FOREST CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE. 13 



RAILROAD TIES. 



An important forest industry of Tennessee is the produc- 

 tion of cross-ties. This furnishes a large market for timber 

 which is too small and knotty for saw logs. Owing to the abun- 

 dance of tie timber, there is at present little demand for other woods 

 than white and post oaks, which are best suited for the purpose on 

 account of their hardness and durability in contact with the ground. 

 The best grades of these ties, delivered at the railroad, usually bring 

 from 40 to 50 cents. In West Tennessee " soft woods," such as 

 gum, ash, sycamore, elm, and maple, are bought to a limited extent 

 at about 25 cents a tie. Red oak, beech, and cypress ties usually 

 bring a few cents more. Of course ties of these species, with the 

 exception of cypress, are treated with preservatives before using. 



The railroads charge the same freight rate for ties as for lum- 

 ber ; and it is, therefore, usually impossible to sell them at a profit 

 except to the railroad that serves the particular locality in which 

 the timber is located, or to the tie company that buys for that rail- 

 road. This has a tendency to keep the price down. Where trans- 

 portation by water is possible, as in the neighborhood of the Ten- 

 nessee and Cumberland Rivers, higher prices can usually be ob- 

 tained. As a general rule, the stumpage value of ties is not more 

 than from 5 to 10 cents each, even for white oak, and a great many 

 are cut and delivered for a return that will scarcely pay wages. In 

 such cases the owners are willing practically to give the timber 

 away in order to get work for themselves or their men at seasons 

 when there is nothing else to do. 



There are two principal sources of waste in tie making as com- 

 monly carried on: (1) Many trees are cut just at the time when 

 they are putting on the maximum amount of valuable wood. 

 Straight, thrifty trees large enough to make several ties are very 

 easy to work up, and are, therefore, usually cut, although it is much 

 more profitable to allow them to reach larger size before cutting. 

 On the other hand, small trees of poor form, which could often be 

 thinned from overcrowded stands to advantage, are not so easy to 

 work up and are likely to be left by the woodsman. (2) A great 

 deal of wood is wasted in hewing ties, especially if the timber is 

 knotty. Most timber will yield about one-third more ties if they 

 are sawed rather than hewed. Nevertheless, nearly 90 per cent of 

 the ties produced in Tennessee are hewed, since conditions usually 

 make this method the more practicable. Hewed ties are preferred 

 by most of the railroads ; and even though no difference in price is 

 made, inspection is likely to be much less rigid, so that a slightly 



