France
March 22 1916

Dear Father:

Just a few lines to let you know I am well and hopeing you are all the same. I am sending Mother a letter in the same envelope so they must be very much alike as news is o scarce.

For the past couple of weeks until today we have had lovely weather. What farmers are left here are busy getting the ground ready for seeding plowing harrowing etc. As the sow a lot of grain in the fall it makes a good deal less work for them in the spring. The primroses are out and the trees will be in leaf in a few days so you see the winters are very mild here.

They grow a lot of tobasco[?] and a great many beans, around here. The turnips are mostly white ones but they are a firmer quality than our white turnips.

In peace time this must be a very pretty country, all the roads have a line of oak or elm trees along each side and nearly every field has a thorn hedge as well as which are to them as our Barn Wagons are to us.

There is enough material n them to make three of ours, the front wheels are only about 3 feet in diameter and full lock. To complete the show where is no pole or shafts as they use swingle[?] tress and drive the horses with one line and they guide the horses by jerking the lines.

Nearly every farm house of any size has its own private chapel (R.C.) and they are great people for attending services.

Some of the churches here [?] fine buildings but they are a holy show now. Frilz's [high]? explosive shell certainly put them on the rough.

I have seen a lot of buildings nearly 200 years old. Houses here are all brick with tile roof and floors and some of them have fine basements.

They build their farm buildings here around 4 sides of a square with a large yard in the centre into which all the manure is piled and in the centre of the whole thing is a bricked in hole to catch the water.

Of course to make it nicer and more complete the pump is placed right at the edge of the yard.

The [?] here are very large. I suppose you remember [?] [?] "Myosotis." Well they are nearly as large as she was and can haul a great load.

Well I think this must do for the present, so I will close. Write soon. Charlie.