THE ARTIFICIAL SEASONING OF TIMBER 



Introduction by A. L. Howard and S. Fitzgerald 



There has been up to the present in this country a prejudice, un- 

 justified by facts, against adopting or even considering the process of the 

 artificial seasoning of timber, although it is known that in other countries 

 such a process has been in use with evident success. There have been 

 certain definite reasons for this lack of interest in the subject, but at the 

 present, research, somewhat inadequate though it has been so far, has 

 yet suppHed sufficient fresh data to justify a readiness to reconsider the 

 value of artificial seasoning. 



Before the war Great Britain imported almost the whole of the timber 

 she required, and as the supply was practically unUmited and the shipping 

 unhampered, it was possible to accumulate large stocks of seasoned, 

 partially seasoned, and green timber in this country, and to use these as 

 they came to the required degree of dryness by natural means. The 

 stocks were constantly being renewed, and the disadvantage of having 

 the necessary capital locked up was counterbalanced by the fact that 

 there was no need for the machinery and the technical staff for the 

 seasoning process. Apart from this, it must not be forgotten that timber 

 is an article that must be obtained when it is possible to procure it. 

 Whatever may be the source of supply, the same carefully planned arrange- 

 ments must be perfected to get the logs to the mill and thence to the 

 shipping port. Once these arrangements are disturbed, it may be long 

 before they can again be set in motion. Thus it may be said that the 

 regularity of timber suppUes is always uncertain, and that the large user 

 must therefore secure his stocks when he can. 



From time to time trial has been made of artificial seasoning, but more 

 often by the users of timber than by importers and suppHers. Suppliers 

 have attempted it, though solely with the object of reridering the timber 

 sufficiently dry for shipment, but success has been very limited. Those 

 who have adopted the process have not had sufficient faith in its value 

 to give due attention to the quahty and effectiveness of the work. 

 Further, there was no incentive to experimental research. On the one 



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