FOREST COMMISSIONKU'S REPORT. 201 



in<»; on of young spruce.* Those conditions we do not fully 

 understand, and with the variety of our species their control 

 is much harder than the similar problem in Europe. Our 

 dwarf maples particularly arc a great l)ugl)ear. 



My point here is simi)ly that cutting out the big trees is 

 hardly enough. It should be done with reference to the 

 young, clear down to the smallest sizes, otherwise the stock 

 of spruce will in many cases begin to run out. 



Mr. Crawford's reply to that communication was as fol- 

 lows : 



I fully agree with you in the belief that the time has come 

 when the prevjiiling S3'stem of logging should be radically 

 changed. Too much is trusted to ignorant choppers who 

 have no other interest than to ijct in their time. If the tim- 

 berland owner, whether he be a lumberman or pulp mill 

 owner, could be educated up to the fact that the prevailing 

 method of cutting is not economy, it would be of great bene- 

 fit to the country. 



In the Androscoggin district there is now more spruce used 

 for pul}) than for lumber, and the pulp mills will increase their 

 output until in a very short time the saw mills must shut 

 down. Now careful and exhaustive trials made by one 

 of the largest pulp and paper mills on the Connecticut river 

 show that a cord of wood i)eeled in the woods in the summer 

 time will make 450 pounds more pulp than a cord of wood 

 measured with the bark on and peeled on a barking machine 

 in the mill. This difference, with pulp at $12.00 per ton, 

 shows $2.70 per cord in favor of peeling in the woods. It 

 will not do to drive peeled wood down the rivers on account 

 of gravel getting into the cracks. Consequently it must l)c 

 railed, and the time is soon coming when all the pulp mills 

 on the Androscoggin will be supplied with their stock by rail. 

 Experience has shown that the dangers and expense of driv- 

 ing and the cost of pulling out of the river will go a long way 

 towards building railroads to the trees, thereby lessening the 

 cost of loguing. Peeled wood can be logged, loaded on cars 

 and hauled to the mills for enough less money to pay for the 



* A subject is tout-lied bere, as it bas been toucbed several times before iu tbis 

 report, tbat bas not been elucidated for tbe good reason tbat it could not be. Tbe 

 exact conditions required for tbe gerniinatioii and early growtli of spruce, com- 

 pared as tbey must be witb tbose of competing species, bave not so fur as I know- 

 been studied by anyone. Tbey sbould be studied, bowever. Wben the facts are 

 in biind it is possible tbat we sbal! be alile to make use of tliein in the handling of 

 timberland. 



