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Transcribed by Edward Cooper, [email protected]

Archive #152 1853

16 May Scotts Valley, May 16th 1853

Dear Sir

I have not written to you since last fall & in hopes till now of getting an answer from you. I have no doubt but what you got both my letters as you have a P. Office and I have failed to get because I am dependent on the Express from Shasta. Still, I hope you will get this & answer it promptly. Direct to Shasta & request Rhodes & Lusk to forward to Scotts Valley. I am engaged in farming � Have 50 acres enclosed & crops as follows 6 acres barley, 1 � wheat, 1 � onions, 3 potatoes, 1 squash & corn, 2 acres turnip & garden.

Howland is farming 6 miles down the Valley from me. He is fencing largly (sic)& has about 8 acres planted principally potatoes.

We made nothing mining till Dec. I made $500 that month & then went to farming. Howland & my brothers have since been taken it out big.

Crops look rather slim owing to cool weather. We had a hard time last winter for grub. We had plenty, such as it was.

The average price of flour for the winter months was 75 cts. or more. Beef was the only dependable (?) at 30 to 35. My seed potatoes costs from 42 � to 45 cts. per lb. Barley 42, wheat 50 cts. Now flour is 25 to 28.

I like the prospect of making money here, yet I want to live on the Bay soon as I get a start. Cattle have raised double what they were at 6 or 12 months ago. Common cows $125, (__) do oxen 225 dollars per yoke.

Howland or I or both will be down in the fall. You can engage/sell half of the Bucksport tract splitting the marsh in two, also the timber & engage the north half for two dollars & fifty cts. per acre on condition of residence & improvement. We must have cash up & will deliver the papers soon as the money is paid. The Elk river tract the same way precisely, N half at 2.50. I am in haste or I would write more. Respects to all your brothers & sisters.

Yours (signed) Daniel A. Learned

NOTES:

1. to John W. Cooper at Bucksport, Humboldt Bay, Cal.; formerly of PEI.
2. from Daniel A. Learned, Scotts Valley, Cal., north of Mt Shasta.
3. Howland (no given name) and Learned brothers mentioned as mining & farming
4. stock & crop costs & acreage; land transactions at Bucksport as joint effort.
5. Cooper brothers and sisters mentioned
6. Rhodes & Lusk must be at Shasta, a business of some sort.

Transcribed by Ed Cooper [email protected] 1-17-2004