6 ORMISTOUN'S LETTERS 



enough about to make me understand the full state of the things 

 you write about ; and I believe you have not fully understood 

 some things I mentioned to you. You have not told me where 

 it is proposed to begin first to cutt the Wood. You seam to say 

 all up to the Bark Barn is to be put to Sale next nioneth. I 

 thought some under that (if run in a line to Pencaitland 

 Wood) was cutt much later than some above it. You tell me 

 that my Brother was to look upon it when he returns from 

 Eden : in order to putt it in order for being advertised. To be 

 sure there may be some decay'd Branches or a few decayed 

 trees to be taken away now, if it is to bee expos''d to sale, but 

 the putting it in order for Sale I meant, was giving a through 

 weeding and sneding up to a Wood, three years before it came 

 to be exposed to Sale, that it might have three years growth 

 after this last great sneding, which I believ'd would doe it a 

 great deal of real service before it came to sale, and after this 

 through sneding it was to want no more but being cleared of 

 dead wood the Spring before putting of it to Sale. If it has 

 not had this through snedding some years ago, which I call the 

 preparing of it for Sale, the doeing of it now or one year before 

 Sale, hurts itt and disfigures itt. I compare what ought to be 

 done to a Wood the Spring or Winter before putting of it 

 to Sale to a jockey's combing and brushing his horse and 

 putting a white clean bridle upon his head the morning before 

 carrying him to Markett. Whereas the preparing of him to 

 look really well has or should have begun three months before, 

 and if the jokky has omitted the putting him into good order 

 in the proper time, the white Bridle won't be enough tho' it 

 may sett of ^ a little — and he must content himself with a price 

 less than what he might have had, by three times the value of 

 what the trouble of putting of him in Order in time would 

 have cost. So it will be by ^ the Wood ; what can be done to 

 what is to be sold now, should only be taking away what is 

 dead and would look ugly to the Eye ; but if it has not had the 

 through sneding some years ago, there is no help for it now, 

 and the wood will be really the worse for that omission, more 



^ Of and offyftXQ not then regularly distinguished in spelling. The distinc- 

 tion in dialect is <?' and aff. There are many examples in the Letters of this 

 word in the sense of ' on,' e.g. ' of the other hand.' Cf. Ger. auf. 



■■^ In the case of. 



