Ohio Post Office Bureau
County Illinois
September the 13th 1861
Dear niece
I received your letter of the 21st of July a good while ago and I have neglect answering it until now and all the excuse that I can have is nothing but laziness
I am well at present and I hope that these few lines will find you the same gus and may is well your father was out here day before yesterday and he stayed here about two hours and/ then left for Quincy
The wheat is poor out here this year it wont average more than ten bushels per acre corn is middling good the times is hard here the markets
wheat is from 50 to 55 cts per bu corn is 11 cents per bu Oats 8 cents butter 7 eggs 5 green apples is from 40 to 125
I have between 6 and 7 hundred bushels of old corn yet and I will have to keep it another year for I wont sell it for 11 cents a bushel for I cant afford it
If gus will stay with me next year I will put out 70 acres of wheat and 10 acres of oats and between 30 and 40 acres of corn and do it all with one team/
I dont know what to write about for gus and may is a writing to you and they tell you all the news to morrow is sunday and we are a going after grapes and hops
you wanted to know of gus whether I had got the pouts I will tell you that I dont get them every day
I will try and do do better after this and so you must excuse me
I send my best respects to you and yours and also to Father and Mother and all inquiring friends Write and let me know how they arr all at home
no more at present
I remain you the same as ever
Daniel Dickson