72 ORMISTOUN'S LETTERS 



XXIII 



31 March 1741. Charles, — Enclosed I send you a second small parcel of 

 Seeds which I am sure came from Turkey. If you dont get 

 horse dung from Straw, your beds will not keep a right heat, 

 and your Crop will be according to the goodness or badness 

 of the beds. Every thing must suffer from this very cold 

 weather and these cutting Winds. A vast deal of snow appears 

 to be in the clouds which must come down before we can have 

 any warmth. We have every day showers of Snow or Hail 

 but not enough to empty the clouds. The ground also must 

 be very dry as we have had no wet since I came thither that 

 can have gone any way into it. In all probability the Springs 

 will be very low the end of this summer, and if we have not 

 rain soon to go to the roots of the large trees planted this year, 

 many of them will suff*er as will even many of them planted 

 last year, as many of their roots must be weak from the bad- 

 ness of that season and would for that reason have required 

 moisture and warmth to have saved them this. A good hearty 

 shower to go to the roots of every thing is much wanted and 

 westerly wind after it to bring every thing away. The clouds 

 seem so heavy that I am in some hopes of a fall. Should that 

 come they who have their Barley in the ground will see it 

 come finely away as will every thing else. But no tender thing 

 can stand these frosts and severe winds. 



The cold certainly hinders the pidgeons from breeding tho 

 they must have meat enough. Have you any number of the 

 young White ? Let all fly that are White or are mostly so 

 and also the Sandy, but none else. Mark what you let fly and 

 number them. 



I fear the Elms lately taken off* the Mothers may have 

 suffered by their roots having dried. I hope you have sned up 

 the Walnuts and thinned their tops, or that you '1 do it 

 presently. Look narrowly over all the fences up the way, 

 and wherever you suspect danger of Cattle getting out or in, 

 make all sure as far as possible. See to the men's doing their 

 work completely down the way and that they keep to it and 

 really work, and without ceremony let whoever does not be 

 directly discharged. 



