578 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



mended since it not only retards decay, but to a large 

 extent reduces the tendency to curl and loosen, which is 

 sometimes found in the cheaper grades. As creosote 

 forms the basis of most shingle stains, the ordinary 

 process of dipping or painting with the stain is quite 

 satisfactory. There seems to be a good future in con- 

 nection with the use of fire resistant shingle paints, 

 which combine not only the preservative effect, but also 

 a high de- 

 gree of resist- 

 ance to fire. 

 Any good 

 paint or stain 

 will tend to 

 prevent the 

 formation of 

 cups which, 

 because they 

 are inclined to 

 catch and hold 

 flying sparks 

 or brands, be- 

 come the worst 

 hazard of a 

 shingle roof ; 

 while paints 

 contain large 

 percentages of 

 aluminum sil- 

 icate having 

 real fire resist- 

 ant qualities. 

 The Paint 

 Manufacturers 

 Association of 

 the United 



States supplies a shingle paint which is both preserva- 

 tive in effect and highly fire resistant. 



The cost of a high-grade non-volatile coal tar creosote 

 is somewhat high when purchased in small quantities, 

 although, as a rule, it is less expensive than good paint, 

 and for the particular purposes mentioned is of greater 

 value. The cost of applying depends largely on the facil- 

 ities at hand, and the apparatus used, the brush treatment, 

 of course, being only the labor in applying. The builder 

 could hardly afford to construct and use open tanks 

 unless treating a considerable amount of lumber, but in 

 some towns the retail lumber yards are operating tanks 

 of this kind, and in farming sections it is often desirable 

 to build and operate a co-operative open tank plant. 



TESTING FIRE RESISTANCE OF SHINGLES 



These have been treated with preservative paints, and gasoline soaked waste sufficient 

 to ignite an untreated shingle roof results in these treated shingles being only slightly 

 charred. 



Prior to the shutting off of imports in 1914 on account 

 of the war, about half the creosote used was of domestic 

 production and the other half imported. To-day a con- 

 siderable quantity of European oil is again being brought 

 in, but its increasing use abroad as fuel is restricting the 

 supply, and consumers must depend more and more on 

 home production. Creosote has always been entered 

 duty free, and it would be very unfortunate if a tariff 



was imposed at 

 the present 

 time, because 

 the price is al- 

 ready much 

 higher than a 

 few years ago, 

 and anything 

 which adds to 

 the cost will 

 discourage its 

 use and pre- 

 vent that ex- 

 pansion which 

 is so desirable 

 in order to ob- 

 t a i n greater 

 life from the 

 timber used. 

 Wood preser- 

 vatives play a 

 very important 

 part in the con- 

 servation o f 

 our forests, 

 for not only do 

 they permit the 

 utilization o f 

 inferior grades of lumber which would otherwise 

 be impractical, but it is obvious that if lumber can 

 be made to give added life, the drain upon our dimin- 

 ishing forest resources will be by just that much reduced. 

 It is estimated that eight billion feet of untreated struc- 

 tural timbers decay every year. If that whole amount 

 were to be treated we would actually save about four bil- 

 lion feet of lumber every year. That is to say, it would 

 render unnecessary the annual deforestation of some 

 four hundred thousand acres of land. There could be 

 no truer or more effective forest conservation, and every 

 home builder who, by the use of preservatives, lengthens 

 the life of his house or barn, performs an effective service 

 to the cause of forestry. 



TN Vermont farmers the past few years have been 

 ' setting out a yearly average of 500,000 forest tree 

 seedlings. These are grown in the State nurseries. 



'T^HE State of Ohio, through recent legislation, will 

 * join the ranks of those believing in the State en- 

 tering the field of forest growing. Forest Patrolman. 



THE Third Southern Forestry Congress recently 

 . . U^^A at Atlanta H, .^^A ^r.i-U^^ C<-o^<.c, 4-^ 



ber of California National forests this season. In 

 the State of Washington the State Fire law covers this 

 subject. The idea is growing. 



held at Atlanta, Ga., urged Southern States to 

 adopt adequate forest policies and that Government 

 and States co-operate in making appropriations for fire 

 protection. 



