THE ZURICH WOODS. 4 1 



though the method is not likely to gain much ground in 

 Britain. In its favour it may be said that the plant is not 

 costly to instal, the timber is not discoloured in the process 

 as it is with creosote, nor increased materially in weight ; 

 further, no strong smell is imparted to the wood, and the 

 method is suitable for operations within the forest, as the 

 timber must be impregnated when green — that is, immediately 

 after felling. Under hydrostatic injection, however, the effects 

 are not so enduring as they are when the timber is impregnated 

 by the pneumatic system or by steam under pressure. The 

 timber of course sells at a much higher price after treatment, 

 as it enables spruce and silver fir to be utilised for telegraph 

 posts and vine poles : it also adds to their durability as flooring- 

 boards, fencing-material, barrel staves, etc., while beech timber 

 so treated can be used for railway sleepers. Even weak 

 stems from thinnings, otherwise valueless except for firewood, 

 command a fair price after impregnation. While the factory 

 as a whole is not large, it certainly is wonderfully complete, 

 every species, and even every part of every tree, being carefully 

 considered in the light of its most economical conversion. 

 Managed in this way, local manufacture is an undoubted 

 success. 



Transport of Produce. 



For the transport of the material to the saw-mills and station, 

 various appliances are in use. Logs are carried from the 

 steepest ground by means of overhead cables or wire ropes; 

 at other places, where the gradient is not quite so abrupt, 

 wooden timber slides are employed. As the timber glides down 

 these merely by its own weight, a good deal of engineering 

 skill has to be exercised in their construction, particularly 

 at awkward turnings and at the bottom of the slide. A few 

 of the old-fashioned sledge -ways still exist, and are used 

 principally for short distances, and only for the smaller material. 

 The sledges, which weigh about loo lbs., and are 6 feet 6 inches 

 long, are carried up the hills when empty by the workmen. 

 The foregoing methods do not exhaust the means of transport, 

 however, for the light railway has yet to be mentioned. This 

 was the first forest tramway in Europe, being constructed in 

 1876. Improvements on the original form have been introduced, 

 and the gauge is now 2 feet ; the railway is in part permanent 



