136 Transactions.— Miscellaneous, 
markable, as the following table, compiled from the ** Forester," will show. 
It gives the diameter in-inches at eight feet from the ground, of various 
kinds grown in favorable and unfavorable situations :— 
Favourable Unfavourable 
Situations, Situations. 
Oak, 80 NM old «s s n 314 inches 114 inches 
Scots Pine, 50 .,, ne A ae P REE 1-35 
areh, ; Sh 55 5 Siz exe RE a 8 S 
Spruce Fir, 35 ,, ,, =a Es € 15-5 6 $i 
Felling.—One of the most important considerations in the cultivation of 
timber for building purposes, is the time at which it should be cut—first, 
the age of the tree, and, next, the season of the year. The desideratum in 
the first instance is the zenith of growth—when maturity has been reached, 
and the decline not begun; and, in the second, when the tree contains 
the minimum of sap. Unripe timber is soft, sappy, and liable to decay ; 
and, when too ripe, it is brittle, and the decay has already commenced at 
the heart. "There is comparatively little difficulty in judging as to the ripe- 
ness of timber: when the top shoots cease to grow vigorously, and the 
branches become stunted and thick, it is ready for the axe. The following 
are given in various works as the ascertained ages of the common English 
trees :— 
Yew dm .. 1,214 to 2,820 years. 
Lime ie -— 3145... 
Oak idu a 810 to 1,500  ,, 
Larch = 
Elm sei ase 835 
As a further indication of their ages, Mr. Laslett gives a very complete list 
of the known timber trees throughout the world, with the number of con- 
centric layers in an inch of an ordinary-sized specimen. I subjoin a few 
of the more common varieties :— 
English isi fast grown XE 1:50 Iron Bark, Australia .. s 4:00 
a 1:50 Pine, Oregon is s em 4:32 
: Dem. eng ES as 1:95 Greenheart, Demerara .. "d 4:60 
Elm, English  .. is Sa 2°80 White American Oak .. = 4-70 
Beech, ,, P. "E s% 2:83 Fir, Dantzie : = ee 4:82 
Oak, = s e Ae 2°84 Pine, Yellow, Cicala fer A 5:22 
sh, 5 Pv “i zs 2-90 Ash, American .. a NW 6:36 
Mahogany, Honduras .. sa 8:20 Kauri, New Zealand  .. va 6.70 
Blue Gum, Australia ee Spruce Fir es daga at RD 
Teak, Moulmein Elm, Canadian .. 14:00 
4:00 
There is a conde. difference of opinion as to the debe season for 
felling timber ; while all authorities are agreed in considering it the time 
