From: Emmental, Bessarabia
16 May 1921

Worthy Staats-Anzeiger!

Although just a few days ago I had forwarded a report, today the second day of Pentecost, I want to write a letter in order to pass the time of boredom.

My wife and children have gone to Krasna for a visit and I am home alone. Since my friends read the Staats-Anzeiger, I shall meet them all by reporting to the paper. I am amazed that so few of my friends write to me personally, with the exception of my brother Joseph. Only a little known friend, Peter Thauberger has recently written to me. Before I answer him, I want to wait for a letter from his brother Pf. (priest/father?) Johannes living in Selz, Russia. Thereafter, I will write to him and also include the letter from Russia. This letter should also be ideally fit for publication in the Staats-Anzeiger.

The weather here is still nice. It is raining right now, but the amount of descending moisture is not much. However, the grain fields have grown to full splendor. Ears are beginning to show on the rye. In most areas, the winter wheat too stands half an arschin, that is 14 zoll (14 inches) tall. Summer wheat, barley and oats are still small, but look healthy. We are counting on a good harvest. Only the pasture is getting worse from day to day so that we are forced to continue feeding the cattle. The hayfields too are not growing. If in the near future we do not get any soaking rain, then we won’t have to bother with buying any tall hayforks. Therefore, you fork manufactures in Paris, Bessarabia can hold back on some wood which nowadays is so expensive.

However, the young vineyards are looking the best of all. If they do not suffer damage then quite a few will produce fruit this year. Many new vineyards have been planted. No one has less than 1 dessjatin (2.5 acres). This should result in lots of wine for us in 2 to 3 years. This new “Saibelwine” (that’s how it’s called) is very fruitful. A good vintage can produce about 1,200 buckets. (1 bucket = 25.6 liters. Note: 1 gallon = 3.78 liters) Our neighboring village Korin, has vineyards which are 5 years old. That is where people produced 200 buckets of wine from 1/8th of a dessjatin.

When the vineyards in Emmental have reached their peak, then emigration to America will resume. Some of us intend to travel across the big water come winter, namely Peter and Elias Maas; Joseph Miller, son of Mathias and Daniel Kopp, son of Thomas. If more people should join them then I will report it.

During the winter, I sent you a nice poem, which has not been published. Also two reports seem to have gotten lost. This I truly regret, because in one of them there was a letter from Russia included. This letter surely would have been of great interest to my fellow countrymen and friends in America. (*Editor: The letters must have gotten lost. Anyhow none of your reports that we received went unpublished.)

With a greeting to my old mother I remain -

Respectfully,
Zachaeus Kopp