Linnaeus has replied to Carl Hårleman’s letter [of 17/28 December 1750{L1203}], in a “promemoria”, there trying to defend the clearing of land by burning as rational farming method. In hard words Hårleman rejects Linnaeus’s reasons. “Shall we not follow Nature’s laws?” he asks indignantly. The leaves and needles fall off to rot and fertilize the soil. Or does Linnaeus mean that this happens for nothing or by mere chance? Hårleman is convinced that the growth of trees in a scorched area is reduced by 50 % compared with the trees growing in natural soil. Hårleman quotes a French proverb fitting Linnaeus’s position: “No man is deafer than one who does not want to listen”. He hopes that Linnaeus will change his mind, otherwise Hårleman’s role as a loving father will be over.