News and Notes. 179 



$2.00, $2.50, $2.25; Blacksmiths, $65.00, $100.00, $82.00; Black- 

 smith's helpers, $2.20, $3.00, $2.40; Night watchmen, $2.00, $2.50, 

 $2.16. 



West Coast Lumberman, November, 1910. 



A very remarkable development in the wood alcohol manu- 

 facture has taken place during the years from 1907 to 1909. In 

 1907 the so-called de-natured alcohol law took effect, and as was 

 to be expected the price of wood alcohol dropped in 1907 to 15 

 cents from 34 cents in 1906. Indeed, it was supposed that wood 

 alcohol would be entirely crowded out of the market. Instead, 

 the industry of wood distillation, according to official figures of 

 the Bureau of the Census, has, if not increased, yet held its own, 

 and prices for wood alcohol at the same time have improved to 17 

 cents in 1908, and 24 cents in 1909. The total value of products 

 in 1909 was still $8,330,000 representing a consumption of 1,265,- 

 000 cords. The average cost per cord, $3.21, represents a rise 

 over the price of 1908 by 8 per cent, and by 2 per cent, over that 

 of 1907. 



A new method of clearing logged-off lands is by the charpit. 

 This was worked out on the clay lands of the Pacific coast but 

 has also proved a success on sandy lands. The new process was 

 devised by Prof. H. W. Sparks and will clear the western lands 

 of stumps in 2 to 3 weeks at a cost of $20 per acre. An excava- 

 tion is made around the stump which is filled with cinders, covered 

 with gravel or cracked rock on which was smeared fuel oil or coal 

 tar. This is covered with kindling and lighted after which it 

 is covered with clay in order to retain the fire and heat. 



It is estimated that the forest fires of 1910 in Montana and 

 Idaho damaged 1,871,000,000 feet of timber, most of which was 

 privately owned timber in Idaho. In Oregon there was less 

 organized co-operative fire fighting with a loss of 1,250,000,000 

 feet. It is also estimated that the timber owners in these three 

 states spent $667,000 and saved resources easily worth $4,000,- 

 000,000. Adequate fire protection can be given at two to ten 

 cents per acre if the proper co-operation is secured. 



An important announcement has been made by the Ontario 



