FOREST SERVICE. 229 



were turned over to an agent of the Forest Service duly appointed 

 to receive and disburse them, with the provision that all subse- 

 quent payments of cooperative funds must be made direct to this 

 agent. The headquarters of the wood preservation and dendro- 

 chemical work were changed to Washington, and the three sections of 

 wood preservation were combined. 



The main energies of the office are now directed toAvard two ends — 

 the finishing of much incomplete work left over from the previous 

 year and from the early part of the present year, and the development 

 of an adequate organization for handling the extensive and diversi- 

 fied work which the Forest Service must take up looking toward the 

 economical use of wood. The present organization recognizes three 

 sections — wood preservation, timber testing, and dendro-chemistry. 



WOOD PRESERVATION. 

 OOOPEEATIVE RAILEOAD WORK. 



Several extensive lines of cooperative work with railroad com- 

 panies, in progress at the beginning of the year, have for the most 

 part been completed. In all cases the companies contributed to the 

 expenses of the field work incident to the investigations. 



(1) In cooperation with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail- 

 way there was made an extensive study of seasoning and preservative 

 treatment of tie timbers in New Mexico and Texas. The company 

 has now adopted throughout its system the policy of preservative 

 treatment for tie and bridge timbers. The field work with this com- 

 pany closed in May, and a report on the results was completed. 



(2) An investigation to determine the best methods of handling 

 and treating lodgepole pine, red fir, and western yellow pine was 

 made in cooperation with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail- 

 way. This work also was completed. It resulted in the adoption 

 by the Burlington Railway of the policy of treating with zinc chlo- 

 ride all of the above-mentioned kinds of ties. A report on the results 

 of seasoning and treating lodgepole pine was prepared. 



(3) The St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad assisted in investi- 

 gating methods of handling and treating red oak tie timber. 



(4) With the Northern Pacific Railway an investigation of meth- 

 ods of handling railroad ties of red fir was made. Seasoning ex- 

 periments at Tacoma and Pasco, Wash., and Sandpoint, Idaho, are 

 still in progress. 



(5) A cooperative study of methods of seasoning red oak, beech, 

 and gum in Tennessee and Mississippi, carried on with the Illinois 

 Central Railroad, was practically completed at the close of the fiscal 



In cooperation with the Chicago and Northwestern Railway a 

 series of tie-seasoning experiments with hemlock and tamarack is 

 being conducted. This is the most carefully designed experiment in 

 the seasoning of timber which the Forest Service has undertaken. 



Other experiments on tamarack ties are being conducted in coop- 

 eration with the Wisconsin Central Railway. This work opens a 

 large field of usefulness in the Lake States. 



