Yesterday, after the drenching showers in the afternoon, ended in a calm, pleasant evening and a glorious sunset that will be long remembered by those who had the good fortune to see it. Hours of sunshine to-day have changed the appearance of nature both in field, woodland, and garden. Daffodils of many varieties are now coming into bloom, and primroses, oxlips, and polyanthuses are a fine show. The long spikes of the lily of the valley are shooting up, and the nines of the hop are already eighteen inches long, and are growing perceptibly each day.
It is pleasant to record that the spring-sown corn is coming on well, far better than many had expected, and we may yet have a good crop of grain. In no part of our national industrial life is more determined activity being shown than in the cultivation of the land. A farmer recently wrote to me that his son had gone with the Yeomanry, and that most of his men were with the colours, but that with the few men he still had he had faced the work necessary on his farm of 1,000 acres, trusting in the young boys he could get in his neighbourhood, which is a very remote one. He said he had found the boys most reliable, useful, and anxious to do the work well. He had furnished a cottage, and hoped to get a family who were accustomed to agriculture so that he might find them both a home and a means of making a living. From all parts of the country come reports of the great efficiency shown by the boys, and also girls, who have been helping farmers in various ways.
