Milton’s 1907 diary shows that he is an enterprising young man, doing agricultural work for his father and others near Jerseyville, selling potatoes and wood, investing in mining shares – and winning the checker tournament in Hamilton.  His diary entries are interspersed with drafts of letters and accounts that give the reader a detailed view of his business dealings and his many ways of expressing himself in writing. In June 1913, he moves to RR#7 Guelph Township where he takes up farming on his own property.