A Discourse concerning the Most Seasonable Time of Felling of Timber; Written by theAdvice of the Honorable Sam. Pepys Esq; Secretary of the Admiralty, and Presented to HisLate Majesty. By Robert Plot LL.D. and R. S. SociAuthor(s): Sam. PepysSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 16 (1686 - 1692), pp. 455-461Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/101913 .

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A D I S C O U R S E concertuing the zzon reafosable Ti7ne of Felling of Timber; Written by the adRtiGe of tte Ho- aorable Sam. Pepys Erq; Secretary-of t1se 24d1niralty, and gefenterl to hir late MajeJZy. By Robert Plot LL. D.. and

* SO Soco

May it PleaJre your M#7 zyssrX X x T HE N I tirR in parted to your Ma jeRy the man V V ner of felling of Timber in tlae County of Stowf-

ford) w£t11 the advantage it nzight give to your Royal Navy, were all the Tinlber uSed-in building your Fleet fo fblled; according to your MajeRies conlmand) I im- nzediately (the fdme day) straited upon Mr. Secretary Pepys and Sir Ant;hony Dean, and comm-unicated ehe Mat- ter to thenz) who both pro-mifed me they would acquaint youl MajeIly I had fo done, and give yollr lslajes{}y an

account of their prefent Thoughts of it: but the fornzer7 tiz. Mr. Secretary P<pys, receixred -fo*fltrong an ilupref lion of the uSefillnefk of the E!xperinz-ent, and thought it (after confider<tion) of that szportance, that he defired me, the day following, faurther to coxlGder this Subje&, and fee what mlght be added to what I had already writ- ten in nzy FIiRory of StaffrdJXJire relating to it; and wlzat smaterial ObServations made, urily this CuRom of Staf- FrdNire an-d the Neighbouring CTounties) might not lSe p-rBRiced here in the Stutil of E;ngland as well as therea a:]d fo pilt all into A\rriting for your Ma je{ties uSe

For the pexfiormance whereof, vtritil as niuch brevity as perEpicuity will allow me, your Ma jeRy is filft de{ired to recolledc what I told your Majeily in May laft, that the Cu{tom of felling Tirnber here in tIre South of EHg- Zand, d;XMers from tllat of Staffrdpvire, only in t%Zo tlling59

tiz In the tinue of Felling, and naXnn:&r -of j3arkxng. It be- ^ lng

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( 4S6 ) s1sD teJled .},}.ti4t itl tt1t Spring) as foon as tlle Sap is found to 1)e hllly up) by tlle trrees putting out, and then Bark'd ;;1:Cer tlie Trees ate proIlrate) tlle Sap yer remaining rn tlae Bodies ot tilenz: Wllereas there it is firS barkXd) (in tlae Sprinr as Ilere) lDut before it ts feIled) t-lle Trees yet liv-ilz: ;nd {}.-nding a11 tae Sumnaer) and not felled till tlat follosvinCJ, XVinter, wlatn the Sap is fillly in ljepofe : Whe- tller of znthich CuRotns of feIling TInlber? eitiler for Ships 01* other Buildi:}gs, is moll eligible, ts the Point to be liSctlft

Ill elle clearing urhereof, May it pleafe your MajeRy firR to talie notice, t11at all Trees in the 5pring SeaSon (Vshen uEually zsre fell thenz ill the South of England) ar.d Conze tinae a-fter) are pregnant, atld fpelld themfelves (as Aninzals do in their reEpedive Off-fprings) in the proZ dudrion of Leaves and Fruitsn and fo become weaker than ut otlzer times of the Year; their Carrities and Pores being then turgid >ith Juices or Sap, which (the Trees being filled at that tinle) llill remain irl the Pores) hasring now no manner of tnear.s of bemg othervuiSe fpent, and tllere putriSe; Not only leaving the Tree full of theSe Ca- vities which retlder the Tirllber weak; But fecondly, breeding a Worln as lDoth Pliny and Mr. Etelyn teRifie that will fo exceedingly prejudice it, that it beconles al- togetller vlnfit for ftrong Incunlbencies, or other robuR USes. Thirdly, that all Tinlber fell'd at tlais tinze of Year, whether the Juices plltrifie, or otherwife fweat forth, or dry away) is mt only fiubjedc to rifE and gape, but will lErink fo confiderably) that a Piece of fuch Tinlber of a FQOT fquare will ufiually -Ihrink in the breadth a of an Inch; than which, fays Vs) nothing is more perni- cious if uSed for the building of Ships. - To which, Fourtllly, The firll and greateR Roman Enlperor lim Cgrar adds, TIlat tllo' Ships nlay be made of fucll moiR Timber fell'd in the Spring, yet they will certainly be Slufgs, not near fo good Sailers as Ships made of Timber fell d later in the Year. Irx

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( 457 3 In all whicll Circurnflarces I iind tuofi cf ttle A{stents

fo very ̂ rell agree,-tlaat none of tllenl advife tfle fellin-, of Tillrlter for any fort of uSe befbre Atltunan at foone{t; others- SlOt till the Trees have born thesr Frnit, ethici fays TheoybraJ!tes, mt;R always be proportionably laterX as their Fruits are ripe later in the Year: a third fort not tril Mid-winter: not till Nozeznter layst Pal-ladigr, nay9

not till the Winter Solflice) fays the Wife Cato; and tiaen too in the decreaSe or wane of the Moon, between tlhe s5th and 23d day of her Age, fays Vegeti&lr) or rarber according to Colluznella between the 20th and the New Moon. In general fays 7'heophrafs, the Oak mu{t be fell9d very late in the Winter, not till Dece7nber, as the Emperor GnJ}antinus Pogonatas poEtively afEerts, the Moon too being then under the Earth, as 'tis for the nuoR part in the dGy-tinze in the firR part of its decreaSe. \And the felling of Oak witllin thofe Limits, tlaey call Tetnteo J}iq)a cg0ara, Felling Tizaber in Seafona which they all una- niIllouily prollounce (if thusfellXd) will neither {hrink) warp) nor cleave) nor admit of decay, in nzany years, it being as tough as Horn, and the whole Tree in a nlan- ner (as 7CbeophraJ}s affierts) as hard and frm as the Heart; with vrhonz al{o agrees our Country-man Mr. E¢velyn*if you fell not Oak (fiays he) till theSap is in repofe, as tiS commonly about Note?nber and Decetber) aftex the fro{} has well nipped them, the very Saplings thus cut) will continue without decay, < Ang as the Heart of the TreeX

And the reafon of this is given. in {hert by VAt2CtM) qAiA

aerir Hyberni quis comprgtnit ct confolidat vRrbores) becaute the Wirnter Air doth clofe the Pores) and 1:b co1afequent- ly conColidates a11 Trees) lJy w*l.zicts azeans the Oak (as He and Pliny both exprefs it) will acquire a rOrb Gf Eternity in its duration; and lmuch naore will it fe, if zt be barkt in the Spring,, and ievt llandSn , a11 ttle Sutnnaer expo{Ed to the Sun arld Virind) aR ;s u5usl in Stnfsrtire

A z aildn

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(458 ) and tlle adjacent Counties, whereby they find br Iong Experience the TrunIis of tbeIr Tlees So dried and hard iacd, tllat the Sappy part in a manner beconaes as firm and duta-ole) as the Heart it felE.

>/7hiCt} way 0'5 barking and illing of Tinlber) tho' it urere urlknottr to rlle Antients (as perhaps xt ts to all

rlle Woild loelides thoSe few Counes) yet tlley kern not unacquainted WIti1 the rationality of the Pradlice: For Sene:4 obSelstes the Tinzber moR expofed tcs the cold Brinds) to be moll ltrong and folid) and that therefore (thiron nzade AchilleSs Spear of a Mountail1 Tree ilotner

alfo tells us that the Spear of Agp.^NZnoug uras gU&SOMpEE;

'YXo>, nlade of a Tree fo expoid) tor wr}ich Di>S!yJngs gives the reaSon ar«P Tavve, (Eays he) sXestv avssvar6SSvm 3evapt ¢Sp£X) for that beng cotintIally Weather beaten, they beconue harder and tougher, AnQ PEBY fays ex- prefly as rlzucll for the Sun) as they for the Yi7ind) Tis. Tlzat the Wood of Trees expoSed to the Sun{hine) is tIae nloR fafi and durabIe, fox znrhich reafon 'tis too tllat the Great Vitttt preters the TiInber on the South fide the pesnine) (where it winds a-ltout and inclofes wcany and Cafnpanig and firongly refleds the conRant Heats QF the Sun upon it, as iat wrere from a Concave ;) inconlparsaly before that) wh-ch grours upon the North icle of tize tarlae [!ill, in the {hady naoiR Grounds: Of svilicIl Ilis op-inion he renders us this reafon, fbr tilatthe Sun does not only lick up the Superfluous moilluresof tlne Eartll) svSence the Trees are lilpplted in Iuch fhady plLaces wsth too gloeat a quantity) but in great naeafure cxlgales the reImaining Juices (after the produEtion of Leaves and F*uit<) out of the Trees tlaenaIelses) render- ing the Tisulber of thena the more cloSe) fiub{lantiat a-nd durable; WI1ICI1 certalnly it would do alfo as much more

ticually) t.-At ])ark Vete tsken of: in -the Spr-ing of

tk;e S:ea; 3 <.S acuRonaed n StrdXiren urne«e the Peopit

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( 459 3 :x?eopIt are conterlt to uSe this ulethod in thelr protvrilio;-s of Titnbet4) tho' but fior priarate Ufes.

3!tUCI-1 rather fhould it be done then in fo ptlzbltcka -concern as tlae building of Ships, ̂ il:were touglrand Lotid TttnSer is nluch more necefEary than in ordinary Ealild INgS >tiOL can I yet m-eet FrIth 2Ny mnttlorAl ObjC¢livv2d

either f-ratzz StaffrdDhire Gerwtlerllen (tnany off zvhonr b halre confulted about the 24ffairs &nce I inforntied youi Ma jelly of tI1e advantage of it) or frona any other) v9ttly this Pradttce mi¢lt not be uSed here in tlle South of Ez land) s Brtil aS there. There is indeed at1 Ad of Par iiament E 35a:. i shap. 22 whereby yotlr MaieLlyies Sub jeeas are fSolbid felling Timber for ordinary USes (tn con fide14ation of the Tan) -or any otlaer -time but between rlae flrk of Apral and laIt of 28ne) *rllen the Sap tsup and tlle Bark will run, nzade on fiuppo{ition (I guefs) that Ihotlld they have admitted felling Tlmber in any other Seaforl, tlae Ta-nners would have wanted a fupply of Bark. To which I readily anf-wer) that I fear the Le- gIlators that preEssd the making that Ad) urere igllorant tIzat the Balsk might be taken of in the Spring) and that thei TlXee notsvitllkanditlg zsrould live and flouriSh till tlle lATinter following, assI have fben tnany in StaffordShire: So tlaat thoq the Tree lDe not felld titl the V7inter SolfticeX or 2anry follo>Jing, yet the Tarlnex4 is not atall defeated of his Tan) but has it here in as due SeaSon as in any of the Southerll Counttes. The Legillater I fay V\rerE

orant of t1tlis t othe-X\V1sre they utould never 1lave Rzade an AA fo perntcsous to the w-1oSe KinbdonzS as feiting Tenzber at this Seafon ic) for tize felie of a fewv

S i t A 2t i S S

B*t notvithIlancling this igrlcwr;;nce, yer then thett Btele SQ +Nrife as to except In tilat ^4tt the Ttnaer t3 15

tl.id ,lz Duffllding of Shipsz utllicEr luay be fellXd in Britzter or ar:y otIjes time; as I anz told al1 the ancieilt Tirnber emai2;i,lD ln tlle A,oyal zotes*eagn vasv, if eing Rirl fo

hard

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( 46O )

ard (I<ag rs no ealle matter to drive a Nail Into it) fo ti>aat your IVIa)eRy has rlo need of giving your felf the trouble of procuring the atteration or repea1 of that Ad) upon thts account only) tIao' it may pofEtbly be deft>ble (becaufe profitable to tIae Subjed) upon nlany other*

Tis true indeed that the barkIng or peeling tlln Tree tanding, is fotnesvllat mo14e troublefonle) arld therefore fonsewlat more chargeablen than zvherl they are pCIratee and ttlat 'tis likely People therefore halre ufiually fell'd their Timber, as well for Shipping as other 1lies) in the Sprtnt of the Year, for the fake of the nzore eaie tea .sheap barking it ouly, than any thing elfe. 'Tis t1*ve tooX tllat linaber is harder to fell ln Winter) it being aow fo compad;t and frm, that the As will not make fo great inzprelElon, as it doth in the Sprln ,, which will alics en creafe the price of felling fome fmall matter) and its fawing afterwards; but how inconSiderable thefe thing$ are in conlparifon of the great good your MajeRy vvill reap by this ulanner of fUlling, (as is plain from what has ien tiaid above,) I need not acquaint yotlr MajeRy, it be- nt, (I think) felf evident

The greatett Obiettion) that I can fofefee 0rill be urged here in the South agaitllt this pradice, is, Tllat if the Timber be not fell'd ttll Mid-winter or 24ns4ry, where it grows in Copfes and ViToods, they cannot perhaps In clofe their young Splings fo foon as fot}le nzay itnane needful, and therefore will be backward to fell their oTinlber (fo growing) at that Seafon.

To xrrhxch I anfwer, FirIl, That the Timber fo>6ell'd in the Brood or CopSes may be eafily carried off before the fiecond Spiing) and fo the prejudice [mall) and the firft it nnu{t be there nZhere earer it is fill'd * bt1t fecondly) tha; vllicll will quite renaove tlzis incontiderable difficul- tt i35 That perhaps your MajeRy may think it expedi- ent, that no Terber whatSoever growing irl lVaods or Copies be at all bought into your Majelly's Yards) fUr

that

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( 4Gt ) ttat Timsber growilzg ill fuch {hady plSces, and fo fenced fionz Sun and WATind, as Timbex ila Woods for the nzoft part is, cannot be fo good asthat vvhich comesfrorn an expofed fituation, fu.ch as it uEually has in your Ma jeIlyss Forebs, and in the Parks and Hedge-lows or open Fields of your Subjedts, wlaere too it is indifferent at lealE) if not be-tter for the Proprietor) tllat it be fell'd in VVinter (when the GraEs and Corrl is gone) than in the Spring it Ielf: So that I callnot lee wllat your NIajeRy llas nzore to do in this Matter) :irl cafe your Ma jefly think fit to nzake uSe of this Method) than to order your Officers alligned for that purpofe eo buy all their Tinlber under fucls Con ditions as to be fell'd in Winter; enjoyning the Proprie tor (unleEs your Majefl:y think fit to buy the Bark) to take it oflF in the Spring irl due time) making him fome fmall allowance for the trouble he will have in peeling it Ran ding.

Which is all I have met with further at prefent to in- form your Majelly of) concerning this matter, wherein:, if it ffiould fo happily fall out, that I have done your Majelly any the leaR Service) the internal Satisfadtion X hall conceive frorn it, together with your Ma jeRy's favouZ rable Acceptance, will be an ample Reward tcx

Iour MajeRys, &cw

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