son
(N.B The son was my uncle, who owns this diary - Happy Birthday!)

Farm Work for the Year
September:
Arable Farm:
Harvest work proceeds, finishing in the Southern counties and being the chief work in the North. Corn ricks should be thatched as soon as they are built. the outsides may be shorn and the ears thus cut off may be mixed with the rakings to be thrashed on the first opportunity. Ploughs are busy in the stubbles as soon as cleared before the end of the month; bean stubbles for wheat, and in other stubbles for beans, or winter tares or rye. Lime may be applied broadcast, 80 to 100 bushels per acre. Marl is early, and weeds can grow, it is well to pare the stubbles, harrow and gather the rubbish together, and burn it before ploughing. Clover for seed is ready to cut towards the end of September. The ploughing of clover lea for wheat proceeds. Bare fallows receive their last ploughing as a seed furrow, and may be sown.

September 3rd.

Monday September 3rd. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes horseraking Barn field
J. Howe on double Plough on Pea stubble
myself Horse hoeing Turnips & Beet

September 2nd.

Sunday September 2nd. 1923

Fine
At home
Jack & Nellie came over & took Nora back

Agricultural Review of the Year 1922

(contd. re Scotland)
The area of oats was reduced by nearly 24,000 acres to 988,000 acres, whilst in England and Wales there was an addition of 12,000 acres.
Clover and rotation grasses were increased by 33,000 acres, the drought of last year not affecting this crop so severely as south of the Tweed, where there was a large reduction of 247,000 acres.

September 1st.

Saturday September 1st. 1923

Fine
At home
E. Mayes horse raking
J. Howe on double plough
F. Reynolds finish setting tops on Pea Land & carting rakings
Harvest finished

Memoranda
Sep. 1st.
E. Mayes full week 30/0
J. Howe .. .. 25/0
F. Reynolds 5 days 21/0
W. Pearl full week 7/0
£4..10s.. Bonus to each man