130 Mr. Marsh am on the 
near half a yard that year ; but 1 ought to say 1 cut off their 
heads. 
Before I quit this subject, I will presume to recommend, if 
young oaks are unthriving, there is reason to hope they may 
be helped by cutting them down to a foot or six inches : for 
in 1750 I planted some oaks from my grove of 1719 into a 
poorer soil, and although they lived, they were sickly ; so in 
1761 I cut most of them down to one foot, and then by cutting 
off the side shoots, in three or four years led them into a single 
stem, and most of them are now thriving and handsome trees ; 
and you can hardly see where they were cut off', and some are 
four feet round ; and I have used the same method with un- 
healthy chesnuts, beech, hornbeam, and wych elm, and with 
the same success. 
Stratton, May 29, 1796. 
R. MARSHAM. 
