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Long Coned Cdriftfh tFir, The leaves of this are 
whiter, and much longer than the others •, the cones 
are alfc of a greater length than thofe of the common 
fort, fo that by the appearance of the trees, any per- 
fon might ilippofe them to be a diftindt fpecies. But 
from the feeds which were carefully taken from this 
fort, both varieties of plants have rifen, therefore they 
muft be only deemed varieties. 
From this tree the pitch is drawn, and hence it had 
the title of Picea, or Pitch-tree. 
The third fort was formerly growing in the Bifhop of 
London’s garden at Fulham , and of late years there 
has been a great number of the trees raifed from the 
feeds which have been brought from America. This 
fort makes very little progrefs after eight or ten years 
growth ; the only place in which the trees have made 
any figure, is at his Grace the Duke of Bedford’s at 
Woburn-abbey in Bedfordfhire. 
The fourth fort is a. native of North America, from 
whence the feeds have been brought to England, and 
great numbers of the plants raifed. This is called by 
the inhabitants in America, the White Spruce Fir. 
It grows naturally on the mountains and higher lands, 
and arrives to a much greater fize than moft of the 
other forts. Thofe in the gardens of the late Duke 
of Argyle, at Whitton near Hounflow, are by much 
the fineft I have feen : but there muft be fome trees 
of a greater age in Devonfhire, unlefs they have been 
deftroyed ; for in the year 1724, I received fome 
branches of this tree full of cones, from a gentleman 
of that county, who had feveral of the trees then 
growing, which were of a confiderable fize. 
The fifth fort grows naturally on moift land, in many 
parts of North America, but rarely arrives to the fize 
of the fourth : however, the inhabitants of America 
ufe the branches of both indifferently in making of 
Spruce-beer, from whence the trees obtained the title 
of Spruce-trees. 
From both thele fpecies off Fir, exfudes a fine clear 
turpentine of a ftrong fcent, which the native Indians 
ufe to cure green wounds, and alio for fome internal 
diforders ; and of late years the Englifh phyficians in 
North America, have likewife adopted it into their 
pradfice. 
The fixth fort is alfo a native of America, from 
whence the feeds have been brought into Europe. 
This tree does not thrive well in any part of England, 
nor in many places of America •, though in fome par- 
ticular fpots I have been informed there are very 
large high trees now growing. It is a native of many 
parts of North America. 
Thefe trees are all raifed from feeds taken out of 
their polyfpermous cones. The way to get out the 
feeds is, by expofmg the cones to a gentle fire, which 
will caufe their fquamous cells to open, and readily 
emit the feeds : but they fhould not be expofed to 
too great a heat, for the cones of all the Firs open 
much eafier than thofe of Pines, efpecially thofe of 
the Silver and Balm of Gilead Firs, which, if per- 
mitted to hang late in the autumn, fall to pieces 
and fcatter their feeds. This ought not to be done 
until the time of fowing them, which is beft perform-' 
ed the latter end of March. 
Thefe plants fhould be all raifed in a nurfery,. where 
they may be protected from the birds, otherwife they 
will be in danger of being deftroyed when they firft 
come up. For as they bring up the hufk of the feed 
on the top of the plant, the birds, in picking off the 
hufk, will break off' the tops of the plants, whereby 
a whole bed may be loft in a few hours, if not care- 
fully guarded from them. 
The beft time for fowing thefe feeds is about the 
latter end of March, or the beginning of April, ac- 
cording as the feafon is more or lefs forward, on a 
bed of light earth, covering the feeds about half an 
inch deep with the fame mould. If this bed be 
netted over to keep off the birds, it will be a fure 
method of preventing them from deftroying the 
young plants at their firft coming out of the ground •, 
at which time they fhould likewife be fcreened from 
7 
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the fun in the middle off the day, by covering the 
beds with mats, becaufe too much fun frequently de- 
ftroys the plants when they are young. In .this bed 
the plants fhould remain until the following fpring, 
when there fhould be a number of beds prepared in 
the nurfery to receive the feedlings. In the begin- 
ning of April they fhould be tranfplanted into thb 
beds, at the diftance of fix inches row from row, and 
in the rows at three inches affmder, fetting them in 
a quincunx order. In removing thefe plants, they 
fhould be very carefully raifed up with a trowel, fo 
as not to break off the fibres of their roots j nor fhould 
they be kept long out of the ground. During the 
time they are out, their roots fhould be covered, to 
prevent the wind from drying their fibres ; and in 
planting, the earth fhould be preffed clofe to their 
roots, to prevent the air from penetrating to them. 
If the feafon proves dry, it will be proper to water 
the plants every week once or twice, according to the 
warmth of the weather ; the beds fhould alfo be co- 
vered with mats, to fcreen the plants from the fun, 
and drying winds, until they have taken good root j 
after which time they will require little farther care, 
than to keep them clean from weeds. In thefe beds 
the plants may remain two years, at the end of which 
they fhould be tranfplanted into an open fpot of 
ground, for their roots will in that time meet quite 
over the beds. This ground, to which they are to 
be removed, fhould be well trenched and cleared 
from all noxious weeds, and made level. The be- 
ginning of April, juft before the plants begin to 
lhoot, will be a good time to remove them. In take- 
ing up the plants, great care fhould be taken not to 
tear off or injure their roots *, nor fhould too many 
of the plants be taken up at one time, but rather 
plant them as faff as they are taken up, that they 
may be as little time out of the ground as poffible. 
For the drying winds, which uftlaily happen at this 
feafon, will greatly injure the roots of thefe plants, if 
much expofed thereto. 
The diftance at which they fhould be placed in the 
nurlery, fhould be four feet row from rovr, and in 
the rows two feet afunder. This diftance may by 
fome be thought too great ; but if it be confidered 
how much their roots ipread in the ground, as alfo 
that when they are planted nearer together, it will be 
very difficult to take up the plants again without cut- 
ting and tearing off their roots, efpecially if they are 
not all taken up clean at the fame time : thefe con- 
fiderations muft have greater weight than that of the 
lofs of a little ground, with all who have any regard 
to the future welfare of the plants. In planting them, 
it will be advifeable to draw a line crofs the ground, 
and to dig out a trench of a foot wide, into which 
the plants may be placed at the diftance of two feet 
afunder. Then fill the earth into the trench, cover-, 
ing the roots of the plants with the fineft part of it, 
fcattering it carefully between the roots ; and when 
the whole trench is filled in, prefs the earth gently 
down with your feet •, but by no means tread it too 
hard, efpecially if the ground be ftrong, or apt to 
bind too clofe. 
When the plants are thus planted, if the feafon fhould 
prove dry, they ought to be watered, in order to fet- 
tle the earth to their roots ; and if this be repeated 
three or four rimes, (if the feafon fhould continue 
dry) it will greatly promote their taking new root, 
and fecure them from the injuries of the drying winds. 
In this nurfery the plants may remain two or three 
years, according to the progrefs they ftiall have made ; 
and during this time, the ground between the plants 
fhould be conftantly kept clean from weeds, and dug 
between the rows every fpring ; in doing of which, 
care muft be taken not to cut or injure the roots of 
the plants : this is all the culture they will require 
during their continuance in the nurfery. When they 
are tranfplanted into the places where they are to re- 
main, the neceflary care to be taken is, in taking 
them up, not to injure or cut off their roots, and to 
let them be as little time out of the ground as poffible 
