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On this important subject, the celebrated Lord Karnes, inhis Gentleman Farmer, has the following useful observations:
“ I begin with examining at what age a tree is in perfec-tion for the purpose of a farm. At the age of sixty, it is suf-ficiently large for every farm-purpose, being, when cut to thesquare, from twelve to fifteen inches each side. I must ex-cept the oak, which, even for the purposes of farming, im-proves till it be a hundred years old. Every oak consists ofred and white wood, the former the finest of all wood, thelatter good for nothing. Ash, after the growth of sixty yearsturns short and brittle.”
“ The proper season for cutting a tree is when it has leastsap, which is precisely in the middle between the time ofshedding the leaf and that of budding; in that interval it istough, and fittest for every farm purpose. When cut in thesap, the wood is short, and apt to split with drought.”
“ For preserving wood after being cut, there are threemethods. One is to dry it in the air; another to immerse itin water; and a third is to cover it with horse-dung. Ash,when sawed green, never fails to split. Before applying aninstrument, it ought to be exposed eighteen months in a drysituation, that all the sap may evaporate; during that time,both ends ought to be covered from the air; the bark pre-vents the body from splitting; but when the ends are exposed,they will split into the body five or six inches. When ash isdesigned for uses that require splitting, let it be split immedi-ately after cuttipg, and the parts laid up where the air has notfree access, in order that they may dry by slow degrees; forsudden drought makes them warp. Oak and elm require thesame treatment. The Huntingdon willow, and other willowsthat rise to a large size, turn extremely tough when dry; andtherefore, if intended for planks or boards, they ought to besawed directly after being cut. But as in this case they area pt to split, great care ought to be taken to dry them slowly.Alder and birch ought to be managed in the same manner.”