348 TURPENTINE TROM BRITISH FIRS. 



folk, in Virginii, on the borders of North Carolina, Apnl 

 23, 1792, and are the result of the inquiries and observa- 

 tions I made on the subject whilst in Carolina. 



Wilmington, N. C Jpril 13, 1792. 

 Pitch pinetim- IN conversation with a Mr. Hogg, who had been settled 

 ^'^'^' there, and at Fayette-ville before the war, I learnt, that 



pitch-pine timber growing on the sands was the best; and 

 that it was reckoned to be better if cut in 4he winter, be- 

 fore the sap rises in the tree. 



H. B. WAY. 

 SIR, 

 Experiments IT affords me much pleasure to learn, that my commu- 



on a large scale pjcation, on the extraction of turpentine from the Scotch 

 recommended. ' ' 



fir, has been thought worthy of the consideration of the 



society ; and it wili be highly gratifying to me, if it should 

 induce persons, who have considerable plantations, to try 

 it on such a scale, as to ascertain to what extent it might 

 prove beneficial in this country. The experiment should be 

 tried on trees so situate as to be conveniently examined 

 every day, and the turpentine collected into the hollows 

 removed as often as possible to prevent its being injured, 

 or wasted by the rain. I think, that during the American 

 war, some importations of turpentine were made from 

 Russia and Sweden ; and if so, it must have been extracted 

 from what we call the Scotch fir in a colder climate than 

 Venice turpen- this. The article called Venice turpentine, which is brought 

 *"^®* from Carinthia and Carniola, is extracted there from the 



larch tree; and it might probably answer to try to produce 

 it from the larch trees grown in Great Britain, in the same 

 way as I have collected the turpentine from the Scotch fir. 

 Tlie timber im- Respecting the wood of the Scotch fir being injured, by the 

 proved by It. extraction of the turpentine from it, I should rather think, 

 that it would, on the contrary, be better for it; as all those 

 who use deals from Scotch fir in this neighbourhood com- 

 plain, that it is too full of , turpentine to work well. The 

 fact might be ascertained, by the piece of timber which I 

 sent to the society; as, if it was wished to preserve that 

 part in which the hollow is made, the back part, or r»ear- 

 \y half of the tree, might be sawn into boards without in- 



