21 



three-fifths of these poles are cedar, and more than one-fourth of 

 them chestnut. Relatively small amounts of pine, cypress, and red- 

 wood poles are also used. 



Perhaps 1 billion fence posts and rails are used annually upon the 

 farms and ranches in the United States. The data so far collected 

 upon this subject are very unsatisfactory. While the cedar posts of 

 the Lake States are shipped long distances, most of the posts and prac- 

 tically all of the fence rails are cut in the locahty where they are used, 

 and consequently the kind of timber which is used for these purposes 

 varies greatly, the effort always being, of course, to cut the kind that 

 is the most durable. Wherever it grows, chestnut is a favorite wood 

 for both posts and rails. Many posts are made from young, round 

 timber. Rails are generally made from straight timber, of larger 

 size, which splits well, and many posts are also split. 



HEWED CROSS-TIES. 



The steam and electric railway companies of the United States pur- 

 chased some 153 million cross-ties in 1907, more than three-fourths of 

 which were hewed. Since sawod cross-ties are classed as lumber, they 

 are not discussed here. The oaks, and chiefly the white oaks, supply 

 moro than 45 per cent of the hewed ties. The making of hewed ties 

 from young oak trees is, with the exception of lumber, the heaviest 

 drain upon our oak forests. More than 22 per cent of the hewed cross- 

 ties were supplied by the southern pines, about 7 per cent by cedar, 

 and about 5 per cent by chestnut. Spruce, tamarack, western hem- 

 lock, and redwood are used in lesser quantities. 



PULP WOOD. 



More than 3 million cords of domestic pulp wood were used in 1907, 

 and, in addition, some 925,000 cords were imported from Canada. 

 Of the domestic pulpwood, nearly three-fifths was spruce and almost 

 one-fifth hemlock. Most of the remainder was poplar, with small 

 quantities of several other woods. Nearly as much spruce is used 

 for pulp as for lumber. 



COOPERAGE STOCK. 



Cooperage stock is of two distinct classes, tight and slack. While 

 the production of the former is much less in quantity, it requires 

 much higher-grade timber. In 1907 there were manufactured 

 385,232,000 tight staves and 27,692,994 sets of tight heading. The 

 slack cooperage output amounted to 1,175,977,000 staves, 106,074,000 

 sets of heading, and 490,570,000 hoops. Probably 90 per cent of the 

 tight cooperage stock required the best quality of white oak for its 

 production. A large number of woods are used for slack staves 



[Clr. 166] 



