TIMBER. 



moll parts of the clay ground of tliat traft, if care be taken 

 to prevent ftagnant water. It does exceedingly well too on 

 land covering the freeftone rock ; but that the hell timber 

 of this fort is produced on hard dry gravelly foils. But 

 that the Siberian pine, and fome others of a limilar nature, 

 have been introduced with very little fuccefs. The Ihort 

 intervals of mild weather which happen in the beginning of 

 the fpring, excite them to vegetate too early, and the next 

 cold blafl deftroys the young buds. The New England 

 pine thrives in a tolerable foil, until from twelve to twenty 

 years of age, in proportion to the nature of the expofure, 

 after which it generally begins to decay. And tliat the 

 fpruce is likewife un(it to weather the dorm on the greatcil 

 heights. It iucceeds on the hard dry rock where the Scots 

 pine dies, but frequently decays at the end of eighteen or 

 twenty years, on ftiff wet clay. Its moft favourite foil for 

 timber is that which is dry and gravelly. The fdvcr fir 

 thrives in clay foils, where the fpruce fails ; nor is it averfe 

 either to the hard rock or gravelly foil, which probably af- 

 fords the bed timber ; but it makes little or no progrefs on 

 aiiy foil that is very poor. It unfortunately too frequently 

 fuffers feverely from the frofty mildews of the fpring, efpe- 

 cially in its youth, or more early ftate of growth. How- 

 ever, the larix or larch is now found to be the mod: hardy 

 alpine plant. In moift places, it makes greater progrefs than 

 almoft any other timber-tree, and there is fcarcely any foil, 

 that is not drowned with water, on which it will not fuc- 

 ceed. It fuffers moft in too luxurious fituations, where its 

 foft (hoots, unable to keep ereft, bend away from the (light- 

 eft gale, and its timber produce is probably the worft. It 

 is hable while young, in fome fituations, to be much in- 

 jured or wholly deftroyed by early fpring frofts taking place 

 aft?r mild weather has brought on its vegetation, and is occa- 

 (lonally feized with difeafe, and dies when placed on miry 

 clay. 



It is fuggefted that the birch is next to the larch in the 

 progrefs of its growth, and equal to it in ability to ftand the 

 blall in alpine fituations ; and that it is fuperior to it in the 

 plain. But in whatever fituation it is placed, ,it delights 

 molt in a light foil and dry bottom, probably producing in 

 fuch the beft timber-wood. It, however, thrives in moift 

 foils, with very moderate draining. 



The aflt alfo, when it enjoys a fufficient depth of good 

 foil, is capable of braving the ftorm, and pulhing up its 

 head in the moft expofed (ituations ; however, in a thin 

 foil, covering a lliff argillaceous bottom, it can make no 

 progrefs. It notvvithftanding thrives well in fome marlhy 

 foils, where the banks are ftcep, fo that the water gets away 

 without ftagnating. On dry rocky fteeps, the timber is 

 probably the beft. It forms perhaps the moft important 

 wood in the country as timber, being ufeful in all its ages 

 and ftates, and lit for moft purpofes. 



The mountain-alh is hkewife a hardy native, which grows 

 freely in almoft all foils and expofures ; but its favourite 

 (ituation feems to be in hanging banks, among woods and 

 coppices, where the timber-wood is perhaps the beft. This 

 and the gean-tree, or wild cherry, raife and propagate thcm- 

 felves much when left at liberty, by putting up or out 

 fuckers from their roots. 



The beech is faid to come near to the afh in capability of 

 braving the ftorm, and has much the advantage of it in 

 thriving in poor or ftiff foils ; but there are fome barren 

 argillaceous bottoms too much even for the beech ; and it 

 is moft fuccefsful, and affords the beft timber, in friable 

 foils. Its (hoots, wthile young, are foon affedled by froft, 

 but the tree fpeedily recovers. 



The fycamore and elm require a hglit foil, and a dry, 

 Vol, XXXV. 



open under-ftratum : and when this is the cafe, the timber 

 is the beft, and the trees thrive in a fituation pretty mnch 

 cxpoft'd. They form good timber too on fome foils of a 

 heavier nature. 



In regard to the oak, it is lefs patient of the blaft than 

 moft of the timber-trees of the foreft. Being late in put- 

 ting forth its leaves, it continues to grow till the feafon is 

 far advanced ; and the immature wood of its late (hoots, 

 unable to refill the piercing effefts of the cold wind in ex- 

 pofed fituations, withers before the next fpring ; fo that, 

 like Penelope's web, the progrefs of one feafon is undone 

 in the following. The moll favourable fituations for the 

 oak, as timber or otherwifc, are therefore hollows or hang- 

 ing (lopes, where the (harp cutting winds are broken by the 

 neighbouring heights. In fuch fituations, if ftagnant 

 moifture be avoided, it will thrive in the (liffcll foils, and 

 with its ftrong roots penetrate the deepell bottoms, afford- 

 ing good timber. Though the growth of this tree be flow 

 in infancy, when it is placed in a favourable fituation, it will 

 make a progrefs in the courfe of fifty years, httle inferior 

 to many other kinds, and at length arrive at a great fize of 

 timber. See thefe timber-trees. 



It has been found that the horfe chefnut-tree thrives well 

 on the lower grounds, and deep foils only. The fweet 

 chefnut, which quickly becomes a timber -tree in diftrifts 

 more northern than this, does not fucceed here. Its feafons 

 of growth are too early, or too late, for the climate. In its 

 firft, it bears fome refemblance to the Siberian pine, &c. j 

 in its laft, to the oak ; its early growths being almoft; 

 as early as the former, and its later being nearly as late a& 

 thofe of the latter, and ftill more foft and fufceptible of the 

 cold. Hence its (hoots are alternately put forth and de- 

 ftroyed, and it generally becomes a low, ftunted, flirubby 

 trce. But this, it is faid, does not feem to have always been 

 the cafe. The fate of the common walnut, which may be 

 confidered almoft as much a timber as a fruit-tree, is nearly 

 the fame with that of the fweet chefnut. It probably af- 

 fords the beft timber on dry friable foils of fome depth. 



The poplar and moft of that tribe delight moft in water- 

 formed foils, but are commonly averfe to mar(h, and, when 

 happily fituated, make quicker progrefs than almoft any 

 other forts of trees, producing much light ufeful timber. 

 See Chesnut, Walnut, and Poplar. 



Management of Timber. — The rules and regulations fot 

 the management of fir and other timber-trees, which are 

 given below, deferve attention. Mr. Salmon, of Woburn, 

 in Bedfordlhire, who is in favour of much lopping or cut- 

 ting of the fide-branches of fir-timber, remarks, in a late 

 volume of the Tranfaftions of the Society of Arts, &c. 

 that confidering the purpofes that this fort of timber is 

 commonly applied to, it muft occur that clearnefs of knots, 

 ftraightnefs, length, and equality of fize of the trunk, con- 

 ftitute its perfeftion, and that, if deficient in all thefe, it is of 

 no value but for the fire. Next to thefe confvderations, and 

 the profpedl of an improved knowledge of raifing and cul- 

 tivating this kind of timber-wood, it may, it is faid, be a 

 fair queftion, if our own country be not capable of pro- 

 ducing this timber little or not at all inferior to foreign fir ? 

 In this country at prefent, fir appears, it is thought, not for 

 any length of time to have been confidered much otherwife 

 than as ornamental. For this purpofe they ferve only for a 

 certain time, which, when pall, it ha.s been their fate to be 

 cut dawn long before having attained maturity. But from 

 the great extent of ground now covered with this fort of 

 timber-tree, it is to be hoped, it is faid, that another century 

 may obtain to Englilh fir fome of the charafter of the oak 

 of the fame country : towards fuch an end, if attainable, 

 4 Q every 



