58 THE WORK OF THE FOREST DEPARTMENT IN INDIA. 



lia Manii from the Andamans, A bies Pindrow, Picea Morinda 

 and Pinus longi folia from the Punjab and United Provinces, 

 Dipterocarpus alatus, Dipterocarpus tuberculatus and Termina- 

 lia tomentosa from Burma, Dipterocarpus pilosus, Terminalia 

 myriocarpa and possibly Cynometra polyandra and Altingia 

 excelsa from Assam and Terminalia tomentosa, Terminalia 

 paniculata, Dillenia indica and Valeria indica from the West 

 Coast forests. 



A large variety of timbers are used for constructional 

 purposes, for fencing props, posts and telegraph poles, which 

 in India are not treated at all or at most are given a coating of 

 paint. In Europe and America, on the other hand, practically 

 all timber is first treated before being used in engineering 

 works and as posts, an example which might with advantage 

 be followed in India. 



The cost of treatment depends on the nature of the solution 

 employed, the amount of the solution introduced into the timber, 

 and the cost of handling and processing the timber. The cheap- 

 est method of treating timber is with a salt solution, such as 

 chloride of zinc; thus, to treat a broad-gauge sleeper with 10 Ibs. 

 of a 2 per cent, solution of chloride of zinc per cubic foot costs 

 1 anna 11 pies for the salt and about 5 annas 1 pie for process- 

 ing, handling, spreading and stacking, or 7 annas in all. 

 This treatment is, as has been stated elsewhere, insufficient to 

 protect the timber under Indian conditions, as the salt must 

 be protected either by a coating of creosote alone or by a mixture 

 of creosote and petroleum oil. This may amount to 6 Ibs. of oil 

 per broad-gauge sleeper, the cost of the mixture amounting to 

 6 annas, to which must be added processing charges at 

 3 annas, thus bringing the total cost of treatment with the salt 

 and oil combined to Re. 1 per sleeper. To treat a broad-gauge 

 sleeper with 6 Ibs. of a mixture of creosote and petroleum oils 

 per cubic foot comes to approximately Rs. 1-2-0, to which must 

 be added 5 annas for processing, handling, spreading and stack- 

 ing or a total of Rs. 1-7-0 per sleeper. To powellize a broad- 

 gauge sleeper costs about Rs. 1-5-0. Comparing the cost of 

 treatment by any of the above, methods with that in Europe it is 

 expensive, solely owing to the fact that coal-tar creosote is not 



