MANUFACTURING TIMBER. 449 



40 feet in length, ore on each side of a part of the saw-shed. 

 Both the saws can be driven by one good engine standing in the 

 middle of the shed ; that on the left-hand side is engaged in 

 slabbing, while that on the right-hand side is sawing logs by 

 piece work. Beyond the engine, and driven by its spare fly- 

 wheel, benches 16 feet long face one another on either side of the 

 shed, and a cross-cut saw is driven by the same shafting ; these are 

 used for cutting pit-wood, staves, and heading: so that the cross- 

 cutting, slabbing, and sawing of these small sizes can be carried 

 on simultaneously ■with the operations on the larger timber at the 

 long benches. A mill of this kind would fully employ ten men. 

 This is pi-obably the cheapest and most expeditious method of 

 cutting up timber that has yet been employed in country districts. 

 The ordinary 9' x 10" x 5" sleeper can be sawn in this manner 

 at a cost of l^d., plus the wages of the fireman, oil, etc., which 

 would amount to one-eighth of a penny per sleeper. Of course, 

 where water can be employed instead of steam power, the latter 

 items will be saved, and many of our Scottish streams are 

 admirably adapted for this purpose. 



Creosoting Scots fir, and using it for estate purposes, such as 

 fencing, cattle courts and stables on farm steadings, will be found 

 a very profitable way of employing the ordinary Scots fir. By it 

 the durability of this timber is increased at least three-fold ; and 

 the larch-wood, which has hitherto been used largely for these 

 purposes, can be disposed of at very remunerative prices. A very 

 handy creosoting plant can be erected for between £200 and £300, 

 including an engine to drive it ; and the great advantages derived 

 from using creosoted timber on the estate very soon handsomely 

 repay the first outlay. Then, the sale of creosoted fencing 

 material should, as farmers and landowners get familiar with its 

 use, form a very extensive industry in home-grown timber. Unfor- 

 tunately, the consumers of these goods in this country are very 

 reluctant to change their methods ; and they go on using larch 

 which costs more money, and will last less than half the time of 

 creosoted Scots fir. This aptly illustrates what a visitor to the 

 United States remarked lately, viz., that in that country you 

 find everybody striving to adopt the newest ideas ; whereas, 

 in this country, people continue to practise the old ones, in 

 spite of the clearly defined advantages of many of those which 

 are new. 



The forester in charge of the appliances which I have described 



