6 REPORT ON THE TIMBERS 
country and the use to which it is put. Of course, the market 
value of walnut is greater than that of any other timber in 
Kentucky, and, if that alone were considered, walnut would 
head the list of valuable timbers; but the comparatively small 
quantity of it now found in the country places it low in the 
scale. White oak niust, therefore, be considered the most 
valuable timber of the Kentucky forests. In this part of 
Kentucky, it is the principal forest tree along all the streams, 
and on the more or less level, sandy soils. But, as a rule, in 
these counties it is not spread over the hills as in some parts 
of the State. On lands not more than twenty-five to forty-five 
feet’ above local drainage, and on loose sandy soils at almost 
any height above drainage, the white oak forms about 4o per 
cent. of the forest timbers. In hilly regions, however, the 
white oak usually gives way to black oak, scarlet oak, and post 
‘oak, at a height of about forty-five feet above local drainage. 
But not all of this white oak, scattered along the streams and 
through the woods of the interior part of the State, is avail- 
able at present; nor is it likely to be for years to come. A 
large part of it must be looked upon merely as a reserve for 
the distant future, when the more convenient forests shall have 
been stripped of their white oak wealth by the enormous 
‘drains now made upon them. And in the following pages, 
unless the contrary is distinctly stated, I shall confine my dis- 
cussion of the rate of disappearance of white oak timber from 
the forests to available white oak—that is, to white oak that 
is sufficiently convenient to some railroad, or to some stream 
large enough to float it out, to be procured without too great 
outlay. It should be kept in mind that the supply of this 
timber, which is too remote from present means of transporta- 
tion to be considered here, inasmuch as there is no drain upon 
it and cannot be for years to come, is almost without limit. 
This possible reserve, however, should not be allowed to blind 
the people to the dangers that threaten the white oak in all 
places where it is exposed to heavy drains. For, after all, the 
expense of reaching timbers so distant from means of convey- 
ance would cause a necessary resort to them to be almost as 
108 
