EEPORT OF THE SOCIETY 61 



Kinds of Wood to Select for Treatment 



The selection of kinds of wood that will be suited for our purpose after 

 treatment depends on local conditions. In the Maritime Provinces, the spruce, 

 the fir and the pine offer material that can be economically treated. In Qaebee 

 and Ontario, in addition to these three kinds, there are also the cypress and the 

 willow. In British Colulnbia, the western pine and the poplar are plentiful, 

 and suitable for the purpose. An advantage of this treatment by creosote and 

 other antiseptics, is that it allows the use of a cheap kind of wood, and the va- 

 riety chosen will depend on the purchase price and the method of treatment 

 adopted. 



Preliminary Preparation of the Wood 



When the kind of wood to be used in making thte posts has been decided 

 upon, it is prepared in a special manner before treatment with the antiseptic. 

 The trees, or parts of trees, are cut out in the autumn, or early in spring, before 

 the sap has begun to rise in the tree. 



The stakes are piled up in tiers, each of 4 or 8 stakes, each set laid cross- 

 ways on the previous lot, until the pile contains from fifty to sixty posts. 

 These piles are arranged at from twelve to fifteen feet from each other. As 

 the result of this arrangement, the posts will be well seasoned in the summer 

 and will be ready for the creosote treatment in the early autumn. The head 

 of each post should be cut to a point or edge. 



General Object of the Treatment 



The aim of the treatment is to secure a penetration by the creosote or 

 other liquid as deeply as possible into the wood, using the smallest possible 

 quantity of liquid and with evaporation reduced to a minimum during treating. 



Farmers who have a good deal of fencing to attend to and who use a great 

 number of posts soon become quite capable of carrying out the different methods 

 of treatment described below. 



Setting stones round the Bases of the Posts 



Mr. Weiss, in his book entitled ''The Preservation of Structural Timber", 

 page 174, suggests that if one can get stones in sufficient quantity it is a good 

 plan, after the post has been placed in the hole dug for it, to fill in with stones, 

 as this would prevent the growth of vegetation, which would otherwise injure 

 the base of the post. 



Carbonisatio"^ 



Another method of treatment is to first .soak the foot of the post in crude tar 

 oil and then slightly carbonise this portion in the fire. Some experiments cai 

 ried out at the Wyoming Experimental Station, Ohio, on this method, have 

 given satisfactory^ results. 



