528 



Yearbook of Agriculture 1949 



such makeshifts, however, nobody was 

 satisfied. 



Then came two developments ^ at 

 one time. The Civilian Conservation 

 Corps, which had supplied so many 

 trained and vigorous men for the 

 work, was discontinued. Then, the war 

 drained the towns and back-country 

 of able-bodied men. The situation left 

 one choice : Mechanize or burn. 



State, industrial, and Federal for- 

 esters, despite wartime handicaps, 

 began to attack the problem on the 

 scale the situation demanded. The few 

 previous trials and errors gave them 

 some guides and principles, but they 

 needed information, action, and deci- 

 sions on five points : Thorough knowl- 

 edge of the terrain, soil, cover, and 

 fire behavior over all forested areas 

 from the Carolinas to Texas; reports 

 on the design and performance of 

 equipment that had been tried out; 

 goals for each general timber type; 

 specifications of units that would give 

 the results they were after; time and 

 funds to test new ideas. 



Several other essentials complicated 

 their problem: All designs had to as- 

 sure reasonable safety to the operators. 

 Each unit had to balance the factors 

 of least cost, lightest weight, fastest 

 travel and operation, dependability, 

 the widest range of use over a major 

 area. The designs had to use standard 

 parts and techniques of shop pro- 

 cedure to facilitate repairs and main- 

 tenance. Accessories, such as backfiring 

 devices and communications, had to be 

 identified, selected, or developed. The 

 size, use, and organization of crew that 

 would be most efficient and effective 

 had to be determined. Men had to be 

 trained. 



All that had to be done quickly 

 the forests and the world were burn- 

 ing up. 



Information at hand or quickly ac- 

 cumulated provided several first prin- 

 ciples: A plow-constructed, mineral 

 soil line was superior to other types of 

 fire lines. The multiple disk-type of 

 plow was fastest and most efficient 

 wherever it could be used. The mid- 



dle-buster type of plow was next best 

 on stony ground where the disks would 

 not stand up. The crawler- type trac- 

 tors were the most satisfactory power 

 units. Multiple-drive transports were 

 better than those with 2-wheel drives 

 for back-country travel. The main uses 

 of tankers in the region were to help 

 hold the fire line at plowed lines, catch 

 spot fires, and do mop-up. 



Further investigations brought out 

 that plows of five classes would meet 

 most of the needs. 



1. The heavy disk plow, of 2,500 

 pounds, for dense stands with luxuriant 

 undergrowth of palmetto, shrubs, and 

 grasses common to the lower Coastal 

 Plain. 



2. The medium disk, of 950 pounds, 

 in the less dense belts of the Coastal 

 Plain. 



3. The light disk, of 475 pounds, 

 where the fuel is principally the pine 

 straw and grass found in the upper 

 Coastal Plain and Piedmont. 



4. The lightweight middle buster, 

 of 475 pounds, in the stony ground of 

 the lower hills and on Appalachian 

 slopes of less than 25 percent grade. 



5. The flyweight, cultivator type, of 

 125 pounds, in the open short-grass 

 areas in the southwestern parts. 



Heavy disk-type plows which would 

 operate successfully were available 

 commercially; the problems were to 

 determine the lightest tractor that 

 could ride down and pull the plow 

 through the different densities of 

 ground cover, and to design speedy 

 transports that could haul the tractor 

 and plow closer to the back-country 

 fires. In the final assignment of loca- 

 tions, places were found for all sizes of 

 tractors, from 22's to 50's. Hi-low 

 trailers were designed in varied weights 

 to fit their loads. They were rigged as 

 prime movers, and ranged from 1/j- 

 ton two-wheel drives to 2/2 -ton 6 x 6's, 

 according to loads and travel condi- 

 tions. Eleven of these assemblies were 

 completed in 1944 and placed in 

 service. 



Meanwhile, a lightweight unit was 

 being tested. A key specification for it 



