davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917, 1917-04-07

comes nearest TO our DaSeDall IN the
way it is conducted.
And the footbaIIers have been GO
ing on much as they did before the
war. Crowds of $4,000 are nothing
unusual for big match in the Brit
ish isles. The authorities decided that
football was a good thing, because it
took the minds of the spectators
from the war mOmentatily and gave
them relaxation which is necessary
to a nation so closely involved and
suffering so heavily, as are the Brit
ish.
Therefore, it is reasonable to be-
Heve our baseball leagues will play
out their seasons unless finances
cause bitches. Certainly the majors
and the higher rank minors will 90
through with their 1917 campaigns.
No better trained set of men could be
found than the diamond athletes, so
far as physiqUes are concerned. They
would be valuable fighting units.
But they also have their place in
entertaining the nation, in giving it
an interest to offset the dread news
Of fighting and carnage. The play
ers Of the big leagues will be drilled
each day by army men, and, at the
close of the season, if such a thing
is necessary, they can be fused into
the army, hardened by several
months of active work in the open
and familiar with the manual of
arms.
The nation which has some inno-
cent sport with which to refresh it's
mind in war times is the nation
which will do the best fighting and
also at home bear the burdens that
wholesale blOOdletting entails.
Today the Cubs are in St. Paul
putting the finishing touches to the
training trip. Next Monday the
team. will be home for a days rest
before setting out against the Pitts
burgh Pirates Wednesday on the
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

Their presence generally means that
decay has made considerable progress
in the wood.
The four requirements for the
growth of fungi are moisture, air, a
favorable temperature, and food.
A damp condition of the wood is
probably the most favorable to decay.
Wood can be either so wet or so dry
that the fungi cannot live in it. When
submerged in water it has been known
to last hundreds of years, and in per-
fectly dry situations 1t will often last
indefinitely. Wood in contact with
damp ground usually contains the
right amount of moisture for the de-
velopment of decay. Also, where tim
Der Is in contact with wood or other
material, water frequently collects in
the points and keeps the wood moist
for long periods of time, thus favoring
decay at these points. Familiar exam
Piles of this are decay in the tops of
posts in board fences, in the Joints of
various kinds of buildings, In porch
columns, In si'is resting on wood or
stone piers, and In lumber piles.
There are very few places where the
fungus cannot get air enough for Its
needs. When wood is buried deep in
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
Method Of PIIlns Posts to Season.

secured. C~reosotes containing a high
percentage of oils which boil at a low
temperature are not suitable for
use on the farm as those which con-
tain q lower percentage of these oils,
because a considerable portion may
evaporate and be lost during treat
ment . In some cases as much as one
fifth of the oil used has been lost in
this way. This loss of oil by evapora-
ton may be largely offset, however, by
the lower price at which the lOw-boil-
ing creosotes may usually be obtained.
Tar Is not a good preservative for
farm use and, in general, good results
have not been obtained with it when
applied by methods that are practic-
able on the farm. Its chief defect Is
that it does not penetrate the wood
readily. COal-tar and water-gas tar
are also much less poisonous to the
organisms which cause decay than is
coal-tar CreOSOte.
Crude oil is not sufficiently poison
Gus for q wood preservative. If the
wood can be thoroughly saturated
with it, water may be kept out and
decay prevented; but it is very diff
cult, if not impossible, to get enough
oil into most woods by processes
which are practicable on the farm.
For treating by the brush method
crude oil is entirely unsatisfactory.
Good results cannot, in general, be
expected from paint, linseed oil, or
whitewash when used on fence posts
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

TOWN.
10 HELPS
MEANS LOOKING INTO FUTURE
Expert Who Has Made a Study on
City Planning Outlines Objects
Sought to Be Obtained.

Although a wide interest in the sub
ject of city planning is manifest to-
day, both in Europe and America,
there appears to be uncertainty as 10
what it precisely is. According to a
distinguished authority whom Mr..
Lewis quotes "City planning simply
mean getting ready for the future in
city growth. 1t is the guidance into
proper channels of n cOmmunity's inn
pulses toward a larger and broader
life. On the face of it, it has to do
with things physical-the laying out Of
streets and parks and rapid-transit
lines. But its real signicafnce is far
deeper; n proper city plan has a pow
erful influence for good upon the men
tai and moral development of the peO-
pie. 1t is the firm base for the build
ing of a healthy and happy COM
munity."
Mr.. Lewis studies in turn, the incep-
ton and development of this city plan
ming movement emphasizing the need
of intrusting it's successful executive
to duly authorized city officials or a
elVNAuA 'pAAlAAAACElDAt NAtuANu 4VA AhO
purpose the correction of mistakes,
and the general problems of transpor-
tation. In the delightful chapter, Gar
den Cities,n he declares that the gar
den city movement goes much further
than to provide attractive homes for
those who live in or near large cities
or Centers of industry. "It is really
, r~,+,.+ ,-.f,.+ 4I1 ,-4ro-,o oopArn1
ization which has lately been the ten
dency in city development" Later
chapters are devoted to a comparison.
of city planning legislation in England,
Germany and the United States, the
municipal progress made under this
legislation, methods of financing a city
plan, and various municipal land poll
cies. Having indicated in the body of
his book what a city plan is, how
it is developed, the various problems
to be solved and the conditions which
it is necessary to provide for or guard
against" Mr.. Lewis points out in his
concluding chapters the opportunities
and responsibilities of the modern me-
chanical engineer, who is today max
7 ing 'the most substantial contribution
toward the orderly development ana
administration of our cities" Indeed
he declares the basic purpose of his
book to be 'tO bring home to them
this responsibility and awaken in them
a realization of this opportunity
The Planning of the Modern City. A
Review of the Principles Governing
City Planning. By Nelson P. Lewis.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
By Augustus Goodrich Sherwin
Copyright. by W. @. chapman.)

"Trl outline him-Tve got the money
to do it. That's how I'll win the girl"
The girl was Leonie Marsh, and she
was worth striving for. She was not
exactly the belle of Upton, for she had
no vanity, loved truth, followed its
precepts and thought rather of being
kind to those with whom she came in
contact, than in affecting any excel
lence or prominence she vas not en-
titled to.
1t was natural that Leonie should
attract Walter Breen and equally so
that she should recognize him as a real
man. He vas just starting out in bust
ness life as a surveyor, and had never
pressed a closer friendship with Leonie
because all ideas of engagement and
marriage seemed very far ahead. Wal
ter had belonged to the crack team at
college, was an all around athlete, and
his love Of exercise and nature had
induced him to select an open-air occu-
patton as best suited to his preferences
and health.
You'll starve to death, and I hope
you do" proclaimed his irascible and
displeased old uncle, Abel Dunn.
Here's my law library, my practice,
my capital, all at your command, and
my property, some day. I'm getting
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
CONCRETE GROWS IN FAVOR
Use of That Material in House Con-
struction Is Becoming Popular
With All Glasses of Builders.

Since the advent of the concrete
block industry, some rapid steps have
been made in house construction. The
special facings which it is possible to-
apply to the concrete blocks make them
a solution of almost any problem i'm
house building where something special
is desired in finish. By the use of white
cement in connection with suitable
coloring material almost any shade or
tint may be obtained and a very close
imitation of highly expensive stone
may be built at a reasonable cost
Marble, granite, sandstone and lime
stone may be initiated with such eX-
actness that there is no advantage
gained in the use of the true material
A house just put up in WATERFOWL
is an example of the beautiful effect
which may be obtained by the use OF
special face concrete blocks applied to
the construction of the porch and chin
ney of a frame house. The facing used
in this case is intended to initiate white
marble. This facing consists of a NOR
tar made of some brand of white
cement and marble chippings.-BostOn
Herald.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
By
GEO.M.HUNT
Chemist
in Forest
Products.

the use of stones in this way has
seemed to favor decay rather than re-
tard it, because the post is allowed TO
dry out partially between wet spells.
1t would be better to keep it con-
stantly wet.
In dry, sandy regions posts are
sometimes very badly cut by drifting
sand being blown against the wood.
This effect is sometimes called "burn-
ing" Piling stones around such posts
would, no doubt, be effective in pre-
venting the sand-cutting. 1t is doubt
full, however, if results obtained by the
use of stones for the sole purpose Of
preventing decay will justify the labor
involved.
Setting posts in concrete may have
n beneficial effect in some cases. If
moisture should reach the post, how
ever, it may be held there by the
concrete and cause decay to proceed
more rapidly. This is an expensive
method of setting posts and cannot
be depended upon to prevent decay.
~Proloneing the Life Of Posts by Means
of Personalities.
There are five chief requirements
for a preservative for general use. 1t
should be reasonably cheap, should
penetrate wood readily, should not be
corrosive to metal, should not evapo-
rate or wash out of the wood easily,
and should be poisonous to fungi,
For special purposes there are, OF
course, additional requirements.
Coal-tar c%reosote, which is a brown
ish-black heavy oil, practically insol'
uble in water, is In general use fol
preserving fence posts and other farm
timbers. Satisfactory generations OF
many species of wood can be secured
with it and excellent results have
ben obtained by its use. 1t is con
sidered one of the most efficient pre-
servatives against decay so far de
veloped for farm timbers exposed t
the weather. 1t may also be used foI
inside work wherever its color, odor
and other properties are not objeC
tionable.
COal-tar creOsotes vary c~Onsiderabl,
in quality but satisfactory results ma,
be obtained from any good grade, pre-
vided a sufficient amount is put int
the wood and a good penetration
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

old and l need an assistant. If you
don't take advantage of this fine op-
portunity someone else will. There's
your cousin, Cecil"
Walter repressed a smile Of amuse-
ment. Cecil Archer was "a joke" with
those who knew him intimately. A
feather-brained fellow who had an in
come from an old aunt's estate, and in
Boosting of its magnitude named the
bonds, and not the interest, which lat
ter was his, and not the principal. He
was n short, fussy, o~bstreperous little
individual, applied himself to nothing
long in the business way and was
dreadfully conceited.
"All right, Uncle Abel" Walter had
said quietly. 81 would like to see Ce-
ell get along. Please don't misunder-
stand me-" he added with seriousness.
and he placed an affectionate hand on
the arm of his relative, whom he real
ly liked. "Im not fitted for inside
work. 1t would stifie me. I'm not GO
ing to be a surveyor all my life. Pm
keeping up my engineering studies,
and some day you'll be glad 1 followed
ny bent and developed into the line
am naturally fitted for"
But Uncle Abel peevishly shook off
the kindly hand, and Walter realized
he was set down for keeps in 'the back
of the books"
Within a month Cecil Archer bios
somed forth into law. According to his
braggart claims he was to become an
heir to his uncle's fortune and a Judge
ship fright off the bat" was his for the
asking as soon as he completed his
student law course.
He spent most of his money in cost
ly attire, bought an automobile and
never opened a law book. Uncle Abel
sized him up desolately, discerned that
Cecil would not make even q compe-
tent copying clerk, but kept on with
Cecil, hoping the openly exhibited par
TALLY would bring his favorite Wal
ter around to terms.
Quietly, strictly devoted to his bust
ness, Walter pursued the even tenor
If his way. He was determined to
uild from the ground UP, and, humble
as was the employment of carrying
pole and links through the mud and in
all kinds of weather, he loved the long
tramps, he enjoyed being amid natures
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
ME amount of wood used on tn,
to decay is very great. The total

farms of the country and exposed
to decay is very great. The total
is difficult to estimate, but it I'M
doubtedly amounts to several billion
feet. This wood is used in various
forms, such as fence posts, building
foundations, windmill frames, shingles,
telephone poles, silos, etc. For such
uses durability is usually the chief re-
quisite.
Some woods resist decay more than
others. A post of one kind of wood
may last ten years or more, while one
of another kind may last only two
years under the same conditions.
There Is also a great difference in the
durability of wood of the same species
under different conditions. In a very
wet or Il very dry situation a post will
last longer than in a situation where
the ground is simply damp. 1t will
last better In a compact clayey soil
than in a loose sandy soil. A warm,
moist climate is more favorable to de-
cay than a dry one, or one that has
long, cold winters.
Naturally durable woods are con-
tinually growing scarcer and higher
priced in most localities, and less DUR
able woods must be used in their
stead. Many of these woods in their
natural condition will last only two or
three years in situations favorable to
decay. 1t will readily be seen, there
fore, that any reasonably cheap meth
cd of increasing their life will effect
a material saving to the user.
For a number of years the forest
service has been conducting expert
ments on the preservative treatment
of fence posts, poles, and other forms
of timber exposed to decay. These
experiments have been made in CO.
operation with agricultural experiment
stations, farmers, and various com
panies, and also upon the national for
ests. They have proved conclusively
that when a suitable pre~servative
treatment is given the resistance of
wood to decay can be very much in.
creased.
Decay is not due to the chemical &C.
ton of the soil or to the fermentation
VI llc sap, DuI, - TIE result VI lHt
action of certain low forms of plant
life called fungi. These consist, fol
the most part, of very fine threadlike
filamcnts, collectively called mycelium
which penetrate the wood in all di
rections. Certain substances in the
wood constitute the food of the fungi
As these substances are dissolved the
structure is broken down, until the
wood reaches the condition commonly
known as rotten.
The mycelium usually grows out to
the surface TO form compact masses
called fruiting bodies. Since there are
many kinds of fungi, there are many
kinds of fruiting bodies. The various
forms of "toadstools," 'punks," "brack.
cts" or dog ears which are so fire.
quently found growing OIL trees and
dead wood, are examples of these
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
NAMING Tree Life,

DO not forget that old trees starve
to death just as surely as young trees,
though by reason of greater bulk and
a ~far-reaching root system they do not
so quickly show the need of food nor
so quickly succumb. Stable manure
dug or plowed in 20 or more feet
around the tree will do as much good
as anything. Conifers that are
trimmed up from the bottom and the
soil raked clean or sowp to grass right
up to the trunk generally undergo a
slow but sure loss Of vigor. Soil should
be occasionally enriched and dug up
deeply and the needles always left for
a mulch.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
Seasoning Against a Stump.

or other tlmbers in contact with the
ground. They do not penetrate the
wood deeply, and the only way they
can prevent decay is by preventing the
entrance of fungi or moisture into the
wood. Furthermore, the wood is sell
dom painted On all sides; so 1t is
usually possible for fungus TO enter
through an implanted part. When
ever the painted film cracks or peels
of, decay can also enter. 1t is quite
common to see wood decaying be-
meath a coat of paint. If the wood
were saturated with linseed oil 1t
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
All Farm Timber Should De q
= Treated With prpsorvativo2

might prevent decay by keeping out
the water; but this would be difficult
to accomplish as well as being too
expensive.
Posts have sometimes been dipped
in thin cement and allowed to dry,
leaving a coat of cement over the sur
face of the wood. Such a coating will
not keep out water and is easily
cracked or broken off. Good results
cannot be expected from this treat
ment.
Only sound wood is fit for treat
ment. If decay has made a start, it
is not always entirely stopped by the
treatment, but may continue beneath
the treated wood until the interior Of
the post Is destroyed. The first thing
to consider, then, is the selection and
preparation of the timber.
All timber should be peeled and
thoroughly seasoned before the pre-
sentative is applied. In peeling posts
of pine, cedar, and other coniferous
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

Dayton, O., used to treat its workhouse
prisoners as most other cities treat
them-that is, put them in a cell and
let them stay there in idleness, eating
poor food at the expense of the city
until their terms had expired. Under
the commission the workhouse has
been made clean and all the prisoners
given work in the open air. The wOm-
an prisoners have been set to work
making towels and bed clothing. Male
prisoners are taken outdoors and used
for city work as day laborers. The re-
suit is that the city gets the benefit OF
the prisoners work and the prisoner
gets the moral and physical advantage
Of outdoor exercise.-Exchange.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27
creOsote Heater for Brush Treating.

soned. Woods like pines, frs, etc, are
usually not affected so seriously as the
oaks by rapid seasoning.
The posts should be open piled, so
that the air will circulate freely
around each one. The bottom of the
pile should be raised 6 inches or a
foot from the ground. If the ground
is dry, the posts can be seasoned
where they are cut by laying them
upon rocks or brush, or keeping them
off the ground in any other way. Posts
should never be piled in close piles or
allowed to lie on the ground for under
such conditions they will frequently
start to decay before they are sea-
soned.
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

woods, care should be taken to re-
move the thin inner bark from the
part of the post that is to be treated.
Even small patches of this bark often
prevent penetration by the preserva-
tive.
In order to obtain the best absOrp-
ton and penetration Of p~reservative
the posts must be seasoned. The
water and sap must come out of the
wood to make room for the preserva-
tive to go in. Furthermore, wood
treated green is likely to check open
after treatment, exposing untreated
wood. Seasoned wood which has been
wet by recent rains is o in good
condition to treat.
The best place for rapid seasoning
is an exposed location on high ground.
On damp or low ground or near a
stream seasoning will take place much
more slowly, and the wood will never
get quite so dry. If properly piled in
a good location, posts will usually sea-
son sufficiently for treatment in from
60 to 80 days of good seasoning
weather. In exceptional cases they
have been known to season in a
month.
1t is sometimes difficult to determine
from Its appearance whether timber is
sufficiently seasoned or not. By weigh
ing a few representative posts at regu-
lar intervals it is possible to determine
the degree of seasoning very closely.
When an ordinary sized post properly
piled for seasoning does not lose more
than a pound or two in weight during
a week of good seasoning weather it
may be considered dry enough to treat.
Some woods, such as oak and chest
nut, check very badly when dried too
rapidly. 1t is well, If possible, to cut
and peel such timber in the fall or
winter, so that by the time warm
weather comes it will be partially sea-
The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-01-27

structing False Bottom.
line. Above the ground line moisture
conditions are usually unfavOrable,
and below the ground line the air sup
ply is less favorable for the develop
ment of decay. In loose or sandy soils,
however, which under good drainage
contain more air than compact soils,
decay may extend to the bottom of the
post.
Notwithstanding fungi cannot grow
at very high or very low temperatures I;
but there are few, if any, climates in
which the temperature during at least
part of the year is not favorable to
their growth.
Che wood itself supplies the fourth
requirement of the fungi, which is
food, In order to prevent decay, it is
necessary to deprive the fungus of one
or more of these four requirements.
1t is out of the question in ordinary
situations TO deprive it of air and
warmth and though moisture can
sometimes be eliminated to a certain
extent, this cannot be done when the
wood is exposed to the weather. In
general, therefore, the most effective
method of preventing decay is to pois-
on the food supply, and upon this
principle is based the use of most sue
ces~ful wood preservatiyes.
ProIonoing the Life of Posts Without
the Use of Personalities.
Posts which are to be set without
preservative treatment should always
be peeled. The presence of loose bark
allows moisture to collect, and thus
makes conditions favorable for decay.
1t also harbors wondering insects,
which, by boring tunnels, may both
seriously weaken the post and make
conditions more favorable for rapid
decay by affording easy access to
fungi.
The general impression has been
that seasoning wood makes it more
durable. In a number Of experiments
made by the forest service on poles
and ties, however, green wood has
been found as durable as seasoned
wood. 1t is questionable, therefore, If
it pays to season posts simply to in
crease their durability. If the posts
are to be used in moist locations, the
seasoned wood can quickly take up
moisture and in a comparatively short
time reach the condition of green
wood. In any case, the seasoned
posts will in time reach approximately
the same condition as unseasoned
posts under the same conditions.
In order to be Of any value season
ing must be properly done, and the
posts must not be held so long that
decay begins before they are set.
Posts should lever be left close-piled
for any length of time.
In some cases charring has ap-
peared to give good results; in others
however, it has failed to give any
appreciable protection, and it cannot
be relied upon.
Piling stones around the base of the
post has sometimes been resorted to.
This tends TO keep back the weeds and
allow the air to circulate freely
around the post. In some climates,
however, where the ground Is wet dur
ing a considerable portion of the year,