Mulberry Rings/Checks/Fissures/etc...

[Mulberry River]

The thicker, seemingly more dense layers of this Mulberry stave appear as the lighter-colored layers in these pix.  Should I use the lighter-colored layer for the back?  
 

It's wet, so I drew the bark off & brought it in the house to dry some.  Looked at it the next day and my eyes had to have bugged out about 4" when I saw a 6" chasm in the sapwood on one end & a 4" check on the other.  I immediately took it to the shop & drew it down to the heartwood.
 

Thankfully, the checks only were about 1" long or so on each end of the stave at the top heartwood-no problem.  The ends had been dipped in a sealant, but I melted wax on them anyway when I first brought it in the house.  Now I have the back covered with 1 & 1/2" clear tape & I have it lying on its back in the air-conditioned house which I assume to be at about 50% humidity.
 

I figure it'll dry pretty quickly considering how badly that sapwood fissured overnight.  What do you think?  Should I continue drying it inside or transfer it to a hotbox setup?  Should I go ahead & lay it out & bandsaw it now?

 

It's a nice stave which looks like it'll end up with some backset if I can avoid any more blunders.

 

The first darker layer seemed thin and grainy, so I guess I should chase a good light ring?  What do you experienced guys think?

Appreciate your help so much!

Later,
Puddlebuster

[Tree man]

Yes, The lighter, wider rings are the summer wood-the others are earlywood-the porous spring growth thta serves to transport lots of fluids. That is quite a nicepiece of wood you have.

[ozarkcherrybow1]

Danny, I have learned to take off ALL the sapwood off when the bark is removed from a wet Mulberry stave. I also coat the whole thing with shellac after chasing  down close to the ring I want for the back. Don't bring it indoors where the humidity is  low. Let it dry slower, I leave mine in the garage. You can still keep working it down to close to bow dimensions but cover it back up with shellac each night while you are letting it cure out. Like Treeman said, go for the wider rings for your back. That is a nice stave. You should get a nice bow out of that. My favorite bow is a mulberry.  Good luck, hope I helped.....Terry