194 
STRENGTH  TESTS  OF  OHIA  LEHUA. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  W.  E.  Hodges,  general  purchas- 
ing  agent  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railway,  the  Forester  is  able  this 
month  to  publish  a series  of  tables  showing  various  facts  in  re- 
gard to  the  strength  of  Ohia  Lehua  ( Metrosideros  polymorpha ) 
timber. 
These  tests  were  made  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  at  the  U.  S. 
Forest  Service  Timber  Testing  Laboratory  at  Purdue  University, 
Lafayette,  Indiana,  by  Prof.  W.  K.  Hatt,  Professor  of  Civil  En- 
gineering and  Director  of  the  Laboratory. 
In  his  letter  giving  permission  to  make  these  tables  public 
Prof.  Hatt  says,  “I  think  it  should  be  carefully  stated  that  the  tests 
were  preliminary  and  need  further  tests  for  full  information  con- 
cerning the  character  of  the  wood.”  The  figures  given  below 
should  therefore  be  regarded  as  subject  to  slight  modification  as 
the  result  of  more  extended  tests. 
Prof.  Hatt’s  report  to  the  Santa  Fe  is  as  follows : 
COMPLETE  REPORT  ON  TESTS  OF  OHIA  TIES  FOR  THE  SANTA  FE  RAIL- 
ROAD TO  SUPPLEMENT  PROGRESS  REPORT  SENT  UNDER  DATE  OF 
JAN.  l8,  I909. 
Preparatory  Note. — The  shipment  consisted  of  three  Ohia  ties 
sent  by  Mr.  E.  O.  Faulkner,  manager  of  the  Tie  and  Timber  De- 
partment, The  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
Results  of  Tests. — Table  1 shows  the  results  of  tests  of  full 
sized  ties  compared  with  other  full  sized  tie  timbers  of  various 
woods. 
It  will  be  noted  that  the  Ohia  tie  has  a large  amount  of  moisture, 
74  per  cent.,  and  is  extremely  heavy,  not  only  in  the  wet  condition, 
but  also  in  the  dry  condition. 
It  will  be  noted  that  the  fiber  stress  at  the  elastic  limit  in  cross 
bearing  is  1127  pounds  per  sq.  in.,  which  is  about  the  same  as 
good  quality  of  red  oak.  It  is  possible  that  this  stress  might  be 
larger  when  the  timber  was  more  completely  dried.  The  Ohia 
holds  the  common  spike  with  but  slightly  less  resistance  than  the 
red  oak.  The  screw  spikes  pulled  out  at  a resistance  force  of 
10,860  pounds,  whereas  the  screw  spike  pulled  out  of  red  oak  at 
a resisting  force  of  14,234  pounds. 
Table  2 gives  a detailed  summary  of  the  main  tests  of  the  Ohia 
wood  entered  on  Table  1. 
Minor  Tests. — Table  3 gives  a comparative  statement  of  rela- 
tive strength  of  Ohia  wood  and  other  woods  in  the  form  of  small 
