ROUGH CONVERSION. 2MS 



in timber in even- aged woods increases naturally with their 

 rotation, up to a certain point. 



In uneven-aged woods, where there is a stage of inferior trees 

 below the more valuable ones, the latter may attain their 

 largest dimensions in diameter, and cylindrical shape. 

 Although, as stated, the yield of timber from a wood increases 

 with its age, it must not be supposed that the poles which are 

 the produce of thinnings are not utilisable as timber (for 

 paper-pulp, pit-props, etc.). As a rule, the best timber should 

 be as straight as possible : the demand for crooked and curved 

 timber required for ships, boats, wheelwrights, saddlers, etc., 

 is produced only by standards over coppice or by hedge-row 

 trees ; but since timber is bent artificially, the demand for 

 naturally curved trees has been reduced. 



iii. Quality of I h<' Wooi I. 



The first enquiry should be to ascertain whether or not the 

 wood is perfectly sound, absolute soundness being the first 

 condition of the admissibility of wood as timber; this should 

 be investigated most carefully in the case of trees from old 

 woods, whether broadleaved or coniferous, which are destined 

 for long water-transport and may not be carefully treated in 

 the timber depots. The grain of the timber should be con- 

 sidered next, whether it be coarse or fine-grained, knotty or 

 free from knots. The mode of disposal of timber from 

 pines, larch and oak, is affected by the quantity of heartwood 

 the trees contain, also by the fact that its fibre is straight or 

 twisted, splits easily or with difficulty, its stem more or less 

 cracked, containing cup-shakes, etc. These defects have been 

 described in Chapter I. 



From what will be said in Chapter VI. it will be evident 

 that the quality of a timber should govern its future mode of 

 utilisation. 



Local defects in a stem may render only a part of it use- 

 less for timber, and this is especially the case with oakwood 

 and other valuable goods. In converting such wood, there- 

 fore, great care must be taken to utilise fully all the good 

 pieces. 



The present market-prices for sound, straight-fibred wood 



