Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1909-01-12
LONGER ilFE FOR WOOD.
How to Increa"e the Durability Of Farm
Timber Used for Posts, Etc,

increase the lite OF posts, Stats,
trellises and other objects of wood
that they are obliged to use in
connection with their work. It
will also be of very great advan-
tage and economy to the farmer
if he can increase the life of fence
posts and rails, barn timbers, etc.
The study Of wood preservaties
has passed beyond the experiment
tai stage and their use is now
known to be practical and profit
able. The Forester of the Survey,
W. W. Ashe, of Raleigh, has pre-
pared the following paragraphs
pertinent to the subject:
One means of l~engthening the
timber supply and at the same
time saving labor and expense i'll
repair and renewal of woodwork
on the farm is to add to the dura
billty of the timber used for posts,
stakes and buildings. This is be-
coming more necessary as the sup
ply of durable heartWood becomes
scarcer and less durable kinds of
wood and sap timber, especially
the second growth and short-leat
pine must be substituted for them.
Tha Geological Survey office has
recently received two inquiries
which show she great interest the
farmer and trucker has in prolong-
ing the durability Of timber.
One inquiry was from the mana
ger of a large vineyard which has
to replace more than 1000 soup
pernong grapevine posts yearly.
The other inquirer was interested
in a more durable berry stake.
Neither of these men could con.
veniently secure yellow or pitch
pine and were using sap short-leaf
pine wood,
The most durable woods to be
found in the coast region OF the
Southern States for posts, stakes
and like uses are the heartwcod
of yellow or pitch pine, black OF
red cypress, red sassafras, black
walnut, juniper, red cedar and
white oak. In many sections,
however, users are becoming de.
pendent upon sap pine, red oak OF
other less durable woods for prac.
tically all of their building, post
and stake material. Under ordina.
ryconditions the life of a sap pine
post is not more than three years.
By proper seasoning and treating it
can be increased to s or 10 years,
while similar treatment the life
of more durable woods can be pro.
portionately heightened. In the
first place, timber to be used
near or in contact with the soil,
as for eleapers and sills for barns,
posts, ETC., should peferably be
cut in late autumn. At this sea
son wood has less sap in it than
during either the summer or early
spring. It is the food material in
the sap which ~acoelerates decay
by furnishing a large amount of
soluble food for the fungi and
more minute forms which live
upon the woody tissue. and which
by destroying these are RESPONSE
BILE for the decay Of the wood. If
the timber is small and the wood
is to be used round or split for
posts or like uses, it should be
peeled as soon as 1t Is cut and, if
possible, racked out Of the wealth.
er until thoroughly dry and sea.
soned. If it is sawn timber, 1T
should be well seasoned before it
is used. Drying wood, even of
kinds like sap pine, adds much to
it's durability. This is due to the
hardening of the tissues which
form the wood and probably is
also due to q chemical change in
the plant food which is stored in
the sap Ill the cells, rendering it
less soluble and consequently less
available for nourishing wood
destroying fungi
The durability Of wood can be
further increased by coating it,
preferably with coal tar OF creo-
sote, which are excellent preser-
vatives. These not only keep out
moisture as oil paint does, and
which must be present for decay to
takeplace, but they also have anti
septic properties, which render the
wood penetrated resistant to the
fnngi which cause decay. Greco
sote a be bought IN Whining