208 The Farm Woodlot 



situations must be added to its other qualifications. For 

 building purposes timber should be fairly strong, especially 

 for dimension stuff, hold a nail well, work fairly well with 

 tools, and hold its shape, when once seasoned. Accord- 

 ing to these specifications, pine makes the best construc- 

 tion timber that we have, spruce next, and hemlock and 

 tamarack are good substitutes for dimension sizes. Among 

 the hardwoods, red oak, maple, white elm, basswood, 

 ash and cottonwood are good for inside work, white oak, 

 red elm, mulberry, catalpa and black walnut for outside. 

 Of course any timber that can be used outside can also be 

 used inside. Trees of a size and form to produce such 

 timbers should be kept for this purpose, for even though 

 they may not be needed on the farm, they will bring a 

 good price as saw logs at any mill. 



FENCE POSTS AND RAILS 



The matter of the selection of fence posts is dealt with 

 under the chapter on Wood Preservation and it is necessary 

 to add here only a few details on the sizes and methods of 

 manufacture. 



The standard length for a post in most sections is seven 

 feet. They may be a few inches longer, but never shorter. 

 If they are cut in the autumn or winter, they dry more 

 slowly and check less than when cut in the spring or 

 summer; consequently they are stronger. They should 

 be peeled as soon as cut and carefully piled so that they 

 are not in contact with the ground and are exposed to a 

 free circulation of air. If the post is to be driven in, the 

 top should be cut off square ; otherwise it should be cut 

 at an angle. In either case, the cut should be smooth, 



