Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-10-20
FORESTS FeR RAILROAD TIES.
Pennsylvania Company is Growing
Tress by the Million for Future
Supply.


Supply.
More than a million trees have
been planted by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company this season. max.
ing to.al of 100000 trees planted
by this corporation in the last three
years TO provide for the future com
mand for timber and cross ties. This
work constitutes the most extensive
forestry plan undertaken by a PR
vate corporation in line with the
American Civic Associations cam.
paign for the conservation of the tim
Der supply.
No better evidence can be given
of the practical value, from the util-
itarian viewpoint, of the efforts OF
the American Civic association for
"a more beautiful America" And
while the Pennsylvania Railroad com
pany's forestry operations are a pri-
vate enterprise, the policy of the com
pany is to encourage public reforest-
alton. Upward OF $4,000 trees have
been supplied virtually at cost dur
ing the present season TO other cor.
porations and private individuals. In
addition, 5000 privot hedge planls
were distributed among individuals.
In a general way, the conservative
numbering and the forest planting by
the company are serving as object
lessons for farmers and others in
terested in the cultivation of the Tanu.
By way of experiment, the com.
pany's first forestry operations were
confined to wood lots and farm lands
between Philadelphia and Altoona.
These tracts were planted mainly in
locust trees. In its work in the pres
ent season, $4,000 trees were set out
near Metuchen and New Brunswick,
New Jersey.
OF all the trees planted this year,
$4,000 were red oak, and $4,000 pm
oak. There were planted 10000
soo,ch pine, $4,000 locust, $4,000
hardy catalpa, 5000 European Iarcn,
5000 chestnut, 1890 yellow poplar,
1000 black walnut and 1000 white
pine.
To facilitate its forestry work, the
Pennsylvania Company established a
forest tree nursery near MorrisviIle,
Pennsylvania, last year. This place
was selected because of the favorable
soil conditions and it's accessibility
1t consists of thirteen acres of a sew
enty-acre farm, all of which is suit
able for the extension of the nurs-
cry. As the soil had been worked
out, it was necessary to develop the
fertility.
During the present season, the
Morrlsville nursery supplied 1851
900 trees, and plants. AS soon as
he trees had been removed. the area
was ploughed, fertilized and repIant-
ed with acorns. Half million con-
ferrous seedlings, which were grown
in 1908, were transplanted and viii
be ready to be set out permanently
next season. From tie 30 pounds
of pine and spruce seeds, it is ex-
pected to produce a million new
plants
1t is the idea of the officers of the
railroad company that, in the event
no substitute for the wood cross lie
shall be found in the next quarter
century, the corporation will have
available an enormous supply of i'm
Der.
AS a means Of economizing in the
consumption of lumber, the company
has decided to treat cross ties with
creosote for the purpose of proIons-
ing the Ife of the wood This plan
was promp ed by the increasing scare
ity of timber and a thorough inquiry
into the conditions of the timber sup
ply of the country.
A creosoting plant has been estap-
lished in Mount Union, Pa, ana TINS
is equipped TO treat 100000 ties a
year 1t is expected that the creo-
soting i'll increase the life of cross
ties two and three fold. The Penn
sylvania Railroad Companys demands
are 3.5o0,0O0 to 100000 ties yearly
for renewals and new work. To sup
ply these and her lumber needed,
the timber is stripped from $4,000
acres yearly. BY preserving the tim
Der, it S hoped to reduce the cutting
to 25,0C0 acres yearly.