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The great Lord Bacon fays, “ the improvement of the ground 
“ is the mcjl natural way of obtaining riches .” What great 
fortunes might be raifed, by thofe that have property, in the 
vaft heaths and downs, or fields of poor land, in this king- 
dom, by planting parts of them ? which would alfo add great 
beauty to the country, and render the dwelling much more 
comfortable to the neighbourhood, by the fhadein fummer, and 
warmth in winter. Some parts of thefe great waftes would pro- 
duce good oak ; and where the foil is moift, poplar, alder, and 
other aquatics, would be very profitable to the planter. The 
chalky foil feems the leaft promifing ; yet beeches fometimes 
thrive well upon it. The fir kind, efpecially the Scotch fir, 
will grow furprifingly upon poor Tandy land; but woods of 
fir fhould be guarded with an out-line of birch and beech, to 
break the force of ftrong winds. Birch, being the quickeft 
grower, will beft protedl the young fir ; but as birch, after a 
few years, is eafily blown down, fo beech will be wanted to 
defend the firs as they become large: for I have feen broad 
glades made by the wind through great woods of fir in Swit- 
zerland : which, perhaps, might have been prevented, at lead 
in part, by an out-line of beech. 
I know fome think, that poor land cannot produce large 
trees; yet the oak at Northall in Hertford fhire, whofe beauti- 
ful head fpreads a circle of above 40 yards diameter, (lands on 
a dry and deep fand ; and the fine chefnuts and beeches by 
Mr. Naylor’s grand caflle of Herd Monceux in SuflTex, grow 
in a light fandy foil : and I have found, by experience, the 
Weymouth, Scotch, fpruce, and filverfirs, which I planted in a 
poor fandy foil, are larger and finer trees, than others fet at the 
fame time in much better land. Perhaps it may require a rich 
clay to produce fuch trees as the noble grove of oak in the Earl 
of Powis’s park by Ludlow, or Lord Ducie’s vaft chefnut at 
Tortworth, in Gloucefterfhire, which I meafured 46} feet in 
circumference at near 6 feet from the ground. 
Although thefe flight obfervations are not fo deferving the 
attention of the Royal Society as J could wifh ; yet they may 
poflibly be the means of producing better ; and for my own 
part, I (hall always efteem it a great honour that they were 
communicated by Dr. Hales. 
Stratton, Dec. 1 8, 1 758-. 
R. Marfliam. 
