The Portland daily press., 1878-01-07
The Farmers Wood Pile.

After the close of fall work, and before the
first snow, is our time for cutting and piling
in the woods, our years stock OF fuel, unless
something unusual prevents. This work is
never omitted, for nine-tenths of the farmers
would as soon neglect to fill their hay mows
for the winters feeding or their stock, as they
would have the wood house empty. And
they would as soon think of eating their pota-
toes or beef uncooked, or wearing cotton or
wool unwoven, as of burning green wood.
The convenience and economy of good wood
are so apparent, that the old stock is never
exhausted before more is prepared to replace
it. Sometimes Jack Frost finds the farmers
cornfields uncut, or shuts stout door over
the potato hills sometimes the fences get so
low that the sheep hook over them, or the
moving machine goes bobbing over the un-
picked cobbles. But spring always finds a
huge stack of stove wood before the door,
aud summer sees it in, even tiers in the wood
house.
For many years our custom was TO chop
into sled lengths, to the amount of from eight
to twelve cords, any tree, except supar map
les and such as would make good hewing
timber. AS soon as the first SHOWS came this
would be drawn to the door-yard, where it
would usually remain till April, when the
hired man began his seasons work. His first
labor was to work up the wood-pile into stove
lengths, by chopping into cuts of 4 feet, then
splitting and saving to fit the stove. After
saving, it was thrown into loose pile, and
as soon as free from ice and snow, was pack
ed in the wood-house by some; others prefer
red that it should perfectly season out OF
doors, and it was not housed till corn plant
ing was finished. In the Improvements of
methods in farm work, the cutting of wood
has kept pace. Now it is considered most
expeditions, when help is plenty, to work all
the largest wood to stove lengths in the
woods this is best done by two men cutting,
with a cross-cut saw, the body and the larg-
est limbs, the smaller ones being drawn to
the house before working up. A few men
own horse-powers and drag-saws, and they
go from place to place quickly, cutting up the
logs previously hauled together. The blocks
cut by either process are then drawn to the
house, and it is only sport to work them into
stove-wood.
Many make the mistake in splitting their
wood too fine. For summer use and for
cooking, small wood is best; but for this
there are the small limbs, which should be
piled separately, with as much of the large
wood as is needed, split fine. For eight
months in each year fires are needed for
warmth, and wood that is as much as four
inches square lasts longer, and by forming
more Goals, gives cut more heat than the
same amount split finer. With many kinds
of stoves used only for heating purposes,
wood as large as can be used is the best.
Wood is considered best when only half or
two thirds the length of the fire-box. When
it is longer, that part which is over the CRATE
or before the draft is first consumed, leaving
Inconvenience pieces at the end.
In the older states, with their many cities
and thousands of villages-with the myriads
of manufactures, and railroads crossing al
most every towp--farmers are realizing that
their forests are growing small, and at the
present prices Of wood and coal, few are sell
ling any wood. We ought to practice great.
er economy in gathering our fuel, selecting
only such trees as have stopped growing, and
picking up the scattered pieces as closely as
we do the ears in our corn fields. Farmers
who have ten acres OF wood land may usual
ly gather their stock of wood of material that
is seemingly worthless. Many trees will be
found that are dead here and there the wind
has overturned one, or broken off limbs.
Taking only these is more work, and it takes
more wood for the year, but the lot looks
better; it is easier getting around with a
team, and thrifty trees are still growing.
Again when a tree is chopped, several bush
els of chips are scattered that are easily say
ed, and are valuable for building or mending
fires, This is gathering the fragments 10
earnest, but he who saves land not he who
earns) the most is accounted the most pros
perous.-Cor. Country Gentleman.