chap, cxiii. coni'ferte. za n rix. 2397 



of the wood, by being cut full in the sap, did not counterbalance all the advan- 

 tages derived in the shape of increased value of bark. Even in the case of 

 young trees which were appropriated to posts and rails after having been peeled 

 for their bark, great expense was incurred in paint, in order to preserve the rails 

 after they were deprived of their bark, which is a great preservation to posts 

 and rails. If any profit is to be derived from larch bark to the grower, it must 

 be from the produce of that great thinning which takes place when the trees are 

 from 20 to 30 years old. The making of a road, in June 1819, to carry of!" the 

 wood from the top of Craig-y-Barns, gave the duke a favourable opportunity of 

 trying the peeling of the bark from trees that were cut down at that season of 

 the year when the sap was quite full in them. Some of the trees, that were 50 

 years old, peeled from end to end without difficulty, and each of them pro- 

 duced from 5 to 6 stones Dutch of bark. Thickly planted trees of 33 years of 

 age, and 37 ft. in length, and 25 in. in girt, 3 ft. from the but end, were also 

 peeled, and they each yielded about a Dutch stone of bark. At an age of 20 or 21, 

 and height of 28 ft., they yielded only half a stone ; but even this small quantity, 

 calculated at the current price of larch bark, at lOd. per stone, gave 5d. a tree, 

 a price greater than any Scotch pine near them was worth altogether, of the 

 same age." At present, Mr. Gorrie informs us, larch bark does little more 

 than cover the expense of peeling, drying, and carrying to market; and that 

 it now sells at from 6d. to Sd. per stone. 



" Larch Tops which had lain cut for 4 years, and were, of course, well worn, 

 were found useful in filling drains where stones were at a distance ; and they 

 continued sound in them for many years. 



"Larch Timber was used for axles to different kinds of mills, from 1793 to 

 1802; and up to 1817 they continued quite sound, though constantly in 

 water. 



"For Buildings, the larch is found equally desirable. In 1779, the duke built 

 the shooting-box in Glentilt, called Forest Lodge, the floors and joists of 

 which were made of larch. The wood was under 40 years old ; and, as an ex- 

 periment, some of the deals were cut up narrow, and others as broad as they 

 could be wrought. In 1817, the narrow boards continued quite close together. 

 After the bridge was thrown over the Tay at Dunkeld, the duke altered the 

 course of the great northern road to Inverness, which caused him to build 

 new porter's lodge, stables, and offices to Dunkeld-House, near the new line 

 of road. The whole woodwork of these buildings was executed with larch. 

 They were finished in 1812. In 1813, part of Athol House was burnt down, 

 and the repairs of wood, consisting of joists, floors, doors, and windows, were 

 all made of larch. This wood was so red in colour, that it looked like cedar. 

 Several houses were also repaired in the town of Dunkeld with larch. At 

 Dunkeld 271, and at Blair 170, larch trees had been used, by 1817, for building 

 purposes. 



" The first Attempt to use the Larch for the Purposes of Navigation was in the 

 construction of fishing-cobles on the Tay, in 1777. Previously to that, they 

 were made of Scotch pine ; and they lasted only three years, when they had to 

 undergo a thorough repair. In fifteen years more, ferry-boats were constructed 

 of larch, instead of oak, for the conveyance of passengers across the different 

 ferries on the numerous rivers on the property. The oars, too, in the course 

 of time, were made of larch, and they were found to be excellent in lightness, 

 toughness, and elasticity. In 1809, 8491 cubic feet of larch timber were sent 

 to Woolwich dockyard, the greatest part of which was employed in the repair 

 of the Serapis store-ship in 1810; and the state of its soundness was favour- 

 ably reported on in 1817. One beam of it was put into the large frigate 

 Sybelle, in 1816, after it had lain six years in the dockyard. 



" The next trial of larch in ship-building was in the Sir Simon Clerk mer- 

 chant vessel, of 375 tons register, built by Messrs. Symes and Co. of Leith, in 

 1810; but, as that vessel was soon afterwards taken by the Americans, no 

 account could be got regarding the durability of the timber. 



Knee Timber for Larch Roots. " In order to dress the ground, and lay it 



