Proceedings of the Fabmers* Club. 451 



albumen, wliich is part of its life and strength, renders the wood 

 more porous and of course more susceptible to the absorption of 

 moisture. There are also many manufacturers, who, unable and 

 unwilling; to wait for the slow process of desiccation by exposure of 

 tlieir lumber to the open air for several years, resort to the more 

 speedy method of Tcibi drying. They place their green wood in a 

 chamber and subject it for weeks and months to hot air or super- 

 heated steam. This is but one mode of distillation, driving out the 

 life and strength of the wood at every step, and if continued will 

 result in complete destruction of the fibre. A piece of charcoal is a 

 specimen of wood too much seasoned by the kiln-drying process. 

 But whether dried in a kiln or in the open air, wood remains porous, 

 and will absorb moisture, and hence is liable to shrink and swell 

 according to its exposm-e. 



There is a mode of treatment, however, lately brought to the 

 attention of the public, whereby green wood, fresh from the forest, 

 may be shaped and fitted, and in a few hours so prepared that it can 

 be used in the manufacture of implements ; this is a recent American 

 invention and called the " Robbins process." This process is so simple 

 and so easy of application that it deserves a brief explanation. The 

 wood to be treated is placed in an iron chamber ; connected with this 

 by a pipe or goose neck is a still, supplied with coal tar and under 

 which heat is applied for its distillation. At from 250 to 300 degrees 

 the vapor of naphtha is generated, which passes over into the wood 

 chamber. This hot vapor drives the air out of the chamber and 

 expels the moisture from the wood. It coagulates the albumen 

 of the sap, as the white of an egg is coagulated, made tough and 

 insoluble by the action of boiling water. 



The air driven out, the moisture expelled, the albumen coagulated, 

 and the pores of the wood thus being made void and expanded, the 

 heat under the still is increased to from 365 to 400 decrees. At this 

 temperature the vapor of creosote (or carbolic acid), is generated and 

 passes into the chamber, and thus the wood is subjected to a second 

 bath, in an element so subtile that it becomes thoroughly permeated 

 with it, Tliis creosote or carbolic acid is a powerful antiseptic, and 

 will effectually prevent fermentation or putrefaction of the albumen, 

 or, in other words, prevent dry rot. It cures the wood, as a ham is 

 (fared, by smoke ; it tans it, as a hide is tanned, with tannic 

 acid. But merely to drive out the moisture, coagulate the 

 albumen, and supply the wood with an antiseptic, is iipt fvll 



