23 2 
TIMBER AND TIMBER TREES. [chap. 
tlic small and medium size trees. Very great care is 
therefore necessary in the conversion of this wood, to 
ensure the production of the deals and other scantlings 
of the required dimensions free from sap, the difficulty 
being often enhanced by the fact that in working on fresh 
logs, the sap can scarcely be distinguished from the heart- 
wood, although, if exposed a short time only to the 
atmosphere, the difference soon becomes visible, the 
moisture of the latter drying up more rapidly, and leaving 
it lighter in colour. The Dantzic converter is, however,, 
by dint of practice, generally so correct in his judgment, 
that he seldom fails to obtain all that he requires, even 
from logs which have a very unpromising appearance. 
Previous to shipment at Dantzic, the whole of the 
timber in the rafts is carefully sorted over, and the best 
of the round wood, i.e., the longest, straightest, and finest 
pieces, and those most free from knots, are selected for 
exportation, under the name of “ hand masts,” very little 
being required to be done to them beyond topping them, 
off to the established length, which is proportioned to 
their diameter. A few trees, perhaps, which are not 
perfectly fair and straight in their growth, being trimmed 
or dressed as may be necessary to make them appear so. 
“ Hand mast ” is a technical term applied by the 
mast-maker to a round spar, holding at the least 24, and 
not exceeding 72, inches in circumference. They are 
measured by the hand of 4 inches, there being also a 
fixed proportion between the number of hands in the 
length of the mast and those contained in the circum¬ 
ference, taken at one-third of the length from the 
butt-end. All the round pieces which measure less than 
24 inches in circumference at the base are simply called 
spars or poles, while those which measure more than 72 
inches in circumference are generally dressed to the 
