Children of Mabel and Hugh Richardson

Eva came down & we had some aft. tea & then a telegram came announcing Molly's birth. Of course we were very much excited. Great discussions over her name. When it was decided to call her Mary, & we fixed on Molly to prevent confusion, Arnold was not pleased at first . . .

I remember so well when thou wast born. We were all on an excursion except Gackie & the telegram telling of thy arrival came to him & he altered "daughter" to "twins" just to tease us.

Our 2 children and Daisy and Nelly arrived about 3.30 and then Robin, Dia, Betty, Molly & Colin acted "Little Red Riding Hood" really very well indeed, but it was awfully funny. Robin was the wolf in a mask, and with my long fur for a tail, Betty a sweet little Red Riding Hood, Dia the grandmother, Molly the Mother and Colin the wood-cutter. At the end when R. & Betty were in bed together, they rolled off as an unexpected climax! R. was quite dramatic. Then Dia repeated a French poem and "I'm 7 years old today" and baby Marg. sat on a stool all alone and said very slowly stroking a toy cat "I love Zickie pussy", beaming on everyone in turn, though we thought feeling rather near tears and stupidly enough I could not help laughing, for I felt so nervous. Betty said "I once had a sweet little doll dears" very well.

There is some money coming due on thy fifteenth birthday, which will I hop allow of thy staying at Croham Hurst a little longer. I think it originally came from Uncles Laurence & Gilbert, & that there will be rather over £100, which will roughly pay school fees for a year. I shall particularly want a postcard to be posted on the 14^th to remind me to claim it. It is money that Mother planned to have saved up on purpose for thy schooling. It is only coming due now, because we did not expect or with to send thee away from home so young as has afterwards proved best.

Heard last night of Molly's engagement to Rhys Thomas. Most exciting. The Richardsons are at 37 St. Mary's & all came to supper with Rhys. He is 37 Molly 25. Love at first sight!

I was talking to Uncle Lawrie about your wedding arrangements & saying how I wished we had a large enough house to give a Reception for you & he agreed it would be delightful if we could. Then he had what the children call a "brain-wave," & said did I remember how glad Aunt Jane & Aunt Sarah had been to led us Ashfield House for Mamma's 80^th. birthday party—and did I think they would like to do it again—so I called in this evening, to "sound" them, & both of them were most enthusiastic about it—in fact Aunt Jane was quite moved & said she "could weep with joy—she was so pleased about it" She said she had thought about it herself—but didn't feel she knew enough to suggest it—they would be glad to do it themselves—but think that as Uncle L. is Daddy's only married brother in Newcastle—we are the ones who should have the privilege—I do hope that you will see your way to falling in with this suggestion—it will give us all a great deal of happiness if you will—we would rather you left Newcastle from a "home" than a hotel—it will be much nicer for you I think.

I told the Aunts we wouldn't like them to think twice about it—if they felt it would be a burden in any way—I would do all the preparation, & get Ellen & our housemaid to come along to help in the afternoon.

ENGAGEMENT OF MR. E.R. THOMAS AND MISS RICHARDSON.—The marriage arranged between E.R. Thomas, M.A., M.Sc. Headmaster of the Royal Grammar School. Newcastle-on-Tyne, and Mary F. Richardson, daughter of Hugh Richardson, M.A., of Wheel Birks, Stocksfield-on-Tyne, will take place quietly at the Friends' Meeting House. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. on June 21st. Mr. Thomas, who is a Welshman, was formerly head of the science department of Rugby School. In the early part of the war he did duty at Budbrooke Barracks, and then held an important staff appointment in France in charge of high explosives.

Our 2 children and Daisy and Nelly arrived about 3.30 and then Robin, Dia, Betty, Molly & Colin acted "Little Red Riding Hood" really very well indeed, but it was awfully funny. Robin was the wolf in a mask, and with my long fur for a tail, Betty a sweet little Red Riding Hood, Dia the grandmother, Molly the Mother and Colin the wood-cutter. At the end when R. & Betty were in bed together, they rolled off as an unexpected climax! R. was quite dramatic. Then Dia repeated a French poem and "I'm 7 years old today" and baby Marg. sat on a stool all alone and said very slowly stroking a toy cat "I love Zickie pussy", beaming on everyone in turn, though we thought feeling rather near tears and stupidly enough I could not help laughing, for I felt so nervous. Betty said "I once had a sweet little doll dears" very well.

I am planning for Colin to go to Sidcot School after the holidays. If he goes on getting satisfactory reports I hope to let him go to camp with other Colwall boys at the end of August.

C.S. RICHARDSON was an able naturalist, specialising on bees and poultry. He did some excellent photographic work in conjunction with hedge-cutting, and was an ornithologist. He made many clever articles in the Workshop, including a beehive. At football he was a promising goal-keeper, and was a coming clever fives and cricket player. He was an interested gardener and astronomer, and leaves from the Lower Senior.

We've had a glorious holiday at Wheel Birks, Hugh & Colin so kind & 3 maids looked after us well. The pony that C. hired was a great joy to the children & both C. & Ruthie learned to jump, to saddle it & go out all alone.

The Chairman said they had got the very best possible judge for the jersey classes, Mr. Colin S. Richardson, Stocksfield, Northumberland. Jerseys were a most important class, and they wanted to have a good man.

OUTDOOR REARING IN NORTHUMBERLAND.

After winning prizes consistently for some years at the noted North Country sales of suckled calves, Mr. Colin S. Richardson, of Wheelbirks, Stocksfield-on-Tyne, describes his methods. Ten years ago the suckling herd was started as an alternative to the continual purchase of store cattle for feeding on his 230 acre farm, on which the main output is Tuberculin Tested (Certified) milk. The herd is made up of about 25 Angus-type and Blue-grey cows, replenished from the pick of stores bought for feeding, costing, as unserved heifers, about £15. These cows stay out the whole year round. The farm is about the 400 feet level, and slopes to the North-East without much winter shelter. But they winter on land which is fairly dry. A trial of two calves per cow resulted in two mediocre calves instead of one good one, and the practice has been discontinued.

The possibility of employing refugee workers on farms was referred to by Mr Colin S. Richardson, Wheelbirks, Stocksfield. Mr Richardson said that many such refugees were available, and could, he understood, be employed for four months at the cost of board and lodging, before they became eligible for the minimum wage.

'At Home' on the Farm at Stocksfield

THE pioneer in the North of introducing "At Home" days on the farm is Mr. Colin S. Richardson. During the summer he has regularly entertained customers and their friends to tea, when they had an opportunity of inspecting his pedigree Jersey cattle herd and well equipped dairy at Wheel Berks, Stocksfield.

On several occasions no fewer than 50 of his customers and friends have spent a pleasant Saturday afternoon there and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"There is no question," says Mr. Richardson in the Ministry's Journal, "that these outings have been as much enjoyed by host and hostess as well as by the visitors."

WORKERS KEEN

Mr. Richardson is a producer of Certified T.T. milk—the highest quality grade. After his experience 15 years ago of a clean milk course which he took at the British Dairy Institute at Reading, and which inspired him with enthusiasm for the proper handling of milk, he confesses that his zeal for the production of the best milk continues unabated.

And he is glad to state that his workers also are equally zealous.

It was a visit to the Dairy Show in London in 1924 which definitely decided Mr Richardson to go in for the Jersey cattle in preference to other dairy breeds. An examination of the cards placed above each animal at the Show indicated that the Jerseys on the average gave as much milk and more fat than the Guernseys.

When he applied for a licence for certified production—in 1924 certified milk was still rather a novelty—Mr. Richardson found that his licence was about the 80th granted in England at that time.

MILK 4s. A GALLON

Almost at once it was possible to sell about 12 gallons of certified milk at 4s. a gallon.

It is interesting to note that a market was found in Scotland for this English milk, and for many years small quantities up to three gallons had been going 130 miles daily to Edinburgh.

The trade has since developed to a satisfactory extent, although the price has since fallen even for this highest grade milk.

It is a striking fact that the Wheelbirks-produced milk has been used daily on a voyage to Bombay and has been found to be sweet on arrival.

Moreover, a party of farmers visiting Wheelbirks on a Wednesday recently declared that they never tasted better. Yet the milk was produced on the previous Wednesday!

IMPROVEMENTS PAY

Many valuable improvements have been carried out at Wheelbirks, including the erection of a new byre, the installation of a better water supply, some field drainage, a covered yard, and a manure carrier. The electric-light installation had proved quite a boon, as well as the milking machine equipment.

All these had contributed much to the efficiency of the farm and had enabled the staff to produce more with less effort.

Where labour-saving had been introduced a way had so far been found to allow for increased production or more leisure, rather than decrease of staff.

More Food From Straw

A process to convert wheat, barley and oat straw into more useful feeding-stuff for cattle has been developed by Imperial Chemical Industries, Ltd. Farmers can see this Straw Pulp plant by appointment, on the following farms:—

[ . . . ]

Mr Colin S. Richardson, Wheelbirks, Stocksfield-on-Tyne;

[ . . . ]

"Open Days" when Straw Plants may be seen operation without prior appointment will be held as follows:—

Colin S. Richardson, Esq., Wheelbirks, Stocksfield-on-Tyne; Wednesday, May 7th.

[ . . . ]

The first demonstration in Northumberland on the manufacture of straw pulp on the farm will be given to-morrow (Wednesday) afternoon, at Mr. Colin S. Richardson's holding, Wheelbirks, Stocksfield.

Mr Colin Richardson, of Wheelbirks Farm, Stocksfield, has again won the cup for the best performance by a herd with more than 25 cows in the average.

His old-established herd of pedigree Jerseys averaged 840 gallons at 5.41 butterfat. Mr. Richardson's Jerseys have now won this trophy several years running. Basically the award is made on the amount of butterfat produced.

Esther came for week end. She, R. & I to L' Park to see "She stoops to conquer" by Staff. Splendid, but Esther did not feel well.

At the end of Oct. Esther got invited engaged to Alan Adams & seems very happy. She brought him here on Oct. 27^th. & she stayed with us . . .