The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-13
LIVESTOCK MEN
STUDY ] FORESTRY
American Forestry Congress Will
Give a Day to Subject of
Grazing. a..

Washington, Dec. 13.-The annual ses-
sion of the American Forestry con-
gress,. to be held in this city. in Janu-t
airy, will devote an entire day to the
discussion Of the relation Of public for
est lands to grazing The forest re-
serve policy Of the federal government
involves many important questions as
yet unsettled ,and these will all be consid-
cred by experts, and the discussions will
undoubtedly be beneficial in many ways.
This meeting has aroused wide interest
among cattle and sheep men and their
associations, and very large represen-
tation from the grazing industry Of the
country, it is expected, will be present.
Wood Preservation.
The bureau of forestry is making ex-
haustive tests to determine the best
grade Of creosote oil for use in wood
preservative treatment. The supply Of
the kinds Of timber which are natural
~ most resistant to decay is diminish
ing so rapidly that substitutes will have
thest. Already the railroads are face
to face with tie famine from the ex-
haustion of the woods hitherto most
used, especially white oak. There are
plenty of su bstitutes, but they all decay
so fast in their natural stateQ that tho
their first cost is low, their use is very
expensive. In Europe this difficulty
was met long ago by devising methods
OF artificial preservation by which, for
example, a beech tie, which if I'M
treated will decay in from four to five
years, is made to last thirty years or
more. This result is obtained by i'm
ORIGINATING it with creosote oil.
1000 Samples Tested.
About one thousand samples Of this
OIL, both native and European, have
been tested by the bureau to determine
what grade gives the best results. This
involves finding out the grade of oil
which both most readily enters the wood
and also stays in the longest time. The
first will hasten and cheaper the
process, the second will insure the great
er permanence of the treatment.
The necessity for wood preservative
treatment is beyond the theoretical
and vital Importance, especially to the
railroads and telegra phi and telephone
companies, whose bills for constant re-
newals Of ties and poles are enormous.
The oil tests the bureau is making are
therefore of large and immediate prac-
tical value.
Lesson in Germany.
! A valuable lesson in forestry is being
taught the world, and more especially
the United States, by Germany. In
this country forests of pine and other
wood are cut down and nothing takes
their places except a wilderness. The
| Pacific northwest now contains prac
tically the only remaining large area
Of timber in the country, and yet com
paratively few years ago the Ameri
can forests extended west from the
Great Lakes to the Pacific without &
break
They do these things differently il
Germany. Nearly one-fourth of the
densely populated German empire il
covered with forests, and one-sixth of il
is covered with full-grown trees. The
area occupied by pine IS three time!
greater than that occupied by all the
deciduous trees combined ~ In twenty
fyears the forest area of Germany hal
been increased 100000 acres. 1890 b..