296 Forestry Quarterly. 



Shear is at present in Europe it is hoped that he will be able to 

 throw more light on the question on his return. 



Collins, J. F. Treatment of Orchard and Ornamental Trees. Am. 

 Lumberman 1912. 34-.2 Mr. 1912. 



The Chestnut Bark Fungus, Diaporthea parasitica. Phytopathology. 

 April, 1912. 11:88-89. 



Smith and Hoxie, Special Inspectors for 

 "Dry Rot" the Associated Mutual Fire Insurance Com- 



in panies of Boston bring vividly to the atten- 



Biiildings. lion of engineers and builders in this day 



of increasingly inferior lumber products the 

 need of more careful selection and preparation of structural tim- 

 bers for factories. They call to mind the report of Prof. Woolson 

 regarding the sudden failure, during a fire in 1909, of the heavy 

 white oak posts supporting the floors of the Gledhill Wall Paper 

 Factory of New York City. This was due to decay at the upper 

 ends of the timbers where encased by the metal caps which joined 

 the posts and girders. 



Even more striking is the recent experience of the Canadian 

 Spool Cotton Co. in their factory at Maisonneuve, Quebec, in 

 which decay had so far progressed in the southern pine frame 

 timbers that these had to be replaced with steel after four years 

 service. The first defect was noticed two years after the mill 

 was begun, when the floors began to settle, due to the crushing in 

 of the three-inch block fillers between the posts of each story. 

 The history of the structure' and the method of construction and 

 operation explain the cause of failure, and these obvious defects 

 should be remedied by future builders. The timbers consisted to 

 a large extent of inferior wide-ringed southern-pine, instead of the 

 heavier close-ringed longleaf which the specifications called for, 

 and the material was piled out all winter exposed to the snows and 

 outside infection. The floor beams were placed in pairs with a 

 seven-eighths inch space between, and on top of these was laid a 

 heavy floor. To further improve the conditions for decay, the 

 space between the floor beams was battened and the floor above 

 was kept moist by the fine spray developed in the operation of the 

 machinery. Hardly more favorable conditions for the develop- 

 ment of fungi could be imagined ! 



The writers suggest that the decay was produced by Mernlius 



