Canadian Forestry Journal, November, 1919 



471 



built at one side; sometimes only a curtained 

 enclosure is provided. The stable is built at 

 one side , often with an opening into the camp 

 to give warmth for the horse. The trees are 

 cut and sawed, the branches cut off, and then 

 they are sawed into logs, usually 1 3'/^ feet in 

 length and dragged out or "skidded" into piles, 

 which are made alongside the roads which will 

 take them to the nearest river or lake. When 

 the snow is deep enough to make hauling easy 

 the yare "landed" or piled on the shore or 

 sometimes on the ice. Here they are measured 

 by the "culler," and the jobber or contractor 

 is paid by the thousand feet board measure. The 

 hauling is usually finished by March 1st, when 

 the woodmen return to their homes. 



THE LOG JAM. 



As soon as the ice is out of the lakes and 

 rivers the "drive" commences. Logs which are 

 piled on the banks are rolled into the water 

 and start on their way to the mills. The drivers 

 keep them from lodging on the banks or in 

 rapids and follow after the main body of the 

 logs, rolling back into the water such as have 

 become stranded. Often the logs stick on the 

 rocks in the rivers, and large piles or jams are 

 formed. Then the dangerous part of the work 

 commences. The boldest men in the crew get 

 out on the pile and try to loosen the log or logs 

 which for mthe key of the jam. This takes ski 

 and courage, for when the jam is loosened it 

 may go quickly and the men must not get 

 caught. Sometimes dynamite must be used to 

 dislodge the jam. On small streams dams are 

 built to hold back the water which is let out as 

 needed to supply enough water for floating the 



logs. When the logs are cut each owner stamps 

 his mark on the end of the log and cuts a bark 

 number into the log near each end. On ar- 

 rival at the mills the logs belonging to it are 

 sorted out and taken up out of the water to be 

 utilized. 



HOW THE NURSERIES GROW. 



The more progressive companies have estab- 

 lished nurseries and are reforesting their lands. 

 A nursery is like a garden, the tree seeds which 

 are collected in the fall and which are, for the 

 spruces and firs, about as big as turnip seeds, 

 are planted early in the spring and germinate in 

 about two weeks. The little trees, which grow- 

 slowly, are two to three inches high at the end 

 of the first season, and after they first come 

 through the ground must be shaded by frames, 

 usually made of laths, for abou ttwo months. 

 They must also have water during dry spells 

 and be kept free of weeds. By the end of the 

 second season they are four to six inches in 

 height and at the beginning of the third are 

 transplanted in long rows and kept cultivated 

 and free from weeds until the end of the fourth 

 year, when they are planted out in the forest. 

 They are then about twelve inches high. They 

 are usually planted five to six feet apart and 

 are carefully protected from fire. When they 

 reach four to six inches in diameter they may 

 be somewhat thinned out and from then, till it 

 is decided to cut them all, thinnings are made 

 about every ten years, depending on the rate 

 of growth. In thinning the weakest and poor- 

 est trees are removed so as to allow the best 

 and strongest to mature. To form a spruce 

 forest about 1 ,200 to 1 ,700 per acre are 

 planted. 



THE IRRIGA TION FARMER FOOTS THIS BILL 



At many of the meetings of the Canadian 

 Forestry Association in the Western Provinces 

 during October, the following telegram from Col. 

 J. S. Dennis, Chief Commissioner of Coloniza- 

 tion and Immigration of the Canadian Pacific 

 Railway, was read. Col. Dennis, who is an ex- 

 president of the Forestry Association, sent the 

 message at the Secretary's request: 



"The destruction of timber on the eastern 

 slope of the Rocky Mountains and on other 

 drainage areas in the west through fire is a 

 serious menace to the successful operation of 

 existing irrigation systems or their extension 

 in southern Alberta or southern Saskalc!v.nvan, 



and in the continued supply of water in drain- 

 age channels for stock watering. This is due 

 to the fact that when timber and underbrush on 

 drainage areas are destroyed the run-off from 

 these areas is lost through floods with incidental 

 damage, at periods of the year when it should 

 be given off slowly to be of use for irrigation 

 or stock watering. 



"In my opinion one of iho most important 

 matters in the west to-day is to make every 

 effort to prevent destruction of timber on our 

 timbered areas through forest fires. 



"J. S. Dennis." 



