264 Proceedings o^ the 



upon our main lines that it is not so much the decay of 

 the timber as it is the cutting in by the rail which wears 

 out or decreases the life of the tie. The average life 

 of a white oak tie is about ten years ; we expect to get 

 additional life out of a locust. The main attention 

 which this class of timber seems to require during 

 growth is that of pruning the lower branches of the 

 young trees, ploughing and harrowing the ground in 

 which they are planted, and keeping the weeds down 

 as far as possible. 



While it is not likely that the Pennsylvania Railroad 

 Company will at any time undertake to plant a suffi- 

 cient number of trees from which to secure its entire 

 supply of cross ties, we feel that the experiment made 

 by it of raising its own tie timber will have a tendency 

 to stimulate outside parties, who are small owners of 

 property, to cultivate this class of timber, and in this 

 way assist the railroad company in the vicinity in 

 which they are located by furnishing cross ties at some 

 future time. 



In order to supply our entire needs for the year, 

 namely, 3,000,000 for repairs and half a million for 

 new work, and adding thereto 10 per cent for the 

 immediate future increase, making the total annual 

 requirements 3,850,000 ties, we figure that, three ties 

 to a tree, would require about 1,300,000 trees each year 

 to produce the probable number of ties needed. To 

 produce the necessary number of trees of the proper 

 size for tie-cutting each year, in order to harvest the 

 3,850,000 ties (figuring that it will require thirty years 

 for a yellow locust tree to mature), would require a 

 continuous growth of 39,000,000 trees, 1,300,000 to be 

 planted each year, which, if planted ten feet apart, or 

 about 400 trees to the acre, would entail the continuous 

 use of 97,500 acres, or 152 square miles of ground, for 

 the purpose. 



