Part I.] Pearson: Seasoning of some Indian Timbers. 
23 
APPENDIX I. 
Scheme according to which the Experiments were carried out. 
[Enquiry No. 8 (c) of the Triennial Programme of work for 1916 to 1919.\ 
Chief Conservators and Conservators of Forests were recently request¬ 
ed to inform this office of any experiments carried out and methods- 
employed in their Provinces and Circles by which timber is seasoned, 
to make suggestions as to the species to be tested and the lines along 
which the enquiry should be carried out, while all Sawmill managers 
and large firms in India and Burma were also addressed on the subject. 
From the replies received it appears that the seasoning of timber is not 
commonly practised in India, though some useful information is available 
from experiments carried out locally. The reports received from the var¬ 
ious provinces show that the local officers look upon such an enquiry 
as is now proposed as being of very considerable importance, and many 
proposals have been made by the Conservators and Divisional Forest 
Officers as to the species to be tested and the lines along which the 
experiments should be carried out. In dealing with so extensive an 
experiment it will, therefore, be necessary to ask each province to co¬ 
operate with the Forest Research Institute in carrying out the enquiry 
with those species of timber in which they are especially interested. 
The importance of such an enquiry is too well known to require any¬ 
thing further being said in justification of its being taken up, for not 
only does proper seasoning increase the durability of the timber and in 
a large measure reduce its tendency to slipt, warp and shrink, besides 
being absolutely necessary in connection with treating timber, but it is 
thought that many trial lots of timber which have been submitted from 
time to time to timber dealers and firms for testing or for introducing as 
new timbers on the market have been pronounced unsuitable for the pur¬ 
pose owing to their tendency to warp; crack or contract for want of proper 
seasoning. 
2. After perusal of the available literature on the subject, it is proposed 
to carry out an enquiry on the following points :— 
To determine the relative merits of seasoning timber under the 
following conditions :— 
(i) (a) The effect on the timber of certain species by girdling 
the trees before they are felled. 
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