discovered that there was a strip of road in the track of the Union
Pacific Railroad, in Wyoming Territory, about ten miles in length, where
the ties do not decay at all. The Chief Engineer, Mr. Blinkinsderfer,
kindly took up a cotton wood tie in 1882, which had been laid in 1868,
and sent a, piece of it to the committee. It is as sound and a good deal
harder than when first laid, 14 years before, while on some other parts
of the road cottonwood ties perish in two or five years.

The character of the soil where these results have been observed is
light and soapy, and Mr. E. Dickinson, Superintendent of the Laramie
Division, furnishes the following analysis:

Sodium chloride 10.64
Potassium 4.70
Magnesium sulphate 1.70
Silica 0.09
Alumina 1.94
Ferric oxide 5.84
Calcium carbonate 22.33
Magnesium 3.39
Organic matter 4.20
Insoluble matter 941.47
Loss in analysis 4.00
Traces of phosphorous acid and ammonia.

The following remarks made by the chemists who made the analysis may be
of interest:

"The decay of wood arises from the presence in the wood of substances
which are foreign to the woody fiber, but are present in the juices of
the wood while growing, and consist of albuminous matter, which, when
beginning to decay, causes also the destruction of the other
constituents of the wood."

"One of the means adopted to prevent the destruction of wood by decay is
by the chemical alteration of the constituents of the sap."

"This is brought about by impregnating the wood with some substance
which either enters into combination with the constitutents of the sap
or so alters their properties as to prevent the setting up of
decomposition."

"The analysis of this soil shows that it contains large quantities of
the substances (sodium, potassium chloride, calcium, and iron) most used
in the different processes of preserving or kyanizing wood. It also
contains much inorganic matter, which also acts as a preserving agent."

Some of the ties so preserved have been transferred to other portions of
the track, and some of the soil has also been transported to other
localities, so that it is hoped that in the discussion that may be
expected to follow this report, some further light will be thrown on the
subject by an account of the results of these experiments.

Experiments Nos. 15, 16, 17, and 18 are most instructive, and conve