From: Emmental, Bessarabia
1 July 1914

The harvest in Emmental and the whole surrounding area is very poor. During the end of June and the beginning of July, the people stood around with saddened hearts and piled what little there was into heaps. Until these heaps have been threshed, nobody can say that he at least got a little bit. The possibility hovers that even that least little bit may be lost, because the last few days heavy rain has come down, the likes of which had not been seen for a whole generation. As a result of these downpours and the large amount of green grass among the few heads of grain, it is quite possible that everything will be lost. If the Welsh corn can be saved from the onslaught of field mice of which there are numerous this year, then the farmer can be content. However, there will only be a few that will be spared the damage. It will be severe. The need is enormous and along with that the price for horses and cattle is still high.

Land will be remarkably cheaper in the future. With successive weak harvests the farmer is unable to meet financial obligations for leases and installments. So far the farmer has entered a risk when receiving money from a credit bank. The banks, however, experienced that the loans were not repaid by many over the course of several years. Therefore they decided to no longer give credit and raised the interest rate to a semi-annual 12 % and will demand every tenth ruble as a capital gain. This will deliver a heavy blow to the farmer and rob him of every bit of hope he had for an improvement.

In Edition #48 of the paper, I read the report from Max Erker from Brisbane, North Dakota. He stated that the farmers there were hit hard by a horrible hailstorm that had damaged their entire crop. Those are saddening news for us, Mr. Erker, because most likely the hail also hit my son-in-law Ignatz Gross. Therefore I ask my son-in-law as soon as he has read this report from me, to inform me through the paper about the conditions over there.

On 21 May, Joseph Bender transferred 9 rubles to me through the bank of Ipswich, South Dakota. I was supposed to forward this money to his mother Margaretha Seifert in Balmas. The receipt, which Mr. Bender had received from the bank and sent to me, I did receive, but the money has not yet arrived. Of course, it should get here before long and surely will make his mother very happy. However the yellow receipt did not have my post office, Kainari listed. Therefore a mistake could have happened. Mr. Bender should report this to the applicable bank so that the transaction can be traced. My correct address is: South Russia, Bessarabia, Bender County, Post Office Kainari, Village Emmental. The address will be in effect for a long time.

On 25 June, I made a special trip to Balmas to your mother, Mr. Bender, and informed her about this situation. She relays heartfelt greetings to you and your family and asks you to please send her a picture of you and your family. Send it to my address. Your brother Johannes also says hello.

Now I send a sincere greeting to my children in North Dakota. I have to inform my daughters Amalia and Eugenia that their sister Bertha spent a month at home and asks you to see to it that she can come over to America by fall.

I send a greeting to my colleague Anton Jochim and to the entire staff and readers of the paper.

Romuald Dirk