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CHAPTER I.* 



ANTISEPTIC TREATMENT OF TIMBER. 



1. General Remarks. 



The constantly increasing demands on oakwood for railway 

 sleeijers during the latter part of the present century, and the 

 greatly reduced supply of this durable material, have led to the 

 adoption of methods for artificially increasing the durability of 

 other timber. Much has therefore been done of late in this 

 respect, woods which were formerly considered unsuitable being 

 now employed for constructive purposes after injection with 

 various antiseptic substances. The methods emploj'ed are not 

 yet completely satisfactory, but highly beneficial results have 

 been obtained which may lead to still greater improvement. 



The preservation of timber is greatly in the interest of the 

 forest owner, for were it possible to use beech and other broad- 

 leaved woods, oak sapwood and inferior coniferous wood in the 

 place of oak heartwood, much forest produce would thus be 

 rendered more valuable. 



[In India, among the hundreds of indigenous timbers which the 

 forests produce, only a few such as teak, sal, deodar, sissu, will with- 

 stand the attacks of white ants, and consequently there are in the 

 forests large supplies of timber which can be used only foi- inferior 

 purposes or are practically unused. This is especially the case with 

 the enormous supplies of pine, spruce and fir timber in the Himalayan 

 forests. It is extraordinary that, although the question of injecting 

 these timbers with antiseptic substances was brought to the notice of 

 the Government of India by Sir D. Brandis, as early as 1877, nothing 



* Buresch, der Scliutz des Holzes gegen Fiiulniss. 2nd Ed. Dresden, 1S80. 

 Blythe, notes sur les differeuts traitements employes pour la conservation des bois. 

 Paris, 1880. 



[Boulton on antiseptic treatment of timber ; Proceedings of the Institution of 

 Civil Engineers, vol. 78, pt. iv. (1883-4), also S. B. Boulton on creosoting timber, 

 1885.— Tr.] 



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