880 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



more than traditional and even fighting ancient chief eries was a disiHusionment. 



is extremely rare. But it will be long yet before modernity 



Like all Polynesians, they are won- makes any conspicuous alteration in the 



derful swdmmers, and probably excel palm-fringed skylines and surf -bound 



all others as canoemen. Whereas in lagoons of Tahiti, or more than veneers 



Hawaii the canoes seen today are purely the careless kindly nature of its people, 



utilitarian, the Tahitian retains his To the traveler who wishes to see the 



navigating ancestors' love for naval tropics at their loveliest, to swim and 



architectiu-e. Racing canoes carrying fish and idle where no newspapers and 



twenty paddlcrs or more are built with telegrams remind him of his troubles, it 



great ceremony and beating of drums will offer no disappointment unless he 



and carefully kept from the weather in expects to survey the primitive with 



houses constructed by the district, all the civilized luxuries of Palm Beach 



These canoes have beautiful lines and 

 are incredibly fast. So are also the 

 sailing canoes, which carry tremendous 

 canvas and are trimmed by the gym- 

 nastics of the crew who balance them- 

 selves on lateral spars extending from 

 the sides. They also have outriggers, 

 but in racing these are not allowed to 

 bury themselves and so impede progress. 

 In several visits, with intervals of 



also at hand. To make the most of it 

 he must leave the port and live a simple 

 life with many petty annoyances. If he 

 is willing to do this, without insisting 

 upon his own ways or patronizing a 

 people who are as sensitive as they are 

 kindly, he will be excellently treated. 



No attempt has been given in this 

 article to discuss commerce, govern- 



years between, the writer has observed ment, busmess_ opportunities, _ or other 

 some change in dress and customs due to like phases which might be important 

 the inroads of "civilization." Return from certain standpoints. The bom- 

 after one four years absence to find a bardment of September 22 is too recent 

 moving picture show near one of the and significant. 



BUYING HANDLES BY WEIGHT 



THROUGH new specifications for 

 ax, sledge, adz, pick and other 

 hickory handles, the Panama 

 Canal authorities have recently 

 purchased large quantities of this class 

 of material for one-fourth less than 

 formerly paid, and at the same time are 

 getting just as serviceable stock. 



The war department and the navy 

 department, as well as the Panama 

 Canal commission, have adopted these 

 specifications, which were prepared by 

 the forest service primarily for the use 

 of the various branches of the federal 

 government. Subsequently, however, 

 they have been approved by the trade, 

 both manufacturers and dealers, and 

 adopted by several of the leading rail- 

 roads. 



The new rules are the result of a long 

 study of the subject, covering exhaust- 

 ive strength tests, investigations of the 

 growth of hickory in the woods, proc- 

 esses of manufacture, and market con- 

 ditions. Under the new specifications 

 handles are selected according to weight, 

 as influenced by the density of the wood, 

 and they now include material which 

 may be either partly or wholly of heart- 

 wood, known generally as red hickory. 

 Red hickory was formerly discriminated 

 against in commercial grading, but it is 

 now accepted, since it has been found 

 that weight for weight, it is just as 

 serviceable as the white hickory. 

 Handles which contain small sound 

 knots or bird pecks, so located as not to 

 affect the strength, are also accepted. 



