CAUSES OF DECAY AND DESTRUCTION OF TIMBER 259 



having been buried 17 ft. below the present Gulf of Mexico 

 probably for thousands of years. 



Wood that is free from atmospheric changes will not 

 decay, nor will wood which is perfectly dry, although this 

 latter condition is not possible of attainment under ordinary 

 conditions, as wood has a great affinity for water and 

 absorbs the moisture from the surrounding atmosphere ; 

 but most kinds of timber, if in good condition when used, 

 and afterwards well protected and placed where there is 

 free circulation of air, will last for centuries, as witness the 

 great age to which furniture will keep in good condition 

 even in a moist climate. There are two sycamore coffins 

 from Egypt, now in the British Museum, 4,400 years old 

 and in such good condition that even the colours of their 

 ornamentation are still quite bright. Pliny well knew that 

 timber kept constantly under fresh water was less liable to 

 decay than when exposed to variations of atmosphere, and 

 long before his time Solomon, or his Temple architect, was 

 aware of the necessity of having a free circulation of air 

 round timbers built into walls so as to prevent damp, and 

 for this reason " he made narrowed rests round about that 

 the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the 

 house," and all that the present-day German scientist can 

 advise to prevent decay is the same old doctrine of the free 

 action of air and the avoidance if possible of contact with 

 wood and brickwork, or else the use of antiseptics. 



The reason why timber posts decay at ground level is 

 because the higher temperature at that place allows of the 

 production of fungi. Conditions of moisture and warmth 

 affect timber so much that in the same fence a durable 

 wood may decay before one of lesser durability. 



Timber should never be painted or tarred before being 

 properly seasoned, as by so doing we bring about the best 

 conditions for cultivating the fungi whose spores were 



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