This area experienced heat and high humidity during the past week, for both daylight and most nightime hours. Early in the week, second crop hay dried well and was baled, about 170 bales. Predicted showers the resr of the week kept us from cutting any acreage and fortunately the crop on all the fields  continue to grow. My wild guess is that at least two additional balings could be in the growth stage as the crop grows in height and thickness each day.

The soaking rain of the fourth, with additional showers on the seventh and eighth stimulated grass and gardon crop growth. During the week corn, cabbage, cucumbers, summer squash and broccoli enhanced the noon meal for the first time this season. Some gardeners had these earlier than I did. I have bush burrercup squash ready for the table, but won’t put any up for sale until the first of September. I have one patch of pumpkin that are orange ar this early date. Another large patch have very few pumpkins showing, indicating poor pollination; one of the best had been pecked by the numerous turkeys in my fields.

As written previously in this column, Canada geese that numbered seven, incresded to 12, then 28 and now near 40. Their web feet trample the leafy second crop and third crop grass, which causes poor mowing with some loss of crop. In addition, their feces and feathers lower the quality of my hay. If they continue to increase in numbers, I may ask a hunter friend to fire a few warning shots to discourage their presence.

My older daughter and husband from Pennsylvania visited the farm home for two weeks, that seemed to go much too quickly. They departed near 6:30 a.m. on the tenth and arrived at their home in Sinnemahhoning, PA near 7:45 p.m. Having been a long distance trucker for many years, my son-in-law has an excellent endurance for long trips.

Turkeys continue to up their increased numbers but their type of feet don’t pack the grass down and they seem to be a cleaner bird, with less bad habits. 

This period of time last year had cooler daytime and early morning readings. The warment reading was 83 degrees on the tenth and eleventh. There were two 45 degree readings on the seventh and ninth. Rainfall on four dates deposited 1.05 inches of water in the gauge.