Part V.] Sweet; On Air Seasoning of Indian Timbers. 
73 
CHAPTER VIII. 
Season of Year for Girdling, Felling, and Conversion. 
There is a common belief among practical timbermen that success 
in seasoning depends to a large extent upon the time of year that the 
trees are cut. Many theories are advanced — a difference in the 
chemical constituents of the wood and sap, a difference in the amount 
of moisture in the wood at various seasons, not to mention such 
impossibilities as the phase of the moon, etc. As to the different 
chemical changes in the wood and sap at various times of year in their 
effect upon the seasoning process, but little is known. At the present 
time they must be discounted as being of minor importance. 
It has been established quite conclusively that the actual amount 
of water in a living tree (at least in the temperate zones) varies but 
slightly with the season, the moisture content during the dormant 
season being about the same as during the growing season. The 
slight differences that do occur are limited entirely to the sapwood 
and from the standpoint of seasoning are negligible. The conclusion 
to be drawn is that it is the conditions to which the timber is sub- 
jected immediately after cutting that are of importance rather than the 
condition of the wood itself prior to cutting. 
(:) Girdling and felling. 
If logs can be converted into boards and scantlings within a short 
time after they are felled and the lumber placed at once into a season- 
ing kiln, or if the logs can be submerged in fresh water soon after 
felling, the time of cutting is of no importance as regards the season- 
ing. 
In the case of logs which for any reason must be held unconverted 
for a period of months (unless under water) the season of felling and 
girdling is a very important factor. If trees are felled and cut into 
logs immediately before or during the hot weather, the refractory 
woods particularly will crack and split excessively. During the hot 
weather and at the beginning of the rainy season wood-destroying 
insects and fungi are very active and are apt to do excessive damage 
to freshly cut logs, particularly of the less resistant species. In general, 
logs which cannot be converted or submerged in fresh water very 
soon after felling should be cut between the end of the rainy season 
and the middle of the cold weather. 
Species differ widely in their susceptibility to the factors that lead 
to depreciation of timber in the form of logs. The time of cutting 
that reduces the depreciation to the minimum must be worked out 
experimentally for every kind of timber and region. Experiments 
with this point in view are being undertaken in Burma for several 
important species. 
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