THE SOUTHERN CYPRESS. 9 
DURABILITY. 
The great durability of the heartwood, probably more than any 
other property, gives cypress the place of distinction which it holds 
among the more valuable woods on the market. In contact with the 
soil or exposed freely to water or atmospheric conditions the heart- 
wood ordinarily resists for many years the agencies of decay, while 
the sapwood under the same conditions is comparatively short-lived. 
Instances of cypress shingles ' lasting 50 to 100 years, fences in good 
condition after 40 years, old plantation buildings in the warm, humid 
Southern States in excellent preservation after 100 to 200 years,? and 
others of a like character are frequently reported. 
As the result of tests under way the Forest Service will be able 
later to furnish information in regard to whatever relationship may 
exist between color, oil content, and durability. The amount of oil 
or resin content in the wood varies considerably and is judged by the 
soapy feeling, which is somewhat characteristic and aids in identifying 
cypress. The name “‘cypressene’’ has been applied by some to this 
resin. 
Cypress, like most other woods, is not entirely uniform in respect 
_to durability. In fence lmes some posts have to be replaced sooner 
than others; in boats some planks decay while others last almost 
indefinitely. In old cuttings the flat tops of large stumps are ob- 
served to vary in soundness although of exactly the same age. The 
seasoned heartwood when exposed to the weather appears to wear 
out by the mechanical action of water and atmosphere before it gives 
way through decay. Pecky cypress, although mechanically weaker 
than sound cypress in proportion to its bulk or mass, is very durable. 
The fungus producing the pecky wood is not known to cause any 
further injury after the tree is cut. 
MOISTURE AND SEASONING. 
The water content of living cypress is variable, and in the lower 
part of the trunk quite large in amount. Green cypress logs are 
nearly double the weight of air-seasoned wood. In logging opera- 
tions trees are girdled in advance of felling in order to increase their 
buoyancy. (Seep. 12.) The prevailing belief is that green cypress 
contains more water and dries at a slower rate than other kinds of 
‘“‘softwoods.’’ Experience has shown that cypress is a rather diffi- 
cult wood to season, oth in the air and in the dry: kiln, with a ten- 
dency to caseharden in the latter method. Preliminary experiments 
indicate that, in kiln drying, cypress requires a length of time more 
nearly like the hardwoods than the conifers. There is little doubt 
that cypress wood can be successfully dried when properly handled. 
1 The split or riven shingle known variously as ‘‘ boards,” ‘‘shakes,”’ ‘‘shingles,”’ etc. 
2 Mulberry Castle, on the Cooper River, 8. C., built in 1714. 
