Part I.] Pearson: Seasoning of some Indian Timbers. 5» 
species seasoned according to different methods, the information 
concerning which is given in Appendix IV. It was found that, without 
exception, the remarks passed in the general notes in the field as to the 
state of the timber were fully corroborated by the percentage figures 
worked out later at Dehra Dun, which clearly indicate that the method 
adopted for recording the experiments fully met the conditions of the 
case. 
It was necessary to ascertain whether timber of any individual log. 
cracked before or after the log was converted ; to do so sketches of the 
ends of all logs were taken, directly after felling the tree and again before 
conversion : this, though a somewhat tedious process, met the case and 
was of the greatest value during the final inspection. 
It was of great importance to ascertain the degree of seasoning at 
the time of the final inspection and, in some cases, during the progress 
of the experiment. In order to do so, samples of the timber were submit¬ 
ted to the Chemical Adviser for analysis. In this connection very definite 
factors were established as to the rate and degree of seasoning in different 
localities. By referring to Appendix IV it will be seen that the timber 
during December to January, in a fairly dry locality such as Allapilli, 
in the Central Provinces, after three years’ seasoning, in a shed, con¬ 
tained somewhere about 16 per cent, of moisture ; in the very dry zone of 
the Punjab, at Changa Manga, timber seasoned in the open, contained 
from 8 per cent, to 12 per cent, of moisture; while in the wet zone in 
Bengal, at Sukna in the Kurseong Divison, the average moisture was 
near 25 per cent, and, in some cases, as high as 44 per cent, and this 
after three years’ seasoning. 
IV. Results obtained. 
(i) General Remarks. 
At the time the experiments were initiated some doubt existed’ 
as to whether sufficiently definite results would be obtained to justify 
conclusions being drawn as to the correct methods of seasoning the 
different species of timber. In the majority of cases, however, excellent 
results have been obtained : a glance at the records given in Appendix 
I\, against such species as Bombax malabaricum, Duabanga sonnera- 
timdes , Dillenia pentagyna, Diospyros Melanoxylon, Lagerstrcemia 
Flos-Regince, Terminalia belerica and many others will fully support this 
assertion. In the case of such timbers as Balbergia Sissoo and Dalber- 
gia latifolia, both timbers of excellent quality, which rarely split seriously 
while seasoning, the difference in results obtained by seasoning the timber 
in various ways is not so marked. In the case of Bassia latifolia, Grewia* 
[ 5 ] 
