126 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



FARMERS' WORK. 



Cutting Wood for Fires, Timber, &c. — Fire- 

 wood, as well as Timl)ei-, should be felled when the sap 

 is down ; otherwise it will contain less substance in pro- 

 portion to its bulk, and snap and smoulder away, giving 

 but little heat. Thf fanner will do well to obtain his 

 year's stock of fuel a- early in the winter as possible, 

 before the depth of swuw in the woodlands renders it 

 difficult to traverse them with a team. 



Gen. Newhall, of L} unfield, Mass. in a communica- 

 tion for the JV". E Farmer, vol. x, p. 9, observes as fol- 

 lows: — 



" Having woodlaml from which I have cut annually, 

 for several years past, from twenty to fifty cords of 

 wood ; it has been my practice to have it cut at the time, 

 and in the manner that would best ensure a strong and 

 vigorous growth of sprouts. To effect this purpose, I 

 never allow a tree to be cut till after the autumnal fross 

 have caused the leaves to fall, and the sap to descend 

 into tlie roots, nor later in the vernal season than the 

 middle of April. The manner of cutting is to leave the 

 stumps nearly on a level with the surface of the ground, 

 from which the suckers are much more strong and vig- 

 orous, and less liable to be injured by high winds, than 

 a growth from stumps cut ten or twelve inches high, as 

 is the practice with some. 



•' Pursuing this cour.se, I have never been disappoint- 

 ed, and have now on land, from which trees were cut 

 in the midst of winter, a growth of sprouts of the most 

 vigorous and promising appearance. 



" Respecting large trees of the growth of centuries, 

 cut them at whatever season you please, there is scarce- 

 ly one stump in a thousand that will produce suckers." 

 Timbers growing in open land or on the borders of 

 woods is best. That which grows on dry land has less 

 sap, and is more solid than that growing in swamps. — 

 Elm and Beech are good and durable under water. Elm 

 holds a nail better in water than any other timber. Ev- 

 ergreens decay externally, oak, chestnut and maple de- 

 cay first internally. The sap or white wood of walnut 

 is tough, the heart brittle. 



Loudon says that " the season for felling timber not 

 to be disbarked, is commonly winter, but some, for the 

 resinous tribe, recommend ihe summer as beino; the sea- 

 son in which it is generally felled in the north of Europe 

 and in the Alps. But the summer season is there adop- 

 ted from necessity, as in winter the woods are so filled 

 up with snow, that felling is hardly practicable. As the 

 timber of those countries is generally squared for mar- 

 ket, the sap wood is chiefly removed, so that the season 

 of fulling does not seem to them as of much conse- 

 quence. Besides, the timber is never so /ull of sap in 

 summer, as in spring and autumn, and therefore, next 

 to mid-winter, mid-summer may be the next best time 

 for felling all kinds of timber trees." 



The Farmer's Assistant contains the following judi- 

 cious remarks on this subject: 



'* The right time for felling trees for timber, is in De- 

 cember and January, when the sap is down, as in this 

 case it is liable to be eaten by worms, and will last much 

 longer. 



" By experiments made by M. Buffon,it is found that 

 trees which are stripped of their bark in May or June, 

 while standing, and then cut down the next winter for 

 timber, are found to make the most solid, heavy and 

 strong timber, and that even the sap is then good. The 

 bark of oak and some other trees, may, at that time be 

 stripi ed off to advantage for (he use of tanning. 



" Soaking timber in salt wa^eris very good to increase 

 its strength and durability. 



" In order to preserve timber from cracking, while 

 seasoning, let it be blocked out for the purposes wanted, 

 and laid in a hay mow when the hay is carted in. — 

 When the hay is dealt out the next winter, the pieces 

 may be taken out well seasoned, and free from cracks. 

 This is an excellent plan for seasoning all kinds of tim^ 

 ber for carriages, &c. When this is done, if the trees 

 are felled in winter, let them lie in logs till hay time 

 arrives. 



" We are assured by an experienced builder of some 

 of the first rale bridges in the northern part of this coun- 

 try, that such timber as is to be exposed to the water, 

 or to frequent wetness, should be felled during the in- 

 crease of the moon ; and that such as is intended to be 

 kept dry, should be felled during the decrease of that 

 planet. We find it also ascertained, by satisfactory ex- 

 periments, as published in '' the Memoirs of the Phila- 

 delphia Society for the Promotion of Agriculture," that 

 timber used for fencing posts, will last considerably 

 loifger by setting the end in the ground, which was up- 

 permost as it grew." 



Extract of a Letter from a friend |in Brattleboro', dated 

 December 22, 1636. 



Indndation. — ^^The heavy rain last Tuesday night, 

 and Wednesday morning has caused much damage in 

 the northern and western parts of this Slate, and in 

 Vermont and New Hampshire. The streams flowing 

 into the Connecticut, were swollen to a fearful height, 

 and the rapid current filled witli masses of ice, has car- 

 ried away many bridges, effectually impeding the travel 

 on some roads for the whole winter. 



In the road near Bellows Falls, a ravine was excava- 

 ted ten feet in depth, and extending fifteen feet across, 

 rendering it extremely dangerous. It is supposed that 

 more rain fell, than has fallen the last six months, and 

 the ground being frozen, it all run off on the surface 

 hence, the extraordinary and rapid rise of the streams. 



A freshet of such magnitude, at this season of the 

 year is uncommon ; Indeed, I may say it never hap- 

 pened before, for "the memory of the oldest inhabitant 

 runneth not to the contrary." 



