~ o- Se 
TIME TO CUT TIMBER. 71 
 eut, such as are suitable for hewn timber, boards, rails, 
etc., if placed in a position where they will soon become dry 
and seasoned, there is probably no choice in the season. 
From the observation which I have been able to make 
in cutting and using more or less timber, from my boyhood 
to the present time, I have come to the conclusion that 
trees cut in spring and immediately stripped of their bark, 
and then exposed fully to the sun and air so that the sur- 
face will soon dry, will last as long and be as durable in 
any position as when cut at any other time. 
All stakes and posts which are to be set in the ground 
should be stripped of their bark, certainly that portion 
which is placed under ground. When we consider the 
fact, that it is only the outer portions of the tree—the sap- 
wood, leaves, buds, and inner layers of the bark—which are 
really alive and contain true sap, all other portions being 
dead, and only serve as a covering or like the heart-wood 
sustaining the tree in its position, we can readily see why 
it will make no material difference in the lasting qualities 
of timber whether it is cut in the new, full, or old moon, 
summer or winter, provided the green portion is soon 
dried so that insects can not find a lodgment for their 
eggs, nor decay be accelerated by the presence of moisture. 
We may have other objects in view besides the value of 
the timber taken, such as a second crop produced by 
sprouts from the old stumps; if so, then there are certainly 
particular seasons which are better than others. If the 
trees are cut in late fall or winter, the roots and stumps 
will throw up sprouts much more abundant and vigorous 
than if the trees are cut in summer when in full growth, 
