2170 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART III. 



the Scotch forests are for the most part pastured with cattle and sheep, which, 

 as well as the deer that are found wild in these forests, browse upon the seedling 

 trees, and prevent them from attaining the size of timber. The forests of Sweden, 

 Norway, and Russia are also pastured by cattle, but in a very slight degree ; the 

 proportion of cattle to the range of country open to them being incomparably 

 smaller than in the Highlands. In France and Germany, the native forests are, 

 for the most part, carefully enclosed, and placed under the care of woodmen, 

 who are under the general direction of scientific men ; and, consequently, for 

 whatever trees are cut down, a succession of young ones, either supplied by 

 nature or art, are protected. 



In Norway, according to James White, Esq., an extensive proprietor of pine 

 and fir forests in that country, the only tall straight trees, fit for exportation, 

 as timber, either of P. sylvestris or Jl x bies excelsa, are found in sheltered 



2053 



situations on the plains, and on the sides 



of the mountains ; and always in a good 



soil, that would bring oak, or any other 



kind of timber tree, to perfection. On 



the sea shore, and in all elevated exposed 



places in the interior, and also where the 



trees stand singly, or in small groups on 



plains, they are stunted, short, or with 



branchy heads, so as to be fit only for fuel. 



In an estate belonging to Mr. White, of 5600 



acres, there are 250 acres of naked rock 



and bogs; of the remaining 5350 acres, 



one tenth part consists of the stunted 



trees already alluded to, or of trees only 



half grown. There remain 4118 acres 



of thriving wood, all situated on the sides of hills, in narrow valleys, or 



on plains ; and all the trees are growing close together and sheltered, on 



good soil, the basis of which is the debris of granitic rock. On each acre 



of this good soil there are from 320 to 500 trees, of which above 30 in each 



acre are considered full grown, and fit for timber; that is, from 130 to 200 



years of age. The diameter of the trunks of these trees, at about 1 ft. from 



the ground, is from 16 in. to 20 in. ; and at from 52 ft. to 63 ft. in height, from 



4 in. to 6 in. Thus the average dimensions of the Scotch pine and spruce 

 fir timber produced by such an estate are as follows : Length of the log, or 

 tree, 57ft. 6 in.; diameter, at the lower end, 18 in. ; and, at the upper end, 



5 in. Each log, or tree, may be sawn up into two deals, 9 in. wide, and 3 in. 

 thick, fit for the English market ; and two other deals 84 in. wide, and in . 

 thick, fit for the French market. The manner in which these deals are cut. 

 so as to include only a small portion of 



the sap wood, is shown in the cross sec- 

 tion, Jig. 2053., in which the shaded part, 

 a, represents the sap wood ; b b y the two 

 English deals ; and cc, the two French 

 deals. Another mode of cutting these 

 trees into planks is shown in fig. 2054., 

 in which d is an English deal, 9 in. by 3 in., 

 and e e are two battens, each 7 in. by 

 2 in. When the timber is intended for 

 masts, the tree is simply barked, and a 

 portion of the sap wood is cut off, after 

 which it is sent d own to the sea port, 

 and shipped. (Reports, &c., for 1821 and 

 1835; and MSS. communicated by Mr. White.) 



By far the greater quantity of pine timber employed both in civil and naval 

 construction in Britain is imported from the Baltic, and from the coast of 

 Norway. One London builder alone (the Mr. White mentioned above), who 



