WCP109

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

August 20th. 1905

My dear Will

I send you a "Report" from MacAlpine receiv^d some weeks back. The workmen have at length gone and the house is fairly cleaned up, but there is another day’s work for Carpenter filling up openings left above the drawers in the 3 attics — & also some patching up of walks &c. [The following one sentence was written vertically on the left hand side of the current page] They are coming tomorrow or Tuesday.

You have perhaps heard that our old gardener has been away this six weeks ill, & is not expected to live, or if he does not to work again. He had a kind of sunstroke [2] that very hot weather. Now we have just got a boy of 16, who I think will do.

I have ordered gravel, & parts and we’re netting for new road and fence, but cannot yet get any man to do the work as all seem employed. I am thinking of using the bit behind the Gorse hedge & the Fowl yard, for a vegetable garden — cabbages &c. as I think the land is pretty good loam, and the gorse &c. must be stubbed up to make it useful for any purpose. The top triangular part of the new bit I shall [3] throw into the Garden and move some of the fruit trees into it, and the remaining piece to the Hedge will do for a fowl-room and swell orehard. But even that will involve more fences and gates and thus make the fowls come very expensive — about 5/- a fowl and 2 an egg. I reckon from all the money spent on them so far!

I have a big packet of proofs every day — and two one or two sheets of 2^nd proofs — (final) twice a week. 2 copies to correct for here & America, — which takes up nearly all my [4] time, with letters &c. & watering to keep things alive in garden. At length however the drought seems broken & we shall perhaps have a hot & stormy autumn. Let us know something about what kind of work you have now.

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

P.S. I expect I shall be grinding at proofs 2 months longer!