The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-02-16
FARM, FIELD AND GARDEN.
INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO PRAc-
TIcAL AND PROGRESSIVE FARMERS.

lNFoRMATIoN OF INTEREST TO PRAc-
TIcAL AND PROGRESSIVE FARMERS.
When TO Fell Timber to Insare Creates
Durability Hints About Seasoning Tim
ber-Canses and Preventiyes of Decay
In Wood.
While the durability of timber does
not wholly depend upon the time when
it is cut the latter, explains The World
has in most cases an influence in its
preservation that should cause the fell
ing to be done at that season when there
is the least fermentable sap in the tree.
This would indicate winter as the proper
time, and of the winter months Deem
Der might fairly have the preference,
not only as fully meeting this requisite,
but also as ordinarily being a more agree
able time for outdoor work than the sue
ceeding ones. Much timber is lost for
lack of care after it Is cut, by which not
only is the material wasted, but an addi-
tional expenditure Of labor is required
In replacing what might have lasted
longer had it been felled at the right
time and properly seasoned before it
was used. Especially will this be the
case with timber cut in the sap and used
for posts or placed in contact with the
ground while in green state.
To prevent the growth of ferments or
fungi in the sap, which leads to decay,
the sap must be dissolved, leached out or
dried out, and some measure adopted to
prevent moisture from re-entering the
wood. Where thoroughly dried wood is
used for posts in the ground these will
last much longer than green, for the rea-
son that with hard wood it will be con
siderable time before the moisture of the
soil has penetrated it thoroughly, and
then it will not be as active in causing
decay as the original sap. Persons some
times use paint, mineral oils or gas tar
ON posts not thoroughly seasoned, but the
practice Of coating badly seasoned tim
Der with any substance will hasten decay
instead Of preventing it.
There are many complicated and ex-
pensive ways by which wood may be
preserved that are within the reach of
manufacturers, but, ordinarily, the
farmer cannot avail himself of such, and
should seek the best methods for natural
preservation by avoiding practices that
lead to natural decay. Timber that is
kept housed, entirely dry and away from
the influence of u humid atmosphere,
will last almost indefinitely, but the sills
and lower joists of buildings, although
perfectly protected from the rain, will,
under certain conditions, often be found
after few years eaten up with dry rot,
first appearing in white patches and
afterwards changing to darker shades.
This is occasioned by dampness and a
close, confnd air, owing chiefly to want
of proper ventilation. Timber kept en-
tirely submerged in deep water, or in a
deep soil, excluded from the atmosphere,
practically will not decay. This has
been demonstrated by the occasional
finding of trees in the depths of an al
luvium, where they had been buried
probably for ages.
Warmth and moisture, further ex-
plains the authority quoted, by causing
fermentation Of the sap, are the active
agents in inducing decay in unseasoned
wood Posts set in the ground rot soonest
at or near the surface, and quite often
the lower parts will be comparatively
sound when entirely rotted off at the
point mentioned. An application of an
oily or resinous substance that will re-
sist decay IL put on to a seasoned post
for only few inches at this most vul-
nerable part will be beneficial. Wood
cut in the sap may from too rapid dry
ing be well seasoned on the outside, but
unseasoned within, and thus be liable to
decay from that cause, while slower
and more perfect drying would have
made it practically indestructible for
most uses.
Logs, when cut, should not be allowed
to lie long in direct contact with the
ground. Lumber that has been RATED
and kept under water for weeks will
season much more quickly and is be-
lieved to be more durable than lumber
seasoned directly from the saw. The
water dissolves a portion Of the sap and
causes it to leach out Steaming lumber
produces the same effect more quickly,
besides making it more pliable, and fit.
ting it for bending into different shapes
without fracturing. Saturating wood
with brine or salt, as rule, will lengthen
its usefulness.
While painting wood before it is sea
soned is not only n useless expenditure,
but will often contribute to decay, the
preservation of seasoned wood by paint
ing cannot be too strongly recommended.
The surface of all lumber exposed to the
action of the elements, whether in build
ings or agricultural implements, should
be completely protected in this manner.
Oiling with raw petroleum may often be
used with good effect. Immersing in Oh
painting with it is a cheap and useful
preventative for seasoned posts or any
kind of wood. Charring the ends OF
posts that are to go into the ground is OF
doubtful utility. AS u general thing,
heart wood and the wood from mature
trees, neither young nor very old, will
last longer than wood from trees OF
either extreme. In heavy clay soils, al
ways wet or moist, posts will endure
longer than in gravelly and lighter de.
scriptions that are alternately wet and
dry. AS rule, trees grown on dry up
lands in open fields, if of the proper age
are worth more as fuel or timber than
when grown in q dense forest on low
rich land.