No. 42. 



Wood House — Tran&playiting Trees. 



371 



For tlie Farmers' Cabinet. 



Wood House. 



Never burn wet wood when you can get dry. 



ftlY Wife. 



Wood for family use ought to be cut the 

 •winter before it is intended to be used as fuel, 

 so that it may be thoroughly seasoned. The 

 advantages derived from the use of well sea- 

 soned and dry wood, over that which is green 

 or wet, are many, and the economy and plea- 

 santness derived from its use cannot have es- 

 caped the most superficial observer. \V hen 

 wet wood is used as fuel it takes nearly one- 

 half the heat produced by its combustion to 

 carry off the moisture from it, and this would 

 be accomplished with much more economy by 

 the air and sun, which cost nothing, before it 

 •was hauled to the dwelling, and in the re- 

 moval of it much animal force would be 

 saved. The expense or trouble of cutting it 

 in advance is nothing, but in some cases 

 there would be a saving by it ; as 1 have fre- 

 quently known farmers driven to tlie neces- 

 sity of leaving very urgent and important 

 business, and turn to and cut and haul green 

 wood for immediate use, and a poor article it 

 was truly, as the good woman could testify 

 when she attempted to cook the family dinner. 



Green or wet wood makes much smoke, 

 and the chimney often rebels at being op- 

 pressed with it, and sends the excess, over 

 what it can properly discharge in the natural 

 way, into the kitchen or parlor, as the case 

 may be, to the great annoyance of the female 

 part of the family ; to the injury of furniture 

 and walls; and more often spoils the cookery, 

 to the great mortification and chagrin of the 

 industrious housewife, who sometimes under 

 such trying circumstances is tempted to scold, 

 and no wonder if she does. 



Appurtenant to every farm house, there 

 should be a loond house or shed, in which 

 should be constantly kept a sufficiency of 

 wood, cut and split ready for current use for 

 some weeks or months in advance. The 

 situation of this structure should be such as 

 to furnish convenient access to the female 

 part of the family in all kinds of weather with 

 the least possible exposure; and it should be 

 considered an incumbent duty of the head of 

 the family always to see that there was an 

 adequate supply of dry wood, cut into suitable 

 lengths, so as to be properly adapted to all 

 household purposes at all seasons of the year. 



Those who have practised the foregoing 

 system, know well there is a great saving of 

 time and expense in it, and that it adds much 

 to the comfort and convenience of a family, 

 and causes the domestic arrangements to 

 proceed with more quietness and composure. 



The expense of such a structure as would 

 be required is not for a moment to be put in ' 



competition with its advantages; I therefore 

 hope that every respectable farmer will make 

 his arrangesnents accordingly, and have a 

 wood house constructed before the coming 

 winter, when the females of his family and 

 neighborhood will 



"Loudly speak his praise." 



Montgomery. 



For the Farmers" Cabinet. 



Transplaiitin;? Trees. 



It is really vexatious, after procuring choice 

 trees, either ornamental or for fruit, to lose 

 them, by the improper management that too 

 often occurs, even with some of our practical 

 gardeners : sometimes it is attributable to ex- 

 treme carelessness, and frequently it arises 

 from the want of proper knowledge of the art 

 of transplanting. The early spring of the 

 year I deem the best time for setting out trees 

 of all descriptions, and those taken from nur- 

 series have a decided preference over those 

 from the forest, where they spring up spon- 

 taneously, and grow with little more than a 

 deep tap root. When trees are dug from the 

 woods, they always lose part of their descend- 

 ing roots by the operation, leaving but very 

 few fibres to draw nourishment from the earth, 

 and then, forsooth, the tops must be pruned 

 off to correspond. In such cases it would be 

 miraculous, indeed, if they should succeed — 

 as well might a person plant posts, with the 

 expectation of their producing trees — and 

 yet, small trees may sometimes be prepared 

 in their native state, and afterwards success- 

 fully planted into other situations; but it must 

 be done when they are young, by piercing 

 with a sharp spade, or other instrument, about 

 one foot under the surface, to deprive them 

 of a part of the tap, without otherwise dis- 

 turbing the plant; when, in the course of 

 another season, they have shot out many late- 

 ral roots, and become in a proper state to be 

 removed. In every case of transplanting, a 

 strong stake should be driven perpendicularly 

 into the ground, and the tree made fast to it 

 with some soft ligature, that will not injure 

 the bark : by this means the tree will be held 

 firmly to its place, and the fibrous roots will 

 have an opportunity of striking into the earth, 

 without the danger of being broken by the 

 waving of the winds. Care should also be 

 observed in digging the hole, to make it ex- 

 actly the depth of the roots, so that they may- 

 remain firm on the solid or compact earth ; 

 otherwise, if the soil is removed deeper than 

 is necessary, and then filled up again with 

 loose earth for the roots to rest on, the ground 

 below will settle with heavy rains, and the 

 surface be supported, or kept from settling, 

 by the roots, while the plant remains suspend- 

 ed by the stake ; this must inevitably leave a 



