22 BULLETIlSr 1037, U. S. DEPAETMEISTT OF AGRICULTURE. 



arrives will have dried to a degree which will render them less sus- 

 ceptible to fungi (Roth, 35^ p. 57). 



In the bottom lands of the South, however, autumn and winter 

 cutting may not always be feasible owing to the wet and muddy 

 conditions then prevailing, wliich make hauling difficult, if not im- 

 possible. 



Incidentally, leaf seasoning (Tiemann, 5i), i. e., girdling trees 

 while in full leaf and then allowing them to remain, often for years 

 or until the leaves have entirely shriveled up, with the idea that much 

 of the free water in the sapwood will be drawn off by transpiration 

 through the leaf surfaces and thus prevent sap-stain, does not seem to 

 be practiced in the regions visited by the writer. Although this 

 method is said to be common in the seasoning of teak in India and 

 has been advocated by some as applicable to gum in this country, yet 

 it does not seem to meet with general approval, because it exposes 

 the. timber to the ravages of insects and to fungi causing decay. 



EAPID HAULING. 



One of the precautionary measures to be observed, especially dur- 

 ing the late spring and suimner, is that of hauling timber inunedi- 

 ately after felling. Raw stock can not be gotten out of the woods 

 and to the saw too rapidly. It is possible for fungous infections to 

 take place at all times of the year on the exposed surfaces of freshly 

 cut timber. These develop more rapidly, however, during warm, 

 humid weather, and especially under the conditions which obtain in 

 the woods. 



STOEAGE IN THE WOODS. 



If it is found necessary to allow logs and bolts to remain in the 

 woods, they should be so separated that the ends are left several 

 inches apart. If the sawed ends remain in contact, fungi are liable 

 to develop between them. Some have recommended that logs that 

 are to remain in the woods during the siunmer be painted on the 

 exposed ends with creosote (Von Schrenk, J{,2). It has been con- 

 sidered advantageous by some (Von Schrenk, ^^; see also Hartig, 18) 

 to remove the bark from logs that must of necessity be left in the 

 woods for an extended period. Advocates of such treatment state 

 that the peeled surfaces soon become air-dried and consequently 

 provide insufficient moisture for the germination of any fungous 

 spores that may fall thereon. In order to keep such logs off the 

 damp ground and thus assist in the air-drying process measures must 

 be taken to provide some sort of temporary foundation free from 

 stain, mold, or rot. 



When it becomes necessary to store split billets in the woods, they 

 should be piled with only two billets in a course and should rest upon 



