320 THE FORESTS OF GABKETT COUNTY 



The present annual cut of the mills of the county is about 25 mil- 

 lion feet. The small portable mills, of which there are a number 

 in the county, cut less than one-fifth of this annual output. The bulk 

 of the lumber cut is Hemlock, while Spruce, White Pine, Chestnut, 

 Oak, Maple, Beech, and Basswood furnish the remainder. The -nrin- 

 cipal manufactured product is lumber and with it large quantities of 

 lath, shingles and barrels are produced. 



The object of the large companies is to cut and market as rapidly 

 as possible all material on their tracts. The mills are located on 

 streams and the logs are brought from the woods over logging rail- 

 roads. In one case the haul is over 15 miles. The mills are con- 

 nected with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad by means of spurs and 

 load their product for shipment direct from the yards. 



The small mills do not run steadily and the quality of lumber pro- 

 duced is generally poor. Their cut is mainly hardwood and is, in 

 many instances, from culled forest or small isolated bodies of fair 

 timber. The logs are brought to the mills by teams and the manu- 

 factured lumber is hauled by wagons to shipping points. A few 

 small mills are making soft-wood shingles, but find it difficult to 

 obtain material for a continuous run. 



The present unconservative methods of lumbering in the county 

 are rapidly denuding the best timber lands, Xo attempt is being 

 made to- insure a future supply. The cut is as close as possible, and 

 includes all material that can be marketed. Little care is exercised 

 to prevent fires after lumbering and the greater part of the slashings 

 are burnt over. The fires have been so severe in places as to com- 

 pletely kill all timber and other growth left on the land. This is espe- 

 cially noticeable on the Spruce and Hemlock slashings. 



FOREST FIRES. 



The future of Garrett county as a lumber producing region is not 

 bright. This is due to the severe lumbering and to the prevalence of 

 forest fires in the county. The problem of protecting the cut-over 

 and culled forest lands is here, as in all the principal lumber regions 



p 



of the United States, one of paramount importance. No single prob- 



