Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-28
VALUABLE AS WHEAT
Country's Lumber Harvest
Worth $780, 100000.
ESTIMATE FOR YEAR 1908
Preserving Poles and Railway Ties
With Chemicals.
PLANS FOR REFORESTAT10N
ESTIMATE FOR YEAR 1908
PLANS FOR REFORESTATI0N
Policy of Countries of Europe
Planting Trees in Waste Places.
Experience in United States.
RY WILLIAM z. CURTIS.

RY WILLIAM F. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The census bureau has just issued a
statement showing the lumber harvest
| for the year 1908, which is reckoned at
total of forty billion feet. valued at
| sIOO,OoO.OOO or about the same amount
as the wheat crop.
| This includes twelve billion shingles.
which are worth s25,oOoOuo. and four bill
| lions OF iaths. which worth s1200O,Oo0,
| During the last ten years the prices of
| lumber, shingles and laths have increased
40 per cent and the largest advance on
any one year has occurred during the
| last few months. notwithstanding the
/! fact that the new tariff law reduces the
| duty upon lumber ~ cents a hundred III
| order to make ii cheaper for the farm
ers of the west by giving the Canadian
product an opportunity to compete witt
| that cut on this side of the border.
| The state Of Washington stands frs;
| in the list of lumber producers. although
| ten years ago 1t was number six. Wis
consin, which was first then, has drop
| ped to third. and California, Oregon.
Louisiana and Mississippi have passed
| held the second and third places.
| In 1908 3,243,124 telegraph poles we,a
sold for s5,92s, 1924, an average of SIS
each. The largest number, :, 200, 139, were
cedar, which sold for $3.7sO.973.
+, The telegraph and telephone companies
used 1919 per cent. an increase OF 250.5sS
poles over the year 1907. while the elec-
! trio light and power companies used 1G.i
ont yrN,S 10 nf
poles from 1907. The highest average
cost for any class and species was $1s.:'
per oak pole, sixty feet more in length.
Keeping Decay From Poles.
The report says that each year sub
stantial progress is made in treating poles
with. chemicals to preserve them from
| decay. Recent inspections demonstrate
that after four years OF exposure 81 per
cent Of the poles that have been treated
were still sound, while all of the untreat
ed poles were more or less decayed. ard
in many cases to such an extent that
their renewal was necessary. 1t has ais"
been demonstrated that poles OF the
cheaper woods. when properly treated.
will outlast the more expensive materials.
particularly in damp and warm climates.
where decay Is most rapid. Pine poles.
properly treated with creosote, have been
known to give efficient service for more
than twenty years. But only about 10
uer cent. that is-a total of 344, $50 poles
were treated last year. and all of this
was done by steam railways and electric
light and power companies. The tele-
graph and telephone companies, which
use the cheaper class of poles which cost
an average of $1.34 last year, do not use
preservatives.
Decay of Railway Ties.
There are more than seven hundred mil
lion railway ties now in use. If they
had been treated with natives be-
fore they were laid it would have saved
. the railroad companies an average of siN-
teen million dollars a year, which is lost
in replacing them, and there would be
still larger saving to the country in
lessening the drain upon the forests.
Last year the steam and electric rail-
way companies purchased total of 49,
463. 40 cross-ties, this number being
decrease of IL ,236, Ill ties. or Pos per cent,
from the number purchased in 1907. The
chief cause OF this decrease was the
Widespread business depression during
the year. Any check in commerce and
industry reacts upon transportation. and
consequently the general policy of the
roads during 1908 was to purchase only
such ties as were absolutely necessary
for renewals. and such additional ties
for new trackage as were essential to
carry out projects under way.
In 1905 only 7.431.170 ties. or &C per
cent OF the total. were reported as pur
chased for new track. while in 1907, 3d.
So, 600 ties. or 1873 per cent Of the total,
were purchased for the same purpose.
Two-thirds of the ties purchased for new
track in 1905 were reported by steam
roads and one-third by the electric roads.
Since the total mileage of the steam
roads was several times that OF electric
roads, these figures indicate that the
building activity on the part OF the cleo
trio roads was relatively much greater
than that of the steam roads in 1905.
More than AZ per cent of the ties were
oak mostly white oak: - per cent were
yellow pine. and the remainder were ce-
dar. chestnut, Douglas fir and other kinds
Of wood.
The steam railways used 34.3 per cent:
the electric railways 81 per cent; the az
erage cost Per tie for all kinds of ties in
1908 was 20 cents, and the corresponding
average for 1907 was 81 cents
The increase in the use of preservatives
is very rapid. and twelve large railroads
are establishing treating plants at inter-
walls on their lines. The most durable
ties will last at least four times as long
when treated with creosote zinc chic
! ride. Last year 21.1 per cent Of all the
| ties used were treated. while the CORE
spending percentages for 1907 and 1906
were 129 and lis. There are altogether
in operation seventy Representing plants
in this country.
Growing Trees.
Eleven railroads have undertaken to
grow their own ties, the Pennsylvania
Company being far in the lead. and are
he tHntr ~frrb<