86 GROWING GOLD. 



He may be a disciple of the person who 

 recommends thinning to thirty-five feet apart, 

 but it is not stated at what size and age this 

 is to take place ; and as it is in defiance of 

 the evidence of all kinds here given it does 

 not require further notice. The oak trees 

 upon this property grow so slowly, there is 

 very little perceptible increase, although they 

 have been closely observed many years. On 

 a recent ride through this wood, there were 

 several cut down ; many of them squared 

 only six or eight inches ; and yet they were 

 decayed at the lower end, which corroborates 

 the opinion before expressed, that injury to 

 the leading shoot causes immediate decay at 

 the centre of the stem. 



A certain landowner who has an extensive 

 tract of poor sandy land planted with oak 

 trees, has taken much trouble to circulate a 

 statement that wet land, namely, adhesive 

 clay soils, &c. will not grow oak timber of 

 good quality. His testimony is clearly liable 

 to the suspicion of being biased by interested 



