258 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



Stone Act, as recommended by the American Forestry 

 Association, and I submit that in view of the evident 

 necessities of the railroads of the west, building pioneer 

 lines, that form the vanguard of civilization, that under 

 the judicious cutting of timber on government lands, 

 by carrying out the natural rule of the survival of the 

 fittest, the requirement that the resulting product can- 

 not be exported from the district or state wherein it is 

 cut may well be repealed and be used wherever upon 

 such railroads the necessity for its use is apparent. 

 The popular demand is that the rates of freight, so 

 greatly reduced during the past few years, should 

 receive still further reduction. This can be obtained 

 only by economy in construction and maintenance, and 

 every measure that tends to that result should receive 

 encouragement. 



We of the West are watching with concern the inter- 

 esting experiment of that admirable Chief Forester 

 Pinchot in the planting of pine cones and young pines 

 in our sandhill country. If this otherwise useless land 

 can be made to grow merchantable pine it will have 

 justified its hitherto useless existence. 



The experiments of the Government, of the railroads, 

 and of private parties in prolonging the life of timber 

 are of great importance. The saving of the forests, if 

 the life of a tie can be prolonged, will be very great, 

 for as yet no substitute has been devised for wood ties 

 that is either economical or desirable. They maintain 

 the alignment of the railroad, so essential to safety, 

 better than any metal substitute and give an elasticity 

 to the roadbed most important for the preservation and 

 maintenance of the rolling stock. With metal ties, or 

 a stone base, the rails would be speedily injured, and 

 the heavy Mogul engines used to-day, drawing the 

 heavy trains of large cars needed for the traffic, would 



