keep us, so it will not be so
much a work of life and death to keep at the felling of trees. Chopping
them is most laborious, but burning them is worse--as much as flesh and
blood can bear. The burning we had in the fall was to get a patch of
land cleared for sowing. This time we were prepared to save the ashes.
Gordon set up three leaches on the edge of the pond, and as the logs
were burned the ashes were gathered and hauled by ox-sled to fill them.
Ramming the ashes into the leaches as solid as possible and then pouring
water upon them fell to me and the women, the men attending to the
burning, the raking of the ashes together, and hauling them. After
soaking all night, or longer, the leaches are tapped, when the lye runs
into a trough, made by hollowing as big a pine as we could find. From
the trough the lye is dipped into the kettle, under which a fierce fire
had to be kept. As the lye boiled, the water in it passed off in clouds
of steam, more lye being poured in to keep it full. By-and-by a sticky
mass could be felt at the bottom of the kettle, which was ladled into
cast iron coolers, and became solid. This is called black salts, is
barreled, and shipped to Britain, where it is in great demand. The
quantity of lye needed to make a hundred-weight of black-salts
astonished me. I got ten cents a pound for what we made and that will
keep us in provisions until we have our own wheat to take to mill.

April 9--All glad of the Sabbath rest. Warm, the soft maples red with
buds.

April 15--Been busy all week, mostly in clearing and levelling the
burned land for sowing. Sowed two bushels of oats this afternoon. Drying
winds and a hot sun.

April 20--The rain needed to start grain came last night. Moist and warm
today with rapid growth.

April 22--Planted potatoes. Ailie and Alice getting the garden stuff in.

April 26--Wonderful growth; nothing like it in Scotland. There is no
spring here; the jump is from winter to summer. Our bridle-path to
Yonge-street is so soft that oxen cannot be put on it. Gordon goes back
to Toronto on Monday to join the tradesman he was with in the fall, and
who has sent for him. He will have to walk, for Yonge-street, I am told,
is a chain of bog-holes.

May 13--Have had changeable weather; rather too dry and a few cold
nights. The standing bush keeps frost off the braird, which could not
look better. Busy preparing logs for building barns; we are all working
together. Three will be needed