286 OBSERVATIONS ON 



deep chesnut colour. Tall beeches cast 

 their leaves about the end of October. 



White. 



SIZE AND GROWTH. 



Mr. Marsham of Stratton, near Norwich, 

 informs me by letter thus : *' I became a 

 planter early ; so that an oak which I 

 planted in 1720 is become now, at 1 foot 

 from the earth, 12 feet 6 inches in circum- 

 ference, and at 14 feet (the half of the tim- 

 ber length) is 8 feet 2 inches. So if the 

 bark was to be measured as timber, the 

 tree gives U6-J- feet,^ buyer's measure* 

 Perhaps you never heard of a larger oak 

 while, the planter was living. I flatter 

 myself that I increased the growth by 

 washing the stem, and digging a circle as 

 far as I supposed the. roots to extend, and 

 by spreading sawdust,, &c. as related in 

 the Phil. Trans. I wish I had begun with 

 beeches (my fevourite trees as well as 

 ^ youra), I might then have seen very large 

 trees of my own raising. But I did not 



