428 THE BOOK OF THE LANDED ESTATE. 



Scots pine-timber sleepers are laid on the railway in their natural 

 state without any preparation, and the foreign sleepers are creosoted in 

 the way mentioned. Both kinds of sleepers are mixed together on the 

 line. The sleepers have not yet lain sufficiently long to test the 

 experiment thoroughly, but I should say that, from the amount of 

 resin in the Scots pine, it will last longer than the foreign timber 

 creosoted. The experiment is being carried out by Messrs Richard 

 Connon & Co. of Aberdeen. 



The kinds of trees already mentioned last much better than the ash, 

 poplar, beech, &c. ; and in this case the heart-wood of trees is more 

 durable than the sap-wood. Taking these two things, therefore, into 

 consideration, if we try to get these two qualities into the timber, we 

 will succeed to a certain degree. 



Oil is a first-class article in filling up the pores of timber. This 

 lasting effect is shown in ,the case of oil-casks, and also whaling- 

 ships. Dead oil or pitch possesses the qualities of resin. According 

 to Professor Letheby, " dead oil first coagulates albuminous substances ; 

 second, absorbs and appropriates the oxygen in the pores, and so 

 protects from cremacausis ; third, resinifies in the pores of the wood, 

 and thus shuts out both air and moisture ; and, fourth, acts as a 

 poison to the lower forms of animal and vegetable life, and so protects 

 the wood from all parasites. All these properties specially fit it for 

 impregnating timber exposed to alternate states from wet to dry, as 

 indeed some of them do for situations constantly wet." . * 



I have erected a great extent of fencing which was previously coated 

 over with a composition of coal-tar, lime, and resin. I employed a tar- 

 barrow, as shown in the chapter on Fencing. In the pot in which the 

 tar was boiled was mixed the undernoted quantities : 



Coal-tar, 4 gallons. 



Slaked lime bushel. 



Resin, 4 Ib. 



This I allowed to boil for an hour, and stirred it well during the time it 

 was on the fire. It was then applied to the posts and rails in a hot state 

 with strong brushes made for the purpose. I have found this a most 

 effectual coating, and can highly recommend it. Some fencing prepared 

 in this way and erected on this property five years ago is quite as good 

 now as when first put up. 







SECTION 16. The Conifcrcv. 



Within the last half-century there has been introduced in this 

 country a number of trees of the pine tribe, many of which are quite 



