A 



I 



- I 



Long Coned CorhiOi Fir. The leaves of this aire 

 whiter, and much longer than the others-, the cones 

 are alio of a greater length than thofe of the common 

 fort, fo that by the appearance of the trees, any per- 

 fon might fuppofe them to be a diflinft fpecies. But 

 from the feeds which were carefully taken from this 

 fort, both varieties of plants have rifen, therefore they 

 muft be only deemed varieties. 

 From this tree the pitch is drawn, and hence it had 

 the title of Picea, or Pitch-tree. ■ 

 The third fort was formerly' growing in the Bilhop of 

 London's garden at Fulham ^ and of late years there 

 has been a great number of the trees raifed from the 

 feeds which liave been brought from America. This 

 fort makes very little progrefs .after eight or ten years 

 crrowth i the only place in which the trees have made 



any figure, is at his Grace the Duke of Bedford's at 

 Woburn-abbey in Bedfordfhire. 

 The fourth fort is a native of North America, from 

 whence the feeds have been brought to England, and 

 great numbers of the plants raifed. This is called by 

 the inhabitants in America, the White Spruce Fir. 

 It grows naturally on the mountains and higher lands, 

 ancl arrives to a"much greater fize than moft of the 

 other forts. Thofe in the gardens of the late Duke 

 of Argyle, at Whitton near Hounflow, are by much 

 the fineft I have feen : but there muft be fome trees 

 of a greater age in Devonfliire, unlefs they have been 

 deftroyedi for in the year 1724, I received fome 

 branches of this tree full of cones, from a gentleman 

 of that county, who had feveral of the trees then 

 growing, which were of a confiderable fize. 

 The fifth fort grows naturally on moift land, in many 

 parts of North America, but rarely arrives to the fize 

 of the fourth : however, the inhabitants of Am.erica 

 ufe the branches of both indifferently in making of 

 Spruce-beer, from whence the trees obtained the title 



of Spruce-trees. . * . ' 



From both thefe fpecies of Fir, exfudes a fine clear 

 turpentine of a ftrongfcent, which the native Indians 

 life to cure green wounds, and alfo for fome internal 

 diforders ; and of late years the Englifh phyficians in 

 North America, have likewife adopted it into their 



pradice. 



The fixth fort is alfo a native of Anierica, from 

 whence the feeds have been brought into Europe. 

 This tree does not thrive well in any part of England, 

 nor in many places of America ; though in fome par- 

 ticular fpots I have been informed there are very 

 large high trees now growing. It is a native of many 

 parts of North America. 



Thefe trees are all raifed from feeds taken out of 

 their polyfpermous cones. The way to get out the 

 feeds is, by expofing the cones to a gentle fire, Which 

 will caufe their fquamous cells to open, and readily 

 emit the feeds : but they fliould not 6e expofed to 

 too great a heat, for the cones of all the Firs open 

 much eafier than thofe of Pines, efpecially thofe of 

 the Silver and Balm of Gilead Firs, which, if per- 

 mitted to hang late in the autumn, fall to pieces 

 and fcatter their feeds. 



until the time of fowing them, which is beft perform- 

 ed the latter end of March. 



Thefe plants Ihould be all raifed in a nurfery, where 

 they may be protcdled from the birds, otherwife they 

 will be in danger of being deftroyed when they firft 

 come up. For as they bring up the huflc of the feed 

 on the top of the plant, the birds, in picking off the 

 hufk, will break off the tops of the plants, whereby 

 a whole bed may be loft in a few hours, if not care- 

 fully guarded from them. 



The beft time for fowing thefe feeds is about the 

 latter end of March, or the beginning of April, ac- 

 cording as the feafon is more or lefs forward, on a 

 bed of light earth, covering the feeds about half an 

 inch deep with the fame mould. If this bed be 

 netted over to keep off the birds, it will be a fure 

 method of preventing them from deftroying the 

 young plants at their firft coming out of the ground -, 

 at which time they fliould likewife be fcreened from 



7 



This ought not to be done 



A 



the fun in the middle of the day, by c6vering the 

 beds with mats, becaufe too much fun frequently de- 

 ftroys the plants when they are young. In this bed 

 the plants ftiould remain unul the following fpring, 

 when there fhould be a number of beds prepared iil 

 the hurfcry to receive the fecdlings. In the begin- 

 ning of April they fliould be tranfplanted into the 

 beds, at the difiance of fix inches row from row^ and 

 in the rows at three inches afunder, fetting them in 

 a quincunx order. ' In removing thefe plants, they 

 fhould be very carefully raifed up with a trowel, fo 

 as not to break off the fibres of their roots j nor fhould 

 they be Jcept long out of the ground. During the 

 time they are out, their roots fliould be covered, to 

 prevent the wind from drying their fibres ^ and in 

 planting, the earth fliould be prelfed clofe to their 

 roots, to prevent the air from penetrating to them. 

 If the fealbn proves dry, it will be proper to water 

 the plants every week once or twice, according to the 

 warmth of the weather ; the beds fliould alfo be co- 

 vered with mats, to fcreen the plants from the fun, 

 and drying winds, until they have taken good root ; 

 after which time they v/ill require little farther care, 

 than to keep them clean from weeds. In thefe beds 

 the plants may remain two years, at the end of which 

 they fliould be tranfplanted into an op^n fpot of 

 ground, for their roots will in that time meet quite 

 over the beds. This ground, to which they are to 

 be removed, fhould be well trenched and cleared 

 from all noxious weeds, and made level. The be- 

 ginning of April, juft before the plants begin to 

 fhoot, v/ill be a good time to remove them. In take- 

 ing up the plants, great care fliould be taken not to 

 tear off or injure their roots , nor fnould too many 

 ^ofthe plants be taken up at one time, but rather 

 plant them as faft as they are taken up, that they 

 may be as little time out of the ground as pofTible. 

 For the drying winds, which ufualiy happen at this 

 feafon, will greatly injure the roots of thele plants, if 



■ much expofed thereto. 

 The diftance at which they fhould be placed in the 

 nurfery, fhould be four leet row from row, and in 

 the rows two feet afunder. This diftance may by 

 fome be thought too great ; bu-: if it be confidered 

 how much their roots fpread in the ground, as alfo 

 that when they are planted nearer together, it will be 

 very difficult to take up the plants again without cut- 

 ting and tearing off their roots, efpecially if they are 

 not all taken up clean at the fame time : thefe con- 

 fiderations mufl have greater weight than that of the 

 lofs of a little ground, with all who have any regard 

 to the future welfare of the plants. In planting them, 

 it will be advifeable to draw a line crofs the ground, 

 and to dig out a trench of a foot wide, into which 

 the plants may be placed at the diftance of two feet 

 afunder. Then fill the earth into the trench, cover- 

 ing the roots of the plants with the fineft part of it, 

 fcattering it carefully between the roots -, and when 



. the whole trench is filled in, prefs the earth gently 

 down with your feet •, but by no means tread it too 

 hard, efpecially if the ground be ftrong, or apt to 

 bind too clofe. 



When the plants are thus planted, if the feafon fhould 

 prove dry, they ought to be watered, in order to fet- 

 tle the earth to their roots \ and if this be repeated 

 three or four times, (if the feafon fl:iould continue 

 dry) it will greatly promote their taking new root, 

 and fecure them from the injuries of the drying winds. 

 In this nurfery the plants may remain two or three 

 years, according to the progrefs they fhall have made ; 

 and during this time, the ground between the plants 

 fhould be conftantly kept clean from weeds, and dug 

 between the rows every fpring ; in doing of which, 

 care muft be taken not to cut or injure the roots of 

 the plants : this is all the culture they will require 



. during their continuance in the nurfery. When they 

 are tranfplanted into the places where they are to re- 

 main, the neceflfary care to be taken is, in taking 

 them up, not to injure or cut off their roots, and to 



let them be as little time out of the ground as poflible ; 



and 



