Excerpt from Creosoting Timbers

Timber. - It is of the utmost importance that only the species of timber best adapted for receiving the creosote should be used. Of the thirty-hye different kinds of pine found in the United States and the ten kinds which grow in Canada, besides the Douglas fir or Oregon pine, as far as known at present, only the short leaf Pinus mitis, Michx., and the Loblolly-pine, Pinus toeda, Linn., are suited for creosoting as a protection against marine insects. The Short-leaf pine is found in great perfection in the light sandy soil of Virginia and the northern part of North Carolina, while the Loblolly flourishes on the lower ground near the coast of both States. All the other pines, as well as the Douglas fir (oregon-pine), spruce and hemlock, have too little sap wood for successful creosoting. They are also variable in texture, and require such a high and long-continued heat, that the wood is checked in the cylinders and the fibre injured. These two species of pine are known by several different local or common names in different places, for instance: Pinus mitis, Michx., or Pinus echinata, Miller, commonly known as Short-leaf pine, North Carolina-pine, Yellow-pine, Spruce-pine, Bull-pine, Rosemary-pine, Frankincense pine, Sweet-pine, Sap-pine, Loblolly-pine, Oldfield-pine, Slash-pine. Color, yellowish red. Sapwood, commonly over four inches of the radius. Section variable. Rings wide near the heart, followed by zone of narrow rings, not less than four, mostly eleven or twelve rings to the inch. A moderate amount of resin. This tree prefers a well-drained, light, sandy or gravelly soil, or warm light loam. Foliage short and scant. Cones small. Bark reddish, in long plates. Crown pyramid-shaped.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.