WHERE LAKE AND FOREST MEET TITICAL ALASKAN' HOUSE ON AN ALASKAN WOODS TRAIL 



In Far-'Off Alaska 



In connection with a recent consular report drawing attention to 

 the lumbering of Alaska, some interesting facts are recalled as to 

 the forests of that great peninsula. 



The annual lumber-cut of the coast forests of Alaska, it is stated, 

 is about 27,000,000 board feet. This consists wholly of spruce, since 

 hemlock is little used. There are about twenty-five sawmills on 

 the coast, at Cordova, Juneau, Katalla, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Sew- 

 ard, Sitka, Yaldez, and Wrangell, as well as other points. Most of 

 them are rather crude in character and of small capacity. Perhaps 

 more than one-third of the output is used for salmon-eases, and 

 much of the best lumber goes into them. 



The southern and southeastern coast of Alaska has a much greater 

 timber supply than there is any reason to think will be needed 

 locally for a long time to come. The total stumpage is large, much 

 of it overmature, and the proportion of hemlock too great. The 

 timber should be cut and utilized as soon as possible and the spruce, 

 which is more valuable than the hemlock, should be given an oppor- 

 tunity to increase. Under present conditions, with the well-known 

 ability of the hemlock to reproduce under shade and upon decaying 

 logs and debris, it has an advantage over the spruce. 



The Alaskan coast forests do not contain t^imber of either as high 

 quality or as great variety as grows in Oregon and Washington, and 

 there is little likelihood that lumber from this coast will compete 

 largely in the general market with lumber from those states. In 

 fact, some lumber used in southeastern Alaska is imported from the 

 Pacific coast states; but good management on the part of the Alas- 

 kan mills should enable them to supply the home demand for common 

 kinds of this lumber. "While Alaska may eventually export consid- 

 erable material of this sort, it must continue to import timber like 

 Douglas fir for heavy construction work. Utilization for other pur- 

 poses than lumber should be encouraged. The most promising of 

 these is pulp. Both the spruce and hemlock are undoubtedly good 

 pulp-woods, and, taken together, they comprise almost the entire 

 forest. 



In rhat connection, interest attaches to these Alaskan forests, as 

 the traveler sees them. Behind Seward the mountains wear such 

 forests, and a picturesque trail leads through cleared land, still cov- 

 ered with logs and stumps. The wild currant is prolific here, so is 

 the fire-weed, while ferns are ubiquitous. One plucks the ripe cur- 

 rants eagerly as he makes his advance. 



Then he comos to the jungle of foiest. Numbers of large, while 

 tree-trunks are on every side. Nothing poisonous grows in Alaska 

 and so one can venture in without fear. Behind, there towers the 

 tall, forest-covered mountain, with the trees rising to a greener area 

 above, whjeh indicates the pampas. Ripe hucideberries fringe the 

 way, and of these, as of the currants, folks make jelly here. The 

 Solomon-seal, too, appears, and its berries are ripe in August. Logs 

 lie helterskelter where not covered by fern, and give a woodsy 

 smell to the place. 



"Where one gets well into the woods, it is a comfort to know there 

 are no snakes on the peninsula, for this seems just the place for 

 them. Huge moss bunches' hang on the boughs, a green velvety 

 cover, in long trailing festoons, adding beauty to the forest. The 



foot sinks deep into mossy beds. Eight beside it are other ferns; 

 more wild currants overhang the mossy logs. 



Sometimes one gets into deep cedary tangles and the way grows 

 steep. There, in particular, the ferns are beautiful. Now and then 

 a log is found, set to mark some claim. Sometimes the sun is seen 

 peering through above or between the trees, and mountains are seen 

 across the vallej-. One 's heart beats fast as he climbs this typical 

 Alaskan trail, so soft underfoot, thanks to the pine needles. There's 

 a handy rock on which to rest, and on this ihe traveler puts the 

 date of his coming. A waterfall pours down near by. It is soon to 

 be harnessed for its power. The climb was hard, and 3'ou are glad 

 of this chance to rest. 



"i'ou have a splendid idea of what it means to "mush" to the 

 timber camps of Alaska. At your feet, not only the currants and 

 fern, but a wild strawberry grows, and the moss is thicker than ever. 

 You are warm from the climb, but this was as naught to what is to 

 follow. A terrific ascent in the forest leads on to the timber line. 

 Then there comes a tall pampas above — but that is a tale in itself. 



Felix J. Koch. 



Dagame of Commerce 



Dagame {Cahjcophyllum candidissmum — D. C) is a tropical Amer- 

 ican wood that has recently gained commercial importance in this 

 country. It is the product of a middle-sized tree of from forty to 

 sixty feet in height and from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter 

 at the base. The trunk is often from thirty to thirty-five feet to 

 the first branches and is usually more or less furrowed. It is cov- 

 ered with a reddish and very thin bark, which scales off in long 

 strips or in thin flakes. Dagame is a native of the West Indies, 

 Central America and the northern part of South America. In Cuba 

 it is generally known under the name of dagame; in Central America 

 it is called salamo; in Costa Eica it is known as the madronos, and in 

 Panama the name alazano is given to it. The wood is of a light- 

 brownish yellow color, very hard, heavy (about fifty pounds per 

 cubic foot), very strong, tough, elastic, and exceedingly close and 

 fine-grained. It works fairly well and takes an excellent polish. 

 After the wood is thoroughly seasoned it will warp and shrink very 

 little, and is said to be very durable in contact with the soil. 



The wood has recently been shipped into this country in the form 

 of spars and is entered under the name of dagame spars, which are 

 used in the manufacture of fishing-rods, and will probably take the 

 place of tonquin wood {Dipieryx odorata — "Willd.) and wallaba 

 {Eperua falcata — Aubl.), both of which are from British Guiana and 

 are coarser grained than the dagame. It is used for all purposes 

 for which the true lancewood or yaya (Guatteria virgata — Dun.) Is 

 now employed, and is frequently referred to in the trade as West 

 Indian dagame or lancewood. The yariyari {Duguetia quitarensis — 

 Benth.) found in British Guiana has latterly been introduced into 

 the English markets as a substitute for dagame and the true trop- 

 ical American lancewood, but this wood can be distinguished very 

 readily from dagame and true lancewood by its numerous ladder- 

 like cross-bars of soft tissue between the pith rays which are very 

 fine. C. D. M. 



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