cxlviii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Le Chef de Section du Comite Britannioue de la C.R.F. 

 (Service des Blesses et Refugies), 



Mourmelon-le-Grand (Marne). 

 March 24, 1920. 



Lady Northcote, 



Presidents, R.H.S. War Relief Fund. 



Dear Lady Northcote, 



I have to thank you very much for your great kindness in supplying 

 my Section with 7,000 fruit trees. 



The trees arrived in two lots, 3,500 from Angers, very fine ones which we 

 distributed in bundles of five to each family, then we got 3,500 from Metz, 

 which were also nice and strong, and we got them out in two days — the people 

 were delighted with them. We have seen a good many of them planted and 

 they look very well. 



I had hoped to send you a photo of them, but they are not yet printed. 

 Thanking you again, 



Yours sincerely, 



(Signed) J. F. Eastwood. 



British Committee of the French Red Cross, 

 Section i. 



Service des Blesses et Refugies, 

 Maignelay, 



OlSE. 



April 2, 1920. 



Dear Madam, 



The magnificent gifts from the Royal Horticultural Society's War Relief 

 Fund have been immensely appreciated in this section of our work ; 50 villages 

 of the Oise and Somme have benefited by the autumn seeds, agricultural and 

 gardening implements, cottage garden collections and fruit trees ; you will 

 receive many grateful letters from the maires of these villages, as the people 

 are absolutely delighted and most thankful. 



Yours very truly, 



(Signed) N. Elizabeth Yeatherd, 

 Chef de Section. 



It has been a great pleasure to us to distribute these much-needed things. 



Perhaps it should be added that over 100 letters from the local 

 Mayors of the various districts helped have testified in no unstinted 

 manner to the work done. 



The following extracts from a few of the letters tell their own 

 story : — 



St. Quentin. — " The country people here are devoted to their gardens and 



orchards. . . . They love their fruit trees too, and will almost weep when 



they describe how the Germans destroyed some of them intentionally, and 



left others which were afterwards killed by poison gas. . . . .Everybody 



is toiling to bring the land back into cultivation." 

 Coulomme>-la-Montjgne. — " A letter of thanks, signed by all the villagers 



individually, ' to let you know the gratitude of them all and their children. 



They want not us to be hungry,' they told me in good smiles." 

 GodenviUers. — " I can assure you that your efforts have been most successful, 



and that you have gained an affection for England that will be lasting." 

 Remangies. — " . . . The inhabitants will never forget what their friends in 



Great Britain have done for them, but will keep their thoughtful kindness 



in undying memory. . . ." 

 L'Ecaille. — " You could not possibly have found anything better suited to our 



needs." 



Asfeld. — " The Society may rest assured that the gift which is so generously sent 



was warmly welcomed by our hard-working people." 

 Vieut-Ies- Asfeld. — "The seeds which have reached us at the most propitious 



moment will be of the greatest service." 

 Mont Saint Germain. — " . . . How welcome was the gift, and how great is our 



admiration for the disinterested kindness which prompted you to send 



