OOn WOOD-CAKBONISATKJX. 



1. Paraholo'ulal Charnial-kUna. 



There are two mctliods of making charcoal whicli do not diftor 

 much from one another — they are the common method and the 

 Alpine or Italian method. The former is practised all over 

 Central and Western Europe, except parts of Styria, the Tyrol, 

 Lower Austria and Lower Bavaria. 



(a) The Common Method of Charcoal-making. 



i. Wood use<} J'or Charcoal-mdkin;/. 



Charcoal-making is a much more important industry in 

 mountain-districts stocked with coniferous forest than in broad- 

 leaved woods. Whilst in the latter — only the less valuable fire- 

 wood, round billets from early thinnings and stump-Avood are 

 carbonised — in coniferous forests, frequently the best class of fire- 

 wood and even timber may be used for this purpose, according 

 to the demands of neighbouring works for charcoal. 



Any species of wood may be carbonised, but the method 

 employed varies with its density and greater or less combusti- 

 bility. If two kinds of wood are placed in the same kiln, one of 

 which must remain some time burning in the kiln until the 

 other is carbonised, the former might be burned to ashes before 

 the latter can be removed. It is therefore advisable to pile only 

 one species of wood at a time in a kiln ; if different species 

 must for any reason be burned in the same kiln the precaution 

 should be taken to restrict these to hardwoods or softwoods 

 only, or to split the harder woods and place them in the centre 

 of the kiln, where the heat is greatest. It is, however, always 

 better to separate the woods, as charcoal made from different 

 species is used for different purposes. 



As regards the comparative soundness and dryness of wood for 

 charcoal-making, it is customary to use only sound air-dried 

 wood, and not dead wood. Rotten wood is useless for the 

 purpose, and must be carefully excluded. Carbonising broken 

 billets is a difficult process, as the pieces continue to glow' for a 

 long time and may set fire to the kiln during the removal of the 

 charcoal. 



