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[Page 2]
situation where, during the succeeding seven weeks, they were kept very warm. When first put to dry in this situation the two pieces were as nearly of the same size as I could make them; but the spring-felled wood was much the most moist; & from this cause, (in part only I conceive) its contracted much more in drying than the winter-felled wood. Having found, in the Beginning of last Week that neither of the pieces appeared to undergo further Contraction, or loss of weight, I cut off a portion of each, apparently free from Clefts or Knots, & I reduced each portion exactly to the Weight of 1000 grains; & the specific Gravity of the winter-felled wood was then found, by the hydrostatic Balance, to be 0.679, whilst that of the summer felled wood was only 0.609. I was prepared to expect a considerable Difference in the specific Gravity of the two kinds, because I conceived it to be very highly improbable that the new Leaves &c could derive this substance immediately from the crude aqueous sap alone: but this difference of seven per cent was much more than I had anticipated & I did not cease to suspect some Error 'till I had suspended & taken off each piece of wood at least ten Times; & even then I was not satisfied till I found, by means of a Compass adapted to the measurement of solids, that the winter felled piece of wood was much less than the other which it equalled in weight.
Some days previous to making the preceding Experi[ment]