Often when tearing out plaster in old houses (125 plus years or better) the lath will be what looks like a wide board, 16 ” or so by about 3/8th ” thick, filled with checks which act as slots for the plaster to key into. It almost looks as if a wide piece was put up green and allowed to shrink and crack before plastering. Does anyone know how this lath was installed and how it dates the house?
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That's called accordion lath and it is split not sawn. Indeed it is just what you said, a wide green piece that is split first on one side, then on the other , 'till you can open it up like an accordion and nail it up between two studs. Split lath came before sawn so it dates the house anywhere from the Victorian days on back.
Sometimes the earlier plastering base on split lath was nothing more than mud and straw or horse hair.
Try contacting www.nationaltrust.org.
They should be able to answer your question. Let me know what you find out as I work on many old houses that have plaster and lath wall finishes.
Regards,
Brian
Also The Old House Journal in their archives has all the answers to that.