408 M. T. Patton: 



In all cases, except in the inch cubes, the tangential faces .lost 

 jnoistuie more readily than the radial faces, but the difference from 

 a conmiercial standpoint is negligible. The reason for the tangen- 

 tial faces losing moisture more rapidly is because of tlije large 

 iiumber of medullary rays, and these allow the moisture to escape. 

 It is perhaps as well to explain that timber cut tangentially is 

 said to be cut on the back, while if it is cut radially it is -said 

 to be cut on the quarter. As practically all the drying of a cube 

 takes place from the transverse faces a comparison was made 

 between a length of timber with all faces clean and a length which 

 liad the sides paraffined. Each piece was 4 ft. The loss of mois- 

 ture from the paraffined piece has been very slow, and on a long 

 length tho influence of the ends would be negligible. 



The percentage weights of the two pieces are as follow : — 



Date. 



Sides and Ends 

 Clean. 



o/ 



Sides Waxed, Ends 

 Clean. 



n/ 



18.5.18 



% 



100 



% 



100 



1.6.18 



87.7 



97.5 



15.7.18 



73.0 



91.6 



12.8.18 



69.0 



89.0 



9.9.18 



66.2 



86.0 



8.10.18 



63.4 



82.2 



7.11.18 



62.1 



78.8 



A test was made with both tangentially cut boards and radially 

 cut boards to see if the loss of moisture was affected by lying the 

 boards flat or standing them on edge. If drying be due to diffusion 

 of moisture, then the manner of stacking ought to hare no eft'ect. 

 It was ascertained later that some timber men in America prefer 

 edge piling in the kiln to flat or ordinary piling. So far as can 

 be ascertained, edge piling is not practised here. For the experi- 

 ment the ends and tw^o corresponding sides were paraffined. If the 

 clean faces were placed vertically, then diffusion would be lateral, 

 but if the clean faces were placed horizontally, then diffusion 

 would be up or down. No difference in the rate of drying was 

 observed either for the radially or tangentially cut faces. There 

 may be, however, raechanical advantages in edge piling in a stack 

 of timber which will affect the rate of drying, but this was not 

 investigated. 



It has become increasingly evident that the time required for 

 natural seasoning is not nearly so long as usually stated, and 



