576 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



The point, therefore, to consider is, what 

 are the features which render a preservative 

 treatment best adapted for plantation wood- 

 work ? The requirements of such a treatment 

 are carefully set out in the following extracts 

 from an article which appeared in Tropical 

 Life for September, 1911 : 



k< It is obvious that there are many cases in 

 the Tropics where timber, whether for railway, 

 building, or fencing purposes, cannot be treated 

 with a process involving the use of special 

 plant ; and in such cases an efficient preserva- 

 tive solution applied with brushes or sprayers 

 ensures much longer service in comparison 

 with the life of untreated timber, and amply 

 justifies the cost of material and labour for the 

 purpose. Where the circumstances allow of 

 immersing the timber in the solution, in an 

 open bath, however rough and ready, a higher 

 degree of impregnation is of course obtained 

 with a corresponding advantage in the life of 

 the timber. Moreover, where large quantities 

 of timber are being handled, the immersion 

 method is certainly quicker and more 

 economical. . 



" The degree of impregnation to be obtained 

 with any preservative solution is not so much 

 dependent on the method of application as on 

 the character of the wood and its condition at 

 the time of treatment. It is 'obvious that a 

 length of sapwood immersed in an open bath 

 would absorb a greater quantity of solution 



