Thus when you know how to chuse euery seuerall Trée, and the true vse and profit which can any way be made of the same, and by a practised experience can cast by the suruay and view of a standing Wood, the almost entire profit that may arise from the same, deuiding in your memory how many are for euery seuerall purpose, and to what reckoning they may amount one with the other, and blemishing (if you buy) the good with the bad, or making good (if you sell) the bad with those good ones which grow néere them, you may then boldly venture into any sale either as a buyer or seller at your pleasure, and sure if you know (as it is fit you should doe) the Market-able prices of all sorts of Timbers in those places, where you are either to buy or sell, as what a Mill-post is worth, what so many inches of well squared Timber, contayning so many foote in length, what a dozen of boards of such a size, what so many naues, spoakes, rings, sparres, or tracens, or what so much sound and good Plough-timber is worth, and then looking vpon a Trée, and computing what may euery way be made of the same, allowing the wast which will hardly sometimes defray the charge of breaking vp the Trée, you cannot but with great ease draw into your minde the true value of euery Trée, and the vttermost profit or losse may any way rise from the same.
How to measure Timber by gesse.
And in this worke I would haue you to obserue this rule very carefully, that is, when you come to any great Timber-trée, to fathome or embrace it about with both your armes, and then knowing what quantity your fathome is, and how many fathome girdleth the Trée round about, you may from former experience giue a certaine gesse what inches of squared Timber that Trée will beare, for if you haue found in former trials that twice your fathome in the rough barke hath borne twenty, or two and twenty inches squared, and now finde that the present Trée on which you looke, is no lesse, but rather with the bigger, you may boldly presume, that being sound, this trée can carrie no lesse square of good Timber: and thus much for the knowledge and choise of tall Woods.
Best seasons for the sale.
Now to come to the seasons & fittest times for sale of these high Woods: you shall vnderstand that it is méete for euery good husband which intendeth to sell any of his high Woods, to walke into the same immediately after Christmas, & whether they be in woods, Groues, hedge-rowes, or other places, to marke with a special marke all those Trées which he intendeth to sell, as well for the wéeding and cleansing out of all such as are decayed and wasted, as also to know the true number of both the good and bad, and thereby in some measure to compute the profit which will arise from the same, for to make sale of them otherwise confusedly, might bring much losse to a man happily, selling away those that would encrease their valewes, and kéepeing them which daily would decrease their goodnesse, or so vnorderly vnmixing his Wood, that where one faire and good Trée would draw a mans eye from beholding diuers which are doated, now that onely taken away, the rest will remaine, and neuer be sale-able, and therefore euer as néere as you can so suite and match your Trées together, that in your sales you may neuer passe away an absolute worthie Trée: but you may euer couple some which haue defects to goe with it, as in these dayes we sée Warriners and Poulters sell Rabbets, a fat and a leane euer coupled together. When you haue thus marked out what you meane to sell, and disposed your sale according to your best profit,The time for Chap-men. after notice giuen vnto the Country in the Market Townes néere adioyning, you shall begin your sale the Candlemasse following, which sale you may continue all the Spring, according to the greatnesse thereof, or the quicknesse of buyers. Now for any rules or orders to be obserued in these sales, I can prescribe you none certaine, because it is méete that euery one binde himselfe to the customes of the Country in which he liueth, whose variations are diuers, for almost euery one is seuerall, onely in the maine they holde together, which is that they seldome make publike sales for money downe vpon the head, but for a certaine payment some fewe moneths after, which makes the Marchandise more lookt to, and the sales goe away the faster; and in this the Sales-man must be circumspect in the choise of his Chap-men, and where hée findeth any doubt there to make one neighbour stand bound for another, as for the earnest penny it is euer ouer and aboue the price, and must be laide downe at the binding vp of the bargaine, which earnest is in some Countries foure pence in the pound, in some eight pence, and in some twelue pence, according to the goodnesse of the Timber, and hath euer béene taken for a fée due to the Sales-man for his paines and attendance: and sure if he be carefully honest, it is a merrit well bestowed: if otherwise, it is much too much for falshood, for in him consists the owners losse or profit, and therefore it may become any man, of what place so euer, to take a strickt account from such an officer: or if he haue any doubt euer to ioyne with him in commission, another of contrary faction.
When to cut downe Timber.
When you haue made sale of your Timber, you shall by no meanes let it be cut downe till the end of Aprill, at which time the sap ascending vpward, will loosen the bark, and make it come from the body of the Trée easily. You shall cut your Timber downe close by the earth, not digge it vp by the rootes, vnlesse you meane vtterly to destroy it, for from the spurnes of the roote will arise new Spiers, which in processe of time, will come to another Trée. As soone as you haue felled your Oakes, you shall with your Axe immediatly whilst the sap is wet, take all the barke from the body and the armes, and setting it end-wayes as vp one by another, so place it, that the winde may passe through it, and dry it, and then sell it to the Tanners, which will giue you a good price therefore, according to the worth and scarsity thereof. When your Trées are barkt, you shall then sawe the body into such lengthes of Timber, as shall be méete for the purpose for which it is bought, or in such sort as it may be best portable: the armes also you shall hewe from the body, and so burken or breake them vp, as they may be fit to be loaded: all which done, and the Timber caried away, you shall, if you intend to haue the Wood renew, fence in the sale, and kéepe it safe from Cattell: and thus much for the preseruation and sale of high Woods.
Chap. V.
Of the breeding of Wood in rich champaine soyles.
