54 ORMISTOUN'S LETTERS 



thing forward. Where still wet, plant upon the surface only 

 taking off and turning the sward turf. I fear the fresh grass 

 will rise in Easter and Middle Enclosure before the Cattle have 

 ate or broke with their feet the old foggage. 



The Pidgeons will now get meat for I reckon the farmers 

 are in as great a hurry as you are, and if wise will get in the 

 pease and Oats as fast into the ground as they can. Look 

 frequently to your Men doing right and keep them to their 

 work. If you can overtake the planting of any of the tops of 

 the ditches at the Town the sooner the better, as they 1 dry 

 soon. If you find it late content yourself with Oaks in the 

 wet places in the Wood East of the Town. They must be all 

 Oaks and as they must be pretty well shaded and if any 

 moisture at all in the ground in Summer they'l have it, and 

 so may be among the latest you plant of any. What you put 

 into Allan's hag must not be too small low trees for the reasons 

 I gave formerly. They '1 be overgrown by the old if not of a 

 good size and so be lost labour, and it will be the loss of so 

 many Oaks also, for which we may find better uses than to be 

 thrown away. Let what you plant in the Wood at the Town 

 be of the largest can be got which require being thinnM out 

 where you take them from. Let me know what number of 

 Elm plants you take off and plant in Nursery. Don't forget 

 the number of tall I bid you match and plant in Nursery at a 

 distance which will allow of their standing 2 or S Years so as 

 to get good roots and good bodies. Tuesday morn : I sent 

 G. Richardson again to Mr. Lowther ^ last night having had 

 John in London in the morning who brought me word that a 

 ship was to sail this day for Leith. I wrote to Lowther that 

 I had expected an answer to some of three Letters I had wrote 

 by the penny post. That he had let several ships sail since the 

 river was open, without sending the Seeds which I had desired 

 him to send, tho' he could not take up trees when the first 

 sailed. That if he let this Ship also go all would be too late 

 and be lost if delayed a fortnight till next ship should sail, so 



1 The dilatoriness of this smart London merchant should be noted as a ^er 

 contra to the severe things said in the Letters of * brither Scots.' John is Bell's 

 brother, resident as a market-gardener near Hampstead, p. 51. 



