KOHESTKY. 447 



trees of different dianielers raniriii^ from 1.". to Tn in., as is also the money valne 

 of the trees and the valne of the iniiilicr per l.ddo ft. I'.ased on this work a 

 loff rnle is jxiven for sontlieni liardwoods and the mctliod of nsins in tinil)er cruis- 

 inj; tiie (lata oiitaincd is dcscrilicd. 



In the stndy of Adirondack liardwood the inner portion of eaeh 8-ft. log and 

 each l(i-ft. log was put into ties, the rest of the log ])eing manufactured into 

 lumiu'r. Twelve and 1 i-ft. logs were made entirely into lumber. The graded 

 lumber sawed from each of the different species is given in tabular form for 

 trees of different diameters ranging from 13 to 81 in. and tlu? results discussed 

 in detail. The better grades of yellow birch are shown to increase from 1/. jx-r 

 cent in a l.'Mn. tree to 58 per cent in a ;!l-in. tree, while the poorer grades ilrop 

 from SO to 40 i)er cent between the same diameters. 



In a discussion of the profits from Adirondack lumbering it is shown that if 

 all birch and maple were cut down to and including 19 in. diameters the profits 

 per acre would be .$8.14. of which $7.48 would be from birch and (it) <ts. from 

 niai)le. Beech woidd not pay expenses. It is stated that " hardwood lumbering 

 in the Adirondacks is so expensive that as a rule it does not pay to cut any 

 but the larger trees for lumber." 



Cross ties purchased by the steam railroads of the United States in 1905, 

 II. M. Hale (i. jS'. Dept. Ayr., Forest Scrr. Circ. J/S, pp. 6"). — Rei)lies from 770 

 steam railroad companies, representing about 285.000 miles of track, are given, 

 showing the number of cross ties used in 1905. 



The total number reported is 77,981,227, of which 18.5 per cent were for use 

 in the construction of new track and the remainder for renewals. Of the total 

 number 44.5 per cent are made from oak and 23.5 per cent from pine. Stand- 

 ing next in importance to these species are cedar, representing about 7 per cent, 

 and chestnut, about 5 per cent. Practically the only region in the United 

 States where ties are pi'oduced as a major i)roduct of the forest is on the Pa- 

 cific coast. In the east the farmer's woodlot is the chief source of supply. 



Nearly 10 per cent of the ties purchased in 1905 were treated with preserva- 

 tives. In the southern, lake, and central regions more hewed than sawed 

 ties are used, but on the Pacific coast 82.3 per cent of the ties are sawed. 



Experiments on the strength of treated timber, W. K. IIatt {!'. »S'. Dcpt. 

 Ayr.. Forest iScrv. Cire. 3!), pp. 31. fifjK. 2). — A suunuai-y is given of the results 

 secured in an extensive study of methods of the influence of preservative 

 processes ujion the strength of woods. The preservatives used were creosote 

 and zinc chlorid. Both green and seasoned timbers were treated in a high- 

 I)ressure imiiregnating cylinder. The timbers used were loblolly and western 

 yellow pine railroad ties 11 ft. long. The following conclusicms from the work 

 are drawn : 



"(1) A high degree of steaming is injurious to wood. The degree of steam- 

 ing at which pronounced harm results will depend upon the quality of the 

 wood and its degree of seasoning, and \\\wn the pressure (temperature) of 

 steam and the duration of its apj)lication. For lol)Iolly pine the limit of safety 

 is cei'tainly 30 pounds for 4 hours, or 20 pounds for G hours. (2) The pres- 

 ence of zinc chlorid will not weaken wood under static loading, although the 

 indications are that the wood becomes brittle inider impact. (3) The pres- 

 ence of creosote will not weaken wood of itself. Since apparently it is pi'eseut 

 only in the openings of the cells, and does not get into the cell walls, its action 

 can only be to retard the seasoning of the wood." 



Transverse strength of clanwilliam cedar {Agr. Jour. Cape Good Hope, 29 

 iVJiili). \(). -'/. p. .'I'/S). — Taimlar results are given of the tests of a number of 

 beams cut from dry trees of clanwilliam cedar. 



