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fo beautiful a Tree, as the other 

 Sorts of Firs. 



The fourth Sort, as is before- 

 mentioned, I fuppofe to be only a 

 Variety of the common Spruce Fir, 

 from which it differs in the Cloie- 

 nefs of its Leaves, and Length of 

 the Cones. 



The fifth and fixth Sorts are Na- 

 tives of the cold Parts of America, 

 growing as far North as Canuda ; 

 but they never make large Trees 

 fo far North, their ufual Height be- 

 ing from twenty to thirty Feet; but 

 in Nt^v- England they grow much 

 taller. The Branches of thefe Trees 

 are ufed by the Inhabitants of Ame- 

 rica> to make Spruce Beer, which 

 has occafioned their Name of Spruce 

 Fir. They diftinguilh three Sorts 

 of this Tree ; w*. White, Black, 

 and Red ; but, from the Plants 

 which have been raifed in England, 

 it does not appear there are more 

 than two Sorts : one of thefe pro- 

 duces Canes of a fine purple Colour 

 in the Spring, and the other pro- 

 duces them of a pale Green : both 

 thefe Sorts are apt to produce great 

 Numbers of Cones, before the Trees 

 are of any Size, which checks their 

 Growth, and renders them Dwarfs; 

 fo that they are feldom feen above 

 twelve or fourteen Feet high in Eng 

 land ; but, in his Grace the Duke of 

 Argyll's Garden at Whit ton, there 

 are fome of thefe Firs upward of 

 thirty Feet high ; and. if any Judg- 

 ment can be formed of the Size to 

 which they will grow, from their 

 late Increafe, they feem to vie with 

 molt of the Sorts of Firs now in Eno-- 



o 



land. The Leaves of thefe Trees, 

 when bruifed, emit a very ftrong 

 Scent, and in warm Weather a very 

 clear ftrong Turpentine exudes from 

 the Stems of the Trees. 



The feventh Sort is a Native of 

 Aineri:a y from whence the Seeds 



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have been brought into Europe. This 

 Tree abounds with a clear fragrant 

 Turpentine, which is commonly fold 

 in England for the Ba : m of Gilcad; 

 and irom hence the T itle of Bairn of 

 Gilead has been given to this Species 

 of Fir, tho' the Tree from whence 

 the true Balm of Gilead is taken, is 

 near of kin to the P:ftachia-nut. 



This Sort of Fir is the moft beau- 

 tiful of any of the K:nds yet known 

 while young; but in almoft all the 

 Places where thele Trees have been 

 planted, they have not continued 

 fair above ten or twelve Years ; 

 and where the Trees have thriven 

 moft while young, there they have 

 fooneft decayed. The firft Appear- 

 ance of their Decay is, their produce- 

 ing a great N umber of Cones, and 

 Male Flowers ; foon after which, 

 their leading Shoot turns crooked, 

 and a great Quantity of Turpentine 

 runs down their Stems; then their 

 Leaves fall oft, and, in a Year or 

 two, they die. This fudden Decay 

 of the Trees has brought rhem into 

 Difrepute, fo that few Perfons at 

 prefent care to pKnt them ; for the 

 fame has happened in moft Soils and 

 Situations ; nor have 1 feen any free 

 from this Accident, except at his 

 Grace the Duke of Bcdford\ at Wa- 

 bwn- Abbey ; where, in that noble 

 Plantation of ever-greenTiees, there 

 are Numbers of confiderable Growth 

 which yet remain in good Health. 

 The Soil in which thefe are planted, 

 is a deep Sand, fo that their Roots 

 may ftrike deep, without meeting 

 any Obftru&ion, to which the pre- 

 fent Vigour of the Trees is imputed. 



The eighth Sort was difcovered in 

 the Levant by Dr. Toume/ort, who 

 fent the Cones to the Royal Garden 

 at Paris. This Kind of Fir is very 

 common in the Mountains of the 

 Arcbiftlago, from whence the Cones 

 may he eafiiy procured., It has alio 

 B s been 



