314 FOREST PRODUCTS 



Skidding. 



This operation usually consists of dragging the pole, by using a team 

 and tongs or choker, to the landing, chute or stream. It costs from \ 

 to \\ cents per lineal foot depending upon the usual' factors of distance 

 charges for teams and labor, topography, ground cover, size of poles, etc. 

 On some operations 15 cents per pole is paid for all poles up to 35 ft. long. 

 For those above this, i cent per lineal foot is paid. 



Hauling and Other Forms of Transportation. 



This is also a very variable charge. Hauling is done on sleighs in 

 winter and on wagons in summer. On some of the larger logging opera- 

 tions, skidding takes the poles directly to a railroad or to a drivable 

 stream. 



On fair country dirt roads from 4 to 7 40-ft. poles will be a good load 

 for one team and wagon. On sleighs from 10 to 15 green poles, 30 to 

 40-ft. in length, may be handled in one load. 



Hauling costs on a large cedar operation, using wagon haul, were as 

 follows for 3O-f t. poles : 



i mile $ .15 per pole 



1-2 miles 25 per pole 



2-4 miles 75 per pole 



4-6 miles i . oo per pole 



For poles below and above this standard a proportionate reduction or 

 increase was made. 



The cost of driving cedar poles and piles an average distance of 25 

 miles in Michigan was 5 cents each (average of all lengths). Rafting 

 30 miles varied in cost from 3 cents each for 2O-ft. poles up to 5! cents for 

 30- ft., 25 cents for 4o-ft., and 40 cents for 6o-ft. poles. The cost of driving 

 and rafting rises very rapidly with the length. On narrow, winding 

 streams poles are driven with great difficulty, as jams are frequent. 



Yarding, Seasoning and Shipping. 



Proper yarding and seasoning facilities are of great importance in 

 the pole business. Up to the present time little attention has been paid 

 to methods of seasoning and the poles have been piled on top of each 

 other indiscriminately. 



If piled too closely and too high they are likely to be attacked by 

 fungi before they season properly while, if exposed too much to the sun 



