Daily Arizona silver belt., 1907-07-25
THE LIFE
 OF INFERIOR WOODS
Much Interest Being Taken in the Work
 in tho South

At present much interest is being taken in the south in the work of pro. longing the life of inferior woods by treating them with conservatives. State departments of agriculture and experi- ment stations are cooperating with the federal government in this work and the farmers and other persons affected are assisting in the work. The work in the south is at present in embryo, but comprehensive plans have been formu- lated and reaching results are con fidcntly expected.
 Fence posts, telephone poles, nursery stakes, shingles, foundation timbers and other forest products used about farms will he treated. Many kinds of wood will be used in carrying out these ex- periments. But the common old field pine will be given special attention be- cause it is so abundant and in it's nat ural condition so worthless when in contact with soil dampness. Gum, syca- more, beech, willow and inferior oak also will be given tests in the creosote and other vats. These are quick decay ing woods, and it is proposed to ascer- tain how much and in what way their usefulness may be prolonged by the well known methods of timber treatment.
 The forest service has been led to give serious attention to the matter by many requests for assistance from farmers and others all over the country, but particularly from Dixie land. The supply of the more durable woods, such as locust, white oak and other decay resisting timbers, which formerly were largely used for posts, has become so restricted, with such increase of price, that their use for fence material is quite out of the question in many local ities and very expensive everywhere. The southern states have an abundance of the old field pine, also called loblolly pine, and other soft and inferior woods which possess sufficient strength to fit them admirably for farm timbers, but little use has been made of them be- cause of rapid decay. Though material may be cheap and plentiful, the ex. pense of frequent renewals of fences and other structures is serious draw back.
 According to officials of the forest service, it is possible, however, to sub jeet these woods to n simple and mex pensive treatment which, when thor oughly done, renders them immune from decay for many yoars-sometimes as many as twenty, while the untreated post would not last five. The final cost of post SO treated will often be less than that of an untreated post of the decay resisting woods. The adoption of such methods throughout the south, it is believed, will lead to the utilization of cheap and inferior woods which in the past have been regarded as an in cumbranee of the ground. This is true also of other parts of the country. The higher grade of timber can by this means be preserved for more exacting purposes.
 The government helps the states which ask for cooperation. Under cer- tain circumstances it will do the same for individuals or corporations which are desirous of finding out what to do with their scrub timber. The party wishing government cooperation is re- quired to furnish the plant and the timber. The forest service will then send man to show how the work is done and to help do it. Tests will be IL .l, l. termine the best treatment for each and the cost.
 And there is nothing mysterious about the treatment. Workmen at it need not be expert chemists The pre-. servative can be bought in small quan. titles at low cost. It is heated in a vat-part of an old steam boiler will do-whieh may be riged in the barn yard, and the farmer can immerse the posts, stakes, shingles or whatever is on the skids. It is better to give very poor woods one complete immersion with more for the part of the post which goes in the ground. Such plant is economical because it will do the work well. The farmer of small means can use it and utilize stuff which ordinarily goes to waste. few cents, it is ar gued, will make cheap post last nearly half lifetime.
 The principle of preservation is nc longer an experiment, only it needs fur ther tests to find what is best for cer tain low grade woods, and it is to reacl practical conclusions on this line that the cooperative work will be carried on in the south by the government ana certain states.
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