Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-27
Dailu kennfhfl Journal.
Time to Cut Timber.

Most of the lumber and fuel of the country
has always been cut in winter when labor is
plenty and cheap compared TO the busy grow
ing season of the year, and doubtless, when
everything is considered. this has been the
best time. The new growth springs up much
more readily when the cutting is done in win
ter, but it has long been known by those who
are particular about the quality and dur ability
of timber, that if cut at some other season
its value is greatly increased. Many are
aware that our common gray birch, or white
birch. though making excellent fuel when
properly housed is. if otherwise handled, one
of the very poorest timber trees known.
A birch tree cut in March and left ont of
by slight blow, the bark being
the only partially sound part of it. Such
wood is almost worthless for fuel, being wet
and spongy, the life and strength of the wood
being all gone IT, however, the same tree
had been sawed up into stove lengths, and
every length split and piled under cover
wheres it could season properly, it would
have made an excellent quality of fuel
Birch, when cut at the right time and suita
bly, seasoned, makes the very best of timber
for spools, thousands of cords of it being
used for that purpose every year in New
England. The hoops for nail casks are also
chiefly made from this wood. the trees
being cut in winter when they are ten or
twelve feet high and an inch in diameter.
They must however, be made up while green,
or they would soon be quite worthless. II
has been generally supposed that the birch de-
GAYS thus rapidly on account of its tight bark.
which prevents the sap from being dried out
by the ordinary methods of open air season
ing, and this seems proved by the fact that il
the wood be split when green and piled under
cover its seasons perfectly sound But there is
another peculiarity about this wood that NAV
be worth knowing. IL a white birch be cut
in mid summer when in full leaf, it will bear
about the same treatment as other trees.
The last summer we had occasion to cut
some birches for bean poles. They were in
full leaf and had nearly done growing for the
season, except in size. The date was late
in June or July, the beans at the time hav-
ing begun to run. The poles did good ser
vice through the summer, and what is un-
usual for birch poles, were found to be
sound in the fall when pulled up and packed
away to clear the ground. This spring an
examination showed that they were perfect
y sound and tough. although they had re
mained out all winter, and are in use for
polling beans again this summer.
Mr.. Edmund Hersey. member of the Mas
sachusetts Board of Agriculture has been
making some experiments " lth white birches
cut at different seasons, and with the follow
ing results He cut lot of birch wood in
August, and, without splitting, piled it up in
the open air for fuel. The next spring he cut
another lot, and also piled that in the weather,
without splitting. Both lots were overhauled
in the following July or August. The lot
which had remained in the pile whole year
WAS found perfectly sound, and made good
fuel, while that which had been cut in spring.
and had had been piled only about four
months. was practically worthless.
DIR. Jabez Fisher of Fitchburg. Mass, un-
derstands this difference between lumber cut
in winter and summer so well, that he con
tracts for all his grape vine posts to be cut in
August
The finest lot of railroad ties we ever saw
were cut in Summer when the trees were in
full leaf. The wood seasoned verv rapidly.
and when handled, had a ring to it like steel
when struck with hammer. We are not
ready to recommend the cutting of all timber
and fuel in summer, but we believe that farm
ers should know what the effect upon lumber
is when cut at different seasons of the year.
1t would seem that there is no way in which
the wood of a tree can be relieved of its sap
so thoroughly. and be left in so sound a con-
tion, as when the sap goes out through the
leaves. or through the pores, during the sea
son of full leaf.