SEASONING OF WOOD 287 



the wood, it is necessary also to decompose tlie 

 albuminous matter which, still remains in the 

 tissues. 



Dry wood is stronger than green, tests have 

 proved the truth of this statement over and 

 over again ; furthermore properly seasoned wood 

 is not liable to the changes of shape and form 

 which characterize green woodv It is important, 

 however, that seasoning, whether natural or 

 artificial, be properly carried out, or the exterior 

 of the wood will be thoroughly dry before the 

 interior has lost any considerable portion of its 

 moisture. On this question we may again quote 

 Professor Record,, who says: "In green wood 

 the cells are all intimately joined together and 

 are at their natural or normal size when satur- 

 ated with water. The cell walls may be con- 

 sidered as made up of little particles with water 

 between them. When wood is dried the films, 

 of water between the particles become thinner 

 and thinner until almost entirely gone. As a 

 result the ceU walls grow thinner with loss of 

 moisture — in other words, the cell shrinks. 



" It is at once evident that if drying does not 

 take place uniformly throughout an entire piece 

 of timber, the shrinkage as a whole cannot be 

 uniform. The process of drying is from the 

 outside inward, and if the loss of moisture at the 

 surface is met by a steady capillary curxent of 



