191 1.] Increasing the Durability of Timber. 287 



light roof should be provided to keep off the rain. Needless 

 to say, the drier the wood to start with the better will be the 

 results. As a 40-gallon barrel of creosote is rather incon- 

 venient to handle, it is an advantage to construct a small 

 platform at one end of the tank, on to which the barrels 

 may be unloaded from the cart. One or two sheets of corru- 

 gated iron should be placed in such a position that when 

 the posts are removed from the tank and set up to drip, the 

 creosote that runs off shall flow back into the tank. 



It is surprising how high creosote will rise in certain kinds 

 of wood, and it is not unusual to see the material showing 

 on the upper surface of a five-foot post when not more than 

 two feet are immersed in the creosote. 



Hop poles are almost invariably creosoted in their lower 

 ends ("dipped," as it is called) before use, heat being 

 generally employed in the process. Stakes for supporting 

 fruit and other trees should also be similarly treated, and if 

 this is done they may often be used several times over. 

 Sheep troughs last much longer if creosoted, while the same 

 remark applies to poultry coops, with the additional advan- 

 tage that they are made distasteful to vermin. 



In the Quarterly Journal of Forestry for 1909, 

 Mr. E. R. Pratt, of Ryston Hall, Norfolk, describes his 

 method of using cold creosote, and gives specifications for 

 the construction of a concrete tank, 24 ft. long, 5 ft. deep, 

 and 2f ft. wide, the total cost, including a drying stage, 

 being £g $s. In his opinion immersion for a week in cold 

 creosote produces about one-half the effect that is obtained 

 by treatment with hot creosote either with or without 

 pressure. But, if time permit, a longer immersion than one 

 week is desirable, when the results of the most simple 

 process will be almost as good as those obtained by more 

 elaborate and more costly methods. 



