Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-10
MAKING TIMBER LAST LONGER

We hear great deal THESE Gays
about timber depletion and timber
conservation. There Is good reason
for this, on account of our trees being
cut and made into lumber much more
rapidly than the growth OF new trees
will replace them. The farmer has
and always will be big user of tim
Der. Since this is true, an effort should
not only be made to economic in the
use of timber but make that in use
last longer.
There is some waste in timber on
nearly every farm. Neglected repairs
will usually result in waste. A sag
ging gate that is not fixed Is soon
broken and used for kindling while
there Is still some good lumber in 1t.
The man who allows his porch floor
to rot without paint or repairs will find
a decayed sill or joist when he finally
gets around to it. When one neglects
replacing rotten shingles, the whole
house is damaged.
Much expense can be saved by MAX
ing use of materials at hand, and by
sorting and storing lumber when old
buildings and sheds are torn down.
Much good material is burned for fuel
because it cannot be used as easily
as new lumber.
The big loss of lumber is due to
fres and to rot, both Of these causes
can be eliminated to a great extent by
better building construction and pro-
lection. more carefully constructed
chimney flue will eliminate one of the
main causes of fires. Better roofs and
better constructed foundations will
save the rest of the building to a
great extent.
Proper use Of paint and creosote
products will not only protect against
decay but reduce the chance of fire.
1t is the badly decayed buildings that
take fire easily. This is especially
true of the roof. When sparks fall on
dry rotted shingles. a fire is likely to
result. BY creosoting the shingles
they do not decay as quickly and
would not catch fire as easily. If all
foundation sills and points where the
lumber comes in contact with mason
ry were treated with creosote the
life of the building would be increased
many years.
= The decay Of wood is due to fun
gous growth that requires heat, air
and moisture BY removing any one
OF these conditions the fungi are
killed and decay stopped. The treat
ment most commonly resorted to is to
reduce the moisture content of the
timber. A great many experiments
were carried on by the United States
department of agriculture and some of
the state experiment stations and it
was found that creoSote, by-product
in the manufacture of coal tar is the
cheapest and the most efficient wood
preservative. Railroads have long
since adopted creosote for treating
cross ties, the butts of telegraph
ooles and building timbers that need
to be replaced from year to year.
In fence construction on the farm
the replacement of posts is quite an
item and much timber is used each
year. Where timber is available, even
of poor quality, creosoting will in
crease its life many years. In increas-
ing the life of the post not only the
price of new post is saved but also
the labor and expense to reset it.
The treatment is so simple anyone
can apply it with just little equip
ment To get the material to penetrate
into the posts the bark must be re-
moved and the post must be dry and
seasoned. If only a few posts are to
be treated one tank is all that is
needed. The posts are placed In the
tank so that the creosote will be about
one foot above the ground line when
set, and they are allowed to stand In
the material until the TlSnt amount
of penetration is secured. There should
be at least a half inch penetration,
and if there is good deal of sap
wood the posts will give best results
IL they are entirely penetrated.
Where there are a number OF posts
or pieces of timber to he treated it is
best to use the hot and cold process.
With this treatment two tanks are re-
quired. In one the posts are placed in
the creosote and 1t is heated to about
$50 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The
posts are left in this tank until the
sap Is well penetrated, the time re-
CURED depending on the type of posts.
While in the hot bath the fibers of
the wood tend to expand and force out
the air and moisture present, and when
the posts are placed in the cold tank
there is a contraction which draws
more creosote into the wood cells.
Either a metal or a wood tank may be
used, depending on the method of
heating.
While both paint and creosote are
higher priced than in former years,
the timber that We buy Is even more
costly and the amount saved by treat
ing will more than balance the cost of
he nj in