220 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Man., 19 
The loss in avoiding the heart timber is very considerable when large Hee 
are conyerted into sleepers. A tree, which, theoretically—that is, acco Phe 
its cubic contents—should produce 25 sleepers, will, in fact, do nothing ° 
kind. The utmost that can be reckoned on is from 13 to 14. As Iam a 
subject of dressing split timber, I may incidentally allude to the deman 
timber for bridges, culverts, building beams, heavy telegraph posts, &. ‘eat 
of this is squared in the bush, and the choppings amount to a serious 7 
Tf we take a log of timber and denote the area of one end by 1, thon 4 
square within the circle will have an area represented by 0°636. “The whole 
for 
b 
= 
he 
the 
st 3 
ers 
f that 
amount. Much of the waste here alluded to would be avoided if all yailway 
sleepers were sawn instead of split. If our remaining forests are 1? 
conserved, this matter would be worth inquiring into. 
THE CATALPA TREE (CAZTALPA BIGNONIOIDES). 
A tre and fence post plantation has been set out with 50,000 catalpa trees on 
vacant farm near the central portion of Indiana, by the Cleveland, Cincinn ' 
Chicago, and St. Louis Railway. Mr. George W. Kithedge, M. Am. Soe. Vs 
informs us that at the present time the road is using white oak ties, the avertn: 
