528 MISCELLANEOUS. [Dec. 



to the depth of one-half the diameter of the trunk and for one- 

 third of its length. One-half of each exposed portion is polished 

 to illustrate the effect of this treatment of the wood, the remainder 

 being left in the natural state, with the top of the upper divided part 

 finished by bevelling — a method of very obvious advantage to those 

 interested in the commercial value of timber. Among the more 

 remarkable specimens enumerated is a plank of redwood 8 feet 

 wide; a specimen of Engelmann's spruce 24 inches in diameter, 

 which, by the number of concentric rings, is alleged to be 410 years 

 old, being the oldest tree in the collection ; a specimen of the wood 

 of Catalpa — which species is not stated — is presented with the 

 information that it has been buried in the earth for seventy-five 

 years, and is yet perfectly sound in condition. 



Forest Communism. — In the township of Freudenstadt, at the 

 foot of Kniebis, in Baden, not a single farthing of taxation has been 

 paid since its foundation in 1557. The commune possesses about 

 5000 acres of pine forest and meadow land, worth about £10,000 

 sterling. The 1420 inhabitants have each as much wood for 

 their building purposes and firing as they wish for, and each one 

 can send out to pasture, during the summer, his cattle which he 

 feeds during the winter months. The schools, church, thoroughfares, 

 and fountains are all well cared for, and every year considerable 

 improvements are made. 100,000 marks were employed in 1883 

 for the establishment in the village of a distribution of water with 

 iron pipes. A hospital has been built, and a pavilion in the market- 

 place, where a band plays on the fete days. Each year a distribution 

 of the surplus revenue is made amongst the families, and they each 

 obtain from fifty to sixty marks or shillings, and more still when an 

 extraordinary quantity of timber has been sold. In 1882, 80,000 

 marks were distributed amongst the 1420 villagers. 



Durability of Wood cut in Spring and in Winter. — Timber 

 cut in the spring is, according to some authorities, not so durable 

 as that cut in winter, and recent scientific investigations appear to 

 sustain this belief. It is shown that the richer the wood is in 

 sulphuric acid and potassium, the more liable it is to rot and mould. 

 Wood cut in the spring months contains eight times as much 

 of the former and five times as much of the latter as wood cut in 

 the winter ; hence it is concluded that the best time to cut down trees 

 is winter. It would be interesting to have the opinions of experi- 

 enced practical men on this point. It is a fact that trees are felled 

 at all times from late autumn till late spring, much in accordance 

 with convenience, custom, and other considerations. The question as 

 to whether the above-noticed deduction applies equally to resinous 

 and non-resinous trees deserves special consideration. 



