Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-12-08
welshing FirewOOd.

n
4 At the council meeting on Tuesday week,
Aid. Holland gave notice of motion, ITO
consider the expediency of amending the by
law regulating the sale Of frewood, so as TO
permit dealers selling it by weight" The
proposed change 10 selling wood by weight
instead Of by measure as heretofore, has
many things that can be advanced in its ia.
vor, as we'll az some things which can be
said against it; aud as fuel is one Of the
prime necessities Of the general public, any
action Of the Council in this matter should
receive due attention from the citizens. The
following are the chief benefits to be derived
from the sale of 6rewood by weight. There
are about 100000 cords Of wood brought
annually 10 the city; If this wood was
weighed, and ten cents per cord charged for
the weighing, it would amount to $40 1000,
aud as two, or at most three, additional scales
would be all that would be needed, the gain
to the city would be over $4,000 annually.
This would be no additional burden, as il
costs at least that much 10 cord the wood
that is consumed in the city. Weighing
would do away with the numerous and we'll.
founded complaints Of short measure in the
quantity delivered II would also be an in.
ducement for the persons cutting the wood
in the forests to cut it longer, or, better still,
to saw it, thus causing great saving in the
amount Of "chips" that are annually left to
rot in the bush. At present, as cord Of
wood is cord, whether It be cut long or
short, there is o premium on short wood,
causing waste in chips of about 10 per
cent, or $4,000 cords out Of the 100000
cords consumed annually in the city, aud
which would nearly all be saved to the coun.
try, if wood were sawn instead Of being
chopped in the bush. People in the city
are very frequently imposed on by wood
Sawyers, who sometimes charge over two
dollars per cord for saving two cuts IN each
stick and splitting it. II wood were sold by
weight, wood dealers could keep men engag-
ed continually saving and splitting the good
at the woodyards,or on the wharves, and as it is
an easy days work for man to saw two
cuts in each stick in a cord of wood, and al
so split them, it would not cost more than a
dollar il done at the dealers yard besides
when wood is sawn and split fine, the buyer
has a much better opportunity Of knowing
the true quality of the wood he is getting.
Wood grown on rocky land is much better
and much heavier, when dry, than wood
gown on swampy soil; consequently the
seller of rock maple would get the additional
sum over the seller of swamp.grown wood
which the quality Of the wood entities him
| TO.
The only "weighty" argument that can be
urged against the selling of 6rewood by
weight is that it would be premium to wet
wood, consequently people would have to
pay higher prices for an inferior article; a
cord Of hard wood grown on swampy SOIL
cut three and half feet long would weigh
about $4,000 lbs. If the same wood was
properly dried, it might not weigh 10000
lbs This weighty objection might be great
ly weakened if not entirely removed, by es.
tabIshing different grades of wood, such as
green, half dry aud dry. Let several
cords Of, say ninety cubic feet each, be
weighed Of all the kinds of wood sold, anC
at the different states of drying and the re
suits used for ascertaining the quantity Of al
the wood that is weighed,-Montred Wit
ness.