ulljc (Ontario 
Washington, 5. (£. 
October 18;1903. 
Dear Will:- 
I found it rather hard to get out of mind the recollection 
of the Goncord and the Farm and to settle down to humdrum work after the 
delightful times we had to gether.I had finally to resolutely decline to 
entertain any reminesences of my vacation and to endeavor to settle my thoughts 
on manuscripts and the everday problems of the office. Now I begin to feel my¬ 
self once more part of the machine and am settled down for another year of 
routine.! was immensely bettered by my vacation,and the hours we soent to 
gether in the birch pasture will long remain with me. I am not sure that we 
ever shall have just such another chance but I most sincerely hope we may. 
Dwelling on the farm reminds me that no later than today I had a talk 
with Hopkins who is the man I supposed pronounced the expert opinion in re¬ 
gard to the death of your white pines.He is not the man,having never been in 
Goncord.But he knows what is the matter with the trees.He says it is a fun¬ 
gous disease of the leaves,that it is widespeaad.of Supopaean origin,and is 
almost invariably fatal to the tree attacked.He answeredd my qestion as to 
why if fungous in nature the disease attacked only here and there a tree by 
the statement that only a certain percentage were susceptible,and that it was 
wise directly it was seen that a tree had been attacked to cut it down uo 
prevent it from having progeny which in turn were apt to be attacked,He de¬ 
clares that while some fungi paactically destroy every plant of a certain 
kind to whici they can gain access.others attach themselves only to an occa¬ 
sional individual in a plantation or grove. I'his particular disease is doing 
a great deal pf harm and there is no practical remedy for it after it once show 
itself on a tree. 
