38 SELLING WOODLOT PRODUCTS 6N MICHIGAN FARMS. 



Ties (5"x6"x5y2'; mine tie), 1,100 pieces. 



Posts (4" top, 7 ft.), 800 pieces. 



Posts (6" top, 8 ft.), 500 pieces. 



Tanbark, 16 to 18 cords. 



Sawdust, 12 to 18 tons. 



The necessity of investigating shipping charges can sometimes be 

 avoided by making the sale f. o. b. shipping point instead of at point of 

 delivery. The buyer, instead of the farmer, thus handles the shipping 

 end of the business, and this arrangement should be made wherever 

 possible. 



HOW TO PEEVENT THE DETEKIOEATION OF CUT WOODLOT PRODUCTS. 



It is often necessary or desirable to put off the delivery of logs, bolts, 

 poles, etc., until some months after cutting, either in order to allow them 

 to season, or because a good sale can not be arranged at once. A great 

 deal of the weight of freshly cut products is due to the water they con- 

 tain, and a few months seasoning will often reduce this to a marked 

 degree, the amount of reduction depending, of course, on the climate, the 

 weather, and the exposure to sun and air. At the same time, unless 

 preventive measures are taken, the products are sure to deteriorate 

 through decay, insect attack, checking, or some other agency. A certain 

 amount of deterioration is apt to take place in any. case if. the delivery 

 is put off for some time ; but the amount can be greatly reduced, and the 

 saving in weight and increase in strength due to seasoning is more than 

 enough to counterbalance any small deterioration which may occur in 

 spite of the preventive measures. 



Logs should never be allowed to remain long in the woods after cutting. 

 As soon as possible they should be taken to a dry, well-aired, and un- 

 shaded area, and placed on skids, well off the ground. The bark may be 

 left on the logs, and the ends should be coated with paint, creosote, or 

 tar. This will not only assist in preventing decay, but will also retard 

 seasoning to some extent and thus keep the logs from checking badly. 



Poles should be peeled, and hauled or dragged to a place free from 

 debris or rank vegetation and freely exposed to sun and wind. There 

 they should be rolled upon skidways not less than 18 inches high, so 

 that no part of them will rest on the ground. There should be only one 

 layer of poles on each skidway. When ties are cut, it is usually cheaper 

 and most desirable to haul them, unseasoned, directly to the railroad, 

 and there pile them according to the specifications furnished by the tie 

 buyer. 



Cordwood should be stacked in loose piles in a sunny well-aired and 

 well-drained place free from rank vegetation. Two sticks on the ground 

 running the length of the pile will keep it from contact with the soil 

 and thus prevent decay in the lower layers. 



