McFarland-Russell Letter, August 4, 1894

Chopin Apr/4/94 R. E. Russell Dear Brother

I received your letter several days since and should have answered it sooner I returned visiting yesterday but I had to go down to Lena a few miles before here and have been busy all day today so I will write you a few lines tonight We have not got started up yet but will start the last of this week, we were disappointed in getting our own teams some so weak that we had to feed them up some before they were fit to work [land ?]

We did not get any [ horses ?] until a few days ago so that has put us back several days in getting started but we donot expect to be bothered in that way any more we have put in an order for a case of corn every two weeks so we donot expect to get out any more. I think that we will get along allright when we get off this time and start up on a hill for two oil mills that will amount to about 1/2 million feet of lumber. That is out side of the lumber that [Petri ?] will handle for us. and in the way that we are going to [ ? ?] [ ?] I think that we will be able to put in about 50,000 feet of pine and timber for 70 shingles as that is the amt that we expect to cutt for any things will move

entirely different from what they did when we last ran. Washburn is going to saw for us. he is also going to run the boarding house. he has been up with Petty since we start down we [ ?] him down tomorrow morning. this R. R. is going to put on another train in a few days so that you can leave Orange and come here the same day so when they do you must come up. Tell Ma that she must come up and spend the summer with us I have got my garden in and I have got a nicer lot of little chickens. I have cut something near sixty. I am going to try to raise about 200 this year and some turkeys. The freeze killed all the fruit up here I

think but what I can learn from the parties that have lived here for some time [ ? ?] be a good pecan crop. Bob it will be imposable for me to come down to Court this term so if they do try that [ ?] court case you must do the best that you can with it. Tell John Hart that I cannot come down - times are very tight with me and we are just getting ready to start-up so it will be impossable for me to come. the family are all well since [ ? ? ?] so hoping that you are all well and to see you up here sometime soon, I am your affectionate bro H H R