RKFP-080

10 mo. 15. 1854.

My dear friend,

My favor of Sept. 24th has been received some days. I have been most busily engaged in taking up and planting out such things as we may want at our new home, and which we don't want to leave here. Yesterday, ladye mine and the black boy together with I myself all started early for the only spot on earth that I can call mine; and got there just as a thunder shower was approaching. Well, it was soon too wet to plant out roses, the ground being thoroughly soaked, but the boy who went down to pile up the wood which we are having hauled, succeeded, for he could work under cover. This said wood was cut fit for the stoves, last spring and our land lord has to haul it, as part of his pay for this farm. It is beech and maple - rather heavy though well dried, and he does it with a very bad grace, or rather no grace at all. Do I care? yes - I always like to have folks good-natured about me; and when they are cross without any provocation of mine, I either set them very low down on the list of clever fellows, or remove them entirely into a class which no man respects. I have never bargained for any portion of other people's ill humors.

At this place, we have had no frost yet to affect the tenderest vegetable, though some roofs were white.

but it is now snowing with the wind at N.W. and when it clears up, I shall expect a glorious frost. It is rare indeed, that it keeps off so long.

We hope to remove in two or three weeks; and would go sooner if the house were empty; but the man who built it, has been unfortunate, and is preparing to start for California. We feel as if we could not hurry him, although he will have no right to stay after the 1st of next month. We think they will go.

Our lot - all that I claim of mother earth - contains 7-8[ths?] of an acre; and ladye[underlined] mine[underlined] objects to applying the word grounds[underlined] to such a mere spot; but yet John J Thomas - who has studied landscape gardenting - offered his services, and came over (40 miles) and laid out our walks. It is a great improvement both in regard to appearance and utility. Next year if we all should live and flourish, I should like to lead thee along them, together with thy good wife.

One of my first movements was to get a quantity of laurel[underlined] earth[underlined] hauled from the brink[underlined] of an immense ravine; and when mixed with peat[underlined], it makes the most beautiful soil. Along the whole north side of the house I had beds dug out about two feet deep, and then had these pits filled half and half of this fine sandy soil and peat well mixed together. It was so loose that I could press the bed down six inches with my foot. Into this, I have transplanted my Azaleas, Chinese Magnolias, and such other plants as decline and die in a [calcanous?] soil. Such ground is expensive at first, but very cheap in the long run.

Among the plants which I have transfered to our new home is the Dracocephalum which thou sent me. If thou could get D. grandiflorum] from your river bottoms, and transmit it me, I should feel under great obligations.

Thou refers to my statement of 760 articles in six years - This was only a part, for I was a correspondent of the American Farmer, and of the New York Farmer at the same time. Part of the, I wrote to drown sorrow.

I think I have never seen the Florist referred to in thy last; but really I have more publications sent to me than I can half read.

The Japan Lily that I have, winters out in the garden, but under an inverted sod. Your winters must be severer than ours; and it may need a thinker sod, or even two thicknesses of sod, which are but a trifle to apply, and may save the bulb. The last summer was too hot and dry for some young offsetts, so that I have none to spare at present.

My Japan Lilies have done nothing except in Laurel Earth. All that Professor Jackson sent me several years ago came to nothing.

I think the Summer Bon Chretien pear is not improved by house ripening. The finest that I have ever eaten were taken yellow from the tree; but this year I [illegible] not trust them out so long, - for with our new Lord we have had new Laws - or rather new practices.

Things which would not have been touched as mine[underlined], were taken freely as his. We are satisfied that were we to stay here and the season, we should have but little or no comfort with fruit; for the Fruit Garden is his, though we received the right to take whatever we wanted ourselves. Black cherries were taken when red - half ripe.

The rheumatism in my back is better, but worse in my left should and arm, down to my fingers. The pain is very irregular, sometimes I feel new and at other times it wakens me up at night, besides being severe by turns in the day time.

My grand daughter has been taking a medicine highly recommended, and we hope she is rather better, but the improvement is not very great.

W

I have worked hard (for me) for some time past; and have been so anxious to get all the best plants away, that I have written fewer letters than I have done in a long time. The manner in which I scratch this, may give thee some idea, how I want to get along.

The Know-Nothings are becoming a powerful party. I have conversed with two men very recently who I think are members. The influence of foreign emi grants amongst us, appears to be a leading idea, which they are determined to oppose; but I think Southern Influence in our Government is quite as bad.

My wife joins me in kind regards.

David Thomas.