178 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
a husk or shell provided by nature to arm or defend it against the injuries of the 
weather, another annoyance it may receive by lying in the earth all the winter 
season), the seed of the Firr continues upon the tree, secur’d and guarded all the 
winter long, until such time as the March winds and April sun open the cones (or 
cloggs) they are shelter’d in, and then they fall, naked and defenceless, to the 
ground, where, being very smal (the least seed productive of so large a tree), they 
are the sooner digested, and prepar’d by the warm sun and showers, in so much, 
that in less than three weeks time they will begin to shew themselves above the 
ground, and appear as forward as those of other trees committed to the earth the 
Michaelmas before. 
GATHERING OF THE SEED. 
’Tis, therefore, the planter’s business to gather or procure a quantity of the Firr 
cones (or clogs) some time in March, before they begin to open upon the tree, and 
have them laid out and spread upon a course sheet or other linnen cloth before the 
sun, where in three or four dayes time they will crackle, expand themselves, and 
so emit their seed, which must be sever’d each night from the cones, rubb’d, fan’d, 
made clean, and laid by for use. The cones ought to be gather’d up each night in 
the cloth they were laid on, and secur’d under shelter, least the rains or dews falling 
in the night time should close them up again, and thereby make the time of getting 
out the seed more tedious. 
CHOICE OF SEED. 
Those who can’t have this convenience of the cones may be easily supply’d at the 
seed shops, where the blackest and weightiest seeds are the best, and of those such 
as are gathered in the same season they are to be sown in. It may be materiall to 
observe here, that what seed comes from Scotland so early to us in the spring 
may well be suspected to be either old or forc'd out of the cones by fire, on mault- 
kilns, in ovens, or the like, which must certainly very much damage so smal and 
tender a seed. 
TIME OF SOWING THE SEED. 
The time of sowing the Firr seed is from the beginning of April to the midle of 
May. 
CHOICE OF GROUND TO SOW IN. 
The bed they are to be sown in ought to consist of a clean garden mould, free 
from dung or any other compost, to be digg’d, rak’d, and prepar’d as for any other 
smal garden seeds; to be sown and cover’d after the same manner, so as that they 
may lye about an inch within the mould; the bed not to be above two foot and a 
half or three foot broad; which being of this breadth, and nine or ten yards long, 
may be sufficient to receive an ounce of Firr seed ; from whence (all things proving 
right) you may expect five or six hundred trees. The narrowness of the bed affords 
convenience for coming round the seedlins to weed and water them, to gather up 
the vermin, and use such means as may best secure them against the injuries of the 
succeeding winter. 
WAYS OF PRESERVING THE SEEDLINS. 
By the time that the seed has layn in the ground about three weeks or so, the 
young plants will begin to appear coming up with the black husks of the seeds upon 
their heads ; at what time you must be diligent, mornings and evenings, and after 
rains, to pick up and gather the vermin (especially a little, short, white snail), that 
will at this time be very busie among them, nipping them off close by the ground ; 
to prevent which, some lay a train of soot or lime round the bed; some say they 
have lain the chaff of oats with good success. There must, likewise, be some scar- 
crows sett up, netts spread over the beds (supported by little forks, about half a foot 
above the ground), or other artifices used to keep away the small birds, which are 
exceeding fond of this kind of seed ; and by picking at the black husks, or heads, 
draw up these little plants out of the earth, thus destroying all they come to. 
WATERING. 
The seed-bed must be water’d both before and after the coming up of the seedlins, 
and, at all times, as there is any need for it. Excess of moisture being more agree¬ 
able to the Firr than anything of drowth. 
MOULDING. 
The bed must, likewise, be kept clean wedd all summer long, and towards 
