TIMBER VALUATION 45 



Slack Staves need not, of course, be made from such valuable trees 

 but still very few defects are allowable. Into railroad ties may 

 be thrown any sound oak which will give a seven-inch face, eight 

 feet long, and be at least six inches thick. This is the standard 

 for a No. 3 railroad tie. No. i ties must have a nine-inch face 

 and be seven inches thick and sold for about 75 cents each or 

 about S20 per M in 1915. They are usually worth 100 per cent 

 more than No. 3 ties so that it pays better to put anything but 

 No. I and No. 2 tie material into cordwood where oak firewood 

 brings $8 or more per cord. 



Oak seldom occurs in pure stands in this type so its logging 

 and manufacture are comparatively expensive from all points of 

 view, hardness, weight, and scattered location of the trees. 



Average costs were as follows in T914: 



PerM 



Felling and bucking $1 . 50 



Skidding 2 . 00 



Hauling 2 . 00 



Milling 3.00 



Marketing i . 00 



$9-5° 



The manufacture of quartered oak cost even more because of the 

 many logs which must be rejected and the extra care needed in 

 sawing. Tie making cost 10 to 15 cents per tie, or S4 to $6 per 

 M, to which must be added the cost of hauling the ties to the rail- 

 road. Cordwood cutting could be contracted for $1.50 to $2 

 per cord or $3 to $4 per M while dehvery usually cost about $2 

 per cord more. Summing up, a tract of oak lumber may bring 

 a stumpage price of $3 to $15 per M to which may be added 

 $4 more, if ties and cordwood can be made out of the tops and 

 small trees. 



Elm is an unimportant hardwood which occurs sparingly in 

 this type. Its average stumpage price, S3 per M, 1900 census, 

 is low for accessible timber even tho it can only be employed 

 successfully for certain special uses. It is a fairly hard, fairly 

 heavy wood which is not durable and is most valuable for vehicle 

 stock where its toughness commends it for such purposes as 



