27 
the Weather at Lyndon. 
feet high, and eleven inches in girth at the bottom ; it has been 
pretty well cleared of boughs about half way up, and may per- 
haps, by degrees, be cleared several feet higher. 
In the winter of 1789, an ash tree was cut down, which, fall- 
ing against a young oak, as thick as my leg, beat it down. I 
had the oak cut close to the ground, and in 1790 it put out a 
number of shoots, which grew that year, and 1791. In 1792, 
I chose out the best shoot, trained it up as straight as I could, 
and beat down the rest of the shoots to the ground, under the 
hedge, to weaken them, and encourage the best sboot, which I 
intend to be the tree. It has since grown strong, is pretty 
straight, has been pruned, and may, I believe, by degrees, be 
cleared to a good height, for the leading bud is strong and up- 
right. It is now (in August, 1798) about 14^- feet high, and 
about 6-§- inches in girth at the bottom. 
