5 8o The J 07irnal of Forestry. 



FELLING TIMBER. 



Sir, — As the Journal of Forestry and Estates Ifa.nagement advocates a 

 free discussion on all subjects connected with its profession, kindly allow 

 me to offer a few remarks on timber felling, and the kind of axes which 

 I find to be the most suitable for the work. In the first place, I must 

 differ from the rule laid by your talented contributor J. C. K., that the 

 best way to fell a large tree is to saw it down, and also that by saw felling 

 a tree a considerable amount of timber must be lost, as it is an impossi- 

 bihty to get the saw-cut sufficiently low in the majority of cases, but that 

 a certain amount of the best timber in the tree must be lost. Also, again, 

 by saw felling a tree all defects are seen at once, such as ring shake, or 

 stright shake, or open-hearted, or slight decay, which by proper axe 

 felling would be less liable to be detected ; as every timber merchant when 

 selling timber in the round wishes to give it the best appearance, 

 and obtain for it the best price possible, so the landed proprietor is 

 perfectly justified in doing the same. Now as to axe-felling a tree. We 

 will take for an example a large ash. 1st. Let the feller with his 

 mattock stock clean away all soil from round the stem, until he gets well 

 down on the spurns, and then with his broad heavy Herefordshire axe 

 dress the spurns off perfectly level and in octagon fashion with the butt 

 of the tree. He must then keep descending until he gets as near as 

 possible to the terminus of the timber under the heart of the tree, so that 

 when the tree is felled, it should in the majority of cases draw 

 the soil under the heart of the tree. If this is properly done, very little 

 turning out of the butt end will Ise required when the tree is down, and 

 the less chips taken off the heart the better. Crippling or cutting 

 the large arms, so that they will break with the/all and not split the 

 Umber or burst the tree, is always necessary in felling large timber. 



Now your readers will observe that this plan entails much more work 

 than by simply sawing the tree down, but I contend that if work is worth 

 doing at all, it is worth doing well, and by following this plan there is no 

 'msightly root-end left standing above the ground, and the hole where the 

 tree has stood is soon levelled over, and gives satisfaction to everybody. 



Now a word or two as to the best axe, for felling timber, hard or soft 

 wooded, or both combined. The best broad axe used for felling and dress- 

 ing the spurns, and turning out hardwood, and also for felling and turning 

 out soft wood, is what is called in the Midlands the "Herefordshire axe." 

 I may also add that the best men I have found to use them well are the 

 genuine Herefordshire timber fellers. The size and usual weight is as 

 follows : — Length from back of axe head to cutting edge 11 inches ; width 

 at cutting part 6f inches ; width across the eye 1 inches ; thickness at axe 

 head li inches, which tapers gradually down to the cutting edge ; shaft 

 3 feet 3 inches long ; total weight 10 lbs. 



The narrow axe, which is only used for cutting a drift under large 

 timber trees, is as follows : — Length 12 inches j width 3|- inches j thick- 



