THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FOREST. 89 



cal countries the mangrove grows along the sea-margin, and 

 not only protects the land, but adds to its breadth, by forming 

 and increasing a maritime alluvial belt." 



The following, from the " Journal of the Society 

 of Arts," * shows the enormous demands made on 

 the forest by railroads for sleepers : 



" The Belgian ' Bulletin du Muse"e Commercial' gives the 

 following information respecting the number of sleepers used 

 on various railways. In France alone the six larger railway 

 companies require a daily supply of more than ten thousand 

 sleepers, making an annual consumption of over three million 

 six hundred and fifty thousand. As a tree of ordinary di- 

 mensions cannot furnish more than ten logs, it follows that 

 more than a thousand fine trees are cut down every day solely 

 for the purpose of supplying the necessary sleepers for the 

 French railways. In the United States the amount required 

 is still greater. Over fifteen million sleepers are annually 

 used in this country, thus necessitating the annual destruction 

 of eighty thousand hectares, or one hundred and ninety-seven 

 thousand six hundred acres of forests. 'The Bulletin du 

 Musee Commercial' estimates at more than forty millions the 

 number of logs required for the railways of the world, and is 

 of opinion that the estimate is rather below than above the 

 mark." 



* " Journal of the Society of Arts," vol. xxvii. London : 

 George Bell & Sons, 6 York Street, Covent Garden, 1889. 

 Pp. 924. 



8* 



