THE AIR SEASONING OF WESTERN SOFTWOOD LUMBER 45 
the board production is in widths of 12 inches and less, owing to 
the relatively small size of the region’s timber; although wider stock 
is ordinarily found in the thick sizes of pine. The average length 
of the stock is about 16 feet, with the possible exception of shop and 
thick select lumber. 
Each producing region has seasoning methods peculiar to that 
locality, for many of which it is difficult to find logical explanation. 
In the Inland Empire width of main alleys is exceptionally good, 
but the width of the rear alleys and the spacing between the sides 
of the piles are generally inadequate. Comparatively low founda- 
tions are the rule. With the exception of shop and thick select 
lumber, stock is usually piled for air seasoning in separate widths 
and to a much smaller extent in separate lengths. The square or 
box type of pile is most frequently used and the heights are usually 
90 to 100 courses of inch lumber. The 4/4 crosser is standard for 
the region and the common grades are largely self-crossed. The 
usual spacing allowed between boards in a course is 8 inches for 
pine and 1 to 2 inches for other woods. An 8-inch center chimney 
is very often built into piles of separate-width stock, the 8 to 12 
inch center chimney being commonly employed with random widths. 
Special roof material finds rather general use on No. 2 common-and- 
better pine and on the selects of other species. The overhang type 
of covering is now used at a majority of the plants. 
RESULTS FROM PRESENT PRACTICE 
Exact piece-depreciation records obtained for about a million 
feet of stock in the Inland Empire are summarized in Table 6. 
These indicate something of the losses being sustained in average 
current practice. Although confined to the pines, such information 
if properly analyzed permits some very definite conclusions as to 
the really vital problems of air seasoning in the Inland Empire. 
Certainly these results are ample justification for active interest 
and attempted improvement in the air-seasoning practice. 
From the standpoint of stock depreciation blue-stain prevention 
is of major importance. It is the cause of serious losses in western 
yellow pine and is of material consequence, though less severe in 
white pine. Depreciation of this kind is naturally more severe in 
the shop and select grades than in the common. With present 
practice the losses are much greater in the lower third of the pile, 
probably averaging two and a half times those in the upper third. 
Stock piled in the spring and fall is most subject to blue stain; 
winter-piled lumber is least affected. Stain is not a factor with the 
regional woods other than pine. 
Season-check losses and end checking are also matters of concern. 
The more frequent occurrence of these defects in the common grades 
results directly from the rather common practice of self-crossing 
such grades, whereas shop and selects are always seasoned on special 
crossers 4 inches in width. It is clearly shown that the white pine 
is more susceptible to this type of depreciation than the western 
yellow pine. Larch-fir and white fir also suffer losses of this kind. 
Checking occurs to a much greater extent in the upper half of the 
pile and, as would be expected, is of greatest severity during the 
summer period. 
