The Denudation of Our Forests [Volume: 1, Issue: 1, April, 1880, pp. 33-39]

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tion that, irons which contain the most of that form of silicon
which is soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid will form the hardest
and best chill, and that this hardness is mainly due to the amount
of this supposed compound of carbon and silicon. The greater
the proportion of this compound the longer the service of the
wheel.
We thus have a test which will aid in determining the relative
values of irons for car wheel purposes, and trust to soon be able
to publish more information on the subject.
The Denudation of our Forests.
The large area of woodland which is annually cleared to produce fuel for the various charcoal iron works of the country
would indicate that but a few years of existence are still granted
to the industry. Such, undoubtedly, will be the case if only
stumpage or wood-leave is purchased; but as many thousands of
acres (the aggregate of which we expect to give in another issue
of the Journal) are owned by the various charcoal iron establishments, and as it is the policy of these works to maintain a supply of timber for future use, we are really the only trade organization whose interest it is to encourage the growth of forests.
The saw mills use immense quantities of lumber, but, when
a tract is cleared, the interest of the operator in the growth of the
timber ceases. So with the seeker after railroad sills or fenceposts and rails, either of which draw more heavily on the woodlands of the country than is generally believed. But the charcoal
iron works encourage the growth of timber; they protect, as far
as the peculiar fence laws of the land permit, the young sprouts
from roving cattle; they utilize the force of employes to stop
the rnvages of the forest fires; thus annually preserving from
destruction a vast acreage of woodland.
Dr. Hough, in his able report on forestry, in 1877, makes the
following comments on fences:
"In no branch of rural economy is there so much needless
waste of forest products as in fencing, and in nothing is there so
much need of reform. The costly practice of fencing cattle out
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