100 Forest Club Annual 



Seasoning, therefore, means longer life of the timber be- 

 cause of the partial destruction of a fine fungus foothold, and 

 because most fungi can not thrive without a greater amount 

 of moisture than is present in seasoned timber. The increase 

 in the life of poles due to seasoning is, however, proportionally 

 very small. I feel that some investigators have valued the in- 

 crease in life due to this single factor far too high. 



The original watery sap fills not only the cells but per- 

 meates the cell walls making them pliable. Partial seasoning 

 takes the free cell sap, while longer seasoning also removes 

 the fluid from the cell walls, which makes the timber much 

 stronger than when green. After being once thoroughly sea- 

 soned, timber is very unlikely in any condition of service to 

 take up enough water to reach the original state of weakness. 



Seasoning means, further, a considerable loss of weight. 

 Freight tariffs often seem to make the weight consideration of 

 secondary importance, but a keen realization of the importance 

 of this matter may be gained from the statement that Western 

 Yellow Pine poles lose 55 per cent of the green weight in sea- 

 soning, and that this amounts, on an average, to 920 pounds 

 per 40 foot pine pole. Transportation and handling charges 

 due to this excess weight of unevaporated water deserves much 

 attention. 



When it is granted that a preservative treatment of timber 

 will, in a given case, result in great advantage, the importance 

 of seasoning as a preparation for such treatment can not be too 

 strongly emphasized. Not only are the cells left free to take 

 up the preservative, but the wood has become more porous. 

 Further, water and oil have no affinity, and the presence of water 

 hinders the entrance of oils for that reason. Treatment before 

 seasoning may imprison sufficient water, with the ever-present 

 fungous spore and make interior conditions, deeper than the 

 preservative penetrates, suitable for the life of the fungus. 

 Therefore seasoning is important both to prepare the wood for 

 taking the preservative freely, and also to make sterile con- 

 ditions beyond the treatment. 



The advantages of seasoning may be summarized as follows: 



1. It increases the strength of the wood. 



2. It renders it more resistant to decay. 



3. It saves cost of handling, through marked reduction 

 of weight. 



4. It prepares the wood for preservative treatment. 



These considerations dictate the line of experiments in sea- 

 soning poles. The object of these seasoning experiments is to 

 prepare the wood for preservative treatment while making a 

 careful study of the following points : 



