109 
ber, provided it is sound, is just as good as green timber of the 
same species; and indeed, in some ways, is even more valuable. 
For it is well known that thoroughly seasoned timber is both 
stronger and more durable than the same timber when green. 
Timber which was killed by fire or insects, and which is still in 
a sound condition, differs from green timber chiefly in being thor- 
oughly seasoned — that is to say, it is stronger, more durable and 
lighter. And so not only are the freight rates considerably re- 
duced, but a better grade of timber is secured. 
Even in a thoroughly seasoned condition, lodgepole pine, Engel- 
mann spruce, and the other species mentioned above, are by no 
means durable woods when compared with Douglas fir, Oregon 
cedar, and the other kinds of wood which are used so extensively 
in construction work. And before they can successfully compete 
with such timbers, in spite of their lower price, they must be made 
to last longer under unfavorable conditions. 
After several years study, the United States Forest Service has 
proved that in many cases the complicated and expensive plants 
are not necessary for the proper treatment of many kinds of tim- 
ber ; and that many of the timbers which decay most rapidly in the 
natural state, are among the easiest and cheapest to treat. Many 
of the species mentioned above offer little resistance to the entrance 
of the preservative. The principle of the method is to immerse 
the thoroughly seasoned wood in a hot bath of the liquid, leave it 
in for a few hours, and then either plunge it into a cold bath of a 
preservative, or else run out the hot liquid from the treating tank, 
and fill it up again with liquid of a lower temperature. This re- 
quires only the simplest kind of machinery, and the cost of opera- 
tion is so slight that even cheap timbers like fence posts and 
shingles can be treated by the average farmer of small means. 
Although the Forest Service, by extensive exoeriments in all 
portions of the country, considers that the practicability of the 
process has been conclusively proved, more or less difficulty has 
been encountered in inducing others to adopt the process on a 
commercial scale. In order to demonstrate bevcnd any doubt 
that the process is adapted to commercial treatments, the Service 
has arranged to erect small treating plants — semi-commercial in 
size — on several of the National Forests. Tests will be made on 
the local timbers, and careful record kept of the cost of the work. 
The treated timber will then be placed in permanent position, 
where its future durability can be compared with untreated timber 
of the same or other kinds. 
Three such plants will be erected this spring, and it is expected 
that they will be in successful operation by early summer. Ac- 
cording to the present plans one plant will be erected at some 
locality on or near the Black Hills National Forest, South Da- 
kota ; another on the Holy Cross National Forest in Colorado ; and 
the third on the Henrys' Like National Forest, neai St. Anthony, 
Idaho. 
