FARM BULLETIN No. 3. 



MAY, 1916 



The Preservative Treatment of 

 Farm Timbers 



By E. A. Sterling 



THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TREATING FARM 



TIMBERS 



Better farming means better and more permanent build- 

 ings and fences. Preservative treatment of a considerable 

 portion of the wood material used on the average farm will 

 give permanence and save the cost of replacing fence posts 

 and parts of buildings, or even entire structures, because 

 they have failed from decay. The advantages and oppor- 

 tunities along this line are very great, hence progressive 

 farmers and dealers are interested in developing these possi- 

 bilities to the fullest extent. 



As is well known, the different kinds of wood vary 

 greatly in their lasting qualities. Cypress, redwood, cedar, 

 chestnut, white oak, the heartwood of dense grained pine, 

 and several other species are naturally resistant to decay, 

 but it is not always possible to obtain these durable woods. 

 The unprotected sapwood on nearly all timber will decay 

 when exposed to the weather, or where in contact wth mois- 

 ture as in basement or ground floors, barn sills, fence posts, 

 and many other locations. This natural tendency of some 

 kinds of wood to decay can be prevented for indefinite pe- 

 riods, and at reasonable cost. Proper preservative treat- 

 ment also makes wood serve practically every purpose for 

 farm buildings, in preference to more expensive, less easily 

 worked and less available materials. 



Wood which decays most rapidly is in most cases the 

 easiest to treat, hence the problem is simplified. The farmer 

 can construct his buildings of almost any kind of wood with 

 every assurance that they will last several generations, if 



Three 



