Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1910-04-28

first placed. The wooden cor
fms in which the Egyptians
buried their dead are still preserved
In perfect condition after thousands
Of years Of service.
The longevity Of timber under these
two extremes Of climate and moisture
conditions has naturally made people
ask, what causes wood decay? The
answer is, fungi and bacteria, low
forms Of plant life which live in the
wood and draw their nourishment
from It. The little orgarsZms are so
little that microscope ID required to
see them. yet their work results In
the destruction Of billions Of feet of
timber each year and the railroad cor
poration with its cross tie bill running
up into seven figures and the farmer
who spends a hundred or so dollars
year for fence posts are alike drww-
ing upon the knowledge Of experts in
all parts of the world in efforts to
learn the most economical and most
satisfactory method Of preserving
wood against the inroads Of decay. In
studying the means Of preventing de-
cay wood-preserving experts have
learned many things about the OBJ
noxious fungi which sap the life Of
timber.
The small organisms can grow
either in light or In total darkness;
but all of them require requisite
amounts Of air, food. moisture and
heat. II one or more Of these essen
tial requirements is lacking, they can
not live, and the decay Of timber win
not take place. Wood constantly sub
merged in water never rots, simply
because there is an insufficient sup
ply Of air. This condition accounts
for the soundness Of the old Baltic
piles. On the other hand, If wood
can be kept air-dry II will not decay
because there will then be too little
moisture. The timber used by the
Egyptians will last indefinitely so long
as It is bone-dry.
There are a great many cases, how
ever, where It is impossible to keep
wood submerged in water, or in an abb
solutely air-dry condition. In fact, q
large percentage Of the timber which
is used is exposed to the weather, and
Is subjected to decay simply because
It contains enough air and enough wa
ter for the decomposing organisms to
get a foothold. Decay Is most seri-
GUS where the atmosphere is warm
and damp, because these conditions
are most favorable for fits develop
ment. In the coal mines Of Pennsyl-
vania timber decays in two or three
years because the temperature Is
warm and constant and the air is
damp. And in the south, the warm,
humid atmosphere often causes the
timber to rapidly decompose.
Decay may be prevented by two gen.
eral methods, by treating the wood
with antiseptics, thus poisoning the
food supply Of the organisms which
cause decay and by treating It with
oils which render It waterproof. A
combination Of these two methods is
most commonly used, as when wood is
treated with creosote which fills up
the pores In the timber and keeps out
water and is also a powerful antisep-
tic.
The United States government con-
sIders the investigations of the pre-
servative treatment Of timber Of such
Importance that the business Of one
branch Of bureau in the department
of agriculture-the "Omce Of Wood
preservation in the forest service at
Washington, is given over entirely to
the work Of experiments In co-opera-
tion with railroad companies and m
dividuals in prolonging the life Of rail-
road ties, mine props, bridge timbers, |
fence posts and transmission poles. |
Advice and practical assistance Il fur
nIshed ali wh0-TeQuest this advice Of |
the forester. The lengthening Of life |
Of timber means the saving Of thou. |
sands Of dollars annually through do |
ing away with the heavy expense Of
labor and cost Of material for renew
inst TIE humhis railroad tio b