80 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. vi 
Fifty seasoned Deodar broad gauge sleepers were subjected to treat¬ 
ment with the following results :— 
TABLE XX. 
Species. 
| Average 
absorption, 
per sleeper, 
! of two lots 
of 17 and 
| one lot of 
i 16 sleepers. 
I 
! 
Temperature of Solignum 
and Liquid Fuel oil. 
Period of immersion. 
lbs. 
Cedrus Deodara heart-wood 
sleepers. 
3-6 
74°C. dropping to 47°C. 
14 i hours. 
6-4 
83°C. „ 46°C. 
24 „ 
1 
9-0 1 
100°C. „ 51°C. 
24 „ 
The results show that Deodar timber absorbs oil somewhat'less readily 
than Pinus longifolia timber, were it desirable to introduce* more than 
9 lbs. of oil per broad gauge sleeper into Deodar, pressure would have to 
be resorted to. The experiments with Deodar were carried out at the 
instance of the Railway Engineers, but whether or not it would pay to 
treat this timber is a moot point, as treatment might increase the 
durability of the fibre beyond the mechanical life of the timber. 
(b) Treatment of Dipterocarpus tuberculatus and D. alatus metre-gauge 
sleepers with Solignum and Liquid Fuel, and a few sleepers 
with Liquid Fuel only. 
These sleepers were treated under the directions of the writer, by 
Babu Gyan Singh, at Pyinmana, on the Burma Railways. The solu¬ 
tion used consisted of two parts Liquid Fuel and one part Solignum, 
and the treatment aimed at introducing 5 lbs. of the solution into 
each metre-gauge sleeper. The actual number of sleepers handed over to 
the Railways was 500 Dipterocarpus alatus arid 470 D. tuberculatus 
metre-gauge sleepers treated with mixed Liquid Fuel and Solignum, and 
30 of the latter species impregnated with Liquid Fuel oil only. 
[ 190 ] 
