1847.] Forest Trees of Massachusetts. 216 



ago, Timothy Pickering showed by experiments which he adduced 

 by sound reasoning, that summer is better than winter for this 

 purpose. A writer in the N. E. Farmer, who "has wrought more 

 timber than most men, and for more uses than he knows of," says, 

 he has found soft maple, cut in September, three times more last- 

 ing than ash or walnut cut in winter; that he has found the sap- 

 wood of oak cut in February and March, partly decayed in Sep- 

 tember, and the sap-wood of timber cut in May and June, decayed 

 in a year, M-hile the sap-wood of trees felled in September was 

 perfectly bright and sound after two years; and that, from many 

 observations he has made, he is satisfied that September is the 

 best time for felling trees; and that if the tree be disbarked in 

 June, and allowed to stand till September, the timber will be 

 stronger and more durable. He has seen this proved with regard 

 to elm, walnut (hickory,) and maple, which are considered the 

 most perishable of the trees used for timber. The same writer 

 says,* that maple wood felled in June is liable to white rot, while 

 that felled in JSeptember remains sound in the same situation; and 

 that timber felled in September will not suffer from red rot or from 

 powder-post. It seems reasonable, that a tree felled after the 

 growth lor the year is completed, and before the leaves have fallen, 

 should have all its wood more mature, and should, at the same 

 time, be prepared to be more easily and thoroughly seasoned, than 

 if felled at any other season. The evaporation which takes place 

 from the surface of living leaves is very great. If, therefore, the 

 tree is felled while the leaves are fresh, their evaporative action, 

 which continues for some time after the tree has fallen, will speedi- 

 ly dissipate all the unappropriated moisture which the trunk con- 

 tains. If, on the contrary, the tree is felled after the leaves have 

 been shed, all this moisture must remain to be slowly thrown off 

 by the usual process of drying. If, again the tree is felled earlier 

 in the season, while full of sap, and when the newly formed wood 

 has not yet been ripened by the action of the sun, there must be 

 much of crude and acrid juices, not easily to be got rid of, and 

 many particles of immature wood at least in the outer layer, 

 which will render the process of seasoning slower and more un- 

 certain. 



• N. E Farmer, VI., 394. He subjoins a table of the comparative value 

 of timber felled at the two seasons of the year mentioned, which he thinks 

 correct or nearly so: — 



Oak, cut in September, 10.0 — in June, 4.5 



Maple. " " '• 10.0—" " 2.4 



Walnut. (Hickory), " " " 10.0—" " 2.5 



Elm, ■ " " " 10.0—" " 1.6 



Ash, " " " 10 0—" "32 



The four last, compared with white oak, provided all were felled in Sep- 

 tember will stand thus: — 



Oak, 10.0— Maple, 5.5— Walnut, 6.2— Elm, 4.5— Ash. 5.6 



