232 TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [CHAP. 



the small and medium size trees. Very great care is 

 therefore necessary in the conversion of this wood, to 

 ensure the production of the deals and other scantlings 

 of the required dimensions free from sap, the difficulty 

 being often enhanced by the fact that in working on fresh 

 logs, the sap can scarcely be distinguished from the heart- 

 wood, although, if exposed a short time only to the 

 atmosphere, the difference soon becomes visible, the 

 moisture of the latter drying up more rapidly, and leaving 

 it lighter in colour. The Dantzic converter is, however, 

 by dint of practice, generally so correct in his judgment, 

 that he seldom fails to obtain all that he requires, even 

 from logs which have a very unpromising appearance. 



Previous to shipment at Dantzic, the whole of the 

 timber in the rafts is carefully sorted over, and the best 

 of the round wood, i.e., the longest, straightest, and finest 

 pieces, and those most free from knots, are selected for 

 exportation, under the name of "hand masts," very little 

 being required to be done to them beyond topping them 

 off to the established length, which is proportioned to 

 their diameter. A few trees, perhaps, which are not 

 perfectly fair and straight in their growth, being trimmed 

 or dressed as may be necessary to make them appear so. 

 " Hand mast " is a technical term applied by the 

 mast-maker to a round spar, holding at the least 24, and 

 not exceeding 72, inches in circumference. They are 

 measured by the hand of 4 inches, there being also a 

 fixed proportion between the number of hands in the 

 length of the mast and those contained in the circum- 

 ference, taken at one-third of the length from the 

 butt-end. All the round pieces which measure less than 

 24 inches in circumference at the base are simply called 

 spars or poles, while those which measure more than 72. 

 inches in circumference are generally dressed to the 



