SEASONING AND STACKING OF TIMBER. 115 



it must be stacked so as to season properly, without becoming 

 full of cracks and shakes and without being exposed to decompose 

 or be attacked by insects or fungi. In the case of pieces not more 

 than a few inches thick, judicious packing prevents them from 

 bending or warping, and helps to straighten those which are 

 originally crooked. 



In whatever way the wood is kept, the stacks or groups should 

 be all of the same dimensions or contain the same number of pieces. 

 There is no other way of keeping a correct and ready account of the 

 produce. 



1. Seasoning and stacking of large unsawn timber. 



Such timber should of course be allowed to dry slowly and evenly. 

 It should, therefore, be kept under shade if possible, but air should 

 be allowed to play freely round each piece, especially if the season 

 and the ground be damp. The pieces should hence be kept off the 

 ground by skidding, unless they are to be removed again almost 

 at once, in which case no stacking is necessary, the logs being 

 simply placed together side by side in equal groups with the 

 thicker ends all directed one way. 



If the timber is to be kept for months, it should be carefully 

 stacked as follows : — The lowest tier should be raised at least a 

 foot off the ground and contain the largest and heaviest pieces, and 

 there should be skidding of some inches under each one of the 

 other tiers, the skidding being in every case perfectly level. The 

 logs in each Stack should have their butt ends all on one and 

 the same side. Although free ventilation is necessary, a con- 

 tinuous current of air, especially of hot, dry air, should be kept 

 out, and hence, where steady winds prevail, a screen of thatch 

 should be erected on the windward side of each stack. 



If it is necessary to take out a log here and a log there, it should 

 be possible to do this without breaking up the stack. For this 

 purpose, the smaller ends of all the logs should be kept slightly 

 higher than the butts with small blocks of wood, and under the 

 skidding over each tier should be packed similar blocks of wood 

 from 1^ to 2 inches thick. By pushing away this packing, any 

 log between two layers of skidding may be withdrawn without 

 disturbing the remainder. 



2, Seasoning and stacking of sawn material. 



Thick stuff must always be put up in stacks without delay, in 

 order to prevent them from drying too fast. When the pieces are 



