USEFUL PROJECTS. 



655 



Method of procuring Turpentine 

 and other Products from the 

 Scotch Fir. By Mr. H. B. 

 Way,* 



[From the Philosophical Transactions of 

 the Society of Arts, &c. Vol. XXVUI. 

 for 1810.] 



Sir ; — The enormous liigh price 

 of turpentine, tar, and pitch, last 

 year, brought to my remem- 

 brance that I bad, in 1792, when 

 in America, made some memo- 

 randums on the subject of obtain- 

 ing them in North Carolina, which, 

 on referring to, led me to think 

 that they might be obtained in 

 this country. I was induced to 

 mention it to my relation and 

 friend, John Herbert Brown, esq. 

 of Weymouth, and of Sheen, in 

 Middlesex, when on a visit at my 

 house, and I expressed a wish that 

 I could try the experiment with 

 j"egard to turpentine ; when he 

 •very kindly gave me leave to try 

 it on three trees growing on his 

 'estate, about three or four miles 

 -from this place, and he went with 

 me and fixed on them, and early 

 in last April I had them prepared 

 for the purpose of extracting the 

 turpentine, and they have been 

 running till the 18th instant. The 

 weather, except the last month 

 and part of this, has, from so 

 much rain falling, and there being 

 80 little hot weather, been parti- 

 cularly unfavourable for this busi- 

 ness, as, the distance being such 

 as to prevent the trees being re- 

 gularly attended, the hollows 

 were frequently found by my men 

 full of water, and a good deal of 



the turpentine, which ran off with 

 the water, lay on the ground. 

 Under all these circumstances, I 

 was only able to obtain from the 

 three trees about two pounds and 

 a half of turpentine. 



Mr. Brown being with me again 

 the 16th and 17th instant, as he 

 wished to take the trees down, 

 I begged he would allow me to 

 take a part from one of them, 

 for the purpose of sending to the 

 Society of Arts, Manufactures, 

 and Commerce, with the turpen- 

 tine collected from the trees ; 

 which he most readily complied 

 with. I have, therefore, taken 

 about six feet from one of them 

 (they are all nearly the same 

 size) ; what I have sent is the 

 part from the ground to the top 

 of the place that has been cut 

 away for the turpentine to run into 

 the hollow, from whence it was 

 to be collected ; the hollow was 

 cut in this considerably higher 

 than is usual in America, as this 

 tree stood in a hedge, and could 

 not well be hollowed lower. I 

 have matted up this part of the 

 tree, and secured it with straw 

 and a double mat, to prevent the 

 bark being rubbed off, that it 

 may be seen in the same state as 

 it stood when the turpentine was 

 taken from it. The turpentine is 

 in the cask in which it was depo- 

 sited when brought from the trees; 

 and I have this day shipped both 

 on board the sloopBetsey, captain 

 Trent, bound to Downes's Wharf, 

 London, directed to you, freight 

 paid here by me, which vessel I ex- 

 pect will sail in a day or two, and I 

 hope you will receive them safe ; 



For this communication the Society voted the silver medal to Mr. Way. 



