Source: Dakota Rundschau, 12 July 1929 · 📰

From: Krasna, Bessarabia
12 June 1929

Dear Editor Brendel:

The harvest forecast is positive so far. We had excellent rain and all the crops are doing well. It rained again last night and we are in high hopes for a good harvest this year.

It is a battle to keep up with the pests. The rapeseed is under siege by caterpillars, which were sprayed once, without results. The caterpillars are not all over the plant, just on the shoots. The same goes for the orchard trees, which did not freeze. Most of the acacia trees are dead. Walking through the village, one sees many dead branches instead of green leaves. It was caused by the dry and cold weather we had.

We had a strange abundance of butterflies beginning about a week ago. There must be millions of them. Going out to the fields, one is surrounded by the pretty little things. No one knows what to make of it.

The prairie dogs are a plague, eating the corn like crazy. We have to get serious about getting rid of them. A few farmers have banded together to systematically work over the land to identify their holes, then pouring poison into them. The hole is then kicked shut and the critters and their young die. It is a costly rough job, which is a project for a team. We certainly have an abundance of pests this year!

About rapeseed ¹⁾, we only started planting this crop after the war when the plants arrived here from the Dobrudscha. We had tried our luck with plants, which required much hoeing. The new plant is sowed like barley and other grains. The new breed of flowers is bright yellow; the old kind had reddish yellow blossoms. If the farmer misses the right time to harvest, the seedpods fall on the ground and burst. The seeds are larger than the old kind and the oil is much better and more fragrant. Rapeseed is harvested much earlier than other grains. Most of our crop is already sold. It fetches 100 Lei/Pud. Jewish merchants are our biggest buyers. They are clever to maneuver a big profit.

My old friend Grul, who was my buddy during the military service, told me an interesting tale: It was a bad year and the Jews had bad business. One Jew had two colleagues, a German and a Russian. He called them together and told them how bad business was. He suggested they go and tell God, the Father. I go first, he said, then you. Michel and Feodor, you are posletni (last). Da, Da (yes, yes), agreed Feodor, Poka Rumnochka wipit (let’s share a glass of liquor first). Jankel, the Jew, put on his top hat and took off.

What are you doing here? God asked him.

Excuse me, Lord, I am a man with many children, and I have lied a lot just to keep them fed.

Well, said the Lord, then you may keep on lying.

The German is supposed to go next. He keeps working on his farm since he had forgotten all about his task to see God. He finally remembers, throws his pitchfork in a corner, and gets his cap and goes to see God.

What do you want, Michel? God asked him.

Excuse me, Lord, I got so involved with my fieldwork, I forgot all about my appointment with you.

Then you may just go on planting and harvesting, and your work will never be done.

The third one, Feodor goes off to see God. He put on his tall boots, combed his long hair with two fingers and combed the straw from his beard with his left hand. The Russian had to pass a tavern on his way, went in as usual, and consequently was late to see God.

Strasdi Hospadin! he shouted as he entered heaven, angry at being late.

So early in the morning and you are already drunk?

Well, were the others here already? asked the Russian.

Yes, said God, a Jew and a German.

What advice he got is not known because the Russian could not pass by the tavern on his way back. He proceeded to get drunk and when he had slept it off the next day, he could not remember the advice from the Lord, but it could well be that God told the Russian to be late for no reason and to enjoy his drink

After Grul had finished his story, I nodded and said, yes, I know this happened when the Jews were in Egypt. Grul rose and left.

Another cute thing happened in the village at the home of Anton Schick, a true feather buyer with cheating weights. He prefers to buy from women because he can cheat them best. The feathers are all ready and packed for the feather Jew. He weights them, three pounds even; he pays and carries the feather sack to his wagon. On his way there he notices that the sack is moving. “What’s that?” he wonders. “Perhaps a little gosling,” someone answers. The third one takes his whip and the sack back to the seller. There, when the bag is opened, out comes a hedgehog full of feathers. The Jew, unwilling to even loose one feather, plucks them off the hedgehog. “He bites!” he hollers as the spines prick him. The farmers are all enjoying this. When the sack gets weighed again, minus the hedgehog, it still weighs an even three pounds.

Deaths:
May 11, Amelia Gross, age 21, daughter of the late Edmund Gross.
June 8, Reinhold Habrich, son of Michael, left a wife and 4 children.
May they rest in peace!

The following left here this morning for Canada: Basilius and Mrs. Harsche and four children. Mrs. Harsche is the daughter of Michael Hinz. – Alexander Kuss and wife Rufina, daughter of Simon Ziebart and four children. – Together with them are two bachelor brothers, Adam Kuss and Bernhard Ziebart. – Peter Hinz and wife Klara, daughter of the late Edmund Gross and one child. – Johannes Müller and wife Klara, daughter of Philipp Winter with five children. A safe journey to them all and much success in their new homeland. The new Canadians are already familiar with the Dakota Rundschau and promised to subscribe to it at their new destination.

The other immigrants here are ready, but still waiting on their passports.

Weddings: Reinhold, son of the late Clemens Müller and Rosalia, daughter of Wendelin Hinz. Good luck to the young couple!

Editor Brendel, I am still very pleased with the Dakota Rundschau and thank you very much for sending it to me. In order to give the former Krasna people in America a better idea of what is going on in the village, I will begin a village description in the near future, farm by farm throughout Krasna. It should clear up many questions and keep former Krasna folks well informed. Please save these respective issues for posterity. I only send reports to the Dakota Rundschau and nowhere else!

Greetings to the editor and staff and readers here and there.

Joseph Braun