The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1914-03-24
FOREST NOTES.

Connecticut has one and a half
million acres of timberland, mainly
in farmers woodlots.
India is developing an important
turpentine industry, though it does
not yet supply the home market.
Only one wood, Spanish cedar,
(Cedreala odorata) is commonly used
for cigar boxes. Sometimes a cheap
er wood may form the basis of the
box, with paper-thin veneers of the
tropical cedar over it.
1t has been suggested that certain
kinds of timber on the National for
ests be reserved for the needs of the
navy. This recalls the fact that the
first forest reservations in this cOun-
try were made for naval material.
The Department of Agriculture is
trying to eliminate the danger to
cattle from poisonous plants on Ma
tional forest ranges. OF these plants,
larkSpur loco weed, death camas and
water hemlock are the most poison
GUNS. Larkspur does the most harm,
because it is so widely distributed and
is particularly bad for cattle. Ordi-
narily, horses will not eat larkspur,
and sheep can eat it without appar-
ent injury.
In replacing a railroad trestle re-
Gently burned along the North shore
Of Great Salt Lake, engineers have
just found that the pies are still per-
fectly sound after 43 years of SER
vice. Looking for the cause, since
these were only of local pine and fir,
they found the timbers were impreg
mated throughout with salt from the
lake.
At another point on the lake, Is
inch piles, set 29 years, are similarly
preserved with salt which has pene-
trated to their very center. Timbers
in the Southern Pacific trestles across
Salt Lake, placed in 1902, appear to
be as GOOD as on the day when the
piles were driven. They have been
preserved we'll above the water line
by the salt dashed on them by the
waves, fact apparently anticipated
by the engineers who built the tres
ties.
The first transcontinental tele-
graph line, built before the railroad,
extended west from Salt Lake City
through the prosperous mining camps
of Eureka, Austin and Virginia City.
When the railroad was built, the tele-
graph line was transferred to follow
it's right of-way and the old poles
sawed off at the ground. An engineer
who recently examined the butts left
in the ground in the salt desert near
Fish Springs found that, although
fifty years had passed since the poles
were cut off, the old butts were per-
fectly sound.
Telephone and electric companies
in the Calf Lake valley have used the
local salt for preserving poles. When
set up, about Is pounds of salt is
placed around the pole on the ground.
This method can not be used, how
ever, when the pole is on, or near a
lawn, or in any place where vegeta-
ton is desired.
It is pointed out that the reason
why the waters of Salt Lake act so
SLFOuS DIS d pIOoOA foIifO, 90 VIC
tinguished from ocean waters, is be-
cause the lake water is so much sal
tier, being practically saturate solu-
ton. Preservation with salt is of no
use in ocean piling against the attack
of eredos and other marine borers.
Experts in the forest service who
have been investigating the preserva-
tive treatment of timber offer the sug-
gesion that ties and poles which have
been immersed for some time in the
waters of the lake ought to be i'm
pervious to decay if the salt is not
leaked out by the action of the ele-
ments. 1t has been suggested that
this can be guarded against, for ex-
ample, by painting the butt Of the
pole with a coat of creosote which
will keep out the moisture and keep
in the salt.
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