The Fir. 



the work of planting ought to be clone in the manner 

 directed for the Ash. If amongst heath or furze or rochs, 

 there must, of course, be mere holes, instead of trenching. 

 But the work of planting is still to be done in the same 

 manner, only extraordinary care taken to keep the roots, 

 while out of ground, from the sun and wind. 



254. But, in the case of Firs, of any description (and the 

 same may be said of the Cedar and the Cypress), there is 

 no need of any nursery at all; and the best way is, to let 

 them stand, not too thickly, two years in the seed-bed, and 

 then put them, at once, into plantations. They will not be 

 above seven or eight inches high ; but they will be ten feet 

 high before plants, put out at four feet high, will have 

 attained the height of seven or eight feet. This Miller saw 

 proved in numerous instances, and I am sure of the fact 

 from repeated experience, and from the observation of my 

 whole life. 



255. With regard to the distances in the plantation, some- 

 thing must depend upon the sort of Fir, and upon the uses 

 to which the plantation is destined ; and the Spruces spread, 

 in their early stages, wider than the Pines, and, therefore, 

 might reasonably have more room. Four feet for the lat- 

 ter and five for the former may, generally speaking, be a 

 good distance ; for, though they never can become large 

 trees at these degrees of closeness, they draw each other 

 up, shelter each other from cutting winds, and ri?e faster 

 than if at wide distances. They should, however, be thinned 

 out before their boughs interfere with each other; first tak- 

 ing out every second tree throughout the plantation, and, 

 next, all that remain in every other row. Even at this dis- 

 tance, they will not attain a very great height; but, at every 

 thinning, they will get more and more room, while those 



