with Canadian money, but it is hard to make the 

 general public realize that the forests of Canada are 

 carrying a tremendous load as the chief support of 

 our credit in the United States. Every effort should 

 be made to protect our forests from fire and to pro- 

 vide efficient forestry management, to enable them 

 to continue in perpetuity the large part they are 

 taking in our foreign trade. 



So Soon? 



Owing to the unprecedented levels to which prices 

 of railroad cross-ties have risen in this country, the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad has decided to investigate the 

 adaptability of the hard woods of Central and South 

 America for this purpose. Inquiries have been started 

 along several lines, not only to ascertain how much 

 more cheaply ties, or the material for ties, can be 

 purchased in those countries, but also to investigate 

 the question of the longer life of ties made from the 

 Southern hard woods, as compared with those made 

 from the North American native woods heretofore 

 chiefly used. 



Under normal conditions the Pennsylvania Railroad 

 System uses from five million to six million cross-ties 

 annually. White oak, the most desirable North Ameri- 

 can wood for this purpose, is becoming rapidly 

 scarcer. The other available woods in this country 

 have a very short life as ties, unless creosoted, which 

 adds materially to their cost. 



The average net cost of railroad ties ready for plac- 



28 



