Helena Ark Feb the 20/65 Dearest Elizabeth yours by Samuel Merman caim safe to me and found me well and harty as also this leaves me I have not written by mail but as you may look for a letter by Sam I will write you a short letter you must plant a garden and what ground you do not want rent out to some good hand be shure and get your tax receipt for 64 rit off if you havent Raise all the vegetables you can for you will run short of something to eat this sumer plant a pach of molases corn to make molases for next winter clean out the stable & put the manure in your cabege pills get some Irish potatoes & plant but dont plant any for the weeds Keep the calves & sheep off the grass now & let it make a good crop put up the fence around on the out sid fence straten up the lain fance & sweep the floor but no the yard let the grass gro in the yard give the old cow salt and promis her corn next year Keep George goin to scool & tel Alice to keep her face clean [portion torn out] send him & Jimey to sunday scool trim the aple trees up nice and drive a stake besid the weeker ones buy bacon instid of pork rais chickens & eat in place of meat by a sow that is going to have pigs & try to rais some shoats this sumer look to the future as well as the present dont sell your calvs but try to get 2 or 3 more try to get that cow that is lost So I must quit I am as ever yours truly I am still yours M A Hooker Patrick J. Anderson http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=patanderson 9654 Baltimore Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20723