Abstract Laboratory studies of the rate of decay of wood by wood-destroying fungi have been made for a considerable number of years. The conclusions reached in many of the earlier studies are open to some question because the experimental data were not treated statistically. The influence of specific gravity on the rate of decay has been, and still is, a highly controversial question. The author's study shows that loblolly pine sapwood of high specific gravity is more resistant to decay produced by Polystictus abietinus than the same wood of low specific gravity.
Kenneth H. Garren (Sat,) studied this question.