Excerpt from The Preservation of Wood: A Descriptive Treatise on the Processes and on the Mechanical Appliances Used for the Preservation of Wood

From the very earliest times the supply of timber has been, in all civilized communities, a matter of the first importance. As a fuel, as a material for building construction, for shipbuilding, and as a means for internal embellishment, wood has been always in request. Recently, indeed, timber has been displaced to a considerable extent in building construction by iron, steel, and concrete, and in the structure of ships by steel, but on the other hand the amount required for interior work has largely increased, new uses for it have also arisen, and as a consequence the consumption of timber all over the world is now greater than ever.

For some years past, owing to the growing scarcity of timber and the increased demand, prices have appreciably increased, and consumers are now more frequently employing some form of preservative treatment as a means of prolonging its life so as to discount to some extent the increased cost. It is stated by experts connected with the Government of the United States that if all ties, poles, posts, piling, mine-props, shingles and structural lumber adapted to be so dealt with were given a proper preservative treatment, in that country alone there would be an annual saving of about 6, 000, 000, 000 board feet, resulting in a financial saving of about 72, 000, 000 dollars, or roughly £14, 400, 000.

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