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and when the bed is much expofcd to tl^ ftin, the J Cation is intenfled to be made, in thole nurfcrlcs the 

 furfacc of the ground will dry fo faft, as to require to I feeds fhould be fown ; and if there are anj^ poor cot- 



have water very often, which frequently rots the tender 

 ftems of the plants ; which will be prevented by pro- 

 perly (hading them while young, and afterward they 

 will be in no danger. Thefe young plants Ihould be 

 conftantly kept clean from v/eeds, and if they have 

 made good progrefs, they may be tranfplanted the 

 following autumn, otherwife they may remain in the 

 feed-bed another year, efpecially if the plants are not 

 too clofe together.' When they are tranfplanted, it 

 fhould be performed in the autumn as foon as their 

 leaves decay ; they may be planted in beds at about 

 fix inches afunder each way, which will be diftance 

 enouf^h for the growth of the plants the two following 

 years, by which time they will be fit to tranfplant 

 where they are to remain. 



When the young trees are planted out for good, they 

 need not be more than eight or ten feet dillant from 

 each other, always planting them clofer on expofed 

 fituations, than where they are more defended ; after 

 the trees are planted, they will require no other care 

 but to keep them clean from weeds for three or four 

 years till the trees have obtained ftrength, when they 

 will over-top the weeds and prevent their growth •, 

 but the ground between thefe trees {hou!d not be 

 dug, for that I have found has greatly Hopped their 

 rowth. 



J. he Siberian Larch is of flow growth in this country, 

 for when the fpring i^s mild, the trees will begin to 

 fhoot in February, or early in March v and there are 

 frequently iharp frofts after, whereby thefe Ihoots are 

 often killed, and this Hops the growth of the trees. 

 Likewife when they are planted on a warm dry foil, 

 they are frequently killed by drought in the fummer j 

 therefore this is a very improper tree for this country, 

 unlefs for fome cold, moiil, peaty land, where they 

 "may probably thrive, and in fuch fituations few other 

 trees will grow. 



tagers there, thefe may be employed in raifing of the 

 plants, keeping of them clean, and afterward in tranf- 

 planting them. This will leffen the number of indi- 

 gent poor, and by employing them in this fort of 

 Kulbandry, they may be brought to have a love and 

 regard for trees of their own planting, fo will not be 

 tempted to deftroy them thcmfelvcs, or fufFcr others 

 to do It-, and as the feafon for planting Ivappcns at a 

 time of year when the farm.ers have little employment 

 for their labourers, fo the finding them uleful em- 

 ployment this way, will be of infinitely more advan- 

 tage than the giving them alms from thcparifn ; and 

 the children may be taught to w^ed and keep the 

 young plants clean in fummer, whereby they may be 

 rendered ufeful, and kept from being burdenfome to 

 the parilhes- 



From the Larch-tree is extra(5lcd the Venice turpen- 

 tine, which the inhabitants of the valley of St. Martin 

 near Lucern, make a confiderable merchandize of. 

 They colleft this by boring holes in the trunk of the 



. trees, at about two or three feet from the ground, 

 into which they fix narrow troughs about twenty inches 

 long ; the end of thefe are hollowed like a ladle, and 

 in the mid(jle is a fmall hole bored for the turpentine 

 to run into a receiver, which is placed below it ; as 

 the turpentine runs from the trees, it pafies along the 

 floping gutter or trough to the ladle, and from thence 



^ runs through the holes into the receiver. The people 

 who gather this vifit th^ trees morning and evening, 

 from the end of May to Septemberj to collect the tur- 

 pentine from out of the receivers. ' 

 The third fort is the Cedar of Libanus, tvhich is a tree 

 of great antiquity; and what is remarkable, this tree 

 is not found as a native in any other part of the world, 

 fo far as hath come to our knov/ledge. ' - - 



The cones of this tree are frequently brought from 

 the Levant, which, if preferved entire, will preferve 



'.The American or black Larch, thrives pretty well j their feeds good for feveral years. The time of their 

 upon moift land, but on dry ground will make but j ' ripening is commonly in the fpring, and fo confe- 



: little progrefs. A few of thefe trees by way of variety, 

 'may be allowed to have place in every collection of 

 treesdefignedforpleafure^ but for profit, the common I better; the cones having dilcharged a great part of 



quently are near one year old before we receive them, 

 for which they are not the v/orfe, but rather th 



Larch is to be preferred to any other fpecies. 



their refin by lying, arid the feeds are much cafier to 



In Switzerland, where thefe trees abound, and they j get out of them than fuch as are frefli taken from the 

 have a fcarcity of other wood, they build moll of | tree. 



tlieir houfes with it ; and great part of their furniture 

 ] is alfo made of the wood, fome of which is white, 



arid fome red, but the latter is mofl: efteemed. .The 

 „ rednefs of the wood is by fome fuppofed to be from 



the age- of the trees, and not from any difference be- 

 . tween them, but is rather owing to the quantity of 



'turpentine contained in them.7,*Thejr frequently cut 

 ^ out the boards into fhingles of a foot fquafe, with 

 \ which they cover their houfes, inftead of tileTor, other 

 *^ covering j thefe are at firfl: very white, biit affer tjaey 

 '\liave been two or three years expofed, become as black 

 'as charcoal; and all the joints are Hopped by the* re- 

 * (in, which the fun draws out froin'the pores of the 

 ^ wood, which is hardened by the air, and becomes a 

 fmooth fhininfr yarnifh, which renders the hoiifes fo 



^ but as 

 ,,this is very combuftible, the magiftrates ¥iave niade 

 .' ai) order of police, that thelibufes fo covered fliould 

 ,; be built at a diftance Froni'eacK'otMr, to prevent fire, 

 ; which has often donfe gi-eat damage in villages'.^. '' ^; ;^ 

 . In moft countries where this wood is in plenty, it is 

 preferred to all the kinds of Fir for every purpofe; 

 and in many places tliere are fhips built of this wood, 

 which they fay are durable ; therefore this" may be a 

 very proper tree^ for planting upon fome of the cold 

 barren hills in many parts of England, which at pre- 

 fent produce nothing to their proprietors, and in one 

 age may be large eftates to their pofterity, and a na- 

 tional advantage ; which might be eflfefted without a 

 great cxpence, where the bufinefs is properly con- 

 duced. 



The beft way to get the feeds out is to fplit the cones, 

 by driving a fliarp piece' of iron through the center 

 . lengthways, which will fplit the (^5n6 ; 'theh you may, 

 pull the feeds out w^ith your fino-ers. which yotl '^^ill 

 find are faftened to a thin leafy fubllance called win^s, 

 as are thofe of the Fir-tree : but before the feeds are 



..covered impenetrable to either wind or rain; 



, taken out, it will be proper to put the cones in water 

 , . for fwenty-four ot.fhirty hours, v/hich will render^ 

 " therijeafier to fplilf, fo that the feeds may be taken 

 \ out with greater fafety ; for there will require care m 

 .' tSe doing of it, otherwife many 'of the feeds will be 

 '' fpoiled, as they areT very tender, and' v;ill bruife where 

 there is any force employed to get them out.':';;;-^^' 

 Thefe feeds ftiould be fov/n in boxes or pots of light 

 frefh earth, and treated as was direded for the Firs 



r » £, • 



to which T refer the reader) but only fhall "obferve, 



at tliefe require more ftiade in fummer while young 



] than tlie Firs, and Ihduld be frequently refrefhed with 



water. 



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The beft method for doing this, would be by making 

 fmall nurferies on or near the place wh?re the plan- 



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When the plants come up they miUft be guarded from 

 ' ._ the l^lr^S, otherwife they will pick off their tops, as 

 .' they do of the young F*irs where they are riot guarded; 

 they muft alfo be conftantly Ic'ept clean from w^eeds, 

 and not placecl'uri'def the drip of trees.' The plants 

 "may remain in thefe boxes^or pots m which they were 

 ■' fown till the foUowing fpHngj _ bu^ be proper 



to place them under'a frame in winter, or cover them 

 -with mats-, for while they are young they are in dan- 

 ger of lofing their tops, if they are pinched by frofr, 

 for the youhg plants often (hoot late in the autumn. 

 In the fpring, before the plants ^begin to fhoot, they , 

 fliould be^qarefully taken up and tranfplanted into 

 beds at ^bout four inches diftance, clofine; the earth 



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