386 PROPERTIES AND USES OF TIMBER, 



which it generally does^ this being accounted a 

 saving of labour. The knees thus produced are 

 sometimes used in new vessels built of oak, but 

 more frequently in repairing old ones. Great num- 

 bers of them are required for these purposes ; and I 

 have myself sold many hundreds from the woods 

 under my charge, at from 3s. to 7s. each knee, ac- 

 cording to their size. This is an important addi- 

 tion to the value of larch woods, the root, with two 

 feet of the trunk, frequently bringing more money 

 than the whole tree would have done, if cut in the 

 ordinary way, for planks or other purposes. The 

 expense of making larch roots into ship-knees is 

 comparatively trifling. Four workmen, accustomed 

 to the work, will, with the chance of wind, throw 

 over from twelve to fifteen trees, and split out the 

 knees from them, each day, on an average. 



The next of the fir species in importance is the 

 Spruce. As timber, however, it is much inferior 

 both to the Scotch fir and the larch, though it is 

 much more common than the latter. Its timber is 

 whiter and softer than that of the Scots fir, and, 

 what is still worse, far less durable. It has, how- 

 ever, this advantage, that it is very easily wrought, 

 and tries the carpenter's tools less than any other 



