HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



is taken into consideration. Tlieoroticiilly. steam is the l)est. but it is 

 not always possible to put theory into practice. While the lines go back 

 faster with the steam outhaul, being a continuous line, they arc more in 

 the way, and sawyers and swampers must keep out of the wa.y of them. 

 They are less pliable, harder to take to a log not exactly in the trail. 

 This is true in spite of the trailers and chokers used to enable the men 

 to attach logs to the cables. Steam return lines can be abandoned with 

 little labor and horses substituted. It would seem as though it were 

 wiser to haye them to meet all conditions. I am unable to make com- 

 parisons between .ground lines and overhead lines, as m.v experience is 

 limited to the former. Those skidders that load their logs as skidded 

 are prol)ahly cheaijest to operate, but it is sometimes advisable to deck 

 lo^ for future use. For that work the four-line skidder that decks the 

 logs as they are skidded is the best. If an operation is large enough it is 

 advisable to have both types. 



Varying with conditions and the growth of timber a four-line skidder 

 with steam return lines or horses will skid and deck from 40,000 to 

 60,000 lumber scale every ten-hour day, skidding up to SOO feet with 

 steam outbauls and half that for horse return lines. A two-line .skidder 

 will average from 30.000 to 40.000 lumber scale. If the timber grew 

 absolutely evi.-n and there were no mishaps so that all four lines would 

 finish at each setting at the same time, a four-line skidder would do 

 double that work. These figures are based on timber that will average 

 ten logs to the thousand feet, lumber scale. A lumber scale basis is 

 used here because some operators usc> a Doyle and some a Scribner rule 

 for scaling logs. There is an element of danger in using steam for skid- 

 ding not found in horse skidding. -A steam skidder is without question a 

 valuable part o£ any logging outfit, and my personal iudgm<>nt is that it 

 should be of a type tliat will prop(^l itself to avoid the necessity of the 

 presence of a locomotive when moving. It is important at times to be 

 able to go to the water supply with the skidder. The steam skidder is 

 in general use. as are locomotives. The combination of all of them 

 makes it possible to operate a woods crew practically the year round. 



Steam traction engines for winter work on ice roads have been us.-'d 

 successfully in some localities, but they are not nearly as adaptable as 

 logging railroads. 



There will he many more improvements in steam skidding machinery 

 in the years to come, and these improvements will help solve the problem 

 of obtaining sufl5cient good help for our operations in the woods. 



This was followed by an able article read by R. B. Goodman, of 

 Goodman, Wis., printed elsewhere in this issue of Hardwood Record. 



Secretary Kellogg, reporting for the advertising committee, showed 

 some samples of new birch books issued entirely through the office 

 of the association without any outside assistance. Another particu- 

 larly valuable feature is a series of ten samples showing the different 

 ways of finishing birch lumber in order to bring out its best qualities. 



The question_of supporting the wooden box side of the classification 

 controversy received consideralile earnest discussion, and at a meeting 

 of the directors held in the morning it was decided that $500 should 

 be raised by subscriptions among the membership to start this work 

 directly. After a considerable discussion it was moved that the 

 association subscribe by individual subscriptions not less than $1,000. 



J. T. Phillips of Green Bay then issued an invitation to members to 

 hold their next meeting at Green Bay in July. 



W. C. Landon stated that he considered the traffic department 

 would be of extreme value to the association. He asked Secretary 

 Kellogg to tell of the work of the traffic department of the Wausau 

 Advancement Association. It was finally moved that a special com- 

 mittee be appointed to consider the matter. 



The meeting then adjourned to convene again at Green Bay in July. 



\ygCKc;soav.;tyx«ogi;roS!3S;^CgTObt^^ 



What Is Poon ? 



Poon is a nurd meaning tree in some parts of India and Ceylon. 

 In the early history of the English occupation of India the officers 

 of the navy made themselves acquainted with the descrijitions of 

 timbers available and suitable for masts and spars. They selected 

 a tree which was described by Linnaeus and named by him Calo- 

 phyllum inophylhim. The native who had no particidar name for 

 this tree referred to it under the general name ' ' poon, ' ' which is 

 now the generally accepted trade name of this important wood. 

 It is a magnificent tree producing one of the most important woods 

 in the tropics. It attains a diameter of from one to five feet near 

 the base; its extreme height is one hundred feet, with a stem of 

 sixty feet to the nearest branch. The poon is one of the most 

 beautiful trees and there is perhaps no other tree in the East In- 

 dies that is so well known as this one. It is a native of India, 

 Ceylon, Siam, Burma, Borneo, Philippine Islands, and on prac- 

 tically all the islands of the South Sea. 



Poon is an evergreen tree often called Alexandrian laurel, and 

 in India flourishes very luxuriantly on poor soils, in fact, wheri? 

 scarcely any other tree will grow. On the South Sea Islands it 

 prefers damp soils and is found from the borders of the sea to 

 the valleys, where it spreads, and often near the streams. The 

 tree blossoms several times a year and the seeds which the tree 

 produces are always in great abundance and invariably germinate 

 and grow up unless damaged by fire or other causes. Poon is 

 planted very extensively in Java in avenues on account of the per- 

 fumes of its flowers and the elegance of its foliage. As a result 

 of its great commercial importance the tree is widely cultivated also 

 in India and parts of Africa, and is worthy of high recommenda- 

 tion for planting elsewhere, not only for the wood, but for the 

 resin which it yields and the oil contained iniits seeds. The tree 

 is also of great value for shade and ornament. For this purpose it 

 was first introduced into the West Indies and Central America. 

 where it is now thoroughly naturalized and is found escaped in 

 the most remote districts in tropical America. Even in tropical 

 Africa poon has been so extensively planted that it is now a com- 

 mercially important tree in a good many places. 



The true poon of India is clo.sely related to the tropical Amer- 

 ican species, Calophylliim caluba, which is commonly known as the 

 santa maria or palo maria. The wood of the latter is difficult to 

 distinguish from that of poon. Both of these trees are cut and 

 the wood sold as a mahogany substitute. Santa maria comes to 

 the American markets only very seldom through the ports of Pen- 

 sacola. New Orleans, and Galveston, while the poon comes in occa- 

 sionally direct from India, or as reshipments from England. Small 

 shipments have been received also from the Philippines, where the 

 tree is now just beginning to be exploited. 



The reputation of poon rests on its use for spars and masts, 

 and in parts of India the drain upon this species has been so 

 great for these and other purposes that the trees are now be- 

 coming scarce, and in some localities more valuable than teak. 

 The young trees, especially such as are in accessible places, are 

 most carefully preserved. In Ceylon the tree is very highly es- 

 teemed and there it is used extensively in boatbuilding and is 

 employed generally beyond all others for planking of small sail- 

 ing vessels and for the construction of all kinds of machinery; in 

 fact it is used for all purposes which demand a very hard durable 

 wood. It is in request also for making canoes and is among the 

 best wools in India for charcoal. 



The wood of poon is hard, heavy (about forty-two pounds per 

 cubic foot), reddish-brown, tough, compact, somewhat coarse and 

 straight-grained, and exceedingly durable in contact with the soil 

 and water. It is usually a very ornamental wood and is susceptible 

 of a high polish. It is often handsomely veined and resembles 

 mahogany in appearance and working, and is in request by cab- 

 inet makers. Beautiful furniture is made from it. When in- 

 tended to be used in cabinet work, it is important that it should 

 be procured a long time previously, for if it is not very dry the- 

 article of furniture is liable to split or warp. Poon does not warp 

 or check to any appreciable extent after thorough seasoning. Dif- 

 ferences in these qualities, according to latitude, soil, or situation, 

 are, however, very observable. From what has been said about 

 poon, its value can be readily ajipreciated. L. L. D. 



