FORESTRY. 645 



Among the facts brought out by the investigation, it was found that large 

 posts usually last longer than small ones of the same wood. It makes no dif- 

 ference which end of the post is put in the ground, except that preference 

 should be given to the sounder or larger end. In stiff clay soil the posts gen- 

 . erally rot just beneath the surface of the ground, whereas in porous, sandy, or 

 gravelly soil, they usually rot throughout the buried portion. Posts standing 

 in constantly wet soils last longer than in soils which are alternately wet and 

 dry. Seasoning does not seem to have any marked effect on durability. Tim- 

 ber growing rapidly and in the open is not so good as the same variety growing 

 in the woods. The evidence appears to show that it is not a good time to cut 

 posts just as the tree begins to grow in early spring. The wood at the center 

 of the tree is not so good as that just inside the sap wood. In an average lot 

 of so-called first-class posts on the market a number can usually be selected 

 that are defective, though they may appear sound and firm. The defectiveness 

 is usually indicated by a somewhat darker color than normal, especially near 

 the center of the tree. 



Tests of shortleaf yellow pine treated for sap stain {Engin. Rec, 63 

 (1911), No. 7, p. 18S). — Average results of static bending tests on natural, sap- 

 stained, and soda-dipped lumber made at the Forest Products Laboratory of the 

 Forest Service of this Department at Madison, Wis., are here given. They 

 indicate that soda dipping to prevent sap stain does not materially affect the 

 strength or surface hardness of lumber. 



Comniunication on the structure and life of spruce roots and investiga- 

 tions on the influence of various cultural practices on the root development, 

 Matthes {AUg. Forst ». Jagd Ztg., 87 {1911), Jan., pp. 1-6, pis. 2). — Numerous 

 citations are made to show that the spruce is a shallow-rooted tree, usually 

 insecurely anchored, and that the root development is influenced by the nature 

 of the soil and food supply. Results are then given of a number of cultural 

 experiments conducted by the author in the establishment of spruce stands on 

 sandstone and shell-lime soils. Chemical fertilizers were successfully used on 

 both types of soil but at too high a cost. 



The culture of spruce in connection with locusts and alders has acted very 

 favorably on the root development of spruce. The feeding roots of the spruce 

 attach themselves closely to the roots of the locust, following the locust roots 

 downward throughout their course. The author attributes the principal bene- 

 ficial effect on spruce when grown in connection with alder to the assimilation 

 by the spruce roots of the dead nitrogen nodules on the roots of the alder. 



In afforesting arable lands with spruce, I'ows of hardy lupines planted be- 

 tween the spruce rows serve to check the extensive development of shallow 

 lateral roots and create a greater number of anchorage roots which follow the 

 downward course of the dead lupine roots. The use of lupines in connection 

 with spruce on moorlands and in clear cuttings in forests considerably increased 

 the top and root development of spruce but at a rather high cost. 



The author suggests that the attacks by grubs of May beetles in arable soil 

 may be one of the important causes of root rot and wound rot. With a view 

 to creating a deeper root system and thus preventing danger from mechanical 

 injury, as well as from attacks of grubs, the use of lupines and preliminary 

 plantings of alders is recommended. 



Tapping" experiments with Kickxia elastica, A. Zimmermann (Pflanzer, 

 7 (1911), No. 1, pp. 1-10). — Tapping experiments with young K. elastica trees 

 conducted at Amani, German East Africa, are reported. 



The quarter-section method of tapping gave the largest yield, although the 

 author is of the opiuion that generally speaking the herring-bone tapping system 



