6 
BULLETIX 67, U. S.' DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
the time they reached the laboratory. After 12 weeks' seasoning 
they had reached 30 per cent, and for 3 weeks thereafter their moisture 
content remained practically stationary, due probably to a period of 
damp weather. The weights taken at the time of test show that 
after seasoning for 22 weeks, practically from the 1st of July to the 
1st of December, the poles contained about 22 per cent moisture. 
Figure 3 shows the moisture distribution in four of the poles at the 
time of test. It indicates that the center of the poles was still at or 
above the fiber saturation point * when tested. The poles checked 
considerably during the seasoning, but not to an unusual extent. 
1 For a detailed discussion of the fiber saturation point see Forest Service Circular 108, The Strength of 
Wood as Influenced bv Moisture, bv H. D. Tiemann. 
