PROPERTIES OF WOOD AND THEIR USES 61 
telegraph poles and floors are now made from rein- 
forced concrete, and that passenger coaches, desks and 
office furnishings are made from steel, nevertheless it 
is undeniably true that wood has qualities which for 
certain uses make substitutes impossible. Both steel 
and concrete railway ties have been tried and are used 
in some places with good results, but on account of their 
stiffness and the tendency of the steel fastenings to 
break suddenly under normal loads, the roadbed is 
rather less comfortable and safe. Where a fast schedule 
must be maintained and the comfort of passengers and 
the durability of cars and engines are chiefly desired 
nothing will take the place of a good tie made of wood. 
Only about one-fourth of the total amount of wood 
used is for construction purposes and regarding the re- 
mainder it is doubtful if substitutes can be conveniently 
found. Paper-making draws heavily upon the forest 
each year and the chemist has yet to find any sub- 
stance both cheap and readily accessible which will take 
the place of wood. In spite of the use of asphalt and 
stone for paving, wooden blocks are still used for sur- 
facing the streets in our large cities. 
In short the general tendency is toward a larger 
consumption of wood each year, and while there is less 
talk today of a timber famine than was heard a few 
years ago, it is safe to say that timber is destined to 
sell at much higher prices during the coming years, for 
it is true that in most instances timber has been sold 
for less than its growing cost. 
With the vast acreage in the United States which can 
be used for no other purpose, we will always have 
forests and in fact we will need them as much for 
their influence on climate, the run-off of our streams, 
etc., as for any other purpose. 
