THE KINDLY FRUITS OF THE EARTH.
(To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—Will you kindly give me space in your paper to tell the result of a letter written by me- which you were good enough to insert in your issue of June 23rd, 1917? It was an appeal to the women and children of England to send fruit trees to devastated France as a living wreath in memory of their own fallen and as a token of sympathy with France. In February of last year 1,000 beautiful trees—apples, pears, plums—were sent to three communes chosen by the French authorities, vie., Larbroye, Pont l'Eveque, and Bousies, the municipal authori. ties of the said communes sending grateful acknowledgments.
The trees, raised in Messrs. Bunyard's nurseries, and genet, ously sent out free of all expense by the South-Eastern Railway Company, arrived in splendid condition The names of the donors of the trees were inscribed on vellum to be placed in the mairie of the commune to which their trees were sent, the said vellum having the following inscription at the head:—
" Printemps, 1920.
En tomoignage vivant de sympathie aver la France et see heroiques souffrances de 1914 h 1918, en memoirs des Sires aimes tombs au champ d'honnenr quatro cents arbres out et6 !Alerts a in Commune de . . . par les hommes, femmes et enfants anglais dont les noms sont inscrits ci-dessous."
The French details of the little scheme have now been placed in the Imperial War Museum. Below are the names of the Committee: Chairman, Mrs. T. S. Hall; Hon. Treasurer, Six A. Kaye Butterworth; Hon. Horticultural Expert, Mr, Edward Bunyard; Hon. Secretary, Miss Bessie Wigan; Mrs. Blunt, Mrs. Albert Hall, Mrs. Cameron.—I am, Sir, &o., 11 Cheyne Gardens, Chelsea, S.W. 3. Basins WIGAN.
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