Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-12-01
SEASONING TIMBER.
The Proper Treatment OF Wood Intended
for building Purposes.

sssvsSSsss
The Proper Treatment OF Wood Intended
for Building Purposes.
The following, by Mr.. b. +. Fernow,
chief of the Forestry Division of the De-
partment of Agriculture, published in
recent bulletin, will interest those
who contemplate building or need to
use well-seasoned timber for any pur-
pose. ----
With proper after-treatment Of the
wood the time Of telling seems not to
affect its durability. Early winter
telling December should have the
preference, because less fermentable
sap. is then in the trees, and the timber
will season with less care, more slowly
and more evenly, and before the tem-
perature is warm enough for fermenta-
tion to set in. If the wood is cut ''in
, the sap it is more liable to fermenta-
tion and to the attacks of insects, and
more care is necessary in seasoning;
for the rapid seasoning, due to the
warm dry atmosphere, produces an
outer season coat which enve!Ops an
unseasoned interior liable to decay.
When cut in the leaf it is advantageous
TO le. the tree lie full length until the
leaves are thoroughly withered dwo
or three weeks) before cutting to size.
With conifors this is good practice at
any season, and if it can be done, all
winter-fclled trees should be left lying
to leaf out in the spring, by which most
Of the sap is worked out and evaporated.
Always remove the bark from felled
timber to aid seasoning, but not from
the standing tree.
Never allow the log to lie directly
on the moist soil.
If winter-felled, shape the timber to
size within two weeks after telling and
leave it placed on blocks, not upon the
soil, in the forest, or if shaped al
home place in dry, airy, not windy,
position away from the sun and rain.
If dried too rapidly wood warps and
splits. the cracks collect water and the
timber Is then easily attacked and de.
stroyed by rot
With large logs checking may be
prevented by coating the ends with
some fatty or oily substance mixct
with brick dust. or covering with {
piece of linen, cloth, or even paper, OF
hy' simply shaking them to lesser
evaporation; cracks on the. sides may
be filed in with tow erection.
When piling timber, place laths o1
sticks of uniform size at uniform dis
:ances under each log or post or tie.
Sufficiently thorough seasoning fol
most purposes is obtained in twelv,
to eighteen months. while for specia
work, according to the size, from twt
to ten years is required.
The best method of obtaining prope
seasoning without costly apparatu- il
shorter time is to immerse the pre-
pared timber in water from one t.
three weeks TO dissolve the ferlnenta
Bile matter the surface. This is bcs
done by running water-if such is no
mt hand, bath may be substituted
the water Of which needs frequen
timber, will season more quickly AM
is known to be more durable
II practicable the application Q
? hoiling water Or steam is an advantag
&aip leaching out the sap.
Never apply paint or any other Goa,
ing to green or unseasoned timber.
II the wood was not we'll dried O
seasoned the coat will only haste
decay.
Good coatings consist OF oily or ref
inous substance, which make a smoot
coat, capable Of being uniformly al
piled; they must cover every par
must not crack, and possess q certai
amount OF Elasticity after drying.
Coal tar, with or without sand G
plaster Or pitch, especially il mike
with oil OF turpentine and applied he
(thus penetrating more deeply), al
swers best. A mixture OF three part
Of coal tar and one part clean. unsal
ed grease. to prevent the tar from dr.,
ing until it has had time to fill tn
minute pores, is recommended. On
barrel OF coal tar will cover 800 post
Wood tar is not serviceable because
does not dry.
Oil paints are next in value. Boile
linsecd oil or any other drying veget
ble-not animal--oils. are used wit
lead or any other body Qike pulve
lied charcoaD to give substance. In
mersion in crude petroleum is al.
8 recommended.
Charring Of those parts which con
!c contact with the ground can be co
sidered only as an imperfect preserv
tive, unless considerable layer
charcoal is formed, and il it is n
carefully done. the effect is often de
,imental, as the process both weaker
the timber and produces cracks. t,
exposing the interior to ferments.
-Lawyer-"I had to compromi
that case in which sued Smith for $5
for you." Client-''Couldn't you g
the full s5O0e" Lawyer-"No; cou