92 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



or road at distances of about a yard apart, and are kept in 

 position by pegs driven into the ground at their ends. The 

 total cost of construction is about a penny per yard. The 

 sledges are taken down by men who control them by means 

 of a pole fastened to one side of the sledge (Plate VI. fig. 7). 

 The sledges after they reach the depot are unloaded, and are then 

 carried up on the shoulders of the men (Plate VI. fig. 8). 



3. Wooden Slide. — At Sihlbrugg a transportable wooden 

 slide for firewood was seen in operation. It had a total length 

 of 650 feet, and was constructed from two boards fitted to 

 form a wide V about 2 feet across the top. The slide was 

 made in 20-feet sections, each section being supported on four 

 V-shaped trusses. This slide is only employed in the transport 

 of firewood, and upwards of 7060 cubic feet may be taken 

 down in a day. 



Protection ivorks. — Owing to the loose nature of the soil, the 

 heavy rainfall, and the declivity of the land, the forest area is 

 liable to suffer great damage from erosion. Accordingly it is 

 found necessary to erect weirs in the beds of most of the streams. 

 Plate VII. fig. 9 shows a cheap and effective method of protect- 

 ing such a bed from erosion. 



The walk through the forest from Sihlbrugg to Sihlwald 

 occupied the greater part of the morning. At the Restauration 

 von Sihlwald the company was entertained to lunch by Dr Meister 

 and Mr Tuchschmidt, who represented the Corporation of Zurich. 

 After lunch an inspection was made of the various methods and 

 the machinery employed in the forest depot in the conversion 

 of timber. Here an extensive plant for the impregnation of 

 telegraph poles with copper sulphate was examined. A machine 

 for the manufacture and bundling of firewood was also seen. 

 In addition to band and circular saws there are "polishing" 

 machines, "shaping" machines, and "copying" machines for 

 the manufacture of tool handles. Perhaps one of the most 

 interesting machines is seen in Plate VII. fig. 10, which 

 illustrates the manufacture of wood wool from small spruce 

 and silver fir timber. It was unfortunate that time did not 

 allow of a longer examination being made of the various forms 

 into which the timber is converted here. 



The effect of the intensive form of management practised in 

 the Sihlwald is seen in the returns obtained from the forest, 

 which in 1910-11 were 23s. per acre. 



