FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 61 



it is to ])e noted, is iinniediately after cutting. Time, as it 

 adds to the volume of the trees no\v standing, will add also, 

 as a rule, to their growing power. As regards future cutting, 

 detinitc prediction is risky because it involves not only bio- 

 logical, but liusiness conditions, which it is much harder to 

 foresee. But it certainly seems that this land, with thebnsis 

 for growth that has been left on it, will i)c in shape within 

 twenty-five 3'ears at the outside so that it will l)c again gone 

 over for spruce. Probably methods will then be much differ- 

 ent. Small crews for one thing will doubtless be the rule. 

 Let us hoj)e also that less wasteful methods of lumbering, 

 those at least which cost no more if men are only trained to 

 use them, will then be in vogue. 



Now the lower Moose river as near as I can learn ^j^o^'g ^.^^.^^. 

 is mostly of the same general nature as Brassua. "^ general. 

 That is, evergreen trees predominyte in the cover, while the 

 surface of the ground is uneven, provided with some soil and 

 favorafjle to tree growth. It is naturally a fine timber country 

 and to say nothing of the hard and soft wood lumber still on it, 

 may be expected to produce always a considerable 3'ield, which 

 yield by intelligent treatment of the country could be greatly 

 increased. Something was seen of Tomhegan in the Brassua 

 trip. The southern [)ortion of the town is mainly a hard 

 wood ridge with a varying amount of spruce which has, where 

 thickest, been cut out. Two-thirds of the town, however, is 

 said to be black growth. This part of the township was 

 crossed, and the land seen appeared to be well stocked with 

 small spruce and fairly thrifty. The township has been 

 cut on longer than lirassua. Thirty years ago the operators 

 of that day reported it cleaned of practicable timber, but not- 

 withstanding that Mr. Oliver Mansell of Greenville has oper- 

 ated on it each winter for the last twenty-seven years, cutting 

 all the way from two to five million. Long ago the town was 

 cut through. Mr. Mansell never know's beforehand just where 

 his winter's work is coming from, but he builds his camp, 

 starts in his crow, and always so far has come out all right. 

 The fact seems to be that Tomhegan is one of those towns 



