Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-07-22

developed an horticultural industry to proceed
hand in hand with the preparation of vquebracho
posts for fences and construction work, sleepers
for railways, and Of tanning extract, the three
industries for which this unique tree Is at present
utilized.
'Rollizos' is the Spanish word commonly en-
ployed in the trade for the rough and ~untrimmed
logs (which the word means), from which only
the bark has been removed. They are still sup
piled by smaller camps from dwarfed under
growth not great enough for other purposes than
posts. beams. cabin pillars, or cart axes. When
the forest was first invaded these. logs were the
only product brought out Of it, and the stories told
of the primitive methods adopted by the natives
for transport carry one back before the days of
steam and machinery. A popular way of loading
the logs was to lay them on the ground on ropes;
then the animals were embarrassed and the cart
was tilted bodily upside down over the logs;
these were then made fast to the body of the cart,
after which maneuver it was brought back to its
normal position. OF course only two-wheeled carts
were used. AS soon as modern methods were in
troduced, and better carts or wagons became
known, these primitive and cumbersome habits
disappeared, although in the far interior even to-
day rollizos are still brought to market in this
manner. "Durmientes,' according to the Spanish,
or. sleepers, in the English. idiom, are probably the
most important product of the quebracho of the
Argentine Republic.
The industry of making sleepers has assumed
huge proportions. The din culties of former days
have been largely overcome by the introduction
Of modern machinery, especially saws, and some
of the mills many miles distant from any main
railway are equipped and organized in a manner
which would reflect credit on any similar plant In
the United States. Special saws are needed to
penetrate the wood, but they are furnished from
the factories of England, France. and America.
This mill business is carried on by many com
panies. although the tendency is to concentrate
the management into fewer but larger organiza-
lions. One company owns a tract of land of about
1900, 900 acres. and is prepared to cut timber,
fashion it into logs and sleepers, prepare tanning
extract, and utilize every other resource which the
land provides. Another company can turn out
&c, 1000 to 10000 sleepers a week. This number, how
ever, can by no means meet the steady demand
for railway building which is characteristic of this
portion of South America. Sleepers are laid at
about an interval of two feet from center to cen
ter. Assuming therefore. only 1000 sleepers for
every mile, 1t will be seen that so 1000 are enough
for only 10 miles. A years supply at fullest capac-
ity will consequently build only $50 miles of rail
way. But the Argentine Republic, Uruguay, Chile
and Bolivia, all contiguous to the Chaco. are con
structing more than this mileage, SO that 1t is
easy to see that every sleeper turned out from
modern mills can at once find a local market.
These sleepers are now finished at the mill, and
the mill is situated at the spot in the forest itself
most convenient for carrying on the process.
Quebracho extract prepared for tanning skins