NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



366 



to the heap intended to be burnt: The fire is kin- 1 good. Louden says, "it is the sap, alburnum, or 

 died at a convenient distance from the heaps, and [ white wood which causes timber rapidly to decay, 

 a portion of such as burn most easily is first appli-j The sap contains saccharine matter, acids, and 

 ed, until the fire hath gained a considerable pow- mucilage which ferment with heat, and bring on 

 er.' After this the procrss of burninii is continu- a decomposition of the wood. By the process re- 

 ed, by applying lighter and heavier substances al- | commended, the moisture is exhausted without fer- 

 ternately, that the one may preserve l!ie action of: mentation, and the pores of the alburnum contract 

 the fire, and the other prevent it from reducing 1 and harden. The season for culling the kinds of 

 them too much to ashes. Wiien the whole are trees whose barks are not made use of. is winter 

 thus consumed, a quantity of mould is thro a n over , and early in spring ; but the oak, and other trees 

 the heap to prevent the fire fiom breaking through ; j which are peeled, are left till the middle of April 

 and whpnever it ran be broke into with safety, it or May. Birch and larch woods will peel nearly 

 is then mixed up into a dunghill with llie rotted a month sooner than oak. If pos.sible, oaks should 

 vegetables, moss-earlh, and stahle yard dung, in be ba ked by the middle of June, as every ton of 

 such proportions as is likely to ensure a moder- bark, taken oS" after the first of July will be defl- 

 ate fermentation, which is generally completed in • cient two hundred pounds per ton, compared with 



June 6, 18-28. 



in June are not conclusive. From thirly years' per- 

 sonal ebservalion, 1 find it depends, in a great 

 measure on the quality of the timber. Some youn^ 

 grooving timber, will perish sooner than that which 

 is older and more ripe ; and secondly upon the use 

 it is put to. We will suppose timber of the same 

 qunlity wrought into two wagons, one of them, 

 when used is loaded with wet loading the other 

 wiUi dry : it is obvious which will perish first. I 

 trust I shall not be charged with egotism, by those 

 who know me, when I say I have wrought more 

 kini s of timber than most men have, and for more 

 usee than any 1 know of; and it has been my en- 

 deavor to determine what liuie for felling, and 

 whii' kind of timber is best for the use desired. — 

 Am! from the many observations I have made from 



three or four weeks ; at which time, I think, it is the same quantity taken off in May or early in jbo'h, I am satisfied and ready to say without hesi- 



tation, that Sep' 'uber is the best time ; although 

 1 believe, that if tha bark of timber trees could be 

 taken ofl' in June, without felling the tree, or in- 

 jury to the wood, and then let it stand till Septem- 

 bfir. the timber would be stronger and more dura- 

 ble. I have seen this done to elm, walnut, and ma- 

 ple. All these are considered of 'he most perish- 

 able kinds that are made use of for timber. All of 

 them proved to be more firm and lasting. I have 

 seen white oak timber felled in Feb. and March, 

 the s.ip of the wood was perished in September on 



most advantageously applied, in having it carried June." 



to the ground, and instantly dug in. — Memoirs i Col. Pickering, in an essay on the "Felling of 



Cakd. H'Tt. Sec. 1. 443. Trees for Timber," (published in the New Eng- 



In respect to composts for the amendment of the land Farmer, vol. i. p. 17) says, " in the year 1800, 

 general soil of the garden, their quality must de- divested of public employment, and about to com- 

 pend on that of the natural soil ; if this be light, mence husbandman, 1 made a visit to the late Jo- 

 loose, or sanily, it may be assisted by the addition seph Cooper, of New Jersey, one of the most in 

 of heavy loams, clays, &,c. from ponds and ditches, telligent farmers 1 ever knew, to converse with 

 cleanings of sewers, &c. On llje other hand, him on the subject of his vocation. Among other 

 heavy, clayey, and all stubborn soils may be as- things he spoke of timber, and slited the follow- 

 sisteil by ight composts of sandy euith, drift and ing facts : His farm lying on the Delaware river, 



sea sand, the shovelling of turnpike roads, the nearly opposite Philadelphia, was exposed to the rnr side of the logs. I have seen wood cut in May 

 clean.-iin? of streets, all kinds jf ashes, rotten tan- ravages of the British army while occupying that | and June, in which more than the sap of the wood 

 ners' bark, rotten «ood, and saw dust, and other city. Pressed for fuel, his fences first fell a prey was peiished in one year. I have seen timber that 

 similar lij-ht opening materials that can be most to their necessities. In the month of May, 1778, was cut in September, that tiie sap was perfectly 

 conveniently procured. they cut down a quantity of bis white oak trnes ; sound and bright two years aferwards. 1 have 



The couipost ground may be placed in any sit- but circumstances requiring their sudden evacua- Used while maple for hoops to buckets that was 

 Tiation concealed from the general view, but at the ; tion of the city, his fallen timber was saved. The Icut in September that lasted twenty-one years iu 

 same time exposeil to the free action of the sun, ' trees he split into posts and rails to carry on his couatant use, the first ten years for v^ater, the re- 

 air, and rain. Its .size will depend on thai of the fencing. It is now, said he, two and twenty years , mainder for feeding swine. I have one now that 

 garden, and on the sorts of culture for which it is i since the fences made of the May felled limber was hooped with maple that was blown down in 

 intended. It should generally form a part of the were put up, and they are yet sound ; whereas 

 parallelogram inclosure used as hot bed ground, i those of trees felled February, were rotten in 



and wherr- there are hot houses, both should ba 

 situated as near them as passible. 



O.'^ THE CULTIV.\TI0N' AND CSES OF TEEE 

 TIMBER, &C. 

 [Continued fiom page 350.] 

 The most profitable season for felling limber, ns 



about twelve years. He then pronounced confi 



dentiy, that the best lime for fellins; timber frees, for 



durability, was when their sap loas vigorously flow- 

 ing. He said also, that white oak and hickory trees 



felled at that season, would not be attacked by 



the worms, producing what is called 'powder post.' 



And added, that hoop-poles of oak and hickory, ! or.e general reason must suSice for this time. — 

 regards the age of the tree, is at what may be I ought, for this reason, to be cut the same season." i The timber is more ripe in September than al any 

 termed the beginning of manhood. After that , The writer then mentions several other instances, other time. I have thought that making these 

 time, though the trees may appear sound and and authorities in favor of cutting timber, when suggestions at this time, might induce some to try 

 healthy, its annual increase is so lilt!e, that it ; durability is the object, at the time when the sap i the experiment this season of removing the bark 

 would be more profitable to cut it down and re- j was flowing with the most freedom ; and from the j from trees designed for timber 



the September gale ISI.'i. u hich is perfectly sound. 

 I have one other that ! put but one iii! pie hoop on 

 of the same kind, the others were ot walnut cut in 

 the winter ; the latter 1 have had to replace three 

 tinies, once with walnut, onre with while ash, and 

 once with red ash. The maple is perfectly sound 

 now. Many reasons may be offered why Septem- 

 ber is the best lime for the felling of timber, but 



plant. The number of years Ihnt a tree may stand instances he has cited, it appears that the only 



before it arrives at this period must vary in differ- disadvantage attending the practice, is, that the 



enl soils and situations ; but the period may be timber thus cut, soon became so dry and hard as 



easily ascertained by the annual shoots — the slate to render it difficult to hew it, or make any im- 



of the bark, and by taking the circumference of pression on it with edge tools, 



(To be continued.) 



RAPE — Brassica J^^ipa. 



The rape is a biennial plant, a native of Britain, 



in which country it is cultirated for fattening cat- 



the trees ol the same place for two or three sue- ; In reference to a memoir of M. Buffon, before j tie, as well as in gardens, for culinary purposes. 



cessive seasons, and comparing the difference. In adverted to, the British Encyclopedia stales, thai, 

 the \iew of profiting from timber produce, it is of "by many experiments, particularly described in 

 great conseq>ience to cut down plantations at ma- 'that essay, it appears that the tree should not be 

 turity. Many trees will stand half, others a whole i felled till the third year after it has been stripped 

 century, after they are full grown; appear quite ' of its bark; that it then becomes perfectly dry. 



healthy, and at the same time, make little or no 

 increase of timber. But there are particular cases 

 arising from the nature and state of the markets, 

 where it may even be more profitable to cut tim- 

 ber before it is arrived al a full growth. 



By experiment- of M. Buffon, it was found that 

 trees which are stripped of their bark in May and 

 June, {while slamling) and then rut down the next 

 winter, made the most solid, heavy, and strong 

 timber ; and the sap-wood in that case, will be 



and the sap (nlburnum or sap-wood) becomes al 

 most as strong as the rest of the timber — and 



Culture for small salading. Sow at the same 

 time with cress, mustard, &c. in winter and spring ; 

 or at any season when small salading is required. 

 Sow in drills or beds, and follow the culture di- 

 rected for white mustard. 



Field Culture. It may be sown either broadcast 

 or as turnips, in drills — or in beds, and bo trans- 



stronger than the heart of any other oak tree planted, as other varieties of the Brassica or cab- 

 which has not been so stripped ; and the whole of baije genus. The usual and most successful mode 

 the timber stronger, heavier, and harder; — from is to sow from two to three quarts broad-cast, in 

 which he thinks it fair to conclude that it is more June or July, when intended lor green food ; but 

 durable" in August or September, when destined to pro- 

 Mr. Phinehas Stevens, of Andover, (Mass.) eb- duce seeds in the next year, 

 serves, (see N. E. Farmer, vol. ii. page 370) that, | The process for transplanting is too expensive 

 "the arguments adduced in favor of felling timber in this country— the necessary hand-hocing, nn 



