jo S Y L V A BOOK in 



(or before) you shall acquaint your self with the 

 marketable prices of the countrey where your fell is 

 made, and that of the several sorts ; as what so many 

 inches or foot square, and long, is worth for the 

 several employments : What planks, what other scant- 

 lings, for so many spoaks, naves, rings, pales, poles, 

 spars, Gfc. as suppose it were ash, to set apart the 

 largest for the wheel-wright, the smallest for the 

 cooper, and that of ordinary scantling for the ploughs, 

 and the brush to be kidded and sold by the hundred, 

 or thousand, and so all other sorts of timber, viz. 

 large, middling stuff, and poles, &c. allowing the 

 waste for the charges of felling, &c. all which you 

 shall compute with greater certainty, if you have 

 leisure, and will take the pains to examine some of 

 the trees either by your own fathom ; or (more 

 accurately) by girting it about with a string, and so 

 reducing it to the square, &c. by which means you 

 may give a near guess : Or, you may mark such as 

 you intend to fell ; and then begin your sale about 

 Candlemas till the Spring ; before which you must 

 not (according as our custom is) lay the ax to the 

 root ; though some for particular employments, as for 

 timber to make ploughs, carts, axle-trees, naves, har- 

 rows, and the like husbandry-tools, do frequently cut 

 in October. 



Being now entering with your workmen, one of 

 the first, and most principal things, is, the skilful 

 disbranching of the boal of all such arms and limbs 

 as may endanger it in the fall, wherein much forecast 

 and skill is required of the woodman ; so many ex- 

 cellent trees being utterly spoiled for want of this 

 only consideration : And therefore in arms of timber, 

 which are very great, chop a nick under it close to 



