CROSSTIES PURCHASED AND TREATED IN 1915, 7 
- unfitted for this purpose because they did not have the proper decay- 
resisting qualities or immunity from insect attacks. Such treatment 
is often economical even with the woods that are more or less durable, 
the added life in service more than paying for the increase in the first 
cost. 
Most of the crossties treated by the steam railroads in the United 
States are treated in closed cylinders permitting the application of a 
high pressure and designed to secure a heavy absorption of the 
preservative. 
The schedules furnished to the steam and electric railroads did not 
request information as to the number of ties treated in 1915, but the 
Forest Service gathered statistics for this year from all of the treating 
plants in the United States. Table 8 shows the number of ties 
treated by the preserving plants during 1915, by kinds of preservatives 
and kinds of wood. 
TABLE 8.—Number of crossties treated by preserving plants during 1915, by kinds of 
preservatives and kinds of wood. 
. Zine chle- : 
: Zine F Miscel- 
Kind of wood. Total. Z Creosote. | ride and 7 
chloride. sereosote! janeous. 
| | 
PAC) Tikctr Steppers eae eie seat es Say ne 37, 085,585 | 17,819,284 | 17,077,069 | 2,182,712 6, 520 
CORA CPE Ss cE Ep ee pet oS eae Gre et Rene TGESSo FON 954,492 SOD; 00a) tl s560, 302) te ase ae ae 
Southernipin wees ce a eee eee ea ee ance 8,541,203 | 3,257,565 | 5,243,516 AQ S22 | See eee 
ID OUSIAS ira Wee oe ee oi ii Tere 3,553, 854 | 2,760, 952 UST, ZAIN eee taka eee 5, 655 
EBCEG He pretee tee tek ee i ae aame aria SE sey wi os 2, 933, 737 100,000 | 2,469, 202 3645535) |e e ee gene 
WWestennipine ast hea eee eee 2,007,609 | 1,702,167 301,581 | - 33 SO Aayee eee Ne 
AIR ATI ROC Karate eens ret We Wl Ee 932, 038 449, 660 ep 017 91, 496 865 
COMB Uma by p55 Nae Te OO a ee et a 277, 886 204, 653 50 CLS SSul at eee eee 
EB In CLES Eee oe ea ass see pe sl ie ee ee 173, 971 55 173 OIG S Sues eee eee ae IS ae 
OLN Dees GRO SSS Se Se aaa tga ae pe 50, 846 BOE SAG | Re Seracre Bee ea ee tee es [Daerah eer 
WETS shee ae Bie OMe aera eee eae Ae eee 36, 942 | 316 36,626) 26s sn ual c eaaawe ae 
PAU HOGG TAs osrac ee ee en ocr ree ae La 1,691,982 | 1,338,578 307, 641 45, 763° Beas MASE 
| | | 
1 Includes lodgepole pine and western yellow pine. 2 Includes western larch. 
Since railroads often purchase large quantities of ties In one cal- 
endar year which do not receive preservative treatment until one or 
more years following, it is impossible to harmonize the data showing 
purchases with those showing preservative treatment. Further- 
more, some treated ties reported in Table 8 may have been pur- 
chased by those roads which failed to report. 
The treating plants reported a total of 37,085,585 crossties treated 
in 1915, which is about 38 per cent of the total number of ties reported 
purchased during that year. Of the total number of ties treated in 
1915, 25,831,204 were hewed ties and 11,254,381 were sawed ties. 
Oak ties were treated in larger numbers than any other species, 
contributing about 45 per cent of the total number treated. Southern 
pine was second in importance, constituting about 23 per cent of the 
total treated. Other species reported treated were Douglas fir, 
beech, western pine, tamarack, gum, birch, elm, and maple. There 
