PERIODICAL LITERATURE 475 



comparatively recent date." Mr. Partridge's description of kiln-drying 

 methods in the Northwest is also interesting: "The old method of dry- 

 ing Inmber (in Maine and Michigan) was by the use of live-steam kilns. 

 These are still used in the Northwest for drying fir and pine, as such 

 treatment is necessary in curing pitchy and sappy woods. The kilns 

 are large rooms, along the floors of which are perforated steam pipes 

 into which live steam is turned. The lumber placed in such a kiln is 

 literally cooked." Just how the steam gives up its heat units without 

 condensing on the lumber and wetting it instead of drying it is not ex- 

 plained by this eminent scientist. A forester reading this article can 

 only come to the conclusion that the writer either has had no experi- 

 ence or training in wood utilization or that the gross misinformation 

 in this article is deliberate. The discussion by other better-informed 

 engineers in succeeding issues o'f the Proceedings brought out a mass 

 of interesting and really valuable data on wood pipe and wood-pipe 

 design. 



B. L. G. 



Modern Practice in Wood Staz'e Pipe Design and Suggestions for Standard 

 Specifications. J. F. Partridge. Proc. Am. Soc. C. E., XLHI, .^pril, 1917, pp. 559- 

 595. Discussion, same volume, August, September, October. 



The toxicity of beechwood creosote, both crude 

 Wood and refined, has been investigated by J. C. 



Creosotes Humphrey and his associates in the Bureau of 



in Plant Industry at the U. S. Forest Products 



Wood Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin. It has been 



Preseri'ation established that such creosote is two to four times 

 more toxic toward wood-destroying fungi tiian 

 coal-tar creosote. A later investigation has demonstrated that the 

 toxicity of maple-wood creosote is practically idetitical with that of 

 beech-wood creosote. Studies to determine the stability of such creo- 

 sotes when exposed to the leaching effect of water or weathering will, 

 however, be necessary before an accurate estimate of their value can be 

 obtained from the data presented in this article. 



B. L. G. 



On the Toxicity to a Wood-destroying Fungus of .\[af>lczvood Creosote and 

 Some of Its Constituents and Derivatives, Together u'ith a Comparison zcitl: 

 Beechzcofld Creosote. Journal of Industrial and Engineering Cliemistry. June, 

 19 1 7, pp. 567-569. 



