8 THE DECAY OF TIES IN STORAGE 



The next attention should be given to foundations. The usual 

 practice is to use two parallel rows of cull ties. In some yards ties 

 of- durable woods like white oak or chestnut are employed, but there is 

 a tendency to use almost any sort of rejects or even pole timbers- 

 Very often on soft ground these low foundations are pressed into the 

 soil, so that the piles rest practically on the ground. The use of non- 

 durable timbers with a large percentage of sapwood is, likewise, a 

 highly objectionable feature. If it is necessary to use such material, 

 the pieces should be given a pressure treatment with creosote or zinc. 

 For permanent yards the use of concrete, preferably in the form of 

 piers carrying treated or naturally durable stringers, would undoubtedly 

 prove an economy in the long run. Such a foundation allows ventila- 

 tion from the sides as well as the ends. The use of open, well ven- 

 tilated, durable foundations cannot be emphasized too strongly, as 

 infection may otherwise pass readily from the soil through the founda- 

 tion timbers into the base of the piles. 



The piling should also be as open as consistent with the checking 

 of the timbers handled. With particularly perishable timbers the con- 

 tact points should be reduced as much as possible. 



In addition to the above, the yards should be kept absolutely free 

 of vegetation and rotten or infected wood. Unless the yards are kept 

 scrupulously clean of decayed wood, which can be of no possible use 

 except for fuel, the other precautions taken will be in large part nul- 

 lified. In handling the whole situation we must begin at the source 

 and very obviously we must strike first at infections. The production 

 of fruiting-bodies bearing the innumerable spores must be kept down. 

 It is of no permanent value to remove and destroy these fruiting-bodies 

 and leave the infected stick, for new crops will soon form again. 



The fire hazard is also another feature to be seriously considered, 

 for it is a well-known fact that rotten or punky wood will ignite 

 very readily from a spark, follow into the sound stick and smolder for 

 a considerable time ready to break out into flame when the wood 

 becomes sufficiently dry and is fanned by a good breeze. 



What Fungi Shall the Inspector Discriminate Against? 



As previously indicated, this paper discusses mainly the more 

 common fungi found on stored ties in the region investigated. Many 

 of these, however, will be found over the entire country. In preparing 

 this part of the article, many thousand cull ties of various kinds of 

 wood, but largely the more perishable, were looked over at Metropolis, 

 111., and representative samples bearing identifiable fruit-bodies were 

 cut from the ends and shipped to the Forest Pathology Laboratory 

 at Madison, Wis., for photographing and further investigation of the 

 extent and seriousness of the associated rot. After photographing the 

 end of the tie bearing the fungus, a 3-inch disc, wherever possible, was 

 cut off to show end penetration of the rot. The cut surface was 



