NOTES AND QUERIES. 215 
the treeless plateaus of Mexico into forests.—Zhe Timber News 
and Saw-mill Engineer, April 15, 1905. 
ARTIFICIALLY COLOURED Woop. 
During the last two or three years many factories have been 
built in Sweden for the manufacture of coloured wood furniture. 
The coloured wood industry began in Italy in the 17th century, 
and wood-colouring works came to Sweden during the Thirty 
Years’ War; but until quite recently the method was used on a 
very small scale, and at first only dry wood was coloured. 
Now, by the method invented by an Austrian, Joseph Pfister, 
in 1901, the wood is coloured when fresh. The tree is cut 
while the sap is in action, and in the colouring process the 
dye is forced under heavy pressure into the wood, and replaces 
the sap. Until recently the non-poisonous and aniline dyes 
were used, but these colours fade a little. Now the manufacturers 
can colour lengths of 13 feet. Birch, beech, alder, maple, elm, 
and basswood are the best kinds of wood for the purpose; 
oak is not good on account of the tannic acid, and in spruce 
and pine the colour cannot be made uniform. The wood looks 
best when polished. The prices are as yet comparatively high, 
on account of the amount of waste, but improvements may 
follow; and with cheaper prices and more extensive use it is 
considered that coloured wood will give Sweden an important 
income. It can be used in furniture, panels, doors, and so on; 
and for outside work it does not require painting. For fitting 
ships and tramcars it is also being employed very successfully.— 
Abridged from Zhe Timber News and Saw-mill Engineer, 
April 29, 1905. 
THE SEASONING OF TIMBER. 
In the Zeitschrift fiir Architektur und Ingenteurwesen, 
Professor Nussbaum discusses the best measures for seasoning 
timber and for preventing the growth of dry-rot and other 
diseases to which it is liable. He points out that for numerous 
