The Elbert County tribune., 1905-06-01

| familiar with the peculiari-
ties of many species.
| Swapping first attracts our attention.
Some woods burn quietly, others al
ways snap-some only occasionally |
| do not know what causes swapping.
1t may be the production of an explo-
| sive gas, the result of heat or COM
| bustion, or the liberation OF an explo-
sive vapor from resinous products in
the wood, but neither of these theories
| explain all cases and conditions.
/ will first name some species that
| I have never known to snap and give
some of their burning qualities.
| Apple is always quiet burner and
when dry burns freely. 1t leaves an
abundant and beautiful white ash,
which tradition says was used in cook
ing in place of pearlash no: many gen
erations ago.
Pear, ounce and shad bush burn in
similar manner, but less freely.
Cherry of all varieties, peach and
plum make fair fuel, but are inferior
to apple. / have never known them to
snap, except one tree of black cherry.
1t is reported that the peach is planted
in the vicinity of Buenos Ayres for
use MS fuel, as the fastest growing
tree.
Birch of all varieties burns quietly.
Black birch is the best, and will burn
well green. All species of birch should
be cut and split while green, that the
wood may season properly. Locust
burns quietly, but slowly, resisting the
fire and melting away with little blaze,
as does also the Mulberry. White ash
and black ash burn quietly, but the
former is the best fuel. especially for
burning green. The wood choppers of
charcoal wood have their own feul free,
presumably from the dead wood, which
is not suitable for charcoal, but make
free with any nice white ash or hick-
DRY standing near their cabins. In the
days of the old ovens, white ash was
the favorite wood for heating them, as
it split readily and burned freely with
an abundant blaze.
Elm, willow and alder are rather
soft, spongy woods, that burn quietly,
but are not very lasting, nor do they
produce very much heat. Hcrnbeam
and blue birch have never known 20
snap, and are free burning hard woods.
Soft maple never snaps, and when dry
makes very pleasant still free-burn-
ing wood. The tulip-tree or white
wood, is too valuable for lumber to be
consigned to the wood-pile, yet the re-
fuse is easily worked up, and is free
burner, making n quiet fire.
Spruce, hemlock, fir, cedar, tama-
rack and larch always snap; if well
seasoned and put in close stove with
n good draft, as soon as the fire is
lighted they give the sound of pack
of exploding fire-crackers, and sensa-
ton of warmth before the cold iron
is heated through. All kinds of pine
are liable TO snap, but the sparks from
all these soft woods will die before
they scorch the rug or SINCE the floor.
Chestnut and butternut are lively
snappers, and when dry burn freely,
and, being easily worked up, make
satisfactory fuel for close stoves.
Hickory, the best of all woods for fuel,
and keeping fire in buried Goals, Or
dinarily burns quietly, but sometimes
it throws live Goals viciously across
the room. Hard maple, beech and
white oak sometimes throw out hard
Goals from the heart wood. When well
seasoned they are little inferior to hick-
ory in free and enduring burning quail
tiles. The other oaks rarely. il eTer
snap, but do not burn as freely as the
white oak, nor make as firm Goals.
The common poplar, though soft aud
spongy wood, will snap, and when
made into charcoal has the reputation
of holding fire in the inside of the
large pieces, unseen on the outside. and
later starting fire in the coal bank or
wagon.
Woods to burn green, are: White
ash, hickory, black birch, hard maple,
and white oak. They are more endur-
ing than when dry and kindle almost
as readily. To get the best value of
wood it should be cut and split when
green and soon housed in a shed or
well ventilated wood house, where it
will dry without molding. White pine
allowed to lie with the bark on the
log, or without splitting, will be de-
voured by worms during the first sum
mer. They make such q noise in their
work that they can be readily heard.
| All wood that is left without working
up suffers from worm and incipient
decay, mostly in the sap wood. Live
wood makes better fuel than when it
has died from fire or other causes.
| When the butt cut is sound, it will
make better charcoal, more weight
than the higher cuts, and mas relatively
the same value as fuel. In old timber
tho butt has sometimes lost its life
and substance, and is inferior to the
rest of the trunk. In most trees, bra
especially the evergreens, the knots
have more fuel value than the straight
grained wood.
In the hickory and paper birch the
| hill, f..al x-al.,a