68 
Indian Forest Records. 
[Vol. VI 
( v ) General conclusions based on the results of sleepers 
treated with Solignum and Liquid Fuel oil and laid in 
THE LINE. 
The sleepers which have been in the line from 2 to 3 years are so far 
doing quite well. The only data available at present, from which it is 
possible to draw definite conclusions, is the figure of cost of treating 
sleepers with mixed oils. The cost of treating Pine broad gauge sleepers 
comes to Re. 1-9-10, that of Dipterocarp metre-gauge sleepers to Re. 0-14-8 
and that of Terminalia tcmentosa broad gauge sleepers to Re. 1-8-4. 
The amount of oil introduced was not up to that usually used in treating 
sleepers; nevertheless, the cost is high and, though possibly not prohi¬ 
bitive, it is questionable whether the results obtained will justify the use 
of so expensive an oil as Solignum. Possibly a far cheaper grade of 
coal-tar creosote, such as Green oil, would answer the purpose equally 
well, which would at the same time reduce the cost of treatment to 
somewhere about Re. 1-0-0 per broad gauge sleeper, while the amount 
of oil admissible would be greater than that actually used in the above 
experiments. 
10. General Conclusions arrived at from the above Experi¬ 
ments. 
The merits and defects of the various processes above described 
have been discussed in detail under their separate headings, so that it 
is here only proposed to briefly review the results from a general point, 
of view. 
The experiments demonstrate in a striking manner the possibilities 
and limitations of the Open Tank Process of treatment. In its favour, it 
may be said that it is a simple process when compared with those involving 
pressure; that the period of immersion necessary in the case of soft¬ 
woods is not excessive, while that necessary for hard- woods limits the 
possible number of sleepers to be treated, unless the plant units be 
multiplied beyond working limits. Thus, any schemes involving the 
treatment of more than 50,000 Pine sleepers or more than 25,000 hard' 
wood sleepers per annum should not be based on the Open Tank Treat¬ 
ment, as greater quantities of sleepers could more effectively be treated 
in pressure cylinders. 
As regards absorption of an antiseptic solution by timber when 
treated in Open Tanks, unless the timber be exceptionally easy to treat or 
the period of immersion be unduly long, the sleepers rarely take up on 
an average more than 5 to 6 lbs. per cubic foot. It is true that sappy 
Chir sleepers have been known to take up as much as 15 lbs. per cubic 
[ 198 ] 
