140 Seasoning of Wood. 



564. Wood that has been floated will season sooner and become 

 lighter than that which has not. By long exposure in the water, 

 with repeated drying, wood becomes extremely light, as we often 

 see in flood-wood. 



565. For seasoning to best advantage, wood should be piled in the 

 open fields, rather than in the woods, and it is customary in many parts 

 of Europe to lay some pieces lengthwise of the pile, well braced at the 

 outer end , and meeting at an obtuse angle in the middle. These afford 

 a kind of arch, open at the bottom for the air to circulate under the 

 piles. Where fire-wood is piled in quantities for seasoning, there 

 should be intervals between the piles, in order to give access to the 

 air within. 



566. Coniferous wood will season quicker if left with the branches 

 on until the leaves fall off, as they seem to evaporate the moisture 

 from the wood. Trees felled towards the north are more exposed 

 to the sun, arid season sooner than in other positions. 



567. The seasoning of lumber is sometimes hastened by artificial 

 heat, but in this case provision must be made for ventilation, or the 

 vapor must be condensed by the circulation of cold water through 

 upright pipes placed within the apartment. 1 



568. Oak timber is sometimes very effectually seasoned by being 

 peeled while st'll standing, and left for several months before cutting. 

 This was remarked by Vitruvius, a Roman architect. It was tried 

 by Duhamel, in the preparation of ship-timber, and he explained 

 the result by saying that although such trees may live for a time 

 after peeling, they can not form new layers of wood, and that the 

 growth due to a new deposit of wood was carried into the cellular 

 tissues of the sap wood, and perhaps the heart wood, rendering it 

 heavier and stronger, but more liable to crack. This method is 

 expensive, and is now scarcely ever used. 



569. The seasoning of wood is always hastened by taking off 

 the bark, and in the case of willow, cottonwood, and some 

 other kinds, it tends to harden the wood and increase its durabil- 

 ity. As a general rule, all railroad ties, telegraph poles, and posts 

 last longer when peeled, and no timber or lumber should be used in 

 constructions of any kind before seasoning, unless in places where 

 the air has full access. 



1 Geo. Wood's patent. 



