452 Transactions of the American Institute. 



that is necessary ; the fibre must also be protected. By increasing 

 the lieat under the still to from 500 to COO degrees the vapors of the 

 lieavy tar oils are carried into tlie chamber, and the wood is thus 

 subjected to a third bath in the vapor of oils. This condenses in the 

 wood, primes it thoroughly, and furnishes to the fibrous portion of it 

 cora])lete protection against the moisture of the atmosphere. By 

 this treatment the wood undergoes no change in shape or size, and is 

 at once ready to be fitted and applied to the purposes intended. 

 There is as much put into the wood as was driven out, hence it does 

 not shrink, and, not shrinking, it cannot warp or check. 



Thus the wood is not only seasoned, or cured, so that it will not 

 shrink, warp or check, but by coagulating the albumen and filling 

 the pores with the oil (which becomes resinous in contact with the 

 atmosphere) the wood is made denser, tougher, and stronger. Upon 

 actual test, it has been shown that the strength of white pine, for 

 instance, was increased thirty-seven per cent by the treatment. By 

 this process the wood is also preserved from decay. Decomposition 

 in either animal or vegetable substances cannot take place in the 

 presence of creosote. The wood is also thoroughly primed, and no 

 paint is necessary to the protection of the fibre, but may be put on 

 merely by way of ornament. In such case less oil will answer, inas- 

 much as the wood is "already saturated with oil. The value of this 

 process in the treatment of Avood used in agricultural implements is 

 very great, but not to be compared to its value in the preparation of 

 fencing materials, especially in those portions of the country where 

 the people have to use sawed lumber obtained from a distance ; 

 planks and 'posts prepared by the " Robbins process," and properly 

 set, will last for centuries. What shall be said of the value of this 

 preservative process, in its application to buildings ? It is said 

 that the dwellings of 25,000,000 of the people of this country 

 are chiefly made of wood. Nearly all the outbuildings upon our 

 farms are made of such perishable material, especially the shingles 

 so generally used for roofs. No reliable estimate can ever be formed 

 of the loss l)y decay of the wood used in dwellings, out-buildings and 

 fences. ' Another important a])plication of this invention may be 

 made by horticulturists. In many portions of the country the grape 

 is extensively cultivated, and an immense amount of lumber is used 

 in trellis for the vines. These supports rot in a yerj short time, 

 because that portion which is not inserted in the ground is almost 

 constantlv shaded. If constructed of wood treated by the " Robbins 



