F A R N H A M. 289 



is uncommon, without fpoiling his dairy: for 

 his cows give much milk. After falling off a 

 good deal, they make 6 or 71b. of butter each a 

 week, beiides fupplying his numerous family 

 with milk and cream. The bull-calves he rears 

 for oxen, works them till they are fix years 

 old, and then fattens them. Draft oxen he 

 finds infinitely more beneficial than horfes. 

 The breed of ftrong horfes he has alfo been very 

 attentive to improve, buying a ftallion of Mr. 

 Bakewell, and has bred many, which fell rea- 

 dily at 25I. each, at 4 years old. 



In planting, Lord Farnham obferved at Farn- 

 ham, that no tree grows to fo large a fize fpee- 

 dily as the filver fir. He has many of a great 

 iize, planted by his father about 40 years ago, 

 in a wet clay foil on a rock ; we meafured fome 

 of them 1 2 feet in circumference at the ground, 

 and one 7^ at 5 feet high : this tree contains 76 

 feet of folid timber. What is very uncommon, 

 he pointed out many oaks that are deftroying 

 the Scotch firs planted with them, having out- 

 grown and riling completely above them. This 

 I do not remember having noticed before. In 

 the fame plantation the beech generally beats 

 the Scotch fir and the afh, though the latter 

 fuits the foil very well ; indeed the beech oak 

 and filver fir are the capital trees. One ufe he 

 has put the filver fir to, in which it anfwers 

 perfectly, which is boat-buildings he has a boat 

 built of it, which has Lifted as well as if of the 

 beft oak. This is a hint which may prove of 

 infinite ufe. I remember Mr. Mitford in 



U Hamp- 



