48 Canadian Forestry Journal. 



is rapidly increased to such an extent that the spike no longer 

 holds. Water collects in the enlarged hole and decay sets in. 

 Whenever a spike becomes so loose that it no longer holds, it is 

 pulled out and driven in at another point. This constant respik- 

 ing rapidly ruins the tie. In place of the ordinary spike the 

 screw spike, such as is now used in Europe, is recommended. 

 Screwed into a hole specially bored for it, it holds the rail firmly 

 and prevents the injurious effects of the straight spike. 



In tie plates the principal functions are to distribute the 

 load from the rail on the tie, and to prevent the mechanical abra- 

 sion of the tie as far as possible. For the softer and inferior 

 woods it is recommended that wherever possible a flat steel 

 tie plate be used without spikes or flanges on the base of the 

 plate, and that tests be made with wooden tie plates, one-fourth 

 one-half and five-eighths inches in thickness, 6 to 7 inches long, 

 and the width of the rail base under which they are used. 



Forest Resources of Texas; Wm. L. Bray, Bureau of Forestry. 



The general impression in regard to Texas has been that it 

 is a prairie country rather than a forested state, and while this is 

 largely true, still this report shows that the forests are of no small 

 importance. The existence of the forest and its composition 

 are to a large extent dependent on the rainfall, and from the low 

 plains on the Gulf of Mexico to the plateaux of 4,000 to 5,000 feet 

 and the mountains of 10,000, the rainfall gradually declines fromi 

 50 inches per annum to ten inches. The species of trees present 

 a large variety. In the swamp and bay tracts of the lov/er region 

 are bald cypress, tupelo, gum, magnolia and other characteristic 

 trees of southern lowlands, with their peculiar adaptations to life 

 on lands generally covered by water. The alluvial bottom lands 

 support a valuable hardwood forest comprising different species 

 of oak, ash, gum, cotton-wood, &c. Black walnut has practical- 

 Iv all been cut out. The exploitation of the other hardwoods 

 is developing rapidly, as northern manufacturing firms are reach- 

 ing out farther for supplies. This is one of the new districts 

 from which the supply for Canada will now come. In 

 spite of this it is remarkable that lands are being cleared for 

 settlement in this district by destroying the trees, a v^^asteful 

 method that most people have considered was long ago relegated 

 to the past. There are about 7,000 square miles of mixed hob- 

 lolly pine and hardwood forest, among which tracts of pure stand 

 of the former give a cut of 12,000 to 15,000 feet to the acre. Short 

 leaf pine is also an important timber tree. The greatest timber 

 producing area in Texas at the present time is that covered by 

 Longleaf pine, comprising a tract of some 5,000 square miles. The 

 stand is practically pure, and the trees make a large and perfect 

 growth, yielding logs of a inaximum diameter of from 36 to 40 



