August 12, 1978

Dear Mr Plant,

No need to apologize for Air Letter, I use them all the time for England.

On August 2 I sent you a map of California sea mail. You can calculate from that how long it takes. You will find Saratoga about 50 miles south of San Francisco, but as this is not a contour map, it does not shows that there is a range of mountains between Saratoga and the Pacific. So we have a warm summer climate (dry) and our rainy season is not so bad, maybe 4 or 5 days in the entire winter the water in the bird-bath will freeze over.

Checking an Atlas I see Saratoga is approximately on the 37th degree latitude and Maitland 32½. So you have it even wormier. Do you grow semi-tropicals like avocados? They do well here in sheltered locations. People are always starting them from pits, in the house, but they seldom bear out of doors, or revert to the small Mexican original. I am quite satisfied with my apricots, peaches, Japanese persimmons and almonds. I have 2 large walnut trees but unless they are sprayed they get a pest called husk-fly, which makes the nuts black.

Glad you have found some US correspondents who can be helpful. But a government Special purpose grant sounds extraordinary time to trace the origin of Pekin-Cochin bantams!

I didn’t think they cared! But I have seen far stranger subjects presented for Ph.D. degrees.

I push along with my cane, and take pain pills when needed, do necessary house & garden work, enjoy life too much to think of quitting!

Cordially,