4 8 
A HUNDRED MILLION TIES A YEAR. 
Railroads Paid $50,000,000 in 1006, and U ] sed Timber Equivalent 
to the Whole Product of 600,000 Acres of Forest. 
In the construction of new track and for renewals, the steam and street 
railroads used, in 1906, over one hundred million cross-ties. The average 
price paid was 48 cents per tie. Approximately three-fourths of the ties 
were hewed and one-fourth sawed. 
Oak, the chief wood used for ties, furnishes more than 44 per cent., 
nearly one-half of the whole number, while the southern pines, which 
rank second, contribute about one-sixth. Douglas fir and cedar, the next 
two. with approximately equal quantities, supply less than one-fifteenth 
apiece. Chestnut, cypress, western pine, tamarack, hemlock, and redwood 
are all of importance, but no one of them furnishes more than a small 
proportion. 
Oak and southern pine stand highest in both total and average value ; 
the average value of each is 51 cents. Chestnut ranks next, followed by 
cedar. Hemlock, at 28 cents, is the cheapest tie reported. 
More than three-fourths of all ties are hewed; and with every wood 
from which ties are made, except Douglas fir and western pine, the num- 
ber of hewed ties is greater than the number sawed. About ten times as 
many Douglas fir ties are sawed as are hewed. Of the oak ties a little 
over one-sixth and of the southern pine ties less than one-third are sawed. 
In contrast to the southern pines is the western pine, of which more than 
one-half the ties are sawed. In general, when lumber has a relatively low 
value the proportion of sawed ties increases, because the market for ties 
is always active, while that for lumber is frequently sluggish. All western 
species are affected by this condition, for stumpage is abundant and its 
value relatively low. 
Ten per cent, of the ties purchased were treated with preservatives 
either before they were purchased or at the treating plant of the railroad 
company. At least ten railroad companies are operating their own plants 
for the preservation of their construction material. 
Of the many forms in which wood is used, ties are fourth in cost, 
sawed lumber being first, firewood second, and shingles and laths third. 
It has been calculated that the amount of wood used each year in ties 
is equivalent to the product of 600,000 acres of forest, and that to main- 
tain every tie in the track two trees must be growing. 
With nearly 300,000 miles of railroad trackage and approximately 2.800 
ties to the mile, there are over 8oo.ooo.ooo ties constantly subject to wear 
and decay. The railroads report that in the form of ties cedar lasts eleven 
years, cypress ten years, and redwood nine years. These woods, however, 
lack the desired weight and hardness, and, what is more important, they 
are not available in the region of the trunk lines of the Central and Eastern 
States. When it is considered, then, that the service of the longest-lived 
tie timbers is general use — chestnut, white oak, tamarack, spruce, and 
Douglas fir — is but seven years, while with some, as the black oaks, it is 
but four years, whereas a treated tie with equipment to lessen wear will 
last fifteen years, it is apparent how much the railroads can save if preser- 
vative treatment of ties is universally adopted. The saving in the drain 
upon the forests is of even greater moment. 
Details of the consumption of ties in 1906 are contained in Circular 124, 
just issued by the Forest Service in cooperation with the Bureau of the 
Census. This pamphlet can be secured by application to the Forester at 
Washington, D. C. 
