32 
February 3cl. and in the nothern part of the State 
it crept down to 13 P., killing citrus trees to 
the ground. 
I made a herlDarium of the frosted leaves and 
it is the first time I believe that such a thing 
has been done. The difference in the behavior of 
the different species was amazing. Things which 
T/e thought were killed outright have sprouted 
again and are as fresh and vigorous as though no 
freeze occurred. Others, like the litchi, which 
I even photographed because t thought it had come 
through uninjured, except for the young grov/th 
which ?/as killed back, when I came to cut into the 
bark I found had gone down to the ground and a 
young sprout just above the surface of the ground 
was starting up." It is too bad but the litchi 
seems to be a tender plant in Florida. I don't 
know yet whether Taylor's litchi lived through or 
not, but I imagine it did rot. 
The jaboticaba is a hardy thing and was unin- 
jured. The Mexican avocado was unhurt and the 
Guatemalan was much hardier than the West Indian, 
although it was scorched pretty badly and lost some 
of its leaves, whereas the V/est Indian such as the 
Trapp lost all its leaves and had to be cut back 
to 3 inch wood in many cases. 
The mangos were of course cut badly but they 
will all recover add some of them will have fruit 
on them this year although the Sander shaw which 
was in bloom was cut back to 4 inch wood or even 
worse. Some time T will show you the oil paintings 
which I had made of the gardens after the freeze. 
It is late, mji dear Meyer, and the newspaper- 
says that we are going to have real war with 
Germany, horrible as it seems to us all, and this 
may be the last letter written to you before we 
rush into the horrible flames of this world's con- 
flict. 
The frogs are croaking in the swamps about 
here and the occasional mosquitoes are hiaimning 
and it is quiet here and I wish you vrere with us 
instead of way out there in China but life is that 
strange thing which none of us understand and so 
we drift along in its stream and try our best to 
keep our heads above v/ater and so it goes. 
If conditions stop your work you willjof course 
cable me and vie will arrange for your return to 
America. I hope they will allow you to go on ex- 
ploring for we have only one life to live and we 
December 31, 1917. 
