I have not been called to Rochester and I am under engagement to start upon my Southern trip Monday. I shall probably be absent two or three weeks to inspect works and examine ground at various points. Before I return, you will probably receive some plans and estimates for your proposed conservatory, palm house and rose house.

Herewith will be sent you a preliminary skeleton plan, embodying a general theory of design for your grounds, and which will be submitted for the purpose of obtaining more definite instructions than we now have as to what you would think desirable. We have allowed, for example, a certain space for the new stable, stable court, manure yard; for the gardener’s house, propagating and grape houses and a vegetable garden. You will please advise us what you wish different from what is suggested in these respects, and it would be well if you would have your architects give us an outline plan of the stable. We suppose that, both as to the stable and working glass houses, we have allowed a little more room than is necessary. It will be easily cut down.

As to the rest of the ground, we have thought it possible that you might [120]

[121]like to do something which cannot be very well expressed graphically in such a sketch as that now sent. This would be to throw up in the north-west part of your ground a ridge in the general form of a horse-shoe, as indicated by the contour lines on the map. Within this ridge there would be a depression of fine turf. The steeper parts of the ridge would be planted with a continuous thicket of shrubbery, backed at some distance with trees, forming in this way a sheltered amphitheatre. There would be capes and bays of shrubbery, with here and there some shrubs detached from the mass, and everywhere along the edge of these capes, bays and islands would be flowering plants, mainly perennial, but with a good many spring bulbs growing in the outer part of the turf. This would be an unusual and, we think, very agreeable form of garden. It would be easily taken care of. Sheltered from the North, and carefully prepared for the purpose, it would be more genial than most gardens in Buffalo, during the Spring and early Summer. It would contrast agreeably with the broad, flat, open ground immediately on the west of your house. It would afford a degree of seclusion which, by contrast in this respect, would, we think, add a good deal to the pleasantness of the place. There would be no difficulty as to drainage, and the whole operation would be really a simple one, but the preliminary grading would be heavy and costly. We have provided in this drawing for a much larger affair than would be necessary. We should guess that the grading for this, including the re-soiling of the ground and other preparation for planting and seeding could be done, if desired, by contract at a cost of perhaps eight hundred dollars ($800). The same idea could be carried out on a smaller scale at a cost of five hundred dollars ($500). Neither estimate includes planting.

Please advise us if you would be disposed to undertake anything of the kind.

Yours Truly,