To the Editor:

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and earth? Why don't we honor our planet with a capital E?

Capital E should be used when we reference our planet Earth. A small e should be used when we reference the earth we plant our seeds or a tree in.

Speaking of trees, did you hear that California has lost millions of trees that have died because of their four years of drought?

Trees are very important to our very existence: they grab the rain clouds, keeping us from drought; they keep our ground water pure; purify the air we breathe; provide shade, cooling the earth; slow down the wind, so our roofs aren’t blown off like the one in Watertown and are beautiful to look at. They provide leaves to fertilize our gardens, while keeping the weeds down.

I remember in grade school reading Joyce Kilmer’s poem “Trees” out loud. Even at that early age, it touched my soul.

Too many trees have been removed from the St. Lawrence County part of the Adirondack Park and all over St. Lawrence County.

So I hope this spring we will all look around our properties and plant as many trees as possible and water them well periodically so they will be sure to live.

Barbara Seguin Doe

Waddington