The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-02-23
HOW SEASONING AFFECTS TEL
EPHONE AND TELE-
GRAPH POLES.

| WIN the lie VI IclcPiiOH' "N
graph poles at its present limit, the
| 800 900 miles of existing Zines, requir-
ing S2,OOO.OOO poles. must be renewed
approximately four times before trees
suitable to take their place can grow.
"A pole lasts in service about twelve
wears, on the average, but is mace
| from a tree about so years old. In
other words. 10 maintain a continu-
Gus supply five times as many trees
must be growing in the foresst as
there are poles in use. The severity
of this drain upon forest resources by
the telephone and telegraph compan-
les is obvious enough. Just as IN the
case of railroad ties, the question OF
mole supply has thrust itself into pro-
minence. To lengthen the life OF
poles, and in this way to moderate de-
mand and conserve future supplies
has become an important matter, af-
fecting the public as well as private
interests.
Since 1902 the Forest Service has
been making a thorough study of the
preventative treatment of poles and
of the value of the seasoning in re-
lation to treatment. In this work its
first object has been, as in It's studies
Of cross-ties and construction tim
bers, to make the timber last as long
as possible, so as to check the annual
demand for renewal and thus lessen
so far as possible the drain upon the
forest. Cooperating with telephone
and telegraph companies, railroads,
lumber companies. and individuals, it
has urged forward a series of exper-
iments covering all phases of the pro-
blem, from the question of the best
season for cutting, through subse-
quent stages of handling, to the final
setting of the pole. Some of the most
important results obtained deal with
the. seasoning process.
Seasoning was studied in the first
place to determine the rate at which
polls become air dry, that is. lost as
much moisture as they will part with
through evaporation in the open air.
considered. Experiment proved that
poles cut in winter dry more regular
ly than those cut at other seasons,
and also show a greater Joss in mois-
ture at the end of six months season.
ing. The advantages of winter cult
ing are, therefore, even drying, with
a minimum liability to check, and light
weight-an obvious advantage for
shipment by freight. Spring or sum-
mer cutting secures a more rapid loss
of moisture at first. owing to the tenn
perature. but only for three or four
months. At the end of from six to
eight months spring and summer cut
poles are found to have dried only
three quarters as much as winter-cut
poles. Spring and summer cutting,
however, would result in saving in
freight and increased durability if the
poles are to be shipped and used
within three or four months after cut
ting.
The second point to be determined
was the degree of shrinkage in cir
conference during air seasoning. This
was found to be very slight, averaging
but little over 0.5 per cent at the butt
and 06 per cent at the top. The rap
i'd shrinkage Of wood does not begin
until the percentage OF moisture is re-
duced lower than is possible in the
case Of telephone and telegraph poles
in out-of-door seasoning.
The effect of soaking in water upon
the rate of seasoning was the third of
the problems dealt with. The expert
ments substantiate the common opin-
ion that poles soaked from two to four
weeks subsequently season at a ma
terially increased rate.
Finally, 1t was found that checking
in the course Of seasoning is not SER
ious when poles have been carefully
cut. Rapid-grown timber, however.
when so carelessly cut as to leave
Jagged ends, was found to split badly
at the butt and at the top. This is
doubtless merely the widening of the
cracks started when the stick partially
broke off instead of being cut clear
through.
Just how much through seasoning
VIII add to the life of poles can not
be told until the actual tests are made
IN service. The poles upon which the
tests are being made have been set in
line where their behavior can be
compared with that Of unseasoned
poles, and will be closely watched. Up-
on large number of the seasoned
poles test was also made to show
the value of various preservatiye
treatments which iS avDoo+oa =. it.