1 84 LOGGING 



of heavy underbrush. They are usually employed on hauls 

 not exceeding one-half mile but occasionally are used for dis- 

 tances of from 2 to 2I miles. In the pine forests of the extreme 

 South they often are used when the distance does not exceed 100 

 feet. When used as a skidding rig in the southern pine forests 

 they seldom require any road construction other than swamping 

 out a trail through the slash along which the teams can pass. 

 The forests are often sufficiently open to permit the passage of 

 the carts without previous preparation. The practice prevails in 

 some regions of felling the timber in strips, beginning at the back 

 side of the skidding area where a strip from 100 to 200 feet wide 

 is cut parallel to the railroad and then skidded. The work con- 

 tinues in this manner until the railroad is reached. This permits 

 the teamsters to haul the greater part of the time through stand- 

 ing timber free from brush, which greatly facilitates the work. 

 It is claimed by some loggers that the efficiency of a crew is in- 

 creased 25 per cent by this method. 



Roads are made and roughly graded in the hardwood forests 

 of the Lake States where brush is abundant. Since short logs 

 only are handled the roads need not be straight and boulders and 

 stumps can be passed by a detour. 



In the fir forests of the Northwest where high-wheeled log 

 "sulkies" are sometimes used, a well-graded dirt road 25 or 30 

 feet wide, with gentle grades and easy curves is required. The 

 cost per mile is about $1500. 



From two to six animals are employed to haul log carts, de- 

 pending on the character of the roadbed and the size and 

 amount of timber hauled. Mules are preferred in the South, 

 and horses in the North and West. 



A crew in the southern pine forests often consists of three 

 teamsters, one or two "bunch" teamsters, one or two swampers 

 and one skidway man. The "bunch" teams yard the logs along 

 the roads at places convenient to the log carts. 



In the Lake States, two pairs of wheels and two bunch teams 

 are used by a crew. The brushy nature of the country requires 

 about four men for the swamping and other men with cant hooks 

 to roll the bunched logs together into loads for each log cart. 



