24 SELLING WOODLOT PRODUCTS ON MICHIGAN FARMS. 



Ties are either sawed or hewed. Hewing is wasteful, since a good 

 deal of the best wood in the log, suitable for lumber, is chipped off, 

 the amount of waste being greater, of course, with large than with 

 small logs. Furthermore, tie hewing is a difficult job for an untrained 

 axeman, and it is doubtful if farmers not already experienced would be 

 wise in attempting it. Before deciding to have his logs sawed into 

 ties the farmer should satisfy himself that the value in ties is at least 

 as great as that in lumber. A good deal depends on the qualitv of the 

 sawing. Logs of desirable species, well sawed into graded lumber, will 

 undoubtedly bring better prices than if sawed into ties, although the 

 log hearts may in some cases have a higher value as ties than as low 

 grade lumber. For less desirable lumber species such as beech, on the 

 other hand, ties at 48 cents apiece may afford the best possible use. 



Poles and Posts {white cedar) 



Of the native trees, white cedar (arborvitae) is the only one used ex- 

 tensively for poles. This is a common swamp tree in the northern part 

 of the State. It combines the qualities of durability, lightness, strength, 

 and form, which are requisites of poles and posts. Fall and winter, 

 when the swamps are frozen up, are the best seasons in which to cut 

 cedar. The stumps should be cut high enough to avoid any pronounced 

 crook. Peeling is most easily done in the spring, but it is better to do it 

 in the winter to facilitate drying. Poles cut and peeled during the late 

 fall and winter should be laid in a single layer on a pair of skids large 

 enough to keep them well off the ground. By the first of May a large 

 part of the moisture will have dried out, and the weight of the poles 

 thus considerably reduced. The reduction in freight weight will more 

 than equal the expense of holding, and in addition the poles will gain 

 in strength and durability. Spring and early summer offer the best con- 

 ditions for maximum seasoning in the shortest time, but checking dur- 

 ing seasoning is greatest in poles cut during these seasons. It does not 

 materially affect the strength of the poles, however, and can largely 

 be prevented in the ways mentioned on page 38. 



The standard specifications of the Northwestern Cedarmen's Associa- 

 tion for 1912 may be summarized as follows : 



All posts and poles must be cut from live timber and peeled, and 

 must be reasonably sound. In posts, "pipe rot" and other rot defects 

 that do not impair the strength for use in fences are allowed. In large 

 poles a certain amount of butt rot is allowed, not exceeding 10 per cent 

 of the area of the butt, provided it does not plainly impair the strength 

 of the pole above ground. The tops of poles must be reasonably sound. 



Three classes of materials are recognized: "posts," 7 and 8 feet long; 

 "large posts and small poles," from 10 to 20 feet long by 4 or 5 inches 

 top diameter; and "standard telegraph, telephone, and electric poles," 

 25 feet or longer, by 4 inches or more in top diameter. Some latitude 

 is allowed in the size specifications: posts may be 2 Inches less in 

 length, and, if seasoned, 14 inch less in diameter; poles may be i/4> inch 

 short for each 5 feet in length, and 6 inches short for any length greater 

 than 20 feet; and the top diameters of seasoned poles may be slightly 

 less than specified — 14 inch less for 4 and 5 inch poles, % inch for 6 

 inch poles, and 1/10 inch for 7 inch poles. No such latitude in diameter 



