News and Notes. 355 



it is yet too early to discriminate between the different methods 

 of treatment, all treated timbers are found to be free from attack, 

 while the untreated timbers placed in the mines for comparison 

 are showing signs of fungus growth. 



The open tank method was used in treating some of the mine 

 props and a penetration of 3 and 4 inches was secured on seasoned 

 loblolly pine. The results are so satisfactory that plans are under 

 way for the erection of a small commercial plant to further test 

 the advisability of treating mine props by this method on a com- 

 mercial scale. It has also been pretty well demonstrated that red 

 oak can be treated by the open tank method. 



A series of experiments are just being completed at the plant 

 of the Chicago & North Western Railway Company at Escanaba, 

 Mich., where the Forest Service has been investigating the method 

 employed by the company in treating tamarack and hemlock ties. 

 The company attempted to treat these timbers in a green condition 

 and very poor results were obtained. The series of experiments 

 has brought out that when the timbers are seasoned to a weight of 

 38 to 42 pounds per cubic foot, the timbers can be successfully 

 treated by the Burnettizing or Wellhouse process. Formerly at- 

 tempts were made to treat the timbers in a green condition, weigh- 

 ing 50 to 55 pounds per cubic foot. As a result of the experiments 

 the company has signified its intention to issue orders that no ties 

 be treated at the yard weighing over 43 pounds per cubic foot. 



The Forest Service has under consideration experiments to de- 

 termine the proper method of seasoning the tanbark oak in Cali- 

 fornia. At present very little of the tree is utilized except the 

 bark, which is used for tanning. The wood, although possessing 

 many of the valuable qualities of the eastern oaks, is very apt to 

 warp and check in seasoning, which ruins its utility for lumber. 

 Therefore, unless a ready firewood market is near at hand the 

 tree is stripped of its bark and abandoned to decay. In view of 

 the meager stands of hardwood on the Pacific Coast, such a study 

 as proposed is well in accord with the most economic use of forests. 



During the summer and fall a careful examination has been 

 made of the dead and mature timber on thirteen forest reserves in 



