The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-03-25
WHY WOOD DECAYS
OFFICIAL GIVES ANSWER

Waahington, Mch. 20 Piles driven
BY the hui dwellera OF the Baltic cen.
turles anu as as sound today aa waen
FIRST placed The wooden coiilns ~
which the Egyptians buried their dead
are stlll preserved IN perfect eOndi'
lion after thonsands Of years Of SER
vice.
rhe longevity Of timber under these
two extremes OF climate and moisture
conditions has naturally made people
ask, wnat causes wood 10 decuyg fhr
answer is fungi and bacteria, low
forms Of plant llfe which live IN The
wood aud draw their noufishmenl
from ll. The little organising are 80
lltte that microscopic Is required tp
see them, yet theIf work results "a
ne destruction OF billions Of feet Of
timber ench year and the railroad cor
poratlnn with its CROSS tte bill run
Ming up into seven ngures and the far
iner who spends hundred. dollars
or SO year for fence posts dre adke
llinwing tpon The knowledge Of experts
II all parts of the world In efforts 10
learn the most economical and muHl
satisfactory method Of preaefvlng
wood against he intoads Of decay hi
studying the means Of preventing de
cay wnDd.pleservlng experts have
learned many things about the ohanA
lons fnagl which san The llgo Of tim
Der,
The small organlsma can grow eth
er la light or IN total darkneaai hui
10 nf theni require requisite ammnl ;
aiar. food, moisture aul heat 4 one
ug More ul these eaaenlial mqalre
menis e lacking. they can NOT live
nnd tue decay og timber Will moi take
place wood Is constantly submerged
H water never rBis. almply heehuNe
there Fl an insufficient supply Of alf
rhla condition accounts for lhe annnA
ness af ihu old Baltic ples. ON the
niheg hand, e wool can be kept air
aiy IL wll not decay beeause there viii
lhrn he 100 little moisture The tim
hei used by lhe Egyptians win laal ~
40 lung as 4 Is bone.dry
There are great many eases how
eypr, whore It IL Impossible % Keep
wond submerged IN walar. or IN un
absolutely alfdfy condition In fact
q latge creeniage 81 The timber ehlch
Is used Is exp9sed 10 The weather. and
s subjected 10 decay simply hsesuse
Il cOntains enough air and enough Wa.
ter for the deenmpoalng 0rglniams 10
sel feoih0ld necnY Is most serious
where the atmosphere Is warm and
damp. herause these conditions are
most favorable for lts development ii
thp coal mines Of pennsylvania timber
decays III Two OF three years beeadse
ihe temperature II warm and c0naiani
and The alf Is dump And In the South.
the warm. humid atmosphere often
enAsea the timber to rapidly deeom
DOse
Decay may be prevented hy two gen
atll methods. hy treating The wond
xilh ualisepties, thus poisoning the
food Supply Of Sc organisms which
canse 4lacnY ami by treating II With
oils which render It waterproof, A
combination Of these tW0 methods -
most commonly used, as when wood
ls ifeafed with oreoa5la which Ellis
un the PORTS "a the timber and Keeps
ont waiar and Is also 3 powerful anti
septic.
The United States government con
slders the investigations OF the pre-
servatlfe treatment of timber Of snch
Important that the buaIneaa Of one
branch 81 burbau III The department
ol agriculture. the "Oiice Of Wood
Preservation" In the forest service A.
Washington, is given over entirely 70
Inc w0fk 1f experiments n coopera
si0n with railroad companies aud indl'
ylduals IN proiongng the liie Of fell
road Ties mining props. bridge lin
hera. fence posts and transmlaslon
polea. Advice and practical aasiai
ance Is furnished All who reqneal this
advice Of the forester. The length.
enlna of life OF timber means thc
saving Of thousands 0 fdollafa annv-
ally through doing away With the
heavy expense of labor and cost Of
materials for renewals