t '«3 ] 



lower than the price at which larch will be worth 

 for country ufcs, where it grows. 



The larch is a beautiful tree,, and doubtlefs a very 

 ufeful tree j but I much queftion whetTier more Tias 

 not been faid of it than it deferves, at the fame time 

 that the poor ScotcK firs, with all their faults, have 

 been depreciated mucli below their dcferts; though 

 they will grow on land whereon larch will not grow. 



The larch will certainly anfwer all the purpofes 

 of fir for timber, but it is not fo ftrong nor fo heavy 

 as Scotch fir. I have cut a folid fooc of each out 

 of two trees of equal fizes and equal ages ; the larch 

 weighed only 51, and the fir 6olb.j apd if our 

 Scotch firs grew as thick together, as they do abroad, 

 as we may fee by the ufers which are ufcd for fcaf- 

 fblding, it would be a much ftronger grained timber 

 thanour's generally is; — only the quicknefs of the 

 growth and tlie bignefs of the knots rnake it other- 

 wife. The En glifh grown fpruce and filvcr fir tim- 

 ber are fully equal to any white deal we oti from 

 abroad, Tlie Marquis of Bath has i>fcd Englifh 

 grown fir, for almoft all domcftick purpofes, in the 

 dry, for 10 years pad, and finds no wood except oak 

 equal to it; and we have an inftance of a cart-houfe, 

 which has been built with Englifli grown fir upwards 

 of 70 years, now almoft asperfed as when new. 



If 



