426 COMPARISON OF MODES OF TRANSPORT. 



consequently in the outturn of the sawmills there must be 

 a certain proportion of unsound boards and scantling. In so 

 far, therefore, as floating actually increases the difficulties and 

 practical impediments in the way of a rational treatment of 

 wood, it is advisable, wherever it is not susceptible of improve- 

 ment, to limit its use, at least as regards valuable timber. 



6. Influence of Railways on the Timber-trade. 



It is easy, from observation of the freight of goods-trains 

 which pass through forests, to form an idea of the share that 

 the ordinary railroads of a country take in the transport of 

 wood. By the co-operation of branch-lines and road-railways 

 the meshes of the railway-net are constantly narrowing and 

 a great and important future is being prepared for facilitating 

 the transport of wood by the use of railways, and by uniting 

 them with main forest-railways and portable tramways. Plains 

 and hilly districts alone can profit fully by these benefits ; 

 and although mountain forests, as we have seen, may par- 

 ticipate also to some extent, it is chiefly long, gently inclined 

 valleys, penetrating the interior of mountain-districts, where 

 projects for the construction of forest-railways can be enter- 

 tained at present. In general, however, the decisive arguments 

 for and against the adoption of a forest-railway are : whether 

 large quantities of wood are available for trade along a given 

 line of export, or the produce of a forest has to be distributed 

 in detail to satisfy merely local demands ; the total amount 

 of the produce in question, which may be augmented 

 temporarily owing to damage by storms, insects, or other 

 causes of injury ; and sometimes the probable duration of 

 the demand for the produce. This last motive may also 

 involve serious danger to the forest, in case the existence of 

 a forest-railway should lead the manager, by over-felling, to 

 pass beyond the limits of true forest conservancy. 



It is in the interests of silviculture, especially for the repro- 

 duction of the standing-crop, to extend portable tramways as 

 much as possible, in order to remove the produce of secondary 

 fellings and standards in full-sized logs without injury to the 

 young crop, and thus supply a quick and cheap transport of 

 wood from the constantly shifting felling-areas to the nearest 



