428 COMPAUISON OF MODKS OF TRANSPORT. 



timber-depot, or to a junction witli iui oidinnrv laihvay-lino. It 

 is, however, evident that for such a purpose only phiteaux and 

 plains can be utilized. The introduction of portable tramways 

 into the forest ran<,'e of Einsicdel-liJebenhausen is well worthy 

 of imitation, and here also a considerable savin<f of expense as 

 compared with cart-traffic has resulted. 



7. ('(iikiJh, 



In lowlands, canals are even more useful than railways, owinjj; 

 to the reduced cost of transport which they involve. The 

 network of canals in Prussia is now bein^' rapidly extended, and 

 enormous quantities of iudi<>[enous and foreign timber are carried 

 by the various canals. Canals are now bein«i[ constructed to 

 unite the Khine with the Weser, and also with the Danube and 

 Main. [The acquisition of English canals by railway companies 

 is against cheap inland traffic — Tk.] 



8. Conclusion. 



Facilitating wood-transport by increasing and improving the 

 means of communication within and outside the forest has 

 become a question of the first importance. Forestry has in 

 many places lagged behind almost every other industry in this 

 respect. Owing to the situation of forests, transport from them 

 is most difficult, but this does not relieve foresters from the duty 

 of making every endeavour to utilize all present engineering 

 resources, so as to reduce, as far as possible, the present high 

 rates of timber-transport. Apparently the present tendency is 

 to curtail floating in favour of land-transport, either ])v eart-roads 

 or tramways. 



Success in carrying out this programme will at any rate be 

 justified by the consequent improvement in the quality of timber ; 

 its adoption is further enforced owing to the constantly increasing 

 utilization of water-power by other industries, in most cases 

 incompatible with the use of the same streams for floating. 

 Changes in the mode of transport arc constantly occurring, as 

 sawmills are established more and more in the interior of forests. 

 Nevertheless the time is far distant when floating and rafting will 

 completely disappear from the list of means of forest transport, 

 and in many districts they can never be dispensed witb. 



