WCP113

[1]

Broadstone, Wimborne

Dec^r 23^rd, 1905

My dear Will

Many thanks for the nice paper knife I received this morning. It is rather a puzzler to know what it is made of — it is so light that it can hardly be any kind of tusk, yet by the waviness of the blade it seems to be hand-made — not molded. Do you know its nature & origin?

I am sorry you are not coming home to spend ‘Xmas with us, but I suppose you have special reasons for staying where you are so long.

I have been very busy in the Garden & have now four men at work (3) at the deep drain — It starts at the side of the road above the [2] large cherry tree near the pond, and now, at the front door, is 10 feet deep, and will be nearly 12 feet where it will turn the corner of the house. At the back of the kitchen it will be about 11 feet rising to about 9 feet opposite the shed-door where it will probably stop. I had a trial hole dug the opposite the Kitchen window on the back road path, and at about 7 feet we came to a good trickle of water and at 8 feet or 8 ½ feet to blue clay above which there was more water coming in. On digging a foot or more into the blue clay it was quite compact and dry, so that the water which comes under the foundation, into the homes comes from the [3] wet yellow clay above the blue. Our drain will thus I hope intercept the whole of the water. I bought 500 — 3 in. farm drain pipes (I foot long each) and we are laying these in two rows side by side which has a great advantage in keeping them all in line by laying them with broken joins thus: — [a sketch of the pipes appears below].

The two ends are thus kept exactly in place, whereas a single line would always be liable to get slightly shifted and then stopped up. We have a layer of heather on the top of the pipes, and at the back of the house I shall have another layer about where most water comes in to let the water percolate freely down to the pipes. They are [4] now laid and filled-in up to the front door, and if the men come to work on Tuesday, as promised, the whole should be finished by next Saturday.

During the last 3 weeks I have been moving shrubs & trees to the entrance roadway. Between the road & the gorse hedge is all trenched and roughly leveled, & on the west side a border about 15 feet wide is also trenched. At the back of this border there is a row of sycamore, elm, and beech trees; with an inner row of mountain ash, crimson thorns, and other dwarf trees. [The following one sentence appears vertically on the left-hand side of the current page] This is to serve as a wind screen. Then there are about 3 rows of rhododendrons moved from the west wood and other places, also my Himalayan Rhododendron, and a dozen Azaleas — about 60 [5] in all, more than half of which will flower next spring! And all I hope the following one.

On the East side I have planted Custuses[?] &, herberes’, escallorias[?], and lots of other shrubs of various kinds believe[?]. Then flowering trees — thorus, almonds, double cherries &c. & behind them a row of Siberian crabs, dausons[?] plumes &c. then the large pear trees I brought from Parkstone, & close to the hedge some nut-bushes, baubors[?], &c. In the lower part near the road, are Laburnums and lilacs on each size, and also several rare flowering trees & shrubs [6] which I have ordered, but which have not yet come. Among these trees & shrubs I hope to get plant some of the common showy lilies to flower in the Autumn; so that this entrance road will I hope be full of hauls[?] one plants which it will be a constant delight to see grow & flower, and will every year increase in beauty.

I have also moved all the Apple and other fruit trees out of the kitchen-garden & the orchard into the new ground where they from two rows a little away from the fence, [7] and still leave quite a large open piece of grass as a play-ground for children &c.

Also the ground behind the gorse hedge is cleared & divided into three parts by two cross fences of wire netting the two upper over pieces for the fowls (giving the old fowl yard a nest) which the lower bit has been trenched & is to be planted b with about nine new apple trees, with, some vegetables or buckwheat between, into which the fowls can be turued[?] occasionally. I have also got several new trees & shrubs I have never had before — 2-3 magushas[?], a red horse-chestnut, a Californian buckeye, [8] and several others.

Coming back to the drain, the hole we first dug at the top path opp. Kitchen, has now a foot or more of water in it. This will all run away as soon as our drain pipes reach it, and I think it quite possible that at the utlet we may have a constant buckle of water enough to keep full a small poud[?] which will be very useful for the shrubs &c. growing near. The whole cost of this drain will be under £10. & it is a great pity it was not laid when the house was building, but better late than never.

Wishing you a pleasant X’mas & New year’s day and with regards to all enquiring friends (if there are any) I conclude —

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]