1339] 



F A R xM E R S ' R E G I S T E R . 



465 



it a3 estahlishiniT the theory just adverted to. But 

 ill tliis matter we are not lel't lo mere conjecture. 

 Tiirtt the tkct.s res|)ecling the sap are as I have 

 elated ihem, any one may i^alisly himself by a very 

 siiii[)le experiment. Let a young oak or maple be 

 cut in June, and a piece taken li-om the body of 

 the tree be laid upon the fire ; after a little while 

 there will appear a wet cin^le, describing the ex- 

 act tliicknec-s ol" the sap-wood, and when it be- 

 comes thorouirhly heated, the vapor will rush with 

 violence from the vessels of that part of the wood, 

 whilst there will be but little, if any, appearance 

 of vapor over the surface of the Iieart-wood. Let 

 another slick precisely similar in character, be cut 

 in January, and sul)jectcd to the same process ; so 

 soon as the slick becomes healed, the whole sur- 

 face of the heart-wood, excepting perhaps a very 

 narrow circle immediately around the pith, will be- 

 come wet, and seu'l liirth steam in abundance, 

 whilst the sap-wood will remain perii^ctly dry. If 

 the sap which issued from the hean-vvood in the 

 last experiment be tasted, it will be Ibund very 

 sweet, thus rendering it certain that suijar enters 

 largely into its composition. The facts of the case 

 as thus ascertained by experiment are, Isi, that 

 the heart-wood contains during ihe winter a larsre 

 portion of sap very rich in sugar; 2nd, belore the 

 summer has fairly set in, this is all removed ; and 

 3rii, that in the sprintr a watery s;ip enters the 

 roots of the tree, and flowing up [)arlly ihroush 

 the heart-wood, becomes more and more richly 

 charged with sugar as it ascends. In view of 

 these fncis, can any one hesitate which explanation 

 to adopt? 



A knowledge of the position of the sap at differ- 

 ent seasons of the year, is of great imporiance to 

 those engaged in cutting timber ; and as all liirm- 

 ers are oblige to engage in tiiis business more or 

 less frequently, they will find this a niatier well 

 worthy of their aiiention. It is now, 1 believe, 

 universally admitted that, that disease so fatal to 

 timber, the dnj-rol, aiises from the presence of the 

 sap, more especially of the thick turirid sap which 

 cannot be well removed by seasouinL"". If then 

 such sap fills the tissues of the heart-wood during 

 the winter, whilst they are free from it in the sum- 

 mer, wi*. will at once see the bad policy of cutting 

 timber in the winter, as is ihe common practice"; 

 and also a reason why the timber of the ancient 

 Romans (who it is believed usually cut their tim- 

 ber in the summer) lasted so much longer, than 

 our timber at the present day. I do not know that 

 I can place this subject fully before my readers in 

 any better way, than by transcribing a part of a 

 connuunicniion which appeared in the 34lh vol. of 

 the American Journal, written by Fhineas Ruiney, 

 a sliip-builder of Connecticut. 



'•It was the general custom here, to cut timber 

 for vessels in the winter, notwithstanding they 

 went into decay, and wanted repairinii in about 

 6-even years, or from that tp eisht, whilst a few 

 only lasted twelve years. I ascribed this variation 

 in their durability to tlie lact that the cutting of 

 timber was often commenced in October, and then 

 contiimed tlirough the intermediate months to 

 March. I therelbre concluded that the right sea- 

 I son was in December, when I supposed that the 

 sap was certainly in the roots, and if cut at this 

 season,! believed that it would leave the deadly 

 poison in Ihe stump, whilst the body and branches 

 would be entirely bee from its infiueuce. I Jetcr- 

 Vou VII— 69 



mined to carry this opinion into practice the first 

 opportunity that occurred. 



"In 1810, I was concerned in the building of a 

 small freighting ship, of which I was the sole con- 

 ductor, from her keel until she was completed and 

 ready lor sea. According to my |)revious deter- 

 mination, 1 commenced the cutting of the timbers 

 for her in the early part of December, and conti- 

 nued it into the first week in January. By so 

 doing, I expected to produce the very best ship for 

 durability on the Connecticut river, where there 

 were then numerous vessels building. The tim- 

 ber selected was white oak and white chestnut. 



The vessel advanced, and in April it was Ibund 

 that three of the quarter top timbers were want- 

 ing, and (as ver}' crooked pieces were required lor 

 these) I was obliged to go into the woods and 

 have them cut. Sometime in May, it was Ibund 

 that the stick designed for plank sheers (this was 

 very large, and intended to make the whole that 

 was wanted,) would not answer the purpose, ex- 

 cept that it was barely sufficient to go around the 

 bows, the other part being badly rent and of course 

 rejected. I therefore went into the woods a second 

 time, when the leaves were full grown and the 

 bark would peel, and had two thrifty while-oaks 

 cut lor the after pieces. These limbers were put 

 in immediately, and so were the plank-sheers, 

 without any seasoning whatever, and the room 

 between the timbers above the air-streak vvas filled 

 with salt, which was supposed to be a preventive 

 against the dry-rut. The workmanship was of 

 the first order. 



"The vessel was launched and completed in 

 July ISll. That autumn she went to sea, and 

 alter the declaration of war in 1812, she came lo 

 JVliddletown and was laid up until the peace of 

 1815. In that spring when she was to be fitted 

 out again, it was found that she must be repaired 

 in her hull ; and on opening her, it was perceived 

 that the dry-rot liad made such destruction amonir 

 her limbers, that it was necessary to build her 

 anewfi-om her middle-wale up. But the three quar- 

 ter timbers spoken of, which had been cut green, 

 were sound, and appeared new, although their 

 neighbors on each side of them were destroyed 

 by ilie disease ; and it is a remari<;ilile lact, that 

 the spikes, when pulled out of them, were bright, 

 and a|ipeared new; but those parts of ihem which 

 come in contact with the outside planks, (which 

 were made from limber cut in December,) were 

 badly oxidated, so much so that Ihey were reduced in 

 size about one quarter. The forward plank-sheers 

 which it will be remembered werecutin December, 

 were destroyed by the disease; but the afier pieces 

 were sound and dry, and on the underside appeared 

 like new timber seasoned in the sha<lc, and what 

 is remarkable as to them is that although some of 

 the timbers on which they rested were so decayed 

 that they might be picked lo pieces; yet there was 



not the least appearance ofit on them, which showed 

 that although surrounded by corruption, they were 

 themselves at least up to that period incorruptible. 

 Thus it can be seen, as respects this vessel, that 

 not only the season of the year, which in the pop- 

 ular opinion is the best to cut timber in for the 

 purpose of making it last well, was strictly adhered 

 to, but also the precautionary measure of applying 

 salt, which is even at this day thought to retard the 

 progress of the disease. . 

 "Aiiliough at that time it wa:; not thought neces- 



