174 
RAILROADS AND WOOD PRESERVATION. 
The recent action by the board of directors of the American 
Railway Engineering- and Maintenance of Way Association in 
appointing a committee of seventeen to investigate and report 
upon the subject of wood preservation, has shown that the prac- 
tical railroad men of the country recognize the importance of tak- 
ing steps to conserve the rapidly diminishing timber supply of 
the United States. 
Timber is one of the principal materials purchased by the rail- 
roads and its economical use is a subject of far-reaching import- 
ance. More than 100,000,000 cross ties are used annually by the 
different railroad companies, and their average life in this coun- 
try is not more than six or seven years. From a study of 
European methods, and the knowledge of wood preservation un- 
der conditions in this country, timber testing engineers say it is 
reasonably certain that an average life of trom 15 to 20 years 
may be secured by treating the tie with a good preservative and 
the use of improved devices for the prevention of mechanical 
abrasion, thus to a large degree diminishing the drain upon the 
timber supply. 
W hile the quantity of timber used for ties is very great and 
the problem of a future supply is a serious one, yet this class of 
timber is not the only one which should receive consideration. A 
greater length of service from timber now used by railroads for 
bridges, trestles, piles, fences and transmission poles is greatly 
to be desired. 
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way 
Association now consists of about 900 members, representing 
200,000 miles of railroad track and including among its member- 
ship the leading railroad engineers of the country. The object 
of the association is the advancement of knowledge pertaining 
to the scientific and economical construction, operation and 
maintenance of railroads. The method employed to obtain this 
information is through standing committees appointed by a board 
of directors. Each committee is appointed to investigate a spe- 
cial subject and to report at each annual meeting, presenting the 
results of its investigation, followed by recommendations which 
are published in "The Manual of Recommended Practice," after 
they have been adopted by the association. 
farmers' bulletin 327. 
The Conservation of Natural Resources. By Gifford Pinchot, 
Forester. Pp. 14. 
The substance of this bulletin was delivered as an address be- 
fore the National Geographic Society, in Washington, D. C, 
January 31, 1908. It tells of the waste of our resources, the dan- 
ger of monopoly, the problem of future supply, and the necessity 
for careful handling and wise legislation. 
Any Farmers' Bulletin may be obtained free on application 
to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 
