[ >29 ] 
his leaves throughout the winter j ftruck with the 
phenomenon, he cherifhed, and paid particular at- 
tention to it, and propagated, by grafting, fome 
thoufands from it, which I had the pleafure of feeing, 
eight days ago, in high flourifhing beauty and ver- 
dure, notwithftanding the feverity of the winter. 
Its growth is ftraight, and handfome as a fir, its 
leaves ever -green, and the wood is thought, by the 
bed: judges, in hardnefs and ftrength to exceed all 
other oak. He makes but one .fhoot in the year, 
viz. in May, and continues growing without inter- 
ruption ; whereas other oaks (hoot twice, namely, 
in May and Auguft ; but the peculiar and eftimable 
part of its charadter is, the amazing quicknefs of its 
growth, which I imagine may be attributed (in fome 
degree at lead) to its making but one fhoot in the 
year ; for I believe all trees that fhoot twice, are, for 
fome time, at a Hand before they make the fecond. 
I had the curiofity to take the dimenfions of the pa- 
rent tree (feven years old), and fome of the grafts ; 
the firft meafured 2 r feet high, and full 20 inches 
in the girt ; a graft of four years old 16 feet high, 
and full 14 inches in the girt ; the firft he grafted is 
fix years old, and has out-fhot his parent 2 feet in 
heighth. The parent tree feems to promife his acorns 
loon, as he bloffoms, and forms his foot-flalk ftrong, 
and the cup upon the foot-ftalk with the appearance 
of the acorn, which, with a little more age, will 
fvvell to perfedtion. This oak is diftinguifhed, in 
this county, by the title of The Lucombe Oak ; his 
fhoots, in general, are from 4 to 5 feet every year, 
fo that he will, in the fpace of thirty or forty years, 
out-grow in altitude and girt the common oak at a 
Vol. LXII. S hundred. 
