THE SEASONING OF WOOD. 21 



7. Dimensions of Stack (Endwise or Sidewise Piling). 



The customary width of stacks is from 8 to 16 feet. The height is governed by 

 the size and character of the lumber and by the methods of moving it. 



8. Treated Ends (Endwise or Sidewise Piling). 



The ends of lumber 2\ inches thick or over, unless of the lower grades, should receive 

 a brush treatment of paint or some liquid filler. 



The rules just given are based on information obtained through 

 field investigations and from lumber manufacturers and wholesale 

 and retail dealers, and accord with the best lumber-piling practice 

 in general commercial use. Certain species of wood, however, re- 

 quire particular care in. air-drying, and in this case slight variations 

 from the rules are necessary in order to secure the best results. Some 

 lumbermen in the South, for example, find that thick red oak checks 

 badly on the ends, and in air-drying such stock have adopted tha 

 scheme of protecting it with sun shields, as shown in Plate V, figure 1, 

 which they claim reduces end-checking to a minimum. 



Mills cutting red gum formerly experienced difficulty in drying 

 the lumber, on account of its tendency to warp. This objection, 

 however, has been largely overcome by the exercise of care in sea- 

 soning. In erecting a pile of gum lumber, stickers are placed every 

 2 feet apart, some lumbermen claiming that 18 inches in none too 

 close to obtain the best results. Another scheme in more or less 

 general use among gum-lumber manufacturers is to construct the 

 pile so as to have a flue or "chimney" in its center, thus providing 

 ample air circulation vertically through the stack, as shown in 

 Plate V, figure 2. 



Green cottonwood, basswood, and yellow poplar lumber is likely to 

 stain badly when piled. Accordingly, a number of lumbermen either 

 end-dry the material or pole-dry it for a week or two and then place 

 it in a "stuck" pile. In end-drying, the boards are stood up on end, 

 edge to edge, under a specially built shed, with stickers arranged 

 horizontally one above the other at specified distances. Such a 

 pile presents exactly the appearance of a regular lengthwise pile of 

 lumber set up on end. 



Plate VI, figure 1, shows a quantity of yellow poplar lumber being pole- 

 dried, while Plate VI, figure 2, shows the frame used for the purpose. 



Hickory and ash lumber frequently check badly when air-dried. 

 Lumbermen in the southern hardwood region have found that these 

 checks will close up entirely if the lumber is first stuck-piled for 

 6 to 8 months and then bulk-piled and protected by good covering, 

 preferably sheds. 



Plates VII and VIII show lumber piles in yards where careful 

 attention has been given to the matter of piling and yard arrange- 

 ment. 



