248 



Seasoning of Timber. 



was brought about by the importation of English pedigree 

 animals for crossing purposes on scientific principles, and that 

 the State had given material assistance in every way possible. 

 The Danish expert asserted that even yet the Danish pig is very 

 far from anything approaching perfection, but he has taken the 

 Irish estimate of his work as the ultimate goal of his labours. 

 The result of his pig-breeding experiments have been to prove 

 that the crossing of local breeds with large English boars is not 

 by any means suited to ordinary agricultural purposes in 

 Denmark. In his opinion foreign blood ought not to be further 

 introduced, and his project is, therefore, to create a native race 

 for the breeding of sows which may turn out strong and hardy, 

 giving plenty of milk, and able to, bring forth litters capable of 

 attaining a fair size with good growing qualities, and of as good 

 shape as possible. For this purpose a very large number of 

 farmers' associations exist, which, with all other pig-breeding 

 societies in Denmark, are in constant touch with the bacon 

 factories, where the results of the breeding are subjected to the 

 most acute criticism, and where, naturally, the most reliable 

 opinion as to the value of pig-breeding experiments must be 

 evolved. It may, therefore, be taken as the general opinion in 

 Denmark that the distribution of properly bred and carefully 

 selected sows is of as great importance as the distribution of 

 boars. 



Seasoning of Timber. 



The Bureau of Forestry of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture has recently issued an interesting Report on the 

 Seasoning of Timber, by Hermann von Schrenk, pathologist in 

 charge of the Mississippi Valley Laboratory, Bureau of Plant 

 Industry. 



In this report reference is made to the intimate relation 

 existing between the presence of water in wood and the rate at 

 which timber decays. The author points out that the condi- 

 tions necessary for the growth and development of wood- 

 destroying fungi are (1) water ; (2) air ; (3) organic food mate- 

 rials ; and (4) a certain amount of heat. The wood fibres and 

 the organic substances found in the cells, such as albuminoids, 



