Is There a Wood Famine Coming? 49 



first railroad. So here is one modern use of wood 

 which every year costs the lives of countless trees. 



Iron sleepers, or ties, have been tried, especially 

 in countries where wood is quickly destroyed by the 

 climate or by insects. But such ties are not satis- 

 factory. They are expensive, and because the ma- 

 terial in them is costly they must be made thin. 

 Then because they are thin they get bent out of 

 shape. Also, they rust. 



Years ago stone ties were tried and given up. 

 They were too hard and unyielding. The pas- 

 sengers and the freight that traveled over them 

 got terribly jolted and jarred. 



So experience has proven that wooden ties are 

 the best. Often nowadays the wood is treated 

 with chemicals, to protect it from insects, and, in 

 a measure, from damp. But after awhile these 

 chemicals soak out of the timber and then decay 

 begins. 



The railroads have a problem to solve: they 

 must have wood. Some of them are trying to 

 meet the difiiculty by owning and managing plan- 

 tations. Here young trees, especially catalpa 

 trees, are set out and cared for, so that there may 

 be plenty of logs for railroad ties in the years to 

 come. 



There is another great industry, mining, which 

 depends on the forests for its prosperity, if not for 

 its life. Yet the miner has been one of the worst 

 enemies to the woods. He cared only for the 



