Cutting and Seasoning of Wood. 137 



suherosa mixed with the locust, and the last two rows the Caragana 

 alone. In one case plants were taken too old, and the drouth and 

 cattle caused the destruction of 25 per cent. In another case it was 

 21 percent, and in another some of the pines were planted, but 

 with poor success. The general results are, however, deemed satis- 

 factory, and in many cases the loss did not exceed eight per cent. 

 In all of these plantations, the seeds were sown in local nurseries 

 along the lines of the roads, and the transplanting is done before the 

 trees become of much size. The preparation of the soil is deep and 

 thorough, and its subsequent cultivation carefully kept up. 



CHAPTEE Xm. 



CUTTING AND SEASONING OF WOOD; DEFECTS IN TIMBER. 



27ie proper Time for Cutting Timber. 



557. As a general rule, timber cut in the season when vegetation 

 is suspended, or in deciduous species, when the leaves are off and 

 the growth of the year is ended, lasts longer and seasons more readily 

 than when cut in the season of active growth, and when the tree is 

 full of sap. In the winter season it is found that there are stored 

 up in the interior cells, the elements that are to serve for the first 

 growth of the next season, such as starch, etc. This is proved by 

 applying chemical tests, such as solutions of iodine, which will color 

 the medullary rays of winter-cut wood, in thin sections, with a 

 deeper violeMtnge than in wood cut in spring or early summer. 

 In cases where the wood is to be peeled, the timber can only be cut 

 in early summer. Hoop-poles should never be cut when the bark 

 will peel, as their utility and value are lessened. 



558. Summer has, from time immemorial, been the favorite 

 season for cutting coniferous timber in the Vosges of Eastern 

 France. Perhaps one great advantage in this, results from the fact 

 that it can be peeled at that season, and thus saved from the injuries 

 that are very likely to occur from the attack of bark-boring insects. 

 All timber that is to be peeled, must be cut in the early part of 

 summer. It will then season more readily than it could if the bark 

 had been left . on. Coniferous woods will generally remain white, 

 and the lumber will be lighter in weight. There are, indeed, certain 

 advantages to be gained by summer cutting, which have led an ap- 



