82 North American Forests and Forestiy 



selling his services to whosoever wants them. Very 

 often the woodsman combines other forms of wood- 

 craft with that of looking up timber. He may 

 have charge of a logging crew as foreman ; act as 

 " sealer," that is, measure the amount of logs cut 

 by some contractor ; show land to intending settlers. 

 Sometimes he condescends to act as guide to a 

 party of sportsmen, and lucky the tourist who can 

 get a man of this kind to introduce him to forest 

 ways ; he will learn more in a day than he could 

 without him pick up in a month. As a class, these 

 woodsmen are of remarkable intelligence and have 

 a great stock of empirical information regarding 

 such matters as fall within the immediate scope of 

 their business. It is a strange fact that notwith- 

 standing this intelligence and knowledge, and the 

 great opportunities they have had for speculation 

 in pine lands and stumpage, these cruisers rarely 

 become wealthy. Very few of the great lumbermen 

 have risen from their ranks. It seems as if their 

 constant life with unsophisticated nature kept them 

 from acquiring that worldly shrewdness which is 

 indispensable for success in money-making. 



When a lumberman, acting on the information 

 of his woodsman, has acquired a body of merchant- 

 able pine, he sends a small crew into the woods to 

 make preparation for the winter's cutting. A 

 camp is built of logs ; rough " tote " roads are 

 made on which supplies for crew and cattle can be 

 taken into the woods ; and with the first cold 

 weather work begins. Practically all felling for 



