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tion; and a strong argument with him in favor of the process is the well-known fact that such matter will gradually penetrate the wood by those forces which tend to give a uniform distribution of fluid within the pores of any porous matter, and which will be influential, though the pores be not full of fluid, the wood being in what is usually called a damp state.

There is one other consideration which was of importance to Faraday in forming a judgment on this process; it is, that, where the exterior is preserved from change, the chances that the interior will decay are greatly diminished. For instance, piles or timbers charred on the outside preserve the interior parts from decay for a much longer period, so he thinks it safe to conclude that even an external preparation of timber would greatly diminish the probability of internal decay; and this, in combination with the gradual penetration of the substance to the centre, is the reason why he entertained little doubt of the value of the process of kyanizing.

But kyanizing has gone out of use in England. It was abandoned many years ago. Mr. JAMES B. FRANCIS, after a most careful investigation of the matter in 1849, attributes the cause to be entirely independent of the success of the process itself, when properly applied.

Among the causes that led to the abandonment of the kyanizing process in England may be mentioned:

1. The mismanagement of the celebrated Anti Dry Rot Company, which was a disgrace, and which created a universal prejudice against the whole subject of the preservation of timber by kyanizing.*

2. The Rothschilds had a monopoly of the product of the Spanish quicksilver mines, and practically controlled the market, as they do to-day; which had, and now has, the effect of materially increasing the cost of corrosive sublimate.

The Anti Dry Rot Company, London, purchased the patent for England of M Kyan. Preparations were made for an extensive introduction of the patent through country; but, after a brief period of considerable notoriety, the manager ran off upwards of £70,000, which ruined the company.

3. Sir William Burnett had been able to get his process of burnettizing introduced by the Admiralty.

Kyanizing was introduced at Lowell in 1848, by the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on Merrimack River, a corporation which manages the water power at that point, and maintains a number of wooden bridges over the various canals and also other important structures of wood, which, if not preserved by artificial means, would rapidly decay. The subject of preservation of timber was an important one for them, and the kyanizing process was selected, and considered to be the best process then in use for their purposes. Two years afterwards, in 1850, the burnettizing process was substituted, and continued for twelve years until 1862, as previously mentioned; and it was believed for a time to be equally effective, cheaper and more expeditious than kyanizing., But in 1862 kyanizing was again resumed, as it was found to be a better preservative for their bridge timbers and other works, and the burnettizing process was abandoned. The experience at Lowell during this long period of forty-three years, since 1848, has clearly proved that, under proper conditions, kyanizing will materially prolong the life of wood, and the process appears to be well adapted for the preservation of wooden bridges, posts, fences, and all timber placed in exposed places; but it is well known that, as corrosive sublimate is easily soluble in water, timber treated with it and then placed in water will no doubt lose a portion of the sublimate by washing out.

Plate II. is a view of specimens of twelve kinds of wood placed as posts in the yard of the Proprietors of the Locks and Canals, at Lowell, in light, gravelly soil, well drained. In 1862 these specimens were selected from various kinds of wood that grow in New England. They were made eighteen feet long, nine by nine inches square, except No. 12, which was seven by seven inches square. The specimens were numbered, then cut in two, and one-half of each specimen was kyanized and the other half retained in its natural state. In the following

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Specimens of Old Growth White Pine, from a post 9" x 9", 18 feet long, cut in two. One half was kyanized in
1862 and the other half left in the natural state. Both parts were planted to an equal depth in the ground April 29, 1863.
Dug up and photographed in 1891.

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