TIMBER STORAGE IN THE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN STATES. 
29 
bej^ond the eaves (fig. 32). Very few sheds are equipped with gut- 
ters (fig. 31), and the drip during rains may run back along the 
projecting pieces well into the center of the piles. When once 
wetted the close piles will retain this moisture for long periods, 
during which a serious outbreak of decay may be initiated. 
A few cases of severe outbreaks in retail lumber sheds will be de- 
scribed and illustrated later. 
YARDS. 
On account of very limited storage space, nearly all retail yards 
fail to observe the proper spacing of lumber to insure ample ventila- 
tion. The general tendency is to pile altogether too close to the 
ground for safety, and in many instances the lumber is not spaced 
as well in the piles as 
it should be (fig. 33). 
The principal danger 
lies in the foundations, 
which are very often 
seriously infected with 
rot (fig. 34) or are not 
adequately constructed 
to insure proper venti- 
lation. The danger in 
allowing lumber to 
come in contact with 
the soil is evident in 
figure 35. As the ques- 
tion of foundations in 
mill yards was dis- 
cussed in considerable 
detail earlier in this 
publication and since 
the fundamental con- 
siderations apply with 
equal force to retail yards, only certain features which serve to 
connect these fundamentals with the direct problems of the retail 
yard will be added here. 
Many retail lumber yards use solid or latticed foundations of 
built-up plank running parallel to the alleys (figs. 36 and 37) ; 
others resort to wood blocking for the support of the skids. , The 
use of concrete is very limited, but has given complete satisfaction 
wherever introduced. It is usually laid down as solid foundations 
parallel to the alleys. In one yard at Birmingham, Ala., the founda- 
tions were 8 to 10 inches high, 6 inches thick at the top, and placed in 
triple parallel rows spaced 7 feet apart (fig. 38). The advantage of 
reinforcing the concrete is well shown in figure 39. 
Fig. 30. — An old, dilapidated shed on the Mobile River 
in which the lumber is too close to the ground. Many 
severe cases of rot have developed under just such 
conditions. 
