104 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



siderable size will operate a mill back in the woods, sawing 

 up there into lumber any logs which are not large enough or 

 clear enough to be hauled to town to the veneer plant. (Figs. 

 9 and 10.) 



C. RAILROAD TIES 



The production of sawed ties has been mentioned under 

 sawmills, the majority of sawed ties being of beech which 

 go to the creosoting plants for preservative treatment. 



Hewed ties are made in the hills, mostly of black and 

 white oak or in the bottomland timber after the larger trees 

 have been removed down to a diameter of about twelve 

 inches breast high, the tie men taking trees under this di- 

 mension. In the latter case we found almost any species be- 

 ing taken except cottonwood. The specifications for ties 

 were as follows: 



No. 1 6" by 6" face 8 feet long. 



No. 2 6" by 7'' face 8 feet long. 



No. 3 6'' by 8'' face 8 feet long. 



No. 4 7'' by 8'' face 8 feet long. 



No. 5 T' by 9'' face 8 feet long. 

 Prices received for ties varied from $1.00 to $1.90 de- 

 livered at the railroad, the latter price being paid for a No. 

 5 tie, without much distinction being made as to species, 

 since most of them are now given a preservative treatment, 

 even white oak. The price paid for hewing in the fall of 

 1919 varied from 30 cents each for a No. 1 tie up to 50 cents 

 for a No. 5 tie. Two men usually worked together, main- 

 taining a small temporary camp. There are quite a number 

 of smaller trees of inferior species being cut for mine ties 

 and motor ties, such species as mulberry, sassafras, ash, 

 hickory, persimmon and mixed oaks being accepted, some 

 being surfaced on only two sides, the price delivered being 

 about 25 cents each. Hauling of ties is done on wagons, and 

 for a six mile haul teamsters with a team were receiving 

 about 20 cents each and could haul about 25 or 30 larger 

 ties at a load. Taken all around, we may say that the hills 

 of Alexander, as well as Union County, are capable under 

 proper management and protection of producing large quan- 

 tities of ties on land much better suited for timber growing 

 than any other purpose. 



