1 78 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



a husk or shell provided by nature to arm or defend it against the injuries of the 

 weather, another annoyance it may receive by lying in the earth all the winter 

 season), the seed of the Firr continues upon the tree, secur'd and guarded all the 

 winter long, until such time as the March winds and April sun open the cones (or 

 cloggs) they are shelter'd in, and then they fall, naked and defenceless, to the 

 ground, where, being very smal (the least seed productive of so large a tree), they 

 are the sooner digested, and prepared by the warm sun and showers, in so much, 

 that in less than three weeks time they will begin to shew themselves above the 

 ground, and appear as forward as those of other trees committed to the earth the 

 Michaelmas before. 



GATHERING OF THE SEED. 



Tis, therefore, the planter's business to gather or procure a quantity of the Firr 

 cones (or clogs) some time in March, before they begin to open upon the tree, and 

 have them laid out and spread upon a course sheet or other linnen cloth before the 

 sun, where in three or four dayes time they will crackle, expand themselves, and 

 so emit their seed, which must be sever'd each night from the cones, rubb'd, fan'd, 

 made clean, and laid by for use. The cones ought to be gather'd up each night in 

 the cloth they were laid on, and secur'd under shelter, least the rains or dews falling 

 in the night time should close them up again, and thereby make the time of getting 

 out the seed more tedious. 



CHOICE OF SEED. 



Those who can't have this convenience of the cones may be easily supply'd at the 

 seed shops, where the blackest and weightiest seeds are the best, and of those such 

 as are gathered in the same season they are to be sown in. It may be materiall to 

 observe here, that what seed comes from Scotland so early to us in the • spring 

 may well be suspected to be either old or forc'd out of the cones by fire, on mault- 

 kilns, in ovens, or the like, which must certainly very much damage so smal and 

 tender a seed. 



TIME OF SOWING THE SEED. 



The time of sowing the Firr seed is from the beginning of April to the midle of 

 May. 



CHOICE OF GROUND TO SOW IN. 



The bed they are to be sown in ought to consist of a clean garden mould, free 

 from dung or any other compost, to be digg'd, rak'd, and prepar'd as for any other 

 smal garden seeds ; to be sown and cover' d after the same manner, so as that they 

 may lye about an inch within the mould ; the bed not to be above two foot and a 

 half or three foot broad ; which being of this breadth, and nine or ten yards long, 

 may be sufficient to receive an ounce of Firr seed ; from whence (all things proving 

 right) you may expect five or six hundred trees. The narrowness of the bed affords 

 convenience for coming round the seedlins to weed and water them, to gather up 

 the vermin, and use such means as may best secure them against the injuries of the 

 succeeding winter. 



WAYS OF PRESERVING THE SEEDLINS. 



By the time that the seed has layn in the ground about three weeks or so, the 

 young plants will begin to appear coming up with the black husks of the seeds upon 

 their heads ; at what time you must be diligent, mornings and evenings, and after 

 rains, to pick up and gather the vermin (especially a little, short, white snail), that 

 will at this time be very busie among them, nipping them off close by the ground ; 

 to prevent which, some lay a train of soot or lime round the bed ; some say they 

 have lain the chaff of oats with good success. There must, likewise, be some scar- 

 crows sett up, netts spread over the beds (supported by little forks, about half a foot 

 above the ground), or other artifices used to keep away the small birds, which are 

 exceeding fond of this kind of seed ; and by picking at the black husks, or heads, 

 draw up these little plants out of the earth, thus destroying all they come to. 



WATERING. 



The seed-bed must be water'd both before and after the coming up of the seedlins, 

 and, at all times, as there is any need for it. Excess of moisture being more agree- 

 able to the Firr than anything of drowth. 



MOULDING. 



The bed must, likewise, be kept clean wedd all summer long, and towards 



