FORESTRY FROM THE AIR 



279 



have been made during which explicit confidence in the 

 Packard motors was necessary. Civilization was at 

 times several weeks away in case of trouble. As a pre- 

 caution against accident, a canoe, paddles, rifle, blankets, 

 food and cooking utensils were always carried, but there 

 has been no necessity for using these. The cost of parts 

 used on motor overhauls has been negligible and a mis- 

 firing cylinder has not yet been experienced. In these 



For work, particularly in connection with the pulp wood 

 industry, it is possible to detect with the utmost accuracy 

 the difference between soft and hard' woods. The shape 

 of the crown cover differs sharply. The softwood 

 crowns, from the air, present the appearance of rather 

 small, perfectly rounded objects with an effect of depth, 

 while the hardwood tops are softer, irregular and flat- 

 ter. The observer, after a very little experience can thus 



O. yZftH.er I 



"PUTTING THE FIRE FIEND TO FLIGHT" 



Striking cartoon by Yardley in the San Francisco "Bulletin," indicating the successful use of aircraft in forest fire control, as demonstrated 



by the air patrol recently established in the State of California. 



long trips the utmost faith both in the motors and in the 

 planes themselves has been necessary and it has been 

 fully justified." 



In his work over the forests, Lieutenant Graham has 

 made observations both visually and by means of photo- 

 graphs. The shape of the crown cover and the color 

 of the trees makes possible very accurate observation of 

 the nature of the forest beneath and to a considerable 

 extent of the thickness and value of the stand of timber. 



tell not only the kind of wood but approximately the per- 

 centage of mixture of the two. 



Photographic observation is less accurate because of 

 the failure of photographic plates to react to the differ- 

 ent shades of green. The observer, judging by shades, 

 can tell the species of softwood, but the photograph 

 merely distinguishes between soft and hard. Although 

 it is possible to use ray filters which would give the color 

 shades accurately, these are so slow that photographs 



