The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-02-09
TIMBER SEASONING,
bureau of Forestry Experiments
With Telegraph Poles.

| SstH roles.
The bureau of forestry at its new ex-
pertinent stations in Wisconsin and
| Michigan will make seasoning tests of
cedar and tamarack telephone and tele-
graph poles which have been submerg-
ed In water for varying lengths of
time. This is an entirely new line of
! experiment. That immersion in water
seems to affect the rate of seasoning
has often been noticed. Rafting is said
by many lumbermen to improve tim
Der, and logs which have lain for a
long time in swamps are in some places
eagerly sought for their superiority for
certain uses. But just why this should
be true and what practical use can be
made of the fact in seasoning general
ly are matters which have never been
thoroughly ascertained.
1t is known that the sap of green
wood contains certain soluble sub
stances-albumen, starch, sugars, tan
min, etc.-which undoubtedly are
leached out of timber immersed in wa
ter to greater or less extent. In orli-
nary seasoning these substances are
left behind as the water evaporates
and are deposited on the cell walls. As
seasoning begins ON the outside these
deposits must act as clogs, which virtu-
ally bottle up to certain degree the
water in the interior 1t Is possible
also that chemical or physical changes
in the wood tells are produced by soak
ing
Timber seasoning Is at best tedious
and slow work. 1t can be done fairly
well in ten or twelve months, but thor
ough seasoning requires from eighteen
to twenty-four months, the time vary
ing with the different kinds of woed,
If the bureau of forestry realizes its
from these new experi-
ments the time required for seasoning
poles will be reduced one-third and
possibly much more. This would prove |
an exceedingly valuable economy. If.
In addition, the durability of the poles |
can be Increased in this way the saving |
both to users of poles and to the cause |
Of forest preservation will be enor-
nous, for every year added to the serv-
Ice Of poles cuts off proportionate de-
mand upon the forests for their re-
newal @r
In these new tests the poles will be
submerged in water for different peri
DDS from one week up to decide what
ength of time will give the best re.
suits. They will then be placed on
'kids about two feet above the ground
ind left to dry. They will touch each
'ther, but will he laid only one layer
ieep. At the expiration of every thir.
y days each pole will be weighed and
llso measured to ascertain any shrink
lge Of its circumference. Unsoake1
'oles have furnished circumference
hrinkage of one-sixteenth to one +
'ighth inch in thirty days and of one
ourth inch In six months.
An important matter In seasoning is
he loss In weight. Past experiments 4
With white cedar poles have shown 0 !
oss in weight Of about one third after i
ixty days of drying. In the case of i
hestnut poles the same length of tine | !,
hoWed 10 per cent loss. These poles
: - AoAts uiA tCiJ hCdfyy anu SuCu Il
arge weight reduction means decid-
saving In freight charges and in
reased ease In handling. But this ad- S
antage, though important, is small In t
with the gain in heightened /
aryice. Further, with greater resist G
nee to decay it will be possible to !;
'wer the present butt diameter re-
uirement, which is now based on the
srtainty that rot will soon weaken
he power of the pole to withstand 5
rain at the surface Of the ground. Al
'gether, IL the soaking process fulfills c
hat It seems to promise, it will have
notable bearing on one Of the large Ib
ranches of timber consumption, as 4
thought Of the number Of 6
'les In use IN the entire country Will r.
Wisconsin. =.