16 TREES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
cost of nearly $4.50, making $18,000. The average annual 
consumption on the Boston and Lowell road, is 4000 cords, 
at an average first cost of about $3.50 per cord,—$14,000. 
The average consumption on the Boston and Mame Rail-road, 
is about 8000 cords, at an expense of about $17,000, about 
&2.13 per cord. A considerable portion of this road lies in New 
Hampshire and Maine, and the wood is procured almost entirely 
from those States. On the Eastern Raul-road, as far as New- 
buryport, there are used, besides coal, 2400 cords of wood, at 
the rate of $4.50 per cord, an expense of $10,200. Now, tak- 
ing one-half the Boston and Maine Rail-road to run in Mas- 
sachusetts, we have, on the six most travelled roads, an an- 
nual consumption of 40,400 cords of wood, at an expense of 
$135,700 for 338 miles, or about 120 cords per mile. Of the 
other rail-roads, the Taunton is 11 miles long, the New Bed- 
ford 21, the Fall River 11, the Nashua 14, the Northampton 23, 
the Berkshire 21, the Fitchburg 42, the Plymouth, soon to be 
completed, 38. The Norwich runs, in this State, about 20; the 
Hartford, in this State, about 8; the Hudson and Berkshire, in 
this State, about 13;—in all, 222 miles. Suppose the average 
consumption on these roads to be one-half what it is on the 
others, or 60 cords a mile, and the price of wood $3.25,— 
we have 13,320 cords of wood consumed, at an expense of 
$43,290. These, added to the sums above, give an annual 
consumption of 53,710 cords of wood, at an expense of $178,990 
for 560 miles of rail-road, an estimate which those acquainted 
with the subject will regard as within moderate bounds. ‘T’he 
wood consumed in locomotives is almost entirely pine of some 
kind. Very little hard wood is used for the purpose. Now, 
this consumption is not likely to diminish, and offers a perma- 
nent market for all the pine wood which can be grown. 
CONTINUATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE FORESTS. 
From all these considerations, it is apparent how valuable 
are the forests, and how important it is that efforts should be 
made, by the land owners of this generation, to check the waste 
which is going on, and to provide supplies for the wants of the 
generations to come. Planting trees ona large scale has been sel- 
