246 ON THE BEST KINDS OF WOOD FOR CHARCOAL, 



XXVIII. On the Best Kinds of Wood for Charcoal, and the Pro- 

 cess of Charring. By Robert Baxter, Forester, Dalkeith 

 Park. 



Good useful charcoal can be produced from almost every kin d 

 of wood that grows. The "Wych elm, Spanish chestnut, and lime- 

 tree require, however, to be peeled, as the bark of these woods 

 offers great resistance to the charring process. Indeed, the quality 

 of the charcoal would be much improved if the bark was sti-ipped 

 off all woods used for the purpose. It is seldom, however, that 

 time can be afforded for this ; and those woods that can be used 

 without being peeled, no doubt will be preferred. Beech, plane, 

 ash, thorn, oak, birch, alder, and laurel, can all be used with per- 

 fect freedom as charcoal producers. The holly and yew, the latter 

 particularly, make a very superior charcoal ; it is heavy, holds 

 well together, and has lasting qualities as fuel. There is a tradi- 

 tional antipathy to fir being used for this purpose, especially larch, 

 owing to a belief that it emits sparks ; but I have seen larch fre- 

 quently tested, and it emitted no sparks. The resinous nature of 

 these trees, however, renders them not so safe as the hardwoods, 

 with which they should be well mixed when being charred. 



Every forester has at his command a supply of wood that will 

 make good charcoal, suitable for all cooking purposes, and, as 

 already noticed, its quality will be much improved if the wood is 

 peeled before charring. A good means of preserving the heavier 

 charcoal from crumbling, is to split instead of sawing the wood 

 when preparing it for the kiln. 



The usual process of charring is to make a kiln in the open air; 

 a central post, about 6 feet long and 6 inches in diameter at the 

 thickest part is driven into a level piece of ground, slightly raised 

 in the middle. Around this centre are arranged thirty pieces of 

 the same length, and nearly the same thickness, all inclining 

 inwards a little at the top. A similar circle of wood of 4|- 

 feet lengths is next added, carrying it out at least another 

 foot. Before proceeding further it is necessary to fill up the 

 space intervening between the top of the 4|~feet lengths 

 and the centre with good billets from 1 foot to 18 inches in 

 length. The same process has to be repeated again, with shorter 

 lengths, in widening circles, until a gentle slope has been produced 



