Page:Timber and Timber Trees, Native and Foreign.djvu/340

320 Sheds of a cool, dry, lofty, and permanent character are required for the proper seasoning of thick-stuff, planks, and deals; and it is desirable that the stacks of each of these should be of a moderate breadth only, a passage through the middle of the shed being necessary for the convenience of examining and working each parcel. The ground skidding should be like that of the timber stacks, placed level, and be at least a foot in depth, to admit of a free circulation of air throughout; upon these the planks, &c., should be laid flat, and open at the edges. Each tier should, as it rises, be blocked with dry battens ¾ to 1 inch in thickness, by at least 3 inches in breadth for deals; and 1 to 3 inches thick by at least 4 inches in breadth for plank, &c. These should be placed immediately over the ground skidding, as by so doing it will prevent buckling or warping, and keep the planks straight and fair looking; and further, care should be taken not to stack too high, lest the upper tiers should feel the effects of the sun's heat through the roof.

Boards may either be placed on end and blocked from each other by pegs or battens, or be placed upon racks fitted horizontally to receive them for seasoning. The former plan is in much favour in many places, and especially so in small private yards, where they usually stand in the open. I much prefer, however, a dry, cool shed, fitted with horizontal beams and vertical iron bars, to prevent the boards which are placed on edge from tilting over, and believe that the wood shrinks gradually, more evenly, and is less damaged by splits or shakes than by any other method. Boards season surprisingly well in this way, and when it is considered with what ease and facility they are worked in and out of the frame, there is, I think, much to recommend the plan to favourable notice.