Page:Timber and Timber Trees, Native and Foreign.djvu/88

68 weight afforded by trees of equal ages, whether grown in forests or in open situations. Mr. Monteith states, in his "Planter's Guide," that—

The question of the propriety of felling in the winter in preference to any other season is of considerable importance, and its bearing upon the durability or otherwise of the timber may be gathered from the following particulars, taken from a "Treatise on Dry Rot," by Ambrose Bowden. He states that—

"The 'Sovereign of the Seas,' built at Woolwich in 1635, was constructed of timber barked in the spring and felled in the succeeding winter, a strong conviction existing that such timber was superior to any other in point of durability. Forty-seven years later this ship was pulled to pieces and rebuilt, and the greater part of the materials were found to be in sufficiently good condition for re-employment.

"The 'Royal William,' built at Portsmouth in 1715 to 1719, after being slightly repaired at three different times, was finally taken to pieces in August, 1813, after a service of ninety-four years. The extreme durability of this ship attracted much attention at the time, and it was believed that, having been built in close proximity to the New Forest, only winter-felled timber had been used in her construction. This is said to be borne out by the fact that the authorities at Portsmouth, about 1717 or 1718, offered, as an encouragement for the delivery of winter-felled Oak timber to that yard, an