delightfully
permanent by the wonderful light of your love!

"Never before have I been so busy or so blessed! Every emotion of pride,
enthusiasm, ambition, joy or love, which stirs the hearts and quickens
the pulse of these people, who are working with me for one object so
faithfully, so earnestly; through the magnetic halo of your love, is
reflected upon me with redoubled intensity. In the strong current of
this electrical stream of power, I am quickened, strengthened and
prepared to do better thinking and more effective work for the perfect
development of the farm.

"At this point, dear Fern, I must mention an item of farm news, in which
I am sure you will be greatly interested. We have arranged to have our
arbor-day celebration, or tree planting festival, on the 10th day of the
month of March in each year, as the season, in this climate most
suitable for the work. For some months past, for the purpose of exciting
in the minds of our people a keener interest, I have been giving a
course of lectures on the general subject of forestry. These lectures
have proved so attractive, that as a result, they have been
exceptionally well attended by both old and young. The amount of
interest displayed by my hearers, is a continual source of surprise and
delight to me. Early in the course, this extraordinary interest
culminated in such a perfect shower of questions in regard to the
details of the subject, that I was obliged to refer my questioners to
the various books written on the subject, as most completely and
satisfactorily answering the multitude of their queries. As a
consequence, the botany club has had a great boom. While every book in
the library on forestry, or the care and culture of plants and trees,
including those in a full series of annual reports from the Department
of Agriculture, is in constant use. You would be delighted, my dearest,
could you note the readiness of even the children to grasp the idea, to
understand the immensity of the benefits which may be conferred on
future generations by our systematically directed efforts in tree
planting here on this farm. Both young and old alike, are quick to
appreciate the important fact that while we are enjoying a holiday, to
which we may look forward each year with increasing delight; we are at
the same time furnishing the world with an object lesson as to the
practicability and great value of the good work which may be
accomplished by all classes of agricultural