London who keep Gardens on purpose for fuch Supplies as the Town require; and it is very reasonable to fuppofe, that the Plants educated in the fulphurous Air partaking of the London Smoke will more readily thrive in or about the Town, than those which are brought from diftant Places where the Air is clear and thin. All this I fubmit to you, because you have already in your Writings promoted the Gardeners Welfare in many Instances, and it may be a Means of joining with the present Company of Gardeners a Set of ingenious and able Perfons, which may add to its Honour and Reputation.

I am, Sir,

Yours, &c.

L. Musgrove.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Concerning the Improvement of Land by Timber with extraordinary Obferva tions relating to the propagating of the Fir Tree, and its kinds.

66

૯

66

SIR,

I

To Mr. BRADLEY.

Have been, for many Years, a profefs'd Lover of Husbandry, as I think it not "only the most innocent, and most health"ful Amusement in the World, but what, if rightly follow'd, may be of great Profit "to particular Perfons, and of Advantage to "the Publick As I defign to be a constant Correfpondent of yours, I fhall not trouble you at this Time with my Opinion of the "Authors that have writ upon this Science, "nor with the Succefs or Difappointments I "have met with in the Experiments I have "try'd: But fince I think you defign the Good "of your Country, you ought not only to "meet with all Encouragement, but with all "Affiftance from the Experience of others; "fo without further Introduction, I fhall make "the Fir Tree the Subject of this Letter, A a 4 "" which

"which is (for what I can fee) very much

a Stranger to England. I am a North Bri"ton, and have feen their Way of managing "them there, where they not only have great "Woods of them, that grow naturally upon "Mountains, and (as I am told) are fit for "Mafts to the largest Ships, but our Gen"tlemen have of late Years made great Plan"tations of them. At firft they were fond of "them, because of their keeping their Leaves "all Winter, and being continually green; "but as they lofe much of their Beauty "when they pafs twenty Years old, especial

66

ly with the unmerciful pruning that was "then in Ufe, which made them top-heavy, "and fo yielded to the Wind, even to the "breaking them over fometimes; but always "the uttermoft Rows were crooked. At laft "Gentlemen came to plant them at a far great"er Distance from their Houfes, where their "Colour made a fine Show through the whole "Year, and the rugged Bark was not so eafiઠંડ ly feen; fo that now there are, for the most "Part, Thickets of other Trees betwixt the

House and the Firs. And indeed I would

"advife a good Thicket of Firs to be plan"ted round any Place where you would wish "to have your other Trees thrive well. Con"fider, Sir, that I am fpeaking of Scotland, "where our Winds are more frequent and "violent than in England: So that was any

66

Body to begin a Plantation, I would ad"vife them to plant round the Field a good

Number of Firs, even before he fowed a "Seed of what we call Grey Timber; and thefe ordered (as I hope to fhew you) I dare

"fay

"fay will give fuch Shelter to the reft, as will "much advance their Growth. I fhall now

begin with the gathering the Lones, Clogs, "or Apples, for thefe are the Names that we have for them: They are fit for pulling in "January or February; if they hang upon the "Trees till the Frofts are over, the firft Sun"fhine opens them, and then the Seed is loft. "We are at no Difficulty in getting of them "now, because there is fcarce a Gentleman's "Houfe where there are not Fir Trees; but "fome Time ago all the Planters were in a 66 great deal of Hurry to get the Clogs open'd, "that fo the Seed might be got ready by the "End of March, or Beginning of April; and "our Weather not answering fome Years, dif

appointed the Planters extremely, so that "I have feen the Clogs put under hot-bed "Glaffes; others laid them at a Distance be"fore a Fire, and had People always by to "turn them, and every five Minutes to fift the "Clogs with a Wire to get out the Seed. "Thefe Ways did pretty well, but were trou"blefome, and the laft Way dangerous; o"thers put them in an Oven, or upon a Kiln; "but thefe two laft Ways were errant Cheats, "fince the Seed was overdry'd, fo that they "proved good for nothing. At laft an old "Gardener, who long had dealt in Fir Seed, "made an Experiment, viz. he gather'd the "Clogs at the ordinary Time, laid them up "in a cool dry Place, where they got neither "Moisture nor the Heat of the Sun, till the “End of July, or Beginning of August; at "which Time he laid them out to the Sun, "by which Means they opened more in one

• Day,

Day, and a great deal kindlier, than what "could be done in a Month any other Way; "the Seed he carefully kept in a dry cool "Room, and then in the Spring he had the "command of fowing it what Time he pleas'd, "as the Spring was later or forwarder. You "fee by this Method it would be no difficult "Matter for the Timber Merchants to bring "the Clogs from Norway, tho' we having the "Tree amongst our felves are not at that

Trouble. The best Way of fowing them, " is in ordinary Ground of Natural Earth, not "forc❜d nor poor, the Earth turn'd off with "the Back of the Rakes till the Seed is fown, "which must be done pretty thick; then the "Earth drawn on again, and rak'd very gent

ly till the Seed is all cover'd: Some Days "afterwards it will not be amifs to fift upon "the Beds fome more Mould, free of Stones "or Gravel. Your Correfpondent Mr. Wal"ler's Frames are not only a good, but I think

a neceffary Way, fince the Frames in a few "Years will be much cheaper than hiring Men "to chafe away the fmall Birds (especially "the Gold-finch) from the Beds, who are fo "greedy of the Seed, that if it is not guard"ed, your Nursery will foon be pick'd up. "Before Winter comes on, it is abfolutely fit "to throw fome Saw Duft, Chaff, or fome"thing of that kind upon your young Plants, "to preferve them from the Froft, which o"therwife would fwell the Ground, and fo fpew them up. In Scotland they ufed Coal Afhes, which I thought too hot, and rather "chofe the other Way. If the Seed has been good, and fown thick enough, there will be

66

66

་

66 no