SEASON Foil FELLING. 20? 



during summer, and cannot bo done at all when the ground is 

 frozen. 



4. Quality of Outturn. 



As regards the influence of the season of felling on the 

 quality of the outturn, the question has been discussed already 

 (p. 102) : it has been decided that the season has hardly 

 any influence, provided the wood be thoroughly dried, but that 

 the qualities of timber are affected greatly by the subsequent 

 treatment of the felled material ; when felled in winter, the 

 material dries well in the subsequent spring and summer, 

 winter-felling is therefore best, as there are usually six months 

 before heavy rain. As a rule, broadleaved trees should be 

 felled only in winter, and the same rule is desirable for 

 coniferous wood, unless it can be removed from the felling-area 

 and sawn up immediately after it has been felled ; winter-felling 

 is also best in the case of old and imperfectly sound trees. 



Whenever climate is against winter-felling, the most valuable 

 trees should be felled late in the autumn ; this is the more 

 essential, the greater delay there is likely to occur between the 

 felling and the sawing up of the timber, or the removal of it 

 to sheltered, airy timber-yards. 



5. Specie* of 7 , 



Conifers, and especially the spruce, are most liable to be 

 worm-eaten ; to protect them, the bark should, as soon as 

 possible, be peeled from off the felled trees. Thorough barking 

 is possible only in summer, whilst in autumn or winter the bark 

 can be only partially removed ; this, however, is quite sufficient 

 to protect the wood from insects, and to allow of its thoroughly 

 drying. If the trees are felled in autumn and partially peeled, 

 the fact that the bark is left as a thin coating prevents the 

 wood from cracking. [With ash, felling in sap, causes dis- 

 colouration and consequent loss in market value, and clean, 

 straight grained ash, i.e., of the finest quality, is liable to 

 split in all directions. Beech and sycamore also must be felled 

 in mid- winter, as otherwise the wood splits and becomes dis- 

 coloured, with dirty brown streaks. This is more important 



