28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



by the well-known scientist here A. Zimmerman. Here are some of 

 the experiments: 



"Four draught horses were selected doing ordinary work with 

 others, and, in the hot time of the year, when horses are generally 

 expected to lose weight, the usual food ration was altered by de- 

 ducting four pounds of oats a day from the food selected for the 

 four and replacing them by four pounds of a ' saeehulose ' molasses 

 compound. The animals working in the same teams with the 

 selected four, to which had not been given this food, showed no 

 increase in weight, but those experimented upon showed a net gain 

 in body weight, and worked better in every way. Increases in 

 weight of seventy pounds, thirty pounds, thirty-five pounds and 

 sixty-five pounds were shown respectively. 



"A colt that was in such a weak condition that it could hardly 

 stand was next experimented with. Four important veterinary 

 surgeons obtained, after a careful examination, had given inde- 

 pendent verdicts that the colt should be destroyed. Then the new 

 food was given to the animal, first one and one-half pounds daily 

 divided into three meals. This was increased to three and one-half 

 and four pounds daily, the quantity of oats being slowly decreased 

 in the same proportion. Two pounds of chaff also was given daily 

 and haj' unlimited. 



' ' The weight of the animal taken at the beginning of the six 

 months' feeding, was 623 pbunds; the final weight, after that 

 period, was 882 pounds, a total increase of more than 250. The 

 colt is now in excellent condition and fit for any work. 



' ' The secretary of an important Durham colliery reports that he 

 finds that the substitution of two pounds of 'saeehulose," mixed 

 with molasses for an equal weight in oats, keeps the pit ponies and 

 horses in a good, hard condition, similar to that when fed entirely 

 on oats and chaff. 



"In the production of milk and butter a keen exhibitor of dairy 

 produce, after several j'ears' failure to gain any first-class recogni- 

 tion at county shows, achieved successes during a period in which 

 he experimented with 'saeehulose' mixed with oil protein. 



"The manager of one of the largest firms of butchers has made 

 the interesting discovery that the new food produced the best 

 bacon and hams. A veterinary surgeon, after conducting experi 

 ments on his own horses, came to the conclusion that 'saeehulose' 

 mixed with molasses was the best sugar food he ever tried, and its 

 flesh-forming propensities were mp»* pronounced. 



"There are many possibilities •a'^.^tt from 'saeehulose' as a feed- 

 ing stuff, for the utilization of this converted wood substance, and 

 its value in these directions has yet to be considered. Its sugar 

 content marks it out as a resource for some industries, and natur- 

 ally the first of these is the manufacture of spirit. A factory cap- 

 able of treating 200 tons of sawdust weekly could turn out between 

 300,000 to 400,000 gallons of proof spirit a year. This would also 

 give by-products of 50 tons acetic acid, 10 tons furfural, and 2,000 

 gallons of methyl alcohol for recovery. The spirits produced are of 

 high quality and free from fusel oil. It is thought that this, in 

 these days, is of mixed advantage, since it appears that fusel oil 

 obtained as a by-product is becoming more valuable than the 

 spirits produced. 



"This converted wood is said to be the cheapest base from 

 which to start for the purpose of making synthetic rubber, whose 

 source is starch or sugar. Converted wood will doubtless be of 

 great assistance in the development of this process. The base of 

 its derivatives may be used in the linoleum industry, for this 

 specially treated and prepared base has many advantages for 

 resilient treadings. 



"Again, in the manufacture of mining explosives, while the 

 organic matter is mixed with powerful oxidizing agents, this sub- 

 stance can be used with great advantage, since it can be minutely 

 divided and has such rapidity of combustion. 



"Not the least surprising of its characteristics are its non- 

 conducting properties produced by appropriate treatment; so that 

 for refrigerator packing, incubators, ice chambers, it will be found 

 of great use. 



"Much more could be claimed for it. Many outlets are under 



investigation and undergoing patient developments. These varied 

 processes are after all the result of, and go hand in hand with, the 

 production of sugar from wood." 



Mr. Zimmerman's experiments have raised considerable interest 

 and comment in this country. Another scientist, Walter F. Eeid, 

 F. C. H., who is also interested in the new discovery, says that 

 there is an enormous amount of wood still left in the world, espe- 

 cially in Europe, and it is a rather curious development that the 

 United States, which had such enormous reserves of forests, is now 

 going to outside countries for wood. On the other hand the total 

 area of forest lands, including Siberia, is greater than the whole of 

 the United States and Canada combined. 



There are a great many sawmills in London doing a large amount 

 of work, and the sawdust produced is far superior to that collected 

 from the fresh wood in the countries in which the wood is grown. 

 The wood used in London is mostly water-borne, from which the 

 resin has been washed out, and thus gives a far better product. 



Qualities of Water-Soaked Wood 



While it has long been recognized that soaking wood had some 

 effect upon it, no careful study of the matter has been made in this 

 country. In a general way it is known that prolonged soaking results 

 in leaching out certain substances, thereby making it lighter, some- 

 what more resistant to decay, easier to season, and reducing the 

 tendency of the manufactured lumber to shrink and swell. In olden 

 times leaching with water was much practiced by joiners. In Japan 

 it is a common custom to store timber in water, and although this is 

 done to protect the wood from rot, it is an interesting fact that 

 Japanese wood manufactures excel in the absence of the unfortunate 

 ' ' working ' ' and checking. 



In order to determine just what influence soaking has on timber, 

 a very extensive series of experiments through many years was 

 recently completed at the Austrian experiment station. Wood from 

 eighty-eight trees, representing nine difi'erent species, was used, one- 

 half cut in summer, the other in winter. Specimens were tested after 

 treating in four different ways, namely, (1) unsoaked, (2) soaked in 

 standing fresh water, (3) soaked in running fresh water, (4) soaked 

 in salt water. The soaking extended over periods of from one and 

 one-half to three and three-quarter years. 



One general conclusion reached was that soaking the wood in fresh 

 water, such as occurs in the process of rafting logs, or from lying in 

 mill ponds, or where wood becomes frequently wet from showers, and 

 in similar waj's, exerts a favorable influence on the wood by decreas- 

 ing the hygroscopicity and thereby decreasing the shrinking and swell- 

 ing. The danger of checking is lessened as weD. A favorable 

 influence also is probably exerted on the durabiUty of the wood, though, 

 this could only be assumed. It would require several years more to 

 demonstrate the accuracy of this conclusion. Another result was the 

 apparent loss of strength to a small degree. 



Soaking in salt water appeared to lessen the shrinkage as com- 

 jiaied to that of unsoaked wood. Owing, however, to the absorption 

 iif salt, which has a strong aflinity for moisture, the hygroscopicity is 

 increased, thereby causing a greater degi-ee of swelling and warping 

 when the wood is exposed to variable humidities. The checking was 

 lessened by the treatment, and the compression strength is also less 

 than that of wood in the air-dry condition. Whatever influence time 

 of felling may have had on the properties of the wood could not be 

 detected. 



As a result of chemical analyses of the test specimens it was found 

 that treatment with fresh water produced an infiltration of lime and 

 magnesia, while the storing of chlorides results from the soakiug in 

 salt water. 



The use of wood soaked in fresh water is recommended by the 

 investigator for artistic and industrial purposes. On the other hand, 

 wood soaked in salt water is recommended for use only where durability 

 is of more importance than freedom from ' ' working " in a changeable 

 luimid atmosphere. Such wood should be thoroughly air-dried before 

 lieing used and should be avoided in fine woodwork, as the salt in the 

 presence of moisture is likely to cause rust streaks upon coming in 

 contact with iron. 



