The Republican journal., 1906-01-25
PLANT new FORESTS.
CORRESPONDENCE of The Journal. ]


Tn the old DAYS wood was burned by
the engines of the Galena and Chicago
Union Railroad the parent company OF
the present Chicago and Northwestern
system. At one of the annual meet
ings of this parent company, President
Van Nortwick announced to the stock
holders that he had bought certain
woodland at Elgin, Illinois--now little
more than suburb of Chicago-and
that be felt like congratulating the
company that this wood tract would
forever secure sufficient fuel for the
company's locomotives. Some years
after. when the Chicago and North
western was perfected, the attention
of one of the officers was called to Pres
ldent Van Nortwick's statement. This
officer made rapid computation, which
showed that the Elgin woodland would
not furnish kindling wood enough for
the roads locomotives for even single
wear. Which suggests the fact that
the animal consumption OF railroad
ties alone in the United States is 12o,
900 600 or fully one-sixth of the total
cut of timber. In addition to this there
are vast drains upon the forest for tele-
graph and telephone poles and for cross
arms, and for timbers for railroad con
struction. AT the present rate OF forest
destruction the United States within
forty years will be absolutely denuded
of meIchantable timber,
MAUDE ADAMS, A TREE PLANTER.
Maude Adams is credited by the
daily press with d deeper insight into
the needs of the future than the rail
road presidents, for she is stated to
have planted upon her Long Island
property a hundred thousand locust
trees. which will make the very best
and most lasting telegraph poles and
railroad ties. The suggestion is made
that the railroads plant tie and pole
timber along their thousands OF miles
of right of way. which would furnish an
inexhanstible timber supply on the
spot. The wisdom OF planting rights
of way to trees is questionable, In
these days of fast trains nothing is
more dangerous to those who must
drive over railroad crossings than to
have the view of the track obscured by
trees. For long distance on either
side of every crossing the right OF way
should present a clear view.
AS matter of fact the railroads have
given good deal of consideration to
lumber supplies; the spectre of timber
famine is prominently before them,
and it is a recognized apparltlon. len
wears ago only the soundest ties were
accepted; seconds and thirds were
promptly thrown out by the purchasing
agents. Today these are all utilized. A
few years ago red oak, black oak, beech,
gums, pines and other soft woods were
considered useless.
CHARGING SOFT WOODS WITH CREo-
SOTE.
These woods are now being purchased
in great quantities and treated with
creosote and other preservatlves for
ties, poles and cross arms. Whole
trains are loaded with sticks to be
treated and bodily run INTO great re-
forts. Hot steam is admitted into the
retort for several hours, and then
vacuum is drawn, the heat being kept
above the boiling point At the end
of the vacuum, but without destroying
the vacuum, the creosote from an ele-
waited tank is admitted into the retort
until it is full. Pressure is then APP
piled until the desired amount of creo-
Sote per cubic foot is forced into the
wood These retorts are movable and
are hauled from place to place This
treatment, which quadruples the life of
a soft wood tie, has opened up supply
which will meet the demand for some
wears But shortage is distinctly in
Sight and some broader plans must be
undertaken. The only remedy is tree
planting and forest management.
EXPERIMENTAL TIE PLANTATIONS.
Some six years ago experimental tie
plantations were started by a number
of railroads. The more important of
these are the Illinois Railroad plot at
Harahan, La, where 200 acres were
planted in 1902, and Du Guam, H.,
where 1870 acres were planted i'll 1903:
the various plantations of the LOUIS
Vile and Nashville Railroad III Illinois,
Alabama. Florida and Kentucky, and
the various black locust plantations of
the Pennsylvania Railroad throughout
the State of Pennsylvania.
Plantations SO far have been devoted
to the growth of catalpa and locust,
but it is certain that, as time goes on,
the work Will be extended to include
chestnut, red oak, European larch and
similar woods which are rapid growers
and yield good timber. Over a large
area of the country chestnut grows
well The United States Forest Ser
vice is authority for The statement that
chestnut forest started from the seed
can be cut over a number of times d
intervals of from 81 to 40 years, yield
ing, under good forest management,
from 200 to 400 ties per acre at each
cutting.
Some desultory tree planting was
done by railroads as long as thirty
years ago; but has demonstrated moth
ing, other, perhaps, than in the Farling-
ton Catalpa plantation in Kansas,
which has been used for fence posts, to
show an annual net profit per acre of
Sl2.65 for the time the land has been
occupied. This is exceedingly encour-
aging and suggests that thousands of
tracts of unproductive land could be
very profitably planted by their owners
to catalpa locust, chestnut and other
profitable woods. There is no section
of the country to which some tree is
not well adapted which is valuable for
ties 6nd poles
A GREAT OBJECT LESSON TO FARMERS
1t is very doubtful if any railroad
will ever be able to plant trees in suf-
ticient number to secure its entire sup