CAUSES OF DECAY AND DESTEUCTION OF TIMBER 259 
having been buried 17 ft. below the present Gulf of Mexico 
probably for thousands of years. 
Wood that is free from atmospheric changes will not 
decay, nor will wood which is perfectly dry, although this 
latter condition is not possible of attainment under ordinary 
conditions, as wood has a great affinity for water and 
absorbs the moisture from the surrounding atmosphere ; 
but most kinds of timber, if in good condition when used, 
and afterwards well protected and placed where there is 
free circulation of air, will last for centuries, as witness the 
great age to which furniture will keep in good condition 
even in a moist climate. There are two sycamore coffins 
from Egypt, now in the British Museum, 4,400 years old 
and in such good condition that even the colours of their 
ornamentation are still quite bright. PHny well knew that 
timber kept constantly under fresh water was less liable to 
decay than when exposed to variations of atmosphere, and 
long before his time Solomon, or his Temple architect, was 
aware of the necessity of having a free circulation of air 
round timbers built into walls so as to prevent damp, and 
for this reason " he made narrowed rests round about that 
the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the 
house," and all that the present-day German scientist can 
advise to prevent decay is the same old doctrine of the free 
action of air and the avoidance if possible of contact with 
wood and brickwork, or else the use of antiseptics. 
The reason why timber posts decay at ground level is 
because the higher temperature at that place allows of the 
production of fungi. Conditions of moisture and warmth 
affect timber so much that in the same fence a durable 
wood may decay before one of lesser durability. 
Timber should never be painted or tarred before being 
properly seasoned, as by so doing we bring about the best 
conditions for cultivating the fungi whose spores were 
s 2 
