State Agricultural Society. 261 



PEESEEVED WOODS. 



Sacramento, September 28d, 1871. 



To the President and Directors of the^State Board of Agriculture: 



Gentlemen: Your special committee have examined the specimens of 

 wood, preserved and unpreserved, decayed and sound, etc., exhibited by 

 the "Pacific Wood Preserving Company," of San Francisco, the details 

 of which are set forth in the accompanying catalogue issued by the 

 company, and beg leave to report as follows: 



Fencing — -The fences in common use in this State are made with red- 

 wood posts and Paget Sound fir boards. The posts are riven, being- 

 selected, from such portions of the tree as split the easiest, viz:,tne top 

 and branches. Such of the butt cuts of redwood timber as will retain 

 all o^ nearly all of their original moisture will not decay; but this is 

 npt the case with the lighter and dry portions of the tree, such as are 

 riven into fencing and railroad ties. Fence posts should certainly all 

 be "preserved" for economy's sake, and the durability of the boards 

 would also be greatly increased, though this is obviously less important. 

 Farm Dwellings and Granaries — The foundations of these should all 

 be "preserved" — not only to prevent dry rot or decay of any kind, but 

 to secure immunity against vermin and insects, nearly all of which are 

 repelled by the hydro-carbon vapor absorbed into the preserved wood. 

 Farm Wagons and Agricultural Implements would be far more durable 

 if subjected to the preserving process, which is one of the most effective 

 means known of preventing decay and shrinkage of the wood from the 

 iron. 



The Wood Preserving Company have exhibited interesting specimens 

 of the efficacy of their process in rroisting the ravages of the toredo 

 nivalis or marine worm, so destructive to piles and all harbor construc- 

 tions.' Though the recommendation of the best materials for harbor 

 and coast work devolves upon the Chamber of Commerce and Board of 

 Engineers, it is of interest to the State from its relations to the consump- 

 tion of timber and the preservation of forests on this coast. Indeed, it 

 is from a conviction of the importance of making the consumption and 

 production of timber more nearly equal that your committee base their 

 recommendation of this wood preserving process. In Europe stringent 

 forest laws are found necessary to prevent the drying up of streams and 

 rivers. To increase the durability of timber is equivalent to an increase 

 of supply, and is consequently a question of public if not political econ- 

 omy. We are of the opinion that all public structures for local or State 

 use, or whenever public money is expended and wood the material 

 employed in construction, should be built with a recognition of the 

 scientifically demonstrated value of this process. The application of 

 wood to ship building on this coast is referred to in the annual address 

 to the Society, delivered by the Honorable T. G. Phelps, on the twen- 

 tieth instant. 



We therefore cordially recommend a special gold medal to tho " Pacific 

 Wood Preserving Company" for their meritorious exhibition of articles 

 which could not be classed under your catalogue. 



EZEA S. CAEE, 

 I concur: W. WADSWOETH. 



