James Lawther

Title: Letter From Cannon Falls Milling Company
Type: Letter
Date: 1876
Source: Goodhue County Historical Society

Description: Lawther did business with the Cannon Falls Milling Company. This letter was sent to him to describe the sale of his grain to the company and the payment he could expect for the grain.
Read Transcription

Activities:

1. What is the difference between a "new crop" and an "old crop"?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: From the letter, we can guess that a new crop is just recently harvested because the"old crops" listed have an added charge of five cents a bushel for grain storage.
2. What do you think the "No 1" and "No 2" labels for the old grain might mean?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: These were ways in which the mill could rank the quality of the grain by its moisture content and usefulness. There were three grades of grain and grade 1 was the best.
3. Why would Lawther possibly want to sell his grain at this time?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Since he is selling both old and new grain, we can assume that grain prices at this time were fairly high and it would be profitable for him to sell. Farmers often keep their grain in storage until prices rise and make it more profitable to sell.
4. How might we be able to learn more about Lawther's farming business?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Studying other mill records could give us an indication of the amount of grain he produced, but the most reliable source would probably be Lawther's own papers and receipts from his business practices or land purchases. There may also be federal government records, such as the agricultural census, showing the land he owned and what is produced.